Five First Dates (Sassy in the City 2)

She started to give me her phone, but then she held it back. “Don’t say anything off-putting.”

I eyed her. “Why would I do that?”

“Just be engaging. He seems very nice.”

“Maybe you should date him, Felicia,” Isla said.

My thoughts exactly.

“Don’t be silly. I picked him for Savannah. He thinks he’s talking to a hot redhead, not a sallow Brit.”

“I don’t even know what sallow means,” I told her, “but you’re definitely a catch so don’t downplay yourself.” Felicia had big expressive eyes and cheekbones to die for.

She just shrugged. “I picked him for you,” she repeated.

I looked at his picture. He appeared to be fit, but not super muscular. He had a pleasant smile, and wasn’t fighting that his hair was graying at the temples. “He does look like a nice guy.” I didn’t have any burning desire to date him, but I wouldn’t object.

I handed her the phone back and added, “But we all know my track record with men.”

“Did Savannah tell you she has appalling taste in men?” Isla asked Maddox, sounding very cheerful about the whole thing.

“She did,” he said, giving me a grin that unnerved me. “And she agreed to let me pick her fifth first date.”

“Oh, she did, did she?” Isla said. “Interesting. So who would you choose for Savannah?

”

I shifted on my seat, not wanting to hear this answer. This was already awkward.

“Someone totally unexpected. I’m still working out the details.” Maddox started to undo the arms straps on the carrier. “Now I should head out and leave you to hang out.”

I took Sully automatically and Maddox slipped the straps up onto my arm. He clicked the carrier in place as I dropped a kiss on Sully’s downy head. “Thanks, Mad.”

“See you later. One o’clock, remember?” He gave me a smoldering, intense, lust-filled gaze that had me blooming with heat.

He stood up as I nodded. “Absolutely. Yeppers. One o’clock it is.” I gave an excited giggle and then hated myself for it. I couldn’t help it though. The thought of more sex made me giddy.

Maddox gave me a smile, like he knew he made me ridiculous. He took Sully’s hand and gave himself a high five with it. “Bye, kiddo.” He waved to Felicia and Isla. “It was really good to meet you. Savannah is lucky to have such great friends.”

Then he left with his coffee and I sat there in a haze of sexual want and general confusion.

“Well.” Felicia turned and watched him leave. When the door shut behind him she said, “Remind me again why you can’t just date him? Because I think he is quite the catch.”

“I’m not disputing that,” I said. “But he’s ridiculously young. He’s not marriage material. He also lives in Stroudsburg normally and is totally not my type. Do you see all those tattoos? Besides, he doesn’t want to date me. You heard him discussing my love life like he’s one of the girls.”

“I would not say he sounded like one of the girls,” Isla said. “Get real, Savannah. But I agree that while he clearly is awesome with your son, there is nothing there to indicate he wants a relationship with you.”

That stung a little. Yes, she was agreeing with me, but I hadn’t realized until that moment that maybe I wanted them to argue with me. To tell me to explore what it could be with Maddox beyond sex. “Exactly,” I said, before lifting my coffee to my lips. My voice had wobbled a little.

“I know I’m the last woman on the planet to ask dating advice from, considering I never date these days, but I don’t know that I agree with Isla. If you want to date him, shouldn’t you at least try to see what might be there?”

“I don’t want to date him,” I said and I meant that emphatically. “Because if I date him, I’ll fall in love with him, and there is no future in that. I’ll wind up with a broken heart, I’ll break my son’s heart, and I will waste valuable years I could have spent finding a forever guy.” That put me back on solid footing. Eye on the prize. “Even if Maddox wants to date now, in a year he’ll realize he’s way too young for all the responsibility of dating a mom. He has half of his twenties still to be a selfish single guy. With a big dick, I might add. That is something that frankly should be shared with the women of New York City.”

I didn’t like anything I was saying, but it was the truth. I would fall in love with him. I could see that. Who wouldn’t? Well, maybe women who could keep their emotions in check but that woman was not me.

“Which brings us back to my original statement,” Isla said. “You only have one option.”

“Right. What is that?” Felicia asked.