“I, uh...” I pause, my stomach twisting at the thought of being cast aside. “I should probably...”

  But Riley doesn’t blink, his hands gently touching my back. “You can stay,” he whispers.

  I keep my breath held tight. “Do you want me to stay?” I ask.

  His mouth quirks. “Gets cold down here at night sometimes,” he says, holding me close. “I won’t mind the company.”

  I smile. “Okay,” I say, silently willing myself to be cool. “Then, I’ll stay.”

  Riley kisses me softly once again, and I kiss him back.

  5

  TISH

  Istir on the bed, my limbs silently screaming at me as I slowly drift into consciousness. It has been a while since someone’s stretched me out this way and that, and I feel myself smiling wide before I even open my eyes.

  I open them in a dark and cold room. An apartment. Riley’s apartment beneath Sparks Pub.

  I pull the blanket further over me, the bed still warm. Expecting Riley to be lying beside, I slowly turn my head to look behind me on the bed.

  “Meow.”

  “Ah!” I lurch, face-to-face with the black cat. I breathe a laugh, scolding myself. “Good morning, Jake,” I say.

  He doesn’t reply.

  Noticing that Riley is nowhere to be seen, I blink as my eyes adjust to the darkness. No windows down here. What time is it even?

  “Where’s Riley?” I ask Jake.

  “Meow.”

  “Right,” I reply with a nod. “Well, thank you.”

  I sit up on the bed, keeping the sheet clenched against my chilled breasts. Memories spark as I glance around, my body recalling what we did on the couch. And on the table. And on the bed.

  “Riley?” I ask.

  No answer.

  I chew my cheek, debating whether to go back to sleep or... leave.

  “Shit,” I say, finally awake enough to remember something other than screaming orgasms.

  Like the fact that I have to work today.

  I scan the room for my handbag, quickly spotting it on the floor by the couch. I scoot off the bed, cursing as my bare feet touch the cold floor. Taking the bedsheet with me, I shuffle over to grab my handbag, finding my cell phone inside.

  “Nine,” I say with relief. My shift isn’t until eleven. “Thank the maker.”

  If I’m late again, Bruno’s gonna... well, he’ll probably just snort. Big dude’s a big softy on the inside.

  The door opens. A beam of light breaks the darkness and I flinch, my phone nearly slipping from my hands. I drop the bedsheet, using both hands to catch the phone safely before it cracks against the floor.

  “Tish?” Riley asks, flicking on the light.

  I freeze in the middle of his room; the bedsheet pooled at my ankles, my phone clenched between my palms. “Uh-huh,” I murmur.

  He pauses in the kitchenette, a to-go tray with two coffees in one hand and a paper bag in the other. “Whatcha doing?” he asks, looking me over curiously.

  “Nothing. Just...” I hold up my hands. “Checking the time.”

  “Naked?”

  I look down, my cheeks burning. “So it would seem.”

  “Not that I’m complaining,” he adds with a smirk as he steps forward and sets the objects down on the kitchen table.

  “I just woke up,” I explain as I approach the table with the sheet wrapped around me again. “You were gone.”

  “Yeah, sorry,” he says. “You, uh... looked really peaceful, so I didn’t want to wake you.”

  “That’s okay,” I say, smiling at the sweet gesture.

  “And it’s always fun to sneak out and grab breakfast before the girl wakes up.” He holds up a coffee. “I figured a latte was a safe bet.”

  “The safest,” I say, happy to take it. “Thank you.” I embrace it between my palms, my cold fingers tingling from the warmth. “What’s in the bag?”

  “Bagels.”

  “I like bagels.”

  “Me, too. To tell you the truth, being right across the street from a coffee shop was one of the main reasons I rented this place.”

  “Proximity to work helped, too, I bet.”

  As he opens the bag, Cat Jake leaps up onto the table, his tail high and curled. “Does he like bagels, too?” I joke.

  “He likes the cream cheese,” Riley says as he reaches out to scratch him behind the ear. “Don’t you, buddy?”

  Jake rubs his head against Riley’s palm, purring softly.

