It means I can feed her and bath her so she’s ready for bed.”
“All right, all right.”
“You’re the best friend in the world,” she sang, pushing Tegan toward the door.
I got up and opened it again for her with a flat look. “Mhm. Remind your husband that he promised me pizza.”
“I will. And you can bring your boyfriend.” She flashed me a shit-eating grin and pushed the stroller out of the store.
I shut the door behind her and looked at the girls. “What did I do to deserve this?”
“Slept with my brother in secret,” Kinsley replied.
“Didn’t tell us the second you sorted things out,” Holley added.
“Haven’t told us how good in bed he is!” Saylor shouted from somewhere in the back.
“I will pass on that conversation.” Kinsley held up her hands. “Please wait until I’ve left the building for that particular one.”
“Done and done,” I said. “I don’t intend on talking about that anyway.”
“He must be good. You fight all the time but somehow managed to keep that secret for so long.” Holley scratched her chin.
“I said no!” Kinsley shuddered and ducked behind a bookshelf. “I don’t want to hear about my brother in the bedroom!”
The door opened again with the old bell ringing and the topic of our conversation himself appeared. “You know I can hear you outside, right?”
Kinsley poked her head around the bookshelf. “I don’t want to hear it inside,” she grumbled.
“Oh, is this… karma?” Colton asked, eyebrows raised.
“What?”
He strolled over to me, bent down, and kissed me.
“Ugh, God.” Kinsley shuddered again.
“Karma!” Colton called after her. “For all the times I’ve seen you and my best friend making out.”
“We aren’t turning this into a competition, are we? I don’t have any Chapstick.” I wrinkled my face up.
Holley flipped a book over. “Some on the counter. And about five hundred in the stock room.”
“Not helping,” Kinsley yelled.
“Don’t care!” she called back.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and looked at Colton. Is this my life now?”
“Basically,” he replied. “I thought you were working.”
I pointed to my laptop. “I thought you were working,” I shot back.
Mimicking me, he pointed to his dirty shorts.
“No.” I snorted. “That’s not how it works.”
“I’m on my lunch.”
“And getting my store dirty,” Holley said pointedly. “Thank you for that. You owe me a bottle of floor cleaner.”
“I’ll wrap it up for your birthday,” he replied without batting an eyelid. “Wanna grab lunch?”
“I already ate.” I grimaced. “Sorry. But we can get dinner tomorrow.”
There was a chuckle that sounded suspiciously like Kinsley, but it was quickly covered with a laugh.
He glanced in her direction. “What’s wrong with her?”
“Everything,” Holley replied brightly.
“Hey!” came Kinsley’s muffled yell.
“Yes? No?” I asked Colton. “I need to know.”
He turned back to me. “Yes. Why not tonight?”
I got up and slapped his shoulder. “Because I agreed to babysit Tegan overnight tomorrow. Be at Ivy and Kai’s at seven. Kai’s buying dinner.” I swerved in the direction of the bathroom, but he snatched at my wrist and stopped me.
“Wait, what?” There was mild panic in his eyes.
Kinsley roared with laughter and reappeared with a stack of books in her arms. “Colton hates babies.”
“I don’t hate babies,” he said quickly. “I’m just… not very well acquainted with them.”
I blinked at him. “I didn’t know we were supposed to be on first name terms with them all.”
He twisted his lips into an amused smile. “I imagine that would take a while. I haven’t been around a lot of babies, that’s all.”
“He’s scared of them,” Holley translated. “And I don’t blame him. I’ve been around that baby. She’s a master at projectile vomiting.”
Not helping, Holley.
Colton whitened.
“Oh, don’t bother.” I waved my hand and headed for the bathroom. “I can look after a baby just fine.”
***
“Her diapers are on the changing table, under the coffee table, and in the cupboard in all the bathrooms,” Ivy said, pointing to random places. “Her bottles are made up in the fridge, you just need to warm them—”
“In the bottle heater and not in the microwave,” I finished for her. “The wipes are with the diapers, spare pacifiers are in the drawer next to the fridge and in the nightstand next to her crib, and fresh clothes are in the chest of drawers in her room and also the dryer.”
She opened her mouth to argue but was cut off by Kai grabbing her shoulders. “You have Jasmine’s number!” he yelled. “And you know to text pictures every hour to soothe Her Majesty over here!”
“Aye aye, Captain!” I called. “Go away