My One Night: An On My Own Novel

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  My phone lit up again, and Corinne snatched it.

  “I don’t want you dealing with your mother right now. Tonight’s just for us.” She looked down at the phone as I held out my hand, and a small smile crept over her face. “Oh, it’s not your mother.”

  “Is it a dick pic?” Nessa asked, and Natalie laughed.

  “Give me the phone,” I snapped, oddly worried.

  “It’s just Dillon. He says he’s just getting home.” She handed over the phone, and that was indeed what Dillon had said.

  I let out a sigh as the three girls stared at me.

  “Answer him,” Natalie said.

  “He didn’t ask me a question,” I retorted.

  “Maybe not, but text him back. Don’t keep him waiting. Please? Let us live vicariously through you.”

  “I hate you,” I grumbled but began typing.

  Me: I’m glad. Was it a good day at work?

  Dillon: It was. Good tips. I’m not old enough to be behind the bar yet, but I do okay for myself. My brothers needed an extra hand since one of their waitresses got sick, so I had to work a couple of hours later than planned. But now I get to start working on that paper that’s due.

  I cringed. The girls stared at me.

  “Just a paper. Everything’s fine.”

  “Well, that’s not exciting,” Nessa grumbled, and the girls laughed. I shook my head.

  Me: Is the paper due tomorrow?

  Dillon: No, but I don’t know what I’m going to write, so it’s going to take me a while just staring at the screen.

  Me: I’m the same way sometimes. I mean, sometimes I get the paper right away and it takes me half an hour. Other times, I stare at a blank screen for two hours and pretend that I know what I’m doing.

  Dillon: That sounds like how I work. Anyway, I was wondering, are we ever going to get coffee together? Or is texting all you want?

  I blinked at the abrupt change and realized that all three girls were standing behind my chair now, looking over at my texts. I glared at them, but…they might as well look. I would tell them anyway.

  Me: Um, I could do coffee.

  Dillon: Or maybe dinner? It doesn’t have to be coffee. That way, we don’t have to wake up too early for our morning classes.

  My hands froze, and Natalie and Nessa each squeezed one of my shoulders as Corinne came in front of me, clasping her hands in front of herself. “Do it. Say yes.”

  I met her gaze and then glanced at the others. “This isn’t what we signed up for.”

  Nessa waved me off. “Who cares? Just because you said you wanted a one-night stand doesn’t mean that was guaranteed to happen. Enjoy yourself. You’re already texting. You’re way past the idea and concept of a one-night stand.”

  I sighed and looked down at my fingers. I knew what I wanted. It just worried me that what I wanted might not be the best thing for me.

  “Do it,” Nessa said.

  “Please?” Natalie added.

  I winced, looked down at my phone, and typed.

  Me: Dinner might be nice. On a day that you’re not working. That way we can just relax.

  Dillon: Sounds like a plan. I’d like to see you again, Elise. Just to make sure I remember what you look like. It feels like it’s been ages.

  “Aww,” Natalie whispered, and Nessa giggled.

  I glared at them and went back to my phone.

  Me: Well, I guess it’s a date.

  Dillon: I guess so.

  I cringed, my hands shaking.

  Dillon: See you soon.

  I had a date with Dillon Connolly. One I had told myself I didn’t want and wouldn’t have.

  And yet, I was falling into the abyss.

  And I was afraid I would never find my way out again if I weren’t careful.

  Chapter 7

  Dillon

  * * *

  I was going to be late, and I knew exactly why. It was always the same reason these days—that damn text.

  Unknown Number: You owe me, boy. I’ll be seeing you soon.

  I knew who it was, and I ignored it just like I had all the others. I had to. It’d end up hurting those I loved if I didn’t. But it still didn’t help me relax so I could go out on this date, thinking about the fact that my deadbeat sperm donor was still out there. Waiting.

  And now I was running late. If I weren’t careful, I would miss the date with Elise altogether. And considering that I wasn’t sure if she wanted to be out with me tonight at all, I was terrified it would scare her away if I didn’t show up on time. I didn’t know how she had become so important to me so quickly, at least in the sense that I wanted to get to know her, wanted to find out more about her. Yet, there was no changing it. I couldn’t go back to the way things were before, and I wanted to know Elise. To find out what made her tick and to just be with her. In whatever way she let me.

  But that wouldn’t happen if I ran late.

  “Knock, knock,” Pacey said from the doorway. I looked up to see my friend giving me an odd look.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, and he cleared his throat.

  “Nothing. I was checking to see if you were ready for tonight. Big date.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “I don’t know if you’re being sarcastic or not,” I said, studying his face.

  Pacey shook his head. “I’m sarcastic often, but not about this. I’m excited to see you out with Elise. She seems nice.”

  “She is nice. I really hope I’m not late, and I don’t fuck it up, though.”

  “Well, then don’t fuck up.”

  I snorted. “That is such a great pep talk, thank you.”

  Pacey just smiled. “I do my best.”

  “Anyway, where are you going?”

  “I was thinking of that café across campus. Though it’s not really a café, is it? More like a place to go and get dinner. But it sounded good.”

