When we were done eating, Ben drove me around a little bit, gave me a little tour of Gardner, and then drove me home.
“It’s funny,” Ben said. “While I had a really great time with you tonight, I feel like we talked about Cole more than anything else.”
“Did we?” I asked.
“Sort of seemed like it. Not saying that’s a bad thing or anything—he’s my boy—but, I guess I’m just not used to talking about another dude when I’m on a date.”
“Is that what this is?”
He regarded me. “Isn’t it?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I felt like I was a little quick to turn you down the first time that you had come over.”
He shifted in the seat and leaned on the center console, his face now just a few inches from mine. Ben was certainly not bad-looking, but he just wasn’t my type. I could tell that he was going to try to kiss me, which wasn’t how I wanted to end the night. So I fumbled for the door handle and pushed it open, undoing my seat belt right as he leaned a little closer.
“It’s getting late. I should get inside,” I said.
He didn’t say anything for a second, and I knew he was waiting to see if I was going to invite him in. “Thanks again for taking me out,” I said.
He shifted back and gave me a close-mouthed smile. “No problem,” he said. “Oh, and by the way, Cole has herpes.”
Chapter Eight
Cole
I sure as shit wasn’t going to call or text Ben to find out how his “date” had gone last night, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious.
Okay, maybe more than just a little curious, because I found myself wide awake as the sun was starting to rise. Even Declan was still asleep. I tossed and turned for a few minutes and then finally got up, under the pretense to go take a piss. After I did that, I peeked out the window, just a glance, really, to see if Ben’s car was over there. It wasn’t. And then, all of a sudden, the side door at Allie’s opened, and she stepped out, wearing her running sneakers and a pair of pink shorts and a white tank top. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she walked down the end of the driveway, then took off at a jog down the road.
I stepped back from the window, knowing that chances were good nothing really happened between them last night if Allie was going out for a run right now.
Declan and I went into town to run a couple errands, and then he wanted to stop by the playground next to the Village Green, so we did. I pushed him on the swings for a little while, and then he saw one of his friends from school, so they went off to play together, allowing me a few moments to sit down on one of the benches.
“I thought that was you!”
I turned at the sound of the voice, right as one of the moms from Declan’s school sat down next to me. What the hell was her name again? I couldn’t remember, despite having been accosted by her when I’d been dropping Declan off just a few days ago. She had a way of waving her hands around when she talked, making the gigantic rock on her ring finger catch the sunlight, giving off a sparkle every time she moved. I found my eyes following that more so than looking at her as she spoke. What the fuck was she saying?
“... ideas for a fundraiser.”
“Huh?” I said.
She blinked. “The year-end fundraiser? Will you be going to that?”
“Oh, I didn’t even realize it was happening.” As I said this, though, I had vague recollections of seeing colorful flyers hanging up in the school hallway, demanding that I “mark the date” for some event, which was probably this fundraiser.
“Well, it is happening, and everyone is very excited about it. This is mostly to replenish the scholarship fund—which we all know that you don’t use—but it still should be a great time. We’re doing it a little differently this year.”
“We are?”
“Yes. Usually it’s at the Harwood Center for the Arts, but we’re going to do it at Moose Lake. Outside. I think it’ll be great. I really hope you’ll go.”
&n
bsp; “Uh, I guess so.”
She grinned. “Excellent. I know all the kids are really looking forward to it. Right, kids?” she called across the playground. Declan and the two boys he was playing with looked our direction.
“What, Mom?” one of the boys asked irritably.