He waggled his eyebrows. “You love it.”
“Shithead.”
“I love when you talk sweet to me. Makes me all tingly.”
“Why am I friends with you again?”
He folded his hands on the table. “Because I saved you in that mosh pit in Albany.”
“Pantera,” we both said in unison.
“Good times.” I leaned back when the waitress put down the beers and a new ticket.
“No rush, but new bill just in case. I’m taking a quick break.”
I smiled up at her. “Thanks.”
“So…” August frowned. “Is this the chick you got the bed for?”
I stared down at the table, trailing my finger through the condensation on my glass.
“Oh, shit. You’ve been holding onto that favor for three fucking years. That bed was the best in my stock, you fucker.”
I took a long drink of my beer, draining it to almost half.
“Jesus, you’re gone for this chick.”
“No. Maybe. Fuck, man. She’s pregnant.”
August slumped back in his chair. “Oh, shit.”
“Yeah.”
He pushed over his beer. “I’ll drive you home.”
I laughed and pushed his beer back over to him. “I’m good. It’s not even the kid thing. It’s worse. Even saying it out loud sounds like it should be on one of my mom’s shows, for fuck’s sake.”
“How about you get off that bush you’re beating?”
I flashed him my middle finger. “I don’t even know. That’s the problem all around. We hooked up twice, a couple of weeks apart. But…” I trailed off.
“Don’t say it.” August groaned and drained half of his own beer.
Every guy’s worst nightmare. His silence was enough commiseration. “Yeah. What the hell am I going to say? ‘Oh, it might be my kid you’re having,
but maybe not. See ya at the ultrasound’? Fuck me.”
“Yeah, that’s shitty. I’ve never met her. I mean, I’ve seen her around. She’s right across from my store. She hangs out with the newly minted Hamilton girls.”
“Yeah. Seth’s kid is in Wes’s class and we got to be friends. And I’ve helped out with a few house things for Oliver. Sometimes he flips houses instead of just playing realtor.” I shrugged. “You know how it goes in this goddamn town. Everyone’s in each other’s business.”
Why I stayed in my own lane most of the time. It was just too fucking weird.
Kelsey was a perfect mistake.
“Does she have a boyfriend?”
“I don’t know, man.” It didn’t feel right though. Kelsey didn’t seem like someone who’d have a few guys on the hook. Then again, we weren’t much on talking when we were together. We were too busy getting naked.