Two Men and a Baby - Isla Olsen Page 0,11
on my screen.
Unknown: So I got the job. And I’ll be moving to New York. All the better to woo you *wink emoji*
Despite the unknown number, it doesn’t take much brainpower to figure out who the text is from.
Me: Congratulations!
Me: You also got my number…?
Connor Kelly: I’m resourceful
Connor Kelly: Like a fox
Me: Are foxes resourceful?
Connor Kelly: Have you not read Fantastic Mr. Fox?? I thought you worked with kids??
Me: Ah yes, the non-fiction book Fantastic Mr. Fox, how could I forget?
Connor Kelly: So when are we going on our date?
Me: Well you’ve got a lot of pluck kid, I’ll give you that
Connor Kelly: That’s not a no!
The Monday after New Year’s, I meet up with Ben for a coffee at a little place not far from work. Evidently he did not change his mind like I assumed he would and instead went ahead with the move to New York, following his now-boyfriend-again who got relocated. Of course I’m thrilled to have him here, but I can’t shake the niggling feeling he’s doing this for the wrong reasons.
“So, are you going to tell me what happened with Aidan at the wedding?”
Ben takes a slow sip of his coffee, deliberately avoiding my question. “You going to tell me why you and Connor were seriously eye-fucking each other through the whole reception?”
I choke on a small piece of muffin and spend a few moments frantically coughing to clear my throat, before chugging a few generous swallows of water. “That was not something that happened,” I argue.
“Uh huh,” Ben says skeptically. “I’m telling you, the way you two were looking at each other it was obvious you’d either just had sex or were about to. So which was it?”
“Neither.”
“Josh…”
I let out a resigned sigh. “Okay, fine. It really is neither, but that’s not the whole story.” I glance furtively around the coffee place, as if expecting to find a member of the Kelly family sitting at a table across from us reading a newspaper with eyeholes cut out. Once I’m satisfied there’s no one spying, I lean in and quietly tell Ben what happened the night before the wedding.
After I’m done, Ben is left with his mouth hanging wide open. “You seriously didn’t recognize him?”
I shake my head slowly. “Nope.”
“And he didn’t recognize you?”
“That’s right.”
Ben hisses out a long breath through his teeth. “Jeez. Those Kelly boys need to start asking for ID when they drag people into their beds. That’s what, the third time now someone’s accidentally hooked up with someone they already know?”
“Okay, first of all,” I say, holding up my index finger, “Connor and I did not hook up. And secondly, I don’t think you can count Shay and Jamie on that list—they technically didn’t know each other when they first hooked up.”
“So what’s going on now?” Ben asks.
I shrug. “Nothing.”
He shakes his head, clearly not buying what I’m selling. “Nope. No way is that just it. Dec told me he’s in New York now—there must be something…”
I sigh. “He wants me to go out with him. He’s been pretty persistent about it, actually.”
“But you don’t want to?” Ben asks, his brows raised.
“I don’t know. I just think it might be a little weird.”
“Why should it be? It’s not like you’re still hung up on Dec or something, are you?”
I shake my head adamnatly. “No, of course not. But come on—would you date a guy whose brother you’ve slept with?”
“Depends on the guy,” Ben says with a shrug. Then he looks at me thoughtfully. “Hey, weren’t Dec and Heath trying to set you up with Owen a little while back?”
I roll my eyes. “I think it was more Heath, but yeah. Blake still looks at me like he’ll snap me in half if I so much as smile at Owen.”
Ben chuckles. “He might look at you like that but he’d never actually do it.”
“Yeah, well, it was a flawed plan from the start. I had zero interest in Owen and clearly he wasn’t remotely interested in me.”
Ben nods, taking a sip of his coffee. “Yep. Clearly they got the wrong brother. They should have been focusing their energy on setting you up with Con.”
At that moment, my phone starts vibrating on the table and I can see right away it’s a text from Connor. Ben must see it as well because his face is arranged in the biggest smirk you can imagine. “Shut up,” I snap at him as I reach for my phone.
Connor Kelly: Favorite author?
I can’t help smiling at