“I can only imagine,” dad says as he raises a scolding eyebrow at me, making me move a little faster to pick up the woman’s groceries. “You’d think by eighteen they would have outgrown these ridiculous stunts.”
“Not even close. In fact, I think my eldest son is getting worse, only now it involves cars. Who knows what kind of things he’s going to be teaching his little brother!”
I grab the last item and quickly tidy up the basket as it looks like a hot mess before getting to my feet and handing it over with a smile. “Here you are,” I tell her. “Hopefully the rest of your trip will be a little less exciting.”
“Oh, no dear. Don’t worry about it. The excitement keeps me young.”
I look over at dad and find him smiling like some kind of fool. What the hell? His eyes are soft and he’s laughing along with her in a tone I’ve never quite heard before.
“Well, thanks for not hating on us, otherwise we would never have heard the end of it from dad.” She laughs as dad rolls his eyes, probably silently cursing me out. “I, uh…didn’t catch your name?”
“Oh, how rude of me,” she says, passing me her hand. “I’m Jacqueline Frazer but prefer Jackie.”
“Wait. Frazer? Are you Jared’s mom by any chance?”
“I am, indeed. Do you know him?”
“Yeah, I’m Henley. Jared is a friend of mine, though he spends a little more time with my boyfriend, Noah.”
“Ah, yes,” she says. “Jared speaks fondly of you two, but there’s one other, isn’t there. Um…what’s her name? Tilly?”
Ari grins wide. “Tully.”
“That’s it,” Jackie beams turning back to me. “My Jared says you and your friends are magnets for trouble.”
“What?” I gasp, feigning outrage. “Surely you must have the wrong people.”
Dad shakes his head. “Surely, she mustn’t. I’ve never heard a truer statement in my life.”
Jackie laughs as I gape at the way dad seems to melt over it. Seriously? What the hell is happening here? Does daddy dearest have a little crush on Jared’s mom?
Hmm, she seems nice enough and from the way she’s encouraging dad and not shutting him down, I’d dare say she might even be interested. I wonder if she’s single?
The two get carried away chatting and I slowly back the cart out, wanting to give them a little time to get to know each other. I hold my finger to my lips, letting Ari know to keep quiet so we can make our escape and she nods along, thinking it’s some kind of game.
I wait until we’re in the next aisle before pulling out my phone and sending off a quick text to Jared.
Henley – Hey, what’s the deal with your mom? We just bumped into her in the grocery store and my dad is vibing hard!! Is she single?
I get busy getting the groceries as I wait for a reply and am just skipping past the baby products when his text finally comes through.
Jared – What the fuck, dude? You’re not seriously thinking about setting our parents up, are you?
I laugh to myself as I read over his text before hurrying down to the bottom of the aisle that they’re busy flirting in and take a quick picture, making sure I get one that shows just how happy Jackie looks.
I send him the picture before hashing out a response.
Henley – Download Attachment
Henley – Is she single or what? I mean…look at that smile!!!!! They’d make a cute couple, don’t you think? Besides, I don’t think I need to set them up, they seem to be doing a good job all on their own!
I can just picture Jared’s face as he reads this.
Jared – Shit. She’s giving him ‘the look.’
Jared – Fine, she’s single and lonely. She could really use someone, but he needs my approval first and if he even thinks about treating her badly, he’ll be dealing with me.
Henley – My dad would rather jump off a cliff than treat a woman badly. Trust me, she’s in good hands! Now, I just need to convince my dad to man up and ask her out!
Jared – I’m not calling you my sister.
Henley – Yeah, you will!!!! This is going to be great! You’ll see!
Jared – I’m going to regret this!
I grin to myself as I put my phone away and get busy with the groceries. This is going to be great. Dad clearly likes her and seeing as though he’s not come searching for me and she’s not desperately looking for an escape plan, I’d dare say they’re really into each other.
They’re both single and ready to mingle. They both have two kids and they’re both in Haven Falls. It’s too freaking perfect to be true. I just hope they click like me and Noah. I’d love nothing more than for dad to finally find someone to treasure. Besides, it’d be healthy for Aria to experience having someone in her life to love her the way a mother should.