The Hot New Bartender in Town (Welcome to Kiss County #3)

Chapter 7

7

TISH

I return home shortly before six. It’s a quick walk from Bruno’s Diner, just a few blocks west of the town square on Fourth Street. Our house is easy enough to spot along the way. It’s the only one on the block with a red mailbox and matching front door.

As I walk down the sidewalk outside the house, I check out the fancy black coupe parked in the driveway next to Mom’s old blue sedan.

Throwing on my best we-have-company smile, I walk through the front door. “Mom! I’m home!”

“We’re in here!” she replies.

Taking a quick breath to prepare myself first, I step lightly through the entryway, following the quiet sound of whispered voices toward the living room.

First, I see my mother in another one of her pretty cocktail dresses, this one a gorgeous sapphire blue that brings out the color in her eyes. Her smile is warm and youthful, full of promise. It makes me pause, truthfully. It’s easy for me to forget how young my mother can look. How young she still is.

She rises off the couch as I walk in, along with the man sitting beside her. He has a bright smile as well, his mouth partially covered with a well-trimmed light brown beard and mustache. A few white and gray hairs are the only thing giving away his age, which appears to be mid-forties.

Mom walks over, my cute black shoes once again leading the way. “Hey, honey,” she says. “How was work?”

“Work was... work,” I say, giving a shrug. “Typical day at the diner.”

“Bruno’s, right?” the man asks, gently approaching the two of us.

“Yes,” I answer, taking the chance to get a better look at him. He’s admittedly handsome, with sharp cheekbones and blue eyes accented by a line of soft freckles on either side of his nose that seems... strangely familiar. “I wait tables.”

“You do so much more than that,” Mom says. “You make the schedule for the entire staff, don’t you?”

“Sometimes,” I say, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “When Bruno’s got his hands full, I help out.”

Mom turns toward him. “Oh, you’d love it, Richie. Best patty melt in Kiss County.”

“Sounds great!” he says. He extends his hand to me. “I’m Richard, by the way.”

I shake his hand. “I figured, yeah. Tish. I’m Tish.”

“Only I’m allowed to call him Richie,” Mom says, smiling.

“It’s true,” he says, smiling right back.

Hell. I smile, too.

They are damn cute together.

“My apologies, by the way,” I say, gesturing at my uniform. “I’m sure I smell like burger grease. If you’ll excuse me a few minutes, I’ll go change.”

“Oh, sure!” he says. “Go on.”

“Yeah, honey,” Mom says. “There’s still time before dinner.”

“Great,” I say, taking a quick step back toward the stairs. “I’ll be really quick, I swear.”

“Take your time,” Richard says. “We’re still waiting for one more to arrive.”

“One more?”

“My son, Richard Jr,” he says. “He should be here any minute. He’s about your age, actually. You two should get along.”

“Oh, great,” I say, smiling politely. I’d mentally prepared myself to meet one new person tonight, not two . “I’m sure we will.”

I rush up the stairs. As I reach my bedroom, I quickly peel off my uniform and drop it in the hamper by the closet. I push past the T-shirts and jeans, electing for something a little nicer to throw on, given the occasion. I land on a simple yellow sundress and a white cardigan; possibly the last opportunity to show off the fun summer gear until next spring.

I stop by the bathroom to wash my face, re-do my makeup, and run a brush through my auburn locks, then I’m ready to head back downstairs.

Halfway down, I hear my mother laugh. Not an uncommon thing; she can be quite giddy sometimes. But this one sounds different.

She’s happy. Content.

A woman in love.

I approach the living room on light feet and peek inside. She and Richard are sitting on the couch again. Their bodies are close enough to touch, their knees brushing casually. He whispers something that only she can hear. She laughs again. He smiles, adoring her. Loving her back.

It makes me think of Riley. The two of us sitting on his couch, singing. Laughing. Kissing.

The doorbell rings.

I hop back before they notice me gawking at them. “I’ll get it!” I say, pivoting toward the door.

All right. This isn’t so bad. Just have to make it through the next few hours, make nice with Richard and his Junior, and then I’m free.

Maybe afterward, Riley will be free as well.

My heart skips at the thought, but I keep my excitement at bay as I open the front door.

“Hel—” I pause, my welcoming smile slipping as I look into his blue eyes. “Riley?”

Riley blinks twice. He’s wearing a nice pair of black pants and a navy blue sweater, looking more like an office worker than the bartending musician I met last night. Still handsome, though. Still perfect.

But why is he here?

He blinks twice from the porch. “Hey,” he says, his brow furrowing with confusion.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, just as confused but happy to see him.

Riley glances around the porch. “My dad told me to meet him here.”

“Here?”

“Fourth Street. Red mailbox. What are you doing here?”

“I live here.”

He pauses, his thoughts spinning amid the green specks in his irises. “Right…” he murmurs.

My gut tightens. No.

No, please.

This can’t be what I think it is.

“Are you… Richard Junior?” I ask.

Riley nods slowly. “I go by Riley,” he says.

Nope.

Nope, nope, nope!

“Oh, god,” I whisper.

My mother’s new boyfriend is his father.

His dad’s new girlfriend is my mother.

What a coincidence.