No. She’s off the clock. This is her weekend night to do whatever she wants. I need to tell her goodbye and let her get back to her date. He might be a little bit buzzed, but I recognize that cleft forming between his eyebrows as he watches us. He has competition. Or at least, it appears that way.
“Where’s Callie?” Rosalie asks.
“At Esther’s.”
“Oh, that’s good. Is she spending the night, or are you going to pick her up?”
“She’s spending the night.”
“I hope she has fun. I’ll ask her about it Monday.”
“Thanks.”
Callie tells me a lot, but Rosalie is her confidant. Maybe that should bother me, but Rosalie isn’t looking to gatekeep or judge or put her own spin on things. She’ll read Callie’s mood as thelittle girl talks about nothing and everything and know more than I ever could from it. And then she’ll share it all with me.
That same sense of despair from the day of Wyatt’s birthday party hits me as I think about losing her. We can’t lose Rosalie. I may talk a big game, but she is irreplaceable, and that’s a burden I won’t share with her. I also need to stop doing things like checking her out or teasing her or trying to find ways to spend time with her outside of her job. She can’t feel uncomfortable if I don’t give her a reason to.
I straighten from the wall. “So, I’ll see you Monday?”
“Yeah, of course.” She glances behind her and then leans in and whispers, “Could I get an invite to this ice cream thing? If I show up at home in a few minutes, Kambryn will think the date went badly.”
“Did it?” I whisper back.
She opens her mouth to respond and turns it into a mischievous smile. “Buy me ice cream and you’ll find out. Send me an address when you decide where you’re going.” With that, she turns and returns to her workspace, picking up an abandoned plate of spaghetti and tossing it into the trash can next to them.
I give her date one last careful once-over, frowning at the way he leans over and wraps her in a side hug so effortlessly. Rosalie doesn’t seem to hate it. Maybe she doesn’t get enough hugs in her life from people over the age of eight.
Not my problem.
I quickly retreat back to the other side of the rec center and watch the last five minutes of practice through the classroom window like the rest of the bored parents. Only, I’m not bored. My mind is going a million miles an hour.
I didn’t need to invite her. Rosalie invited herself.
It’s a friend move, which means I have to follow through and send her the address of wherever we end up going for ice cream. To do otherwise would be rude.
Chapter 20 – My Path Towards Evil
Rosalie
The pasta machines can’t be doused in soap or water. They just need a good wipe down, so cleanup is a breeze. Cutting ties with Trey is a little more complicated. He goes in for a goodbye hug while asking what night would be good for fondue. No wonder he kills it in sales. I can’t form the words to turn him down.
I’m not walking into a second date on my own, however, so I tell him to check with Kambryn and Gavin. They can double with us.
And why not? I like having plans, and if nothing else, maybe it will help Liam feel more comfortable around me. I miss how easy things felt when he thought I was dating Brennan.
I was not kidding when I said I didn’t want to head home early. There’s a good chance Kambryn will be waiting to corner me for an interrogation. Her boyfriend is working tonight, so she doesn’thave plans. She and Aubrey will be all ears for a recap. Plus, Wyatt is reaching that age where he realizes I’m a paid friend, so this would be a good opportunity to show him I’d hang out with him either way.
I’m not actually going to make Liam buy my ice cream. I may not get any at all. I’m so full. Trey might have overindulged in wine; I overindulged in pasta and marinara sauce.
I can’t help smiling when my phone dings with a text from Liam before I even reach my car. He’s sent me the address to a place called Ice Cream Palace only a few blocks away.
Setting the apron from tonight in the passenger seat, I turn on music that is very much not Frank Sinatra. My ears need a reset. I sing along to Freya Skye the whole way to the ice cream shop. The place is hard to miss with its big red sign in the shape of a royal crown.
The parking lot is almost completely full, and the inside is packed with teenagers and families with little kids in karate uniforms. Apparently Liam wasn’t the only parent with this idea.
Liam and Wyatt are waiting for me by the door, and Wyatt pulls me into one side of a tiny red booth, leaving only a little bit of room for Liam on the end. Across from us is a girl who looks to be about eighteen. She barely registers our existence before staring down at her phone again. Next to her is a boy who must be from Wyatt’s karate class.
I glance up at Liam, who’s still standing next to the booth. “Did you already order?” I ask.