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I let out a choked laugh, finding his lack of decorum charming. “I like to think so.”

“Cool shit. You wanna get back to it one day?”

“I think I would like to maybe teach one day. Maybe when Lainey is old enough to be in school or in classes herself.”

“Yeah? Gonna get your boss bitch thing on?”

“I guess so. It would be nice. I mean, obviously, that’s nowhere in the near future. But a girl can dream.”

“How’s the gig work going?”

“It’s… going. Some days are better than others. The dog walking has been the best. Both for Lainey and money. I don’t have to keep hauling her around in her seat or in a carrier. She loves the dogs. We get fresh air. It’s a win-win. And no one can stiff me on tips with the dog-walking gig.”

“People fucking suck sometimes.”

I never used to think that way. I’d been a sunny optimist, someone who always saw the good in others, who gave everyone the benefit of the doubt.

Sometimes I missed that girl.

Until I remembered what all that positivity and trust got me.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Thanks for this,” I said, finishing the last of my food and reaching for my coffee.

He shrugged that off.

“You wanna take a long, uninterrupted shower?” he asked. “Know a thing or two about that too. You can borrow something to wear. It’ll swim on you, but shouldn’t fall off. Not that I’d mind that,” he added with a devilish smirk.

“She’s starting to get up,” I said, seeing Lainey’s legs start to kick.

“So, I’ll take her to go see the tortoise.”

“You have a tortoise?”

“The club has one,” he said, getting up to go scoop my daughter up again. “You wanna see a tortoise eat some flowers while Mom washes her greasy hair?” he asked.

“Gee, thanks,” I said, wincing, but knowing he was right.

“Coast!” a woman’s voice called from a floor below, making him cross the room to open the door.

“Yeah?”

“Jade told me there’s a baby,” the woman called. “I need to smell her head.”

My lips curved up.

“That’s Che’s woman. This is their playard,” he said, nodding toward it. “They’ve got a bunch of kids.”

“By all means, then, let her smell Lainey’s head,” I said.

“Bathroom is in the hall. I made Dixon clean the shit out of it for you. Take any clothes you want,” he said, waving toward the dresser. “We’ll be downstairs when you’re done.”

It felt wrong to let someone take my baby away. Hell, it felt wrong to have time alone at this point. But Coast had been great with her. And who better than a mom of a bunch of other kids to keep an eye on her while I just took a quick shower?

That quick shower, though, ended up not being so fast.

I’d grabbed a tee and Coast’s tightest pair of shorts with an elastic waistband, then made my way into the hall bathroom, where I found Coast had set out several items for me: a razor and toothbrush—both still in their packaging—soap, shaving cream, lotion. You name it, he’d somehow thought of it.

And, well, when you had all those luxuries, who could blame a girl for using them?