Cara winced. “Right. So . . . how’s it going being out tonight?”
“You all already know.” Erin gestured around the table to Macy, Trina, and most of the same people who were at Nick’s. Though Joe’s was crowded, Erin had immediately taken a seat. Besides, she was so thin she could still cover . . . mostly.
But there was nothing she could do about the news being public.
“Erin! You’re out and about.” Evan Carmichael’s familiar voice sounded from behind her. He walked around and eyed her warily.
“It’s not what it looks like,” she assured him. Erin knew that if she wanted to save her job, she needed to explain. “Give me a second and we’ll talk, okay?”
He nodded, but his expression showed his confusion and displeasure.
She swiveled in her seat. “Cara, I need a few minutes to talk to my boss. I won’t go far. Just to the nearest quiet corner.”
The other woman frowned. “Erin—”
“It’s about my job,” she said, rising from her seat before Cara could stop her. “I have to do this,” Erin insisted.
Cara let out a groan. “Fine. I’ll call Cole in the meantime. And you keep me in sight. Your brother’s at the bar with an eye out too. Any problems, just let us know,” she said, tipping her head toward Mike, who leaned against the bar, talking with some guys from the station. But Erin didn’t miss that he was alert, his gaze shifting around the room.
“I’ll be right back.”
She and Evan stepped to the nearest wall, but they were constantly jostled by people walking by, and it was too noisy for a private conversation.
“This is ridiculous,” Evan muttered. “Come on.” He steered Erin toward the bathroom hallway. She would have argued but he wasn’t listening, and since she could still see her brother from her location, she tried to relax.
He faced her, his back to the main room. “What’s going on? And I’m asking not as your boss, but as your friend. Because I know you well enough to realize you wouldn’t bail on work but come drink at Joe’s.” He raised an eyebrow, the concern in his chiseled face very real.
Erin opted to explain the stalker part of her situation first and gave Evan the briefest overview of why she was in Joe’s Bar tonight and what she hoped to accomplish.
He nodded slowly. “So where’s your partner in crime?”
Erin swallowed hard. “I can’t imagine what’s keeping him.”
The other man’s scowl told her just what he thought of Cole. “Do you really know what you’re getting yourself into with him? You must realize you can do so much better.”
Erin stiffened. She disliked being told who or what was good for her, but even more, she hated anyone making assumptions and insulting Cole. He might not be the man for her, but he had reasons she had to respect—though none that warranted Evan putting him down.
“Look, I appreciate that you think you mean well, as a friend and as my boss, but I’ve told you before, the subject of Cole is off-limits. He’s going to be in my life for the foreseeable future and that’s the end of it.” Her voice sounded harsh, brittle to her own ears.
Evan stepped back and studied her. “For God’s sake, why can’t you see he’s just going to leave you high and dry when he’s had his fill?” the man asked.
Erin blinked, unable to believe his nerve. Beyond bein
g uncalled-for, it was just plain rude, with no real care for her feelings. So much for calling himself her friend. His jealousy was showing and it was just plain ugly.
Erin had been carefully choosing her words, but no longer. “Why?” she asked. “You want to know why he’s in my life? Because he’s the father of my unborn child, that’s why!” she yelled at him.
His mouth opened wide but no sound came out. His gaze traveled from her face down to her stomach. Erin knew she was being bitchy and rude but she couldn’t stop herself. She flattened the flowing material of her shirt over her stomach, letting him see the tiny bump.
A vein throbbed on one side of his head as he forced himself to look her in the eye once more. “I’m speechless.”
“I know. It doesn’t happen often. Look, Evan—”
He held up a hand. “Let it go. Obviously I’ll have to.”
Before he could reply, he turned around and walked away. This time, it was Erin left with her mouth open, no sound coming out.
She pulled in a couple of deep breaths, needing to calm down before going back inside to face other people. She reached a point of rationality and was about to head back, when someone bumped her from behind.