Page 121 of The Manny

“I don’t have any plans for later, and your plans just stormed out the door.” His tone was coaxing. “Come on, I know a great little bar that has a live band tonight.”

I hesitated, studying Crispin. He was sexy and interested. Why was I considering turning him down, just so I could run home to Jack? Jack didn’t care where I was or what I was doing. Sleeping with another guy was just what I needed to erase Jack from my mind.

I nodded slowly and said, “Okay. That sounds fun.”

Crispin smiled slyly, looking like the cat that got the cream. “Excellent. I hope you don’t have a curfew? I plan on keeping you up extremely late tonight.”

I thought about the time Jack had waited up for me and suggested we kiss. My chest ached remembering that night. I’d been so excited to see what happened next between Jack and me. Now I knew what happened next; Jack ran away as fast as he could.

When I didn’t respond, Crispin said, “We don’t have to hang out, if you’re not interested.”

Pushing away thoughts of Jack, I said, “I’m not ready to go home.”

“Great.” He brightened. “That’s what I was hoping to hear.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Are you going to try and corrupt me, Crispin?”

“Oh, yeah.” He smirked, nodding at Lucia as she set our food in front of us. “Dan was an idiot. I’m going to show you a hell of a good time, sailor.”

I grinned and took a bite of my pasta. Crispin was a lively companion. He chatted about work and I told him more about my job. He was funny and intelligent, and I couldn’t believe my luck that he’d just happened to be sitting nearby as Dan stormed off. The night was turning out pretty awesome, thanks to Crispin.

Once the meal was finished and the table cleared, Lucia set our checks down next to us. She gave me an apologetic smile as she turned and headed toward the kitchen. I picked up the check and tried not to wince as I saw the total. The bottle of wine Dan had ordered cost more than both of the entrees put together. I placed my credit card on the slip of paper, and Crispin laughed when I made the sign of the cross.

“Don’t worry, I’ll pay for our drinks tonight,” he offered.

“No. I’m not letting you do that.”

“I saw the amount of your check, are you sure about that?”

“There’s no reason for you to buy all my drinks.”

He shrugged. “Okay, I’ll buy the first round, how’s that?”

“Deal.”

He slid from the booth, looking pleased. “I thought I was spending my Sunday evening alone, but things have taken a turn for the better.”

“Definitely.” I forced a smile, ignoring lingering thoughts of Jack. I was going to focus on Crispin, and pretend Jack wasn’t the least bit important to me. This was self-preservation time. Jack didn’t want to be with me, and a guy like Crispin could help me forget what could have been.

Chapter Twenty-One

Jack

My Sunday with Mia was great. At first, I was a little nervous, but soon I was back in the rhythm of things. We went to the park and fed the ducks, then we played with clay, and watched cartoons. Dinner time was the only hiccup. I burned the fish sticks and the macaroni and cheese turned out lumpy. I solved that issue by ordering a pizza, and we were back on track.

Once Mia was bathed and in bed, I was exhausted. How did Thomas take care of her every day, without complaint? I sat on the edge of her bed, studying her. She was holding a big picture book of fairy tales, her blonde hair tumbling around her tiny shoulders. I saw Jules in her more and more each day. Sometimes glimpsing my sister in Mia was painful, but mostly it was reassuring. I liked that a piece of Jules lived on through Mia.

“Do you want me to read that book to you?” I asked.

“No, thank you.”

“Did you just want to go to sleep?” I smiled wryly. “Have you had enough of me for one day?”

She giggled, but then her smile faded. “I want to ask you stuff.”

“Do you?”

She nodded, looking apprehensive.

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