2
“Yes, why didn’t you do that? You could probably save money, even.”
Rowan was too embarrassed to admit that he’d been so excited to leave the UK—and the reminder that even his parents didn’t care for his company—that he’d leased the place sight unseen and had simply been too lazy to look for somewhere else to live every time his lease came up for renewal. At least the landlord hadn’t raised the rent, which he understood was a rarity. “And have someone mad at me every time I had a boyfriend? A man needs some privacy, Gemma.”
“God.” Gem set down her wineglass and stretched out in the chair. Rowan might live in a shithole, technically, but he was great at buying quality furniture for cheap. Gem had offered him three times what he paid for that chair, but it was teal velvet and Rowan wasn’t giving it up. “If I’d known a roommate was all it would take to keep you from dating anthropomorphized sock lint, I’d have offered to live with you myself. In my apartment, of course.”
“At least I only sleep underground because I’m poor.”
Gem burst out laughing. She didn’t actually sleep in a coffin to avoid sunlight, but Rowan had made enough bloodsucking lawyer jokes that she made the connection anyway. “Fine, I concede this round. And because I’m such a gracious loser, and also I refuse to sit in this chair any longer if you won’t let me buy it, I’m taking you out to dinner.”
This was probably what she’d been angling for the whole time, but Rowan didn’t mind. A man had to eat to keep his strength up. Especially if a man was going to keep drinking wine with Gem all evening. “I accept your terms.” He let her pull him to his feet. “But nowhere I have to dress up.” Partly because he needed to do laundry. The spin cycle on the washer made the thing rattle so much the landlord had asked him not to use it after nine, and Rowan kept forgetting.
The guy should really get a handyman in.
“Don’t even tell me,” Gem said, apparently having deduced his objection didn’t actually have to do with the clothing. “It’ll only depress me.”
“Yeah, that’s fair,” Rowan allowed. “Now—Indian or Italian?”
They ended up sitting at a little café down the block, one Rowan had frequented enough times to be on a first-name flirtation basis with their server, Adrian. He ordered the chicken parm and another glass of red. Gem asked for the same but had her meal boxed up to go because she had a thing about eating in public. She avoided it at her charity events by making the rounds to various tables and ensuring everyone else was enjoying themselves.
Surprisingly, she did indulge in the fresh bread with butter—usually an add-on, but Adrian dropped it off at their table with a wink for Rowan. “On the house.”
“You know how to treat a man,” Rowan said with gratitude. He needed something to soak up the wine. “What?” he added when Gem gave him the hairy eyeball.
Gem plucked a slice of bread from the basket and slathered it in butter. “Nothing.”
Nothing, Rowan’s right nut. “Please. I hope you’re a better liar than that in court.”
She rolled her eyes. She’d pointed out more than once that she wasn’t that kind of lawyer. “Getting back on the horse?”
“Horse?” Rowan craned his neck a bit to look after Adrian. “Do you know something I don’t?”
“Very funny.”
“Anyway,” Rowan went on as he snagged his own piece of bread, “I’ve told you, I’m not going around pining after a man who doesn’t date. Not after meeting him twice. No matter how pretty he is. Therefore, no falls from any horses to recover from. Which means I’m in the clear to flirt with Adrian.”
One day he’d have to flip the tables on her and ask about why she didn’t date, but he was having such a nice night. Watching his own intestines spill out onto the sidewalk would ruin it.
And it was a nice evening. There was a bit of a breeze, the wine was good, Gem regaled him with redacted tales of idiot clients and Rowan responded with the latest library gossip. If he flirted with Adrian just a little harder than usual to make a point, that was between him and the gods.
Except it must’ve been more than a little harder than usual, because Adrian dropped off a little something extra with Rowan’s chicken parm. “I’m off in twenty,” he said under his breath, leaving a slip of paper with a ten-digit number next to Rowan’s napkin.
Miraculously, Gem kept her scoff nigh inaudible. It was like she projected it directly into Rowan’s brain. But at least Adrian didn’t notice.
Adrian might’ve been off in twenty, but the night was so nice that neither Rowan nor Gem hurried. They finished the wine—and all the bread and butter in the basket—and shot the breeze for another forty minutes before collecting Gem’s to-go dinner and settling their tab.
“Walk me around the block,” Gem demanded, sliding her arm through his. “Keep all the unsavories away. It’s too nice to go inside just yet.”
