Moments •NH•

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••••••••••••••••••••••CLAIRE•••••••••••••••••••••

"Come on, C. You have to! You haven't been out in ages!" my best friend, Courtney, practically whines over the phone.

"Court! We just went out to lunch on Tuesday. Besides, I don't know if I have someone to watch Lilly. I won't just leave her with a random babysitter," I reply, pulling in to a parking space.

"First, you and I both know Barb and Leon will practically snatch her from you if you give them a call." They're my parents, in case you're wondering. "Second, I have some people I've been hanging out with recently that I want you to meet. You'll love them. Ash will be there, plus Caro and Raquelle. Sel's away, but basically all of us girls will be there. Please?"

I switch my phone from the Bluetooth connected to my car to handheld, shutting my car off. "I don't know, Court. I'll think about it. Listen, I'm outside Lil's school. I'll call you back later."

"Alright, Claire-bear. Your answer better be yes. We're going to dinner before hitting the club, so why don't you come over if you decide to come and we can get ready together?"

"We'll see, Court. No promises. Talk to you soon." I hang up my phone, putting it in my purse. I check my watch, picking up my pace a little even though I'm already in heels. I wasn't late, just excited to see my daughter after a long day at work.

I push through the front door of the daycare-meets-school that I bring Lilly to three days a week, making my way down the hall to her "classroom." I open the door and am greeted by toddler chatter and walls covered in brightly colored crafts. "Hi Claire! Lilly, look who's here!" Emily, Lilly's thirty-something teacher greets me kindly. I smile at her, turning to the clipboard to sign Lilly out before collecting her things from her cubby.

I place her princess lunch box and folder in her backpack and grab her coat all in one hand as she comes crashing in to my legs. "Mommy! I made a painting today!" Lilly hollers.

"Hi, baby. Inside voice, remember? I can't wait to see it! You'll have to show me on Monday when it's dry, okay?" I scoop her up to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Say goodbye to Miss Emily!" I manage to give her a little wave as I set Lilly down to put on her coat and backpack. Her teacher says her farewells as we exit.

"So sweetie, would you like to see if Grammy and Papa want to have a sleep over with you tonight at their house?" I ask as she swings our hands, skipping through the parking lot.

"Oh yes Mommy! Grammy will make me cookies! But why? Where are you going?"

"I might go out with Auntie Courtney for dinner for a big girl's night."

"Auntie Courtney!" Lilly screeches as she climbs in to her car seat. I buckle her in and shut the door before climbing in to the driver's seat.

"So, should I call them?"

"Yes Mommy! I want to hear them on the blue thing!" I laugh at her reference to the Bluetooth, dialing my parents.

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"I can't believe you're making me do this," I grumble, adjusting my shirt. It was super cute, but extremely low cut. Thank God for sticky boobs.

"Oh come on, grandma! Live a little. We're going to have so much fun. You'll love these guys." Courtney says with a laugh, stepping out of the Uber behind me.

"Yeah, they're great! Sel introduced them to us," Raquelle adds, grabbing my hand to drag me along with her to the entrance of the restaurant. When we reach the door all together, I shrug her off.

"I'll meet you inside. It's eight, I just want to make sure that Lil got to bed okay." I assure the girls, motioning them inside. All four of them roll their eyes, staying put. "Two minutes, promise. Order me a glass of wine please. I'll be right in." Reluctantly, they head inside as I pull my phone from my clutch, dialing my mom to check on Lilly.

After checking on Lilly and assuring my mom that I'd be careful, I was ready to head in. To be honest, it'd been a while since I'd gone out, let alone with guys. It wasn't that I didn't like meeting new people or was shy, I'm actually the complete opposite. It's just that the whole 'young mom' thing tended to throw people off or send them running for the hills.

I once again adjusted my shirt, even though I didn't need to, pulling up my black ripped skinny jeans so that they sat perfectly on my hips. I checked my makeup and straightened hair in my compact mirror before taking a deep breath and grabbing the large, metal door handle.

"Here we go," I mumble to myself, swinging the door open.

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Hi Beauties!

Welcome to my new story! This is one I've been planning for a while. Updates will be every Sunday!

Attached is a picture of Claire's outfit.

-_abeautifulsoul_
Written: April 13, 2017
Edited: May 4, 2017