Page 24 of The Third Girl

CHAPTER 10

MATT

“How’d Sailor do last night?” Travis’s gaze is curious as he takes a gulp from the beer bottle that he tips to his mouth.

Mick’s brows raise. “Oh, right, it was the first night Skylar stayed over with her, right?”

“Yeah, it was. And I think it went okay. Skylar sent me a quick text after she dropped Sailor off with Lucy to say all was well.” I take a slow swallow of my beer. “Sailor seems to like Skylar, so that’s not a problem. And Skylar is great with kids. Better than I was expecting, actually.”

Logan eyes me curiously. “So what’s going on, then?”

I press my lips together and stroke at my chin as I glance around the group. Tonight it’s just the guys. Lucy’s home with Aidan and was kind enough to watch Sailor for me so I could get out for a few hours. Kennedy had a private lesson with one of her older students. And Laney isn’t much for bars. Logan told us earlier that she was happily reading at home in the quiet. I’m fairly certain they’re trying for a baby, so she probably doesn’t want anyone offering her wine or whatever and have to explain when she doesn’t partake. I get it. Terri was the same way when we were trying to conceive.

So, maybe it’s for the best that this conversation comes up tonight. I clear my throat and play with the condensation on the outside of my glass. “Um.” I blow out a breath. “It doesn’t have anything to do with Sailor. Uh. I haven’t been with anyone since Terri. Haven’t wanted to. Still don’t know if I do.”

The looks on their faces would be comical if the situation didn’t leave me feeling so glum.

Logan blinks a few times, then shakes his head. “You’re allowed however much time you need to do whatever you need to do to feel right again.”

“It’s been a year, Matt.” Travis’s jaw twitches. “Are you saying you’re ready to… I dunno… date again?”

“Yeah, maybe. I’m confused. I don’t know how I’d feel about any of it.” Torn up. That’s how I feel. And maybe that means I’m not ready. “I miss the closeness of a relationship. And I feel like my life is going to pass me by if I don’t wake up and start living again.”

“Did you have someone in mind?” Mick narrows his eyes, studying me.

I give a quick jerk of my head “Not really. I guess”—I rub my hands over my face—“I’m starting to notice women again. I’ve been so stuck in grief and caring for Sailor and wondering if I’m fucking everything up that I haven’t taken the time to consider how I feel and what I want for my future.” I blow out a hard breath. “I don’t want to be alone the rest of my life.”

Travis exhales through his nose. “Look, you’re only thirty-eight. You’re in good shape, have a stable job.” His gaze moves over the crowd in the bar. “There are plenty more fish in the sea.”

“But I have a little minnow tagging along. And don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t change that at all. Sailor is the light of my life.”

Mick shrugs. “People take on other people’s kids all the time. If someone likes you well enough, they’d love Sailor, too. She’s an angel.”

“Seems like you’ve found a good babysitter, too.” Logan nods, then cocks his head to the side. “Or nanny. I don’t know what you call someone who spends the night at your house to watch your kid.”

My pulse quickens at the thought of Skylar in my home. I don’t know whether she’d ended up watching TV or painting her toenails or reading a book… but I do know she’d been upstairs last night, sleeping two doors down from my bedroom. She’d probably have wandered across the hall to the bathroom in a T-shirt and underwear because there’s no one to see her but Sailor. It’s a strangely intimate setup we have going on, and we hardly know each other. But she’s also very insightful and feels compassion for the agony I’ve dealt with. And every time she took a misstep last night, it only seemed to make her understand our situation better. I like that she isn’t afraid to talk to me. My chest tightens.

“Earth to Matt. What the fuck?” Travis growls, staring at me strangely. “What’s going on?”

My eyes lock on my brother’s, and I give my head a swift shake. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”

Logan glances out over the crowd shaking their asses to the music pumping through the speakers. “You should go dance with someone.”

My head swings around to look at the bar patrons on the dance floor. I groan. “Is that really how people meet each other these days?”

Travis points his beer bottle at me with a wink. “Yeah, they do. Besides, it’s how you met Terri.”

Mick arches a brow. “I don’t think I knew that.”

“Yep. Sidled up to the pretty blonde on the dance floor, and the rest was history.” Travis chuckles, returning his gaze to mine. “So, you know it works. You’ve got to start somewhere.”

“Fine.” I get up from the table, leaving the murmurs of my crew behind me. There’s a trio of women dancing together in the corner, and I promptly tap the brunette on the shoulder. “Would you like to dance?”

She turns to face me, then gives me a once-over. I feel like an idiot. Ugh, this is not how I want to meet someone. It may have worked with Terri, but that was six years ago. Why is this so hard? But then this pretty woman nods and smiles, so I take her onto the dance floor and try to get into it. My head’s not quite there, but I manage to make my body move with hers. She presses against me and puts her arms on my shoulders as we sway to the music. Entirely uncomfortable, I rest my hands carefully on her hips.

“This is fun. I’ve never been to this bar before. What’s your name? I’m Serena.” She inches closer to me, her fingers drifting up to play in the hair at my nape.

I scrape my teeth over my lip, thinking about how I want to answer. “Matt. And my friends and I come here pretty often.” I gesture toward the booth, where the guys are now watching the Matt Show. I turn with Serena so I can put them out of my head. We sway to the music as she rests her head against my chest.

---