  “Yeah, it’s a good place for a first date. Not too fancy since you don’t need to spend too much money. But it’s also not a Denny’s, or someplace you would take your high school girlfriend.”

  “I didn’t have time for girlfriends in high school,” I said dryly.

  “Boyfriends?”

  “Those either,” I said with a laugh.

  “Well, I’m sure you can catch up now.”

  I frowned. “I don’t know if I want to catch up per se. But going out with Elise tonight is a start.” I slid my shirt over my head, the sweater a decent cut that looked like a fancy Henley. Pacey looked at me and tilted his head. “Yes, that will do.”

  I snorted. “Thank you for your acceptance of what I’m wearing for the evening.”

  “You couldn’t do it without me,” he said dryly.

  I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, though. I said I would meet Elise there because she had class and wanted to head home first and didn’t want to be late. So, I should probably get there before she’s sitting and waiting for me, thinking that I stood her up.”

  “That would be good. And have Elise tell her friends I said hi.”

  I paused, looking at him. “How well do you know her friends?”

  “I know Corinne and Nessa. We had a class together last year and studied well. They’re good people. I like them.”

  “Like them, like them?” I asked, teasing.

  “Since I’m not in primary school, I’m not going to demean myself to answer that question. However, I do like them, and I was the one who mentioned my roommates—therefore you—to Corinne. And because of that, she introduced you to Elise. So, this date tonight is kind of all because of me.”

  I shook my head and laughed. “That’s good to know. Well, I’m headed out.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Have fun. And use protection.”

  I flipped him off, a smile playing on my lips, and made sure I had the condoms in my back pocket. Not that I expected to go there tonight, but it was always important to be prepared. Cameron had drilled that into my head as soon as I started looking at girls and guys that way. Cameron
had come into my life when I was younger, but not at the beginning. The Connollys hadn’t known that I existed until Cameron was forced to help raise me. And that had caused a rift between my brothers because he had kept me a secret. I hadn’t known the actual reasons for it until later, but I understood. Things were complicated in our family, and that was an understatement. We had all been through different forms of hell, some worse than others, but now we were all together, in a different state, learning and growing.

  At least, that’s what I hoped.

  I headed out to my car, grateful there was a paved driveway in the garage area. My truck was older than the rest of the guys’ vehicles, so I tended to park outside of the garage or on the street because I didn’t mind if it got rustier. I knew I should probably replace the damn thing, but that would cost money, and I wasn’t really in the mood to say goodbye to the first thing I’d bought with my own earnings. My siblings had all offered to help me buy a car or even buy this one outright. Brendon had a lot of money. However, I had wanted to put as much down as possible on my own. They each had paid for part of it as a birthday present, but most of the payment had been mine.

  And I loved that fact. Just like I had been paying for my own college as much as I could and was now using a scholarship to get through most of this semester. I knew that my siblings would drop everything and help me the moment I asked—and usually without me asking, pushing my need to take care of myself out of the way.

  But I wanted to do this on my own. I felt like I earned whatever I worked toward more. I was probably biting off my nose to spite my face, but I couldn’t change that. At least, for now.

  Going out on my own wasn’t easy, but I was finding my path. I didn’t want my brothers to feel as if they needed to drop everything and take care of me again. Cameron had done it more than once in his life, and it had irrevocably altered everything about him. He had almost lost Violet because of it, more than once. And I didn’t want that to happen again, even though deep down I knew it wasn’t the same. Still, I needed to find my own way.

  I pulled into the parking lot of the café and got out, watching Elise get out of a rideshare vehicle. My brows rose, and she shrugged.

  “I honestly didn’t want you to have to wait on me, so I said I would just use a rideshare. Sorry if that makes you feel weird.”

  I shook my head, walked up to her, and smiled. “No, I get it. It’s sometimes a good idea to make sure you have your way in and out of a situation. And I get you not wanting me to know where you live.”

  She cringed. “Sorry. It’s one of those things that women have to do to keep safe.” She shrugged.

  “Anyway, I haven’t been here before,” she said, and my brows lifted. “Really? The guys and I have been here a few times, though mostly to celebrate a good grade or something. It’s not too expensive, so that’s why we like it,” I said and then winced. “Not that you don’t deserve to go someplace nice. But you know…college.”

  She smiled. “Oh, I get it. I only have my student loan to pay for food and board and things, so I understand.”

  “I have my job.”

  “And where do you work again?” she asked as I took her hand. She blinked a bit and then wrapped her fingers around mine as we walked towards the door of the café.

  “My brothers own the Connolly Brewery in downtown Denver.”

  “Oh, I think I’ve heard of that place.”

  I smiled. “I hope so. They’re trying to make a thing of it. Eventually, we’re going to open up an actual restaurant where my brother, who used to work at a Michelin-starred restaurant, can once again cook what he wants to rather than adding unique things to a bar menu.”

  “Your brother is that good of a chef and works at a bar?” she asked dubiously.

  “It’s a very long story,” I said.

  “We’re going to have time with dinner, right?”