As if she was worried, and if she didn’t have a Taser in her purse, Rowan would eat his teal velvet armchair, but he agreed anyway. He could use a little walk to sober up a bit. Red wine gave him a nasty hangover, which he always forgot until he’d drunk too much of it.
They were just making their final lap of the block, coming up on the alley next to the restaurant, when Rowan actually detected the first sign of those unsavories.
“Well,” Gem said, in as close to a giggle as she ever got, “at least someone’s getting laid tonight.”
Rowan narrowed his eyes, suddenly suspicious. “Wait, was this walk a distraction to keep me from calling—”
They passed the mouth of the alley, and an errant streetlight illuminated two figures engaging in something that was certainly illegal in public, even in Toronto.
And then, clear as a bell, they heard on the breeze a distinctly sexual gasp—“ Oh my God, Adrian —”
Both Gem and Rowan’s footsteps faltered. As usual, Gem recovered first. “Looks like he didn’t quite get off in twenty,” she offered mildly.
Rowan threw his head back and groaned at the sky. “What is wrong with me?” he said. “Why am I such a douchebag magnet?”
“It’s because your standards are subterranean,” Gem offered. For the first time Rowan could remember, she actually stumbled a bit on the sidewalk in her heels. Maybe that was why she really wanted an escort. He caught her without trouble.
“God.” Gem was depressingly right. “Okay. I’ve learned my lesson. I’m going on strike from men.”
“I’ve heard that before. Right before, what was his name? Calen?”
“Owen,” Rowan sighed. “No, wait—it was after Owen and before—”
“I think you’ve made my point for me,” Gem said dryly.
Unfortunately Rowan suspected she was right. “That’s why I mean it this time. I am officially closed for business. No thank you. The Rowan train is leaving the station. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, we don’t want no scrubs—”
“I give it a week,” Gem interrupted.
“Wretch,” Rowan said cheerfully. “Bet.”
They leaned on each other all the way back to his apartment.
THE BEST part about the off-season was not just getting to spend so much time with Kaira, but also getting to surprise her with fun trips and activities.
Jordy hadn’t been lying about wanting to take Kaira to the cupcake shop, and she lit up when she saw the selection.
After much debate, she finally selected a chocolate cake with a ganache center and chocolate icing. Jordy picked out a vanilla cake with raspberry filling and maple icing and ordered a coffee to go with it.
Five minutes later, Jordy was watching indulgently as Kaira kicked her feet and moaned with delight over her treat.
Jordy sipped his coffee and slowly ate his cake. He had a feeling that he wouldn’t get to finish it.
Her mouth was ringed with chocolate, and Jordy sneaked a picture and sent it to Adrianna.
“This is the best cupcake ever,” Kaira said with her mouth half full. “We should buy one for Clement when we go to the zoo.” Earlier in the week, Jordy had arranged a playdate with their neighbor’s kid. His time off during the summer was an advantage for other parents as well.
“Hm, but they don’t sell these cupcakes at the zoo,” Jordy pointed out.
“Not at the zoo. Before the zoo. Or after. We’ll come here after the zoo,” Kaira suggested.
“We will, huh?”
“Yes. Because cupcakes are nice, and I wanna give Clement a nice thing. Because I love him. And we’re going to have fun at the zoo because zoos are better with best friends. Daddy?”
“Hm?”
“You should bring a friend to the zoo too.”
“I should?”
“Yeah. Because the zoo is always better with a friend, and you wouldn’t want to be lonely at the zoo, Daddy.”
“Of course not. What was I thinking?” The sarcasm was lost on Kaira.
“Wow, I guess you really couldn’t wait,” a voice said from the right.
Jordy and Kaira both turned to see Rowan a few feet away. “Mr. Rowan! Do you know about the best cupcakes ever too?”
“I do indeed,” Rowan said with a grin. He took a step closer and leaned down as if to tell her a secret. “In fact, I was the one who told your daddy about this place. No one should keep cupcakes this good to themselves.”
Kaira beamed, delighted. “Are you going to get a cupcake today, Mr. Rowan?”
“I already bought one,” he said, waving his hand toward the counter.
“What kind?”
“I love their pineapple one,” he said like it was another secret.
“Pineapple?” Kaira said with distrust, because she was Jordy’s daughter.
“Yes. Pineapple is delicious.”
Kaira wrinkled her nose. “Daddy says pineapple is the devil’s fruit.”