  I smile. Gotta love a guy who loves animals. “Speaking of work...” I say.

  “You have to leave?”

  “Soon,” I say with a nod. “But there’s always time for coffee and...”

  I notice the way his gaze drifts toward my mouth, and I pause.

  “Bagels?” he finishes as he oh-so-slightly leans into my personal space.

  “Yeah,” I whisper. “Coffee and...”

  He kisses me. His hand comes to rest on my cheek, his fingers warm and wonderful. “Sorry,” he says, licking his lips as he tilts back. “You just looked really cute.”

  I blush. “Thanks.”

  As Riley looks at me again, he bites his lip hesitantly. “Listen, Tish. I, uh...”

  And just like that, my stomach drops.

  “What?” I ask.

  I…

  I was hoping you’d be gone by the time I got back?

  I have a girlfriend?

  Or, the worst of all...

  “I don’t know about you,” he says, clearly stalling, “but...”

  Aw, hell.

  If he says I’ll call you, I’m gonna rage.

  “What?” I ask.

  Riley smiles. “I want to see you again.”

  “Oh,” I say, my heart leaping. “Well, I’m usually at Sparks every weekend. Whenever Jake fires up the karaoke machine, anyway. Upstairs Jake, I mean.”

  “I didn’t mean on karaoke night.”

  I hold my breath. “Yeah?”

  He nods. “What are you doing tonight?”

  “Tonight? Uh...” Suddenly, I can’t even remember my middle name, let alone my schedule. “I’m free. I think.”

  “You think?”

  “I work at Bruno’s until five, and then... I’m free.”

  “Good. I’m off tonight, too, so... how about we get a drink?” he asks.

  I smile so wide I’m sure I look like a deranged clown, but I don’t care. “Sure,” I say. “A drink would be nice.”

  “It’s a date,” Riley says. He glances down, his smile curling on one side. “Looks good on you.”

  I look at the sheet still wrapped around me. “Your sheet?”

  “Uh-huh,” he says, smugly taking a sip from his coffee.

  I chuckle. “Shut up. I’ll get dressed.”

  “Or...” He reaches out, playfully grabbing the sheet and tugging at it. I keep it clenched against me, letting him pull me toward him instead. “You can leave it on and we could⁠—”

  I kiss him this time, tasting the playful seduction on his lips. He leans into it and we both carefully set our coffees down on the table before he pushes me onto it as well.

  “How soon is work?” he asks.

  I grin. “Not that soon.”

  “Excellent.”

  Riley drops to his knees by the table, his head disappearing beneath my sheet.

  “Meow,” Jake says from the shadows across the room.

  Yeah, buddy.

  I’m purring, too.

  6

  TISH

  “Tish!” Bruno barks from the window as I step into the diner. “You’re late again.”

  “What?” I check my phone. “No, I’m not. See?” I hold it out as I round the counter. “It’s 10:58! I still have two minutes.”

  “If you’re early, you’re on time,” he says as he scratches his beard, which seems ready for a trim. “If you’re on time, you’re late.”

  I roll my eyes. “That’s not legally enforceable.”

  “Tell that to the fine people at the unemployment office.”

  I enter the break room, happily offering him a grin as I pass the kitchen. “Oh, you’d never fire me, Bruno,” I say. “Who else would put up with your shit?”

  To that, he has no reply. He simply sneers over his grill with a smile hidden somewhere beneath his beard.

  See?

  Big softy.

  I chuck my handbag into my locker and throw on my apron with thirty seconds left to spare. After clocking in, I grab my order pad and step out onto the diner floor. The breakfast rush is long over, but the lunch rush is surely only minutes away.

  That leaves plenty of time for gossip.

  “Hey, cutie,” Brenda says, glancing up at me from the register as she goes over receipts. “How did it go last night after we left?”

  “I’m in love with the hot new bartender,” I say.

  She promptly stops and pivots to face me. “Tell me everything,” she demands.

  I take the biggest breath I’ve ever taken in my life. “After you guys left, I went up to him at the bar. You know, to thank him for the drink.”

  “That’s just being polite,” she says, hanging on every word with a nod.

