“I’m happy for them,” Paulie said. “They’ll be great parents.”
“I’m happy for Lily, too. This means she won’t be the low man on the Kowalski totem pole very long.”
“And she’ll have a cousin close to her own age.”
Definitely good news all around. “How’s Sam?”
“Good.” Paulie leaned back in her chair with a contented smile. “He had some meetings in Boston this week, but I’m going to browbeat Kevin into giving me a few days off next week so we can go over to the coast and be bums.”
“Be a good time for a beach wedding.”
Paulie started to laugh, then clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle it when she remembered Lily. “No wedding for a while. Right now we’re just enjoying each other, though I’m sure we’ll get around to it someday. When we’re ready to deal with our families, I guess.”
“I thought things were going better with your parents.”
“Sure. Mostly because I can ignore them. But there are some rules even Sam and I can’t get around. When we get married there’s going to be a Wedding, with a capital W. It’ll be hell for me, so we want to be totally solid before we go there.”
“No eloping, huh?”
“I wish.”
Lily stirred in her bed, scrunching her little face and making smacking sounds, and Beth sighed. “I may as well take her upstairs. I’ve been so distracted all morning, I haven’t gotten a thing done.”
“Make her a bottle and I’ll feed her. Go out front and see Joe for a few minutes. Join the party.”
She shouldn’t, but the offer was too tempting to pass up. She liked Joe, his down-to-earth nature having long ago overcome her awe of his success. It would be nice to offer her congratulations in person and ask him to pass them along to Keri.
The bar was almost at capacity when she got out front and the mood was good. Naturally her gaze was drawn immediately to Kevin, who was drawing a beer and laughing with his brother. She stood in the corner and watched him for a few minutes, trying to settle her nerves.
He was a natural when it came to bartending. Warm and friendly and quick to laugh. Jasper’s had a great atmosphere and even their slow times meant a reasonably steady flow of regulars. This definitely wasn’t a slow time.
Just as she was about to step out of the shadows, a tall and very busty brunette in a Red Sox tank top and barely legal shorts handed a napkin to Kevin across the bar. Judging from the fresh coat of paint on the woman’s pouty mouth, Beth didn’t have to guess what was on the napkin.
Kevin glanced at the napkin, then gave the woman a speculative look that made Beth’s stomach hurt. She hated this part of his job the most, no matter how often he claimed he had no interest in the napkin kissers. And, because it was good for business, he gave the woman a fully dimpled grin and a look that could lead her to believe he just might give her a call sometime.
Beth didn’t really believe he would, but it was unsettling to see the kind of temptation he faced every day. Especially since more than a few of the baby pounds she’d gained hadn’t been baby pounds at all, but Jasper burger pounds. She wasn’t in maternity clothes anymore, but she still felt slightly dumpy next to the napkin-kissing crowd.
Once the brunette had swayed her not-very-subtle hips out the front door, Beth joined the celebration. She didn’t miss the fact Kevin’s eyes lit up when he saw her in a way they hadn’t for the napkin kisser. It helped soothe her annoyance, but also put her squarely back in conflicted territory. She wasn’t willing to risk their friendship on a real relationship, but she didn’t want anybody else to have him, either.
She spoke to Joe for a few minutes, her heart warmed by the joy that was practically exploding from him. Then she sat in silence while another brunette slipped Kevin another napkin and he went through the routine again.
“Getting quite a collection there,” she said when the woman was gone.
“That’s the fifth one since I got here.” Joe smirked when Kevin gave him a quelling look.
“You mention babies and the women go crazy.” Kevin grabbed a seltzer and set it in front of Beth. “I must look particularly virile.”
Joe snorted. “Or particularly desperate.”
Beth didn’t care for the direction the conversation was taking, so it was time to jump in. “It’s a good thing you don’t bring Lily into the bar. If they see what a beautiful baby you made, we’ll have to double our napkin orders.”
He propped his elbows on the bar so his face was very close to hers. “I can’t make magic like Lily with any woman but you.”
“Oh.” She felt the hot flush creep up her neck into her face. Dammit, and she’d been doing so well.
Joe raised his soda in a toasting gesture. “Good one, Kev.”