Rowan jerked back and flung both hands to his heart as if shot. “What? You wound me as you wound my favorite fruit! Daddy, how could you say such things?” He swooned into the extra chair at their table, and Kaira giggled with delight.
Jordy arched an eyebrow and said nothing. Rowan pouted and Kaira giggled harder.
“Rowan!” a server called, and they all turned to see a cup of tea and a cupcake placed on the counter.
“That’s me,” he said, waving, and Jordy thought for the first time Rowan looked unsure of his next move.
“Mr. Rowan? Can I try your pineapple cake?”
“Uh….”
“Kaira, not everyone likes to share their food. If Rowan doesn’t want to share, then you have to accept that,” Jordy said firmly. He turned to Rowan. “It’s up to you. I don’t mind her trying a small bite of pineapple if you don’t mind sharing. But Kaira’s okay with hearing no.”
“Oh, I don’t mind sharing.” He looked a bit poleaxed, like he wasn’t sure how he’d gotten here. When he returned with his food thirty seconds later, Jordy told him again that he really didn’t have to share. Rowan waved him off. “It’s fine.”
He used his clean fork to slice off a semi-generous bite. Not too big, but definitely a piece with more cake than was required to taste-test pineapple.
He placed it on her plate, and Kaira popped it into her mouth. For a beat, she chewed and showed no reaction. Then her face morphed into a look of disgust and she stopped chewing. She looked down at her plate, which still had some chocolate cake, and then up at Jordy, clearly uncertain what to do next.
Holding back a chuckle, Jordy picked up a napkin and held it out for her to spit the cake into. Mouth clear, she grabbed her water and took several long pulls.
“Daddy, pineapple is devil fruit.”
“Yes it is, peanut.” He couldn’t resist looking toward Rowan and giving him a smug smile.
Rowan shook his head sadly. “I feel sorry for you both. You’re missing out. It’s the fruit of the gods.” He took a large bite from his cupcake, unrepentant, and Jordy rolled his eyes. “So, what are you two up to today?”
Jordy loved how his daughter took so much conversational pressure off him. For several minutes Kaira expounded on her plans for the day—getting more books form the library—and then detailed her expectations for their upcoming trip to the zoo.
“We’re going to go see armadillos.”
“Ah, of course. You can’t go to the zoo and not see armadillos.” Rowan nodded seriously.
“No, you can’t.”
“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever been to a zoo that had armadillos, because I’ve never seen one up close and personal.”
Kaira looked horrified. “What?”
“Nope. I’ve only ever seen them in pictures or on TV.”
“But armadillos are the best!”
“I know,” Rowan agreed sadly.
“You need to go see them. At the zoo. You should come to the zoo with us!”
“Oh, uh….” Rowan froze.
Jordy took pity on him. Also, he needed to remind someone of basic manners. “Kaira, you can’t just order Mr. Rowan to come to the zoo with us. He might be busy or have to work. Remember, not everyone gets the summers off. Lots of adults still work every day, even in July.”
Kaira pouted. “But… armadillos.”
Jordy did not melt at the sight of those wide eyes or bottom lip. “If you want Rowan to come with us, then you can ask him. But remember, he might have to say no, and that’s okay too.”
She whirled to Rowan and said in one breath, “Will you come with us to the zoo tomorrow?”
“Um.”
“Oh. Do you have to work?” She looked heartbroken at the thought.
“Well, no,” Rowan said slowly. Jordy wished he could have told him that lying would have been acceptable.
Kaira brightened. “So you can come with us?”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to intrude….” Kaira frowned at the new word. “It sounds like you and your daddy have a nice day planned, and I wouldn’t want to get in the way.”
“But Daddy doesn’t have a friend coming with us. But if you came, then he would have a friend. And I would have a friend, and then everyone would have a friend at the zoo!”
It was hard to argue against such sincere and simple logic. Judging by Rowan’s softening expression, he felt the same.
It looked like Jordy was bringing a friend to the zoo after all.
THE LAST thing Rowan expected in his mailbox was a letter from the library board. Now it lay on his kitchen table, taunting him.
“I don’t have time for this,” Rowan told it.
“For real, Rowan, I have to wrangle eleven six-year-olds in an hour. I do not have time for this,” Taylor answered through his phone’s speaker. “Just open the letter.”
“I can’t. Jordy is picking me up to go to the zoo in twenty minutes. What if it’s bad? What if it ruins my mood for the rest of the day?”
There was an ominous pause. “Okay, first of all, can we rewind to the bit where you have a date with the DILF?”