Page 6 of Of Course, Cutie

She pulled open the back door, and I heard Charlie’s voice. “Shit. He told on me! Sienna, I’m not drunk.” Sienna glanced over her shoulder at me and smiled.

I heard her say, “Nobody told on you, Charlie. I’m just smart,” before the door closed. Sienna would take care of Charlie. I didn’t need to worry about her anymore tonight.

3

Burke

“Lexi, are you shittin’ me right now? I have to be at the bar in fifteen minutes! I worked my ass off to align my schedule with yours, and now—"

“She’s your daughter, Burke!” Lexi cut me off. “Didn’t you move all the way out here to spend more time with her?”

I gripped the phone in my hand, fighting the need to curse out my ex-wife. This was so like her, selfish and manipulative. I gritted my teeth. “You know I did.”

“Then pick her up from school! I can’t get out of this meeting!” Then that beast of a woman hung up her phone.

“Fuck!” I pounded the kitchen countertop with my fist. I’d only been working my new job for a week, and while the bar owner seemed like a reasonable guy, I’d already fucked up once by letting his underage sister get trashed right under my nose. How could I cancel my shift with only fifteen minutes’ notice?

I let out a deep breath and gave Evan a call while I walked to my car — a boring-ass reliable Subaru. I traded in my damn motorcycle when I met Lexi twelve years ago. She worried about my safety back then. I used to think it was sweet.

Evan answered with a tired-sounding, “Hello?”

It was the anniversary week of his father’s death, and I could tell the guy wasn’t sleeping. I cleared my throat. “Hey, man. I hate to do this, but my daughter is sick, and I have to go pick her up from school.”

“Oh, shit. Does that mean you won’t be able to make it in today?”

“Looks like it. Sorry about that. My ex can’t get out of her meeting, and it’s my weekend.”

“Right, right.” Evan let out a deep breath. “That sucks. We get slammed for lunch on Fridays. I’ll call Marla, though.” He paused for a minute, then continued, “Hold it! I might have an idea. Hey, Charlie!” He called to her in the background. I pictured his cute little sister sitting on a barstool, folding black napkins with Sienna. Did she still have my jacket?

Evan was back. “Okay, my sister is free to babysit, and she is great with kids. She watches our one-year-old niece all the time. You can bring your daughter to the bar, and Charlie can take her back to your place if you’re comfortable with that.”

I groaned inwardly. I wanted to be there for Tess when she wasn’t feeling well, but Friday lunchtime and happy hour tips paid a good chunk of my weekly bills. I had to work to afford an apartment near her. It was a classic catch-22. “Are you sure your sister wouldn’t mind?”

“Not at all, right, Charlie?” I was sure Evan was messing up her shiny hair and grinning at her.

“Okay, well, thank her for me.” I hung up and drove to Tess’s school, where she was waiting in the front office.

My little girl looked pale and had tears in her pretty brown eyes. “Daddy!” she croaked and reached for me.

“Hey, sweetheart.” I scooped her up in my arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead. It felt hot. How could I leave her for an entire afternoon with someone she’d never met? I thanked the office staff and carried Tess to the car.

“Sweetheart, I have to work, but I have a nice friend named Charlie that can stay with you until I’m done. Would that be all right?”

Tess shrugged and slumped in her booster seat. “Okay. Will she let me play my iPad?”

“Yes. I’ll tell her it’s okay.”

We drove in silence to the bar, and as I pulled into an employee parking space, I spotted Charlie leaning against the brick wall. She smiled and waved when she saw me.

I climbed out of my car, and Charlie walked over. “Hey! How is she?”

I rubbed my beard and glanced back at Tess, thinking again that I shouldn’t leave her. The poor kid looked miserable. I sighed. “She’s got a fever. I hate to do this.”

Charlie smiled and shoved her hands in her jacket pockets. “I can handle it. I’m pretty familiar with sickness. A little fever doesn’t scare me.”

I nodded, still not convinced. “Am I putting you out, Charlie? Are you missing something important for this?”

Charlie laughed. “Nope, just U.S. History, as told by the winners. I never go to that class.”