  “We instantly hit it off,” I continue with the same breath. “There was flirting and banter and smiling and winking until he invited me to go down to his place.”

  Her eyes grow wide as saucers. “That fast?”

  I hold up a hand. “Usually, I’m not so quick to pounce, but he’s just so pretty!”

  “He was pretty.”

  “His eyes are blue with little bits of green in them. And his hair is so clean and thick. And those cheekbones!”

  I make a feral sound.

  “Okay,” Brenda says. “Well, tell me about him. What’s he like?”

  “He’s a bartender,” I say.

  “Right. But what else? Where’s he from?”

  “Pleasant Place.”

  She grimaces.

  “I know, I know,” I say. “But he’s totally normal, I swear. He just moved down to Small Town for a change of pace.”

  “What was his previous pace?” she asks.

  I shrug. “Not sure. He mentioned something about disappointing his dad and dropping out of school, but I was too busy falling into the dark pools of his eyes to listen.”

  Brenda chuckles. “Sounds like a bit of a bad boy,” she says.

  “He has freckles, too,” I add with a loving sigh. “Oh!” I remember the most important thing. “He’s a musician!”

  She hops with interest. “Really?”

  “He’s so good, too. He played me a song on his guitar and he sang. Oh, my god! He sang! He has the most beautiful voice, Brenda!”

  “More beautiful than yours?” she teases.

  I slap her shoulder. “Oh, stop. And, no. Of course not,” I add, brushing a bit of non-existent lint off my shoulder.

  “Then what happened?” Brenda asks. “Did you guys... you know?”

  “Tish!”

  We flinch and spin around to look at Bruno. “Yes?” I ask him.

  He glares at me from the window. “Stop corrupting Brenda,” he says.

  I scoff. “I am not corrupting Brenda. She’s an adult.”

  “She’s eighteen.”

  “Eighteen?!” I spin around to look at her. “We took you to a bar!”

  “You never asked my age!” she says, recoiling slightly. “Neither did they, come to think…”

  “Tish,” Bruno says again.

  “What?” I ask, swiveling back to him.

  “So, did you?”

  “Did I what?”

  He arches his brow, needing to hear more of my story despite his protests.

  “Y—” I pause, reaching out to cover Brenda’s virgin ears. “Yes,” I answer. “We did it. A lot. Last night and this morning.”

  Bruno nods. “Nice.”

  “Oh, no.” I hum with delight, my palms still pressed against Brenda’s head. “Not just nice. Getting your pussy eaten before breakfast is so much more than nice, my friend.”

  Bruno smirks. “Please tell me more.”

  I inhale to do just that.

  “Tish!”

  I choke on it. Releasing Brenda, I spin on my heels, coming face-to-face with⁠—

  “Mom!” I say in surprise. “Hi!”

  My mother approaches the counter with a grin. She’s wearing a closed brown jacket and black leather boots — both borrowed from my closet, but I won’t bust her on it. My mother and I constantly borrow clothes from each other without asking.

  “Good morning, my beautiful spawn,” she says, bobbing her head at Bruno over my shoulder, her auburn hair resting high in a messy ponytail. “Hello, Bruno, Brenda.”

  “Hi, Tanya,” Brenda says, rubbing her crushed earlobes.

  Bruno beams. “Hi, Ms. Travis. Having a good morning?”

  “Oh, I’m having a wonderful morning,” Mom says. “You?”

  “Just got better, actually. What were you saying, Tish?”

  “Nothing,” I spit at him. “Don’t you have burgers to cook?”

  “You tell me.”

  Giving him one last glare, I round the counter to pull my mother away from him. “Mom,” I say. “What, uh... what are you doing here?”

  “A mother can’t come by her daughter’s place of work and say hi?” she asks.

  “No, of course you can. I’m just⁠—”

  “Actually, there is a specific reason I’m here.” Her back straightens. “I couldn’t help but notice that you didn’t come home last night.”

  “Oh.” I wince at her stern expression. “Yeah. It, uh... well, the girls and I went to Sparks for karaoke and⁠—”

  Mom cracks up. “Honey, relax,” she says, reaching out to squeeze my arm. “I don’t care. You do you, babe.”

