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Ralph chuckled and shook his head as he sat the food on the bar in front of them. “You know, if you girls are trying to meet people, my bar might not be the best place to hang out.”

Blair stuck a pile of cheese fries in her mouth and spoke through the mouthful of food. “Ralph is right. We should probably go to Philly this weekend.” They lived about fifty minutes from the city and nowhere near a train station, which meant they would need to take a rideshare, but it was worth it if Blair could find someone to go home with.

“Let me guess. Gay bar?”

“Obviously. Is there any other kind?”

Marisol shook her head. “Honestly, not any good ones. I’ll take one for the team this time and be the designated driver. That way, I’m not stuck riding home by myself with a stranger at the end of the night.”

Blair put a hand over her chest. “It’s sweet how much confidence you have in me succeeding.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Don’t let it go to your head. Which night should we go?”

“Let’s do Thirsty Thursday. Hopefully the women will be just as thirsty for me as they are for the drinks.”

Marisol groaned. “Thursday? Really? Work is going to suck on Friday.”

Blair laughed. “I honestly forgot some people work on Fridays.”

“You’re not working Fridays? I thought Hot Mom asked if you could.”

Blair shrugged. “She mentioned it once, but it never came up again, so I’m guessing she doesn’t need me to anymore.”

Marisol pushed her bottom lip out in mock sadness. “So sad for you. Only four days a week with your crush.”

“First of all,” Blair held up her middle finger, “as I already mentioned, it’s a lush, not a crush. And after I have hot sex this weekend, I’ll be over it. I probably wouldn’t even take the extra day if she offered it.”

Marisol laughed so hard a piece of chicken flew out of her mouth. “Sureyou wouldn’t.”

Chapter 5

Erin

“Mommy! Let’s go to the pool!”

Before Erin could even respond, Nolan was clawing at her back as he tried to climb the chair she was sitting on. She tried to ignore him as she hunched over her computer, but it was no use.

“Mommy! Mommy! Pool!”

Erin closed her computer and turned to look at her son. “Sweetie, I told you we could go to the pool if Mommy got some work done, and so far, you haven’t let me do that.”

“I help you!” Nolan climbed onto Erin’s lap and reached for her laptop with his sticky, yogurt-covered hands (her latest failed attempt at distracting him so she could get work done).

Luckily, over the past three years, she had developed very quick reflexes and was able to grab his hands before they touched her computer. “You know what would help me? If you washed these hands of yours. Can you do that?”

“Yes!” Nolan jumped from her lap and ran over to the stool sitting close to the sink. He pulled it right in front and stepped onto it, singing a song he must have learned in school while he washed them.

Much too quickly, the song was over, and Nolan was running toward her again. “Pool! Pool!”

Erin rubbed her forehead as if that was somehow going to help her pounding headache. “Fine. I’ll go to the pool with you if youpromiseyou’ll let me get work done once we get back home.Please.”Nothing like trying to bargain with a toddler.

“I p-omise.”

Erin took a deep breath as Nolan ran up the stairs, most likely to get his bathing suit.How the hell am I supposed to do this every Friday?

“Mommy! I need help!” Nolan yelled from upstairs.

Erin sighed as she stood from the table. “I’ll be right there, buddy.”