  “I guess we will.” I wasn’t sure I would tell her everything, but I could mention how my three brothers and I had come together. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I almost ignored it, but it was a call rather than a text.

  I frowned and paused before we walked inside. “I’m sorry, it’s my sister-in-law. I have to take this.”

  She nodded. “Of course.”

  “Violet? What’s wrong?”

  “Everything’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

  “What happened?” I asked, dread filling me. Elise reached out and took my hand, squeezing it. I looked at her then and nodded, my shoulders relaxing marginally. I wasn’t alone. She might not be able to hear the other side of the conversation, but she was here for me. It was weird, but I liked it.

  “Cameron had a little accident.”

  Ice speared me. “What happened?” I asked again.

  “It was more his appendix than an accident. Sorry. I’m a little off.”

  “Are you okay?” I paused. “Is Cameron okay?”

  “Everything’s going to be fine. It literally just happened, and I was busy making sure I got Cameron to the hospital and then calling your other brothers because of work and everything. And now I’m calling you. I’m sorry I didn’t do a group chat or something. It honestly didn’t occur to me. I’m running on fumes here.”

  “A migraine? Is it the baby?”

  I could feel Elise’s attention on me, but thankfully, she didn’t press. At least, not yet.

  “I’m getting a migraine, but my sister is on her way here to take care of Cameron and me. He’s going to be fine, just had his appendix removed. The surgery went wonderfully. He just can’t work tonight, and with me here waiting with him and my sister, that means we’re shorthanded. Beckham and Meadow are out, using their vacation days. I’m really, really sorry to do this, but can you come in and cover?”

  I was nodding and then realized that she couldn’t see me. “Of course.”

  I looked over at Elise and cringed. “I just need to deal with a few things, and then I’ll be on my way. Anything you want. Do you need me to come to the hospital, too?”

  “Maybe later. Or you can come visit him at the house. He’s not going to have to stay long because everything was pretty routine. It was just a little scary at first,” she said, her laugh a bit hollow.

  “What else can I do?” My heart was racing, and I felt like I needed to reach out for something, but my family wasn’t there. And I wasn’t there for them. But I would be.

  “I just need your help with work. And you’re doing it. We’ll all meet with the family and annoy Cameron to death later when we make sure he sits down and doesn’t hurt himself.”

  “We’re going to do the same thing with you and the baby,” I added dryly.

  “Perhaps, but that’s fine.”

  She smiled. “I’m sort of used to it at this point. Now, I need to head out. I see Sierra,” she said, speaking of her sister, Aiden’s wife. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Of course.”

  I hung up and looked at Elise.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked, searching my face.

  “My brother Cameron had to have his appendix out. And while he’s going to be okay, his wife is pregnant and gets severe migraines. She needs to relax. That means her sister, my other sister-in-law, has to be with her. It’s all very confusing, but in the end, I have to cancel tonight and head to the bar to help out. I’m so sorry.”

  Elise shook her head, and my hopes dropped. “Do not be sorry,” she said quickly. “Do you need an extra pair of hands? I’d love to see the bar that you grew up in.” I didn’t correct her on that. “I can help out where I can. We can make it a date that’s a little different,” she said, laughing. I just smiled, wondering who the hell this girl was and how I could stop myself from falling too quickly.

  “You know, I think I’d like that.”

  We headed to the car and talked about school and majors and nothing too important because I think Elise knew that I needed to focus on driving and not on the fact that my brother just had surgery and I hadn’t
known. I didn’t blame Violet for not contacting me sooner. She had been a little off and had contacted everyone individually as quickly as she could. It’d all happened so fast, and I understood. But I was still a little scared. And I would be until I saw Cameron for myself.

  It didn’t take too long to get there, and we pulled into the parking lot behind the bar. Real estate space was hard to come by in downtown Denver, but we took advantage of a small employee parking area.

  “Okay, here we go,” I said with a laugh.

  “Why do you sound like you’re sending me to the guillotine?” she asked dryly.

  “You’re about to meet some of my family, and this might be a little bit of an awkward first date.”

  She blinked, her face going pale. “You know, I didn’t think about that. I was thinking more about the bar, not the fact that your family works here.”

  I cringed. “I can get you a rideshare home right now if you want.”

  “No, we’ll make this work. It’ll be unique. After all, we sort of already slept together, so I guess we’re starting whatever we’re doing backward.”

  I laughed. “There was no sort of about it, Elise.”

  “Touché.”

  The Connolly Brewery looked like an Irish pub in downtown Denver. The family had started it years ago, and it was slowly becoming a staple again.

  The family had put money, time, and love into everything. And, thankfully, people were coming back in droves. I loved it. I just hadn’t expected to be here tonight.

  “Oh, this is wonderful,” Elise said as we walked into the brightly lit dining area. Everything was shiny wood and a little classier than a stereotypical pub, but it was still great.

  It was like a second home to me. Or maybe a fifth at this point.

  Brendon was hiding behind the bar, scowling, and I held back a smile.

  “Why are your lips twitching?” Elise asked.