Page 49 of Brews & Bartenders

“Mom, can I?” There’s no way in hell I could tell that hopeful face no. Even if Nathan is up to something.

“Sure, we can swing by the house and get you some clothes.”

“I can take him shopping for a few things tonight. It’s not a big deal. He needs some clothes for my house anyway.” Yeah, he’s got a hidden agenda, but I won’t let this come between David’s relationship with him. Regardless if I date, he still needs his father in his life.

“Okay.” I bend down and give David a big hug. “Change out of your cleats and give me your water bottle. I’ll take them home and get them cleaned up.”

“Thanks, Mom.” He slides the shoes off and puts his sandals on.

“I’ll see you Saturday night.”

“It may be Sunday,” Nathan interrupts. “I might take him to see my parents.”

Yeah, the ones who never call and ask about him. “Okay, sounds good. Just keep me updated.” I wrap David in one more hug. “I love you. Have fun.”

“I love you, too.” It hurts like hell to see him walk away with his dad, but he needs this. If only it were more often than when it’s convenient for Nathan.

Now I have an entire weekend to myself. Whatever am I going to do?

My car leads me straight to Out of the Ashes. Should I have gone home? Probably. I didn’t really want to, though. The grin on Carlos’s face when he sees me walk through the doors makes my decision more than worth it.

I spot someone paying their tab at the bar and I wait patiently behind them to grab their stool. Once they are done, I slide on top of the stool and before I can sit all the way up, a beer is sitting in front of me. The man I’m dating smiling down at me. The line has already blurred from fake to real. At least, it has for me. Maybe I’m rusty after so many years out of the game. I don’t want to think I’ll glom onto the first man who shows kindness to both my son and I, but it feels like it could be something with him.

“Where’s David?” Carlos leans on the bar, his sole focus on me and not the patrons lining the bar top.

“Oh, uh, Nathan said he was going to keep him for the weekend and take him to see his other grandparents.”

He taps the bar with his knuckles. “So, you have the entire weekend free?”

My cheeks warm, and I hope they aren’t turning bright red. “Yes.”

“I can probably get out of here a little early.” He glances around. The bar is busy, but not like I’ve seen it before football season. Friday nights in a small town means most people will be at the game. They may get swamped afterward, but that will depend on the results.

“You don’t have to do that.” I take a sip of my beer. “I just wanted to let you know.”

“I see,” he pauses for a second, “you could have texted me to tell me.”

“Probably. But I wanted to see your reaction.” Another sip. “Oh, and I figured out how we should do our grilling challenge. Either this Sunday, or next, we can have your family and mine at my house. I’ll turn on the game and we can make a day of it.”

“Are you ready for our families to meet?”

Shrugging my shoulders, I lean forward. “I mean, most of my family knows who you are already. It’s not like they don’t come to this bar.”

“True enough.” He nods, taking the information in. “I’ll get with my mom and see what she has planned. Until then, why don’t you go home and get ready.”

“For what?”

“Dinner.”

“But, aren’t you working?”

He glances around the bar and looks toward Eric. “Yeah, but Eric knows he may be up for a promotion. This will be a good time to see if he can handle things on his own. We’ve given him easy shifts before this.”

“Okay.” I finish my beer. “If anything changes, let me know. I’m fine with waiting until tomorrow.”

“I’m not.” He smirks, and I can’t help but wonder what sort of trouble I have coming my way.

I stand on the legs of the stool, lean over the bar and place a chaste kiss on his lips. “I guess I’ll see you in a bit. Let me know if anything changes.”

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