  I exhale softly. “I know I should have texted you. I was just... distracted.”

  “That’s okay. I trust you! Of course, I’m not one to talk seeing as how I’m currently wearing the same dress I left the house in last night,” she says, briefly opening the brown jacket and flashing her red cocktail dress.

  I gasp at the implication. “Mom!”

  “I know!” She closes her jacket, though she doesn’t look the least bit shameful about it. “I’m walking dirty across Small Town like some sort of floozy or something, but I don’t care!” She giggles with glee. “Tish, it’s happening!”

  “What’s happening?”

  “I met a man!”

  “A man?” I blink in surprise. “What man?”

  “You know that client I met in Big City last week?”

  “Yeah,” I say, nodding even though I don’t quite recall, truthfully. Mom is one of the most sought-after interior designers in all of Kiss County. She has a lot of clients.

  “Well, after our meeting, one of the head boss guys asked if I wanted to get some coffee with him. I thought, sure. Whatever. He’s cute. Maybe a bit stiff in our meetings, but some fun oughta loosen him up — and I was right! Long story short…” She bounces on her toes. “I’m in love!”

  “Love?”

  “I know it sounds crazy, kid. I mean, growing up in Kiss County, you hear your fair share of ridiculous one-night love stories, but this...” She sighs, her eyes sparkling through faded day-old mascara. “He’s perfect, Tish. I’ve never met anyone who has made me feel this way before.”

  “Okay, well... who is he?”

  “His name is Richard and... oh, gosh, where do I even begin?!”

  She lets out another laugh. This time, I laugh with her, the sound and feeling contagious. Hell, a part of me wants to jump up and down when I think about Riley, too.

  “Tish!” Bruno barks behind us. “You’ve got tables.”

  “Sorry,” I say over my shoulder before turning forward. “Mom, I’ve gotta get to work.”

  “Okay, okay.” She grabs my hands, giving them a squeeze. “But tonight.”

  “Tonight?”

  “I invited him over for dinner tonight. I want you to meet him.”

  “Already?” I ask.

  Mom never brings men around. Unless it’s serious. And it’s never serious.

  “In fact, there’s...” She pauses, her eyes full of excitement. “Well, there’s news.”

  My stomach twists nervously. “News?”

  “Good news!”

  “What kind of good news?”

  “Tonight,” she says again, leaving me in suspense. “We’ll tell you everything at dinner. Promise me you’ll be there.”

  “Okay, sure. Tonight. I’ll be the— fuck!”

  Tonight, I have a date with Riley.

  “What?” Mom asks, tilting away from my sudden outburst.

  “Well, I...” I want to see you again. “I kinda have a date tonight.”

  “Reschedule it. Please? You know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t so important.”

  I take a breath, my current view... somewhat strange. My mother has always, one-hundred percent of the time, put me before herself. Growing up, it was always just the two of us. She sacrificed so much, worked so hard to raise me all on her own.

  I owe her so much.

  I can give her one night.

  “Sure,” I say, squeezing her hands back. “I’ll reschedule⁠—”

  Mom throws her arms around me, pulling me in for a tight Mama Bear-like hug. “Thank you, honey,” she says. When she pulls back, she regards me sweetly, her hand coming to touch my cheeks. “Our lives are just beginning, babe,” she says, grinning.

  “You think so?”

  She kisses my forehead. “I know so.” With one last sunny smile, she steps back and waves over my shoulder. “Bye-bye, everybody!” she says.

  “Bye, Mrs. T,” Bruno says from the window.

  Mom leaves, our gorgeous shared boots thumping along the diner floor as she goes. The entrance doors open again behind her and the first wave of today’s lunch rush plows inside.

  It’s another hour or two before I finally get a moment to pause long enough to fetch my phone out of my locker. My mind is bright with memories of this morning, but unfortunately, my hopes for tonight will just have to wait.

  I send Riley a standard text greeting, not expecting him to answer right away, but my phone vibrates in my palm before I even get the chance to set it down.