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“Bye, Cara.”
With a deep breath, I strode out to the car with all the composure I had left in me. The entire drive, I clutched the steering wheel tightly, attempting to think unsexy thoughts to stifle the half erection I’d gotten from Cara Smith being so close to me.
* * *
“I hopeyou don’t mind, but I have some questions.”
I took a sip of my second glass of wine and smiled at the woman across from me. “Go right ahead.”
This was going better than I expected. Not great, but not horrible. Cheyenne Brumley was a very attractive young woman with olive green eyes and tan skin who wore her dark hair in a smart pixie cut. From the moment we sat down, I wanted to lean into the chemistry I hoped we might have, but my mind kept returning to Cara.
Women don’t believe it, but while they are beautiful with makeup, they’re even more so without it. Cheyenne was made up to the nines with fake lashes to boot. Beautiful, but when I remembered Cara’s soft skin and her long wavy hair held back by a headband, I felt distracted.
That’s the kind of woman I could imagine waking up to every morning.
Focus, Wesley. Cheyenne’s a beautiful girl.
I opted to focus on her low-cut dress and her perky breasts. Maybe that would get Cara out of my mind.
Cheyenne reached into her purse and pulled out several index cards.
“Oh, wow, you came prepared.”
She smiled. “I don’t want to waste time beating around the bush on a date. You understand, right?”
I nodded and took another, longer sip of wine. “Yes. I can appreciate that.” Index cards were definitelyout there, but I wasn’t ready to write her off just yet.
“So, Kerry told me you have a daughter.”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“How old is she?”
I smiled proudly. “She’s six. First grade.”
“Aw. Cute. Do you want more kids?”
I did everything in my power not to let my face portray my shock. That was an awfully forward first question for a first date. Though, I couldn’t blame her for wanting to be careful. Dating was a hellscape for me. Must have been ten times worse as a woman. “Um…”
“Because I really don’t want to have kids. Unless it was surrogacy.”
“Sure. I understand. It can be hard on your body.”
Cheyenne rolled her eyes. “I don’t understand why a woman would opt into that. Feels maniacal.”
This felt like a red flag, but I let it slide for now. “If I met someone who wanted more kids, then I’d be more than happy to oblige. But also, Lucy is a great kid all on her own, so I’m not necessarily compelled.”
“Is she actually a good kid or are you just obligated to say that as her father?”
“Excuse me?”
Cheyenne shrugged and tