Page 42 of Hash

“Just tell him you’re busy.” Frankie shrugs.

“Um, yeah. That’s not going to work with a man like Hash, babe. He will hunt me down and drag my ass there.” I’m hating myself right now because why does the idea of him doing that turn me on?

“I’ll think of something because you’re going. You need this.”

“Frankie.” I sigh. “I get what you were trying to do, and I love you for it, but all of this stuff with Hash is already a lot. I don’t need more added to it. What if he finds out?”

“Please.” Frankie laughs. “You think a man like Hash eats at Bella Vita?”

“He’s taking me to Bella Vita?” I ask, more interested than I was before.

Bella Vita is absolutely amazing. It’s the best Italian restaurant in the city. I’ve only been a couple of times because the menu is a little out of my budget. They have some of the best wine I’ve ever had.

“Yes! I knew you would be hooked.” Frankie smirks. “I told you he’s in finance. I got the vibe from talking to him that he’s higher up in the company. He sounded like a man who likes to wine and dine.”

I guess one date night wouldn’t hurt.

And Frankie’s right, I do need to get back out there. I’ve let Hash consume my head for too long now. I’m still leery of whether he’s actually going to stick around for Cormac, and if he does, great, but I am also done wasting my time waiting around for him to one day, hopefully, give me what I want.

“So when he told you to tell me to dress nice, he meant like fancy dress?” I ask as I try to mentally go through my closest.

All the dresses I own are pre-baby. And it’s not that I look bad per se, I just haven’t lost all the baby weight, and some areas aren’t firm like they used to be. I need to layer on the Spanx and have the right cut to control the apron belly.

“Well, technically he told you. He thinks he’s been talking to you. But yeah. We can go through your closet tonight.”

“What did you two talk about?”

The last thing I want is to show up and make myself look like an idiot because he and Frankie already talked about something.

“Honestly, not much of anything. He said he prefers face-to-face conversations.” Frankie shrugs. “I don’t know. The dude is fifteen years older than you. Maybe that’s how they do things.”

“I don’t think that’s how they do things because Hash is twelve and we’ve done none of this.” I honestly can’t picture him in any sort of restaurant that’s not a dive bar. “This is going to be so fucking weird.”

“So what if it is?” Frankie shrugs. “You’re never going to know if you don’t put yourself out there, bitch. Forget about Hash for one night. I’ll watch my sweet baby nephew, and all will be well in the world of Aisling.”

Yeah, well, until Hash finds out I’m rescheduling. Something tells me it will not go over well.

“I’m going to pump,” I tell Frankie as she’s sweeping up hair. “If my next client comes in, tell her I’ll be out soon.”

“Roger that,” Frankie salutes me before calling after me. “Think about what you’re going to tell Hash!”

Ugh.

I feel like there’s no way out of it. Hash doesn’t even ask me if the stuff he’s planned is okay. He tells me.

Besides, having a new plan when I already had plans gives me anxiety. As mostly an introvert, I don’t like being busy every weekend. It drains me mentally. Two weekends a month is about my max.

I know Frankie didn’t mean any harm by doing this, but all it’s doing is causing more stress.

Just as I’m grabbing my stuff to pump, my phone vibrates in my pocket. Pulling it out, Hash’s name flashes across the screen.

Hash: Hey, baby doll. Can we move it to Sunday?

What the fuck?

I look around the back room. Did he hear us talking?

“Frankie!” I yell, hoping she’ll hear me.