“No, another friend.”
“You have other friends?”
“Yes, I have other friends.”
Jack gives me a funny look and goes back to what he was doing. My eyes are pulled to
my phone when another text comes through.
Ditto. But can we stop flirting for just a second?
And here I am grinning again. Buzzkill. Okay, all flirting aside, what’s your proposition?
She replies right away. What if I help you, and then you help me with something? (Non sexual)
You had to add that in there, didn’t you? What could you possibly need help with?
I need a plus-one to the movie premiere.
The movie premiere? Why?
Come outside and I’ll tell you.
I look over my shoulder at the kids. Emma and Henry are coloring, and Jack is playing with his robot.
I open the screen door and step onto the porch. Nora is sitting on the swing, smiling at me like a Cheshire cat.
“Were you texting me from out here this whole time?”
“Yep.”
“Why didn’t you just come inside?”
She shrugs. “I didn’t want to bother you guys. Plus, I really like the swing.”
“Let’s get one thing straight. While you’re staying here, you’re my guest, and when you moved into the loft, you also moved into my home. Come and go as you please. Use my kitchen, come inside and hang out with us—whatever you want. I don’t ever want you feeling like you’re intruding or bothering us.”
“What about when you have a date over?” she asks, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth.
There’s nothing sexier than a woman willing to say what’s on her mind. She’s bold, and I like it. “I don’t date.”
“Ever?”
“I don’t have time. And there aren’t many women who want to date a single dad with three kids.”
“I think you’d be surprised,” she says, looking out across the yard.
I put my hand on hers the way I did the other night, because it feels good to touch her. “You can come over anytime. I wouldn’t be text-flirting with you if I were planning to bring a date over. That’s not how I operate.”
She turns back to me. “Thank you.”
“Now, tell me why you need a plus-one for your ex’s movie premiere.”
Nora blows out a breath. “Well, for starters, he still thinks I’m going as his date, even though my team has told him numerous times that I’m not.”
“So you need a buffer, someone to fight him off if he tries to get handsy?”
She blushes and lifts a shoulder. “It’s not just that.”