Tori draws her finger through the condensation on her glass of iced tea. “This is going to sound crazy, but I like the smell of the barn. I don’t know if it’s the leather from the saddles, the bales of hay, or the horses themselves. It’s this great earthy scent. I can’t explain it.”
My lips pull into a smile as I look away. I love that smell too. It’s one of my earliest memories. Playing in the barn with my dad, racing from one end to the other with my arms spread out wide. Breathing in the warmth that you can only find when you’re surrounded by these incredible animals.
Makes me miss my father so damn much.
Across from me, Logan laughs. “Honey, you are welcome to shovel that smell whenever you’re in the mood. Just let me know.”
A growl revs low in my chest. Leave it to my brother to reduce everything to a pile of manure. “She’s not shoveling shit, Logan.” Mila giggles at my dirty word, but I’m too tired to care that I’ve cursed in front of my kids. “Tori does enough for us already.”
“Take it easy, bro.” He holds his hands up. “I was joking. Mostly.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not.”
Before I can descend into a foul mood, our waitress slides giant plates of steaming chicken fried steak across the table. Thank you, Jesus.
I turn to prepare a serving for the baby, but Tori’s already cutting up Cody’s meal into toddler-sized bites.
“Want to swap seats with me?” I ask her. “That way I can feed him. Sorry, I hadn’t really thought through the seating arrangement.”
She helps him take a bite. “I don’t mind feeding the little man.”
Watching her take care of my son floods me with warmth. As we fall into easy conversation, I can’t help but sneak glances at her from time to time.
Dinner is delicious, and I’m ready to fall into a food coma when two familiar faces pop up over Tori’s shoulder.
“Hey, guys.” I wave to Brady and Kat.
Tori’s head whips around, and the smile that breaks out on her face when she sees her sister is ridiculously sweet. She hops out of her chair and gives her sister and brother-in-law quick hugs. “What are y’all doing here? I thought you were barbecuing tonight. I’m glad to see you, though, because I forgot my phone at Ethan’s, and you said to call you this evening.”
I smile. Tori remembered to pack a bag of toys and diapers and crayons for the kids but forgot her phone.
Brady drops an arm over his wife’s shoulders. “We did barbecue, but Kat wanted some pie, so we decided to make a pit stop.”
“I shouldn’t be eating pie. Trust me, I know this,” Kat says self-deprecatingly.
Brady kisses the top of her head. “You’re perfect, and if my wife and kid want pie, I’m buying them pie.”
She rubs her round belly and grins at him.
The moment between them seems so intimate as they stare into each other’s eyes, I look away.
That. That’s what I never had with Allison.
“Where’s Izzy?” Tori asks, leaning over Cody to wipe his face.
“At my parents’.” Brady motions over his shoulder. “We’re having a date night.”
Tori chuckles. “I’m coming over tomorrow, so get the ‘date night’ out of your system.”
“Oh, my God. Stop.” Kat blushes and turns her face into her husband.
“What? You’re pregnant. Like it’s a secret how that happened? Watch out! I’m gonna tell Mom and Dad you did the deed!”
It’s funny to see how laid-back Tori is around Kat. How much she teases her sister. Makes me realize she’s still a bit buttoned up around me.
“Daddy?” Mila scrunches her nose. “What’s ‘the deed?’”
Tori grimaces and mouths that she’s sorry.
I chuckle and tug on my daughter’s pigtail. “Nothing you need to worry about for, oh, about forty years.”
Everyone laughs.
After we chat, Brady and Kat meander over to the dessert window by the cash register, and Mila and Tori run to the bathroom in the back because my daughter realizes she “really, really needs to tinkle.”
Logan watches the girls go, glances down at his phone, and then turns to the front of the diner.
Cody squirms in his high chair, so I clean him off and settle him on my lap.
“So what’s the surprise?” I can’t deny that I’m curious. Logan went on and on about it this afternoon.
I expect him to tell me he got us a new client or something work-related, but instead of being excited, he sighs. “I didn’t think this through, having everyone here.” He motions toward the bathrooms. “Just don’t be mad.”
Nothing good ever happens when he says that to me.
“How did this go from ‘hey, I have a surprise for you’ to ‘don’t be mad’?”
He shifts and looks over his shoulder again. I follow his line of vision as two blondes strut through the front door. They see Logan and wave.
“You got a date with, what, sisters? Let me guess. You’re taking off for the weekend and want me to do everything we bulleted here.” I tap on the mile-long to-do list we jotted down during dinner.
The blondes stop at our table, and the younger one leans down to hug Logan, while the other one smiles at me. Now that she’s close, I realize she looks familiar.
“Hi, Ethan.”
And she knows my name.
Logan breaks away from the woman wrapped around him to motion to the other. “Bro, this is Sandra. Remember, she has a son about Mila’s age? And this is her sister Sage.”
Shifting uncomfortably, I realize where this is headed. Logan, don’t do this.
“Ladies.” I’m wondering how quickly I can pack up Cody’s diaper bag and toys, which are strewn across the table. “You know what? We’d better get going.” I look at my brother, hoping he understands why I’m doing this. “If you want to stay, that’s fine, but it’s getting late.”
Sandra puts her hand on my shoulder. “Your son is getting so big!”
“He eats like a horse,” I joke, trying to not be a total asshole. With one hand, I hold Cody, who squirms like he has ants in his pants, while I gather his toys with the other.
Logan leans across the table and murmurs, “Let’s just do this fast, okay? Before the girls get back. It’ll be fine.”
I’m not sure I know exactly what he’s talking about, but I’m one hundred percent I don’t want to find out.
Sandra leans closer. “Logan told me the good news!” She squeezes my shoulder again.
“And what would that be?”
“That your divorce is almost final, and that you wanted to go on a date with me!”
I give her an awkward smile and then shoot Logan a look. What the fuck are you doing? He shrugs and pats the other sister on the ass.
Sage plays with his hair. “We were thinking we could do something tomorrow night, if Sandra can find a babysitter.”
There’s my out. I don’t want to hurt Sandra’s feelings. I remember her situation with her ex, and I don’t want to be an ass, but I’m not interested. “Actually, ladies, I don’t have a babysitter.”
“I got you covered. Joey said she could babysit.” Logan waggles his eyebrows.