Page 48 of Biker Orc Baby Daddy
In the dark. With a man who called himself Ridge and disappeared before sunrise.
No.I'm imagining things. Seeing patterns where none exist. Gunther is Gunther. Ridge is Ridge. They're not the same person.
Can't be.
But that dimple.
I head to my bedroom. Sink onto the bed. Hold my phone and look at the calendar.
Eighteen months since that night. Eighteen months since I woke up alone in a hotel room and decided to move forward without looking back.
Tomorrow I'm having dinner with a man who might be a stranger.
Or might be the father of my child.
Please be a stranger.The prayer forms unbidden.Please let this be coincidence.
Because if it's not, everything changes.
And I've never been good with change.
Pizza boxes cover Colum's desk. Three kinds because apparently simple decisions aren't Colum's style. Pepperoni. Veggie. Something with goat cheese and arugula that looks like it costs more than my monthly glitter budget.
I stand in the doorway with Orry on my hip, second-guessing every life choice that led me here.
"Cecie!" Colum waves a slice. "Perfect timing. Come in, come in."
Gunther sits in the corner chair, posture rigid, hands folded in his lap like he's waiting for a dentist appointment. He looks up when I enter. Adjusts his glasses. Opens his mouth. Closes it.
Smooth.
"Hi." I hitch Orry higher. "We're not late, are we?"
"Right on time." Colum pulls out a chair. "Sit. Eat. Orry, my man, I got you covered."
He produces a container of those organic baby puffs. The expensive kind I pretend I can afford.
Orry lunges for them. "Puh!"
"Magic word?" I prompt.
"Puh! Puh!Puh!"
"Close enough." I settle into the chair. Accept the container from Colum. Pop the lid and hand Orry a puff.
He shoves it in his mouth. Grins at Gunther. Orange crumbs everywhere.
Gunther stares back, expression unreadable.
The silence stretches.Ahem. Colum’s eyes grow wide for a second.
"So." He grabs a slice of goat cheese monstrosity. "Cecie, how's the shop? Inventory settling in?"
"Getting there." I tear a piece of pepperoni pizza into tiny bits for Orry. "Had a run on lip gloss this afternoon. Prom season's brutal."
"Revenue up?"
"Sixteen percent from last month."
