She sipped hers. “I guessed. Figured you could have mine if you hated apple.”
“Well, what kind do you have? I might want a taste.”
She tilted her cup to me. “Be my guest.”
That’s so not how I wanted to taste what flavor she had, but I went with it. “Strawberry. Could mix them.”
“Separate for now.” She nodded at the hospital entrance. “So, you rock babies.”
I froze.
“Saw you, thought maybe you were coming here because of your stitches or something.”
“Umm…”
“No. It’s cool.” She started walking, and of course I followed.
I’d pretty much follow her anywhere—but I’d never tell anyone that. Like I never told anyone about this. Well, except Bill. He knew. Hell, that guy knew everything.
We walked in silence for a few minutes while I worked through how I was going to explain this. Then again, Bill said Sarah’s past was bad, maybe if she knew a little about mine…
“You have tonight off?” Sarah asked.
“I’m at the store tonight.”
“Two jobsandvolunteering. Busy guy.”
“Look…don’t tell anyone.”
“Why? Worried about your rep?”
“Kind of hard to hold bouncer status when you’re known for kissing babies.”
She stumbled forward, laughing. “Yeah. I’m thinking you might get razzed a little—at first anyway.” Her green eyes were so bright with the sun shining in them. “How’d you get into that?”
“Why’d you follow me?”
“Saw you hurrying out of the laundromat, was curious, so I followed you,” Sarah said as she shrugged.
“You were there?” I’d checked my surroundings when I’d stepped out of the laundromat—mostly out of habit, but still, I liked keeping my past out of my present, so I double-checked my surroundings quite a bit.
“Coffee shop across the street. I live around the corner from it.”
“Really? We’re…neighbors?”
“Close.”
The street was bustling with after-work traffic, but the sidewalks were pretty bare. Too hot to move around for the most part. At least by foot.
“So…”
“Those are preemie babies. They…well, they’re already junkies. They cry longer, are more fussy, and need…to be held.”
“That’s what Edith said.”
“Wait, you met Edith? She didn’t say anything.”
“I told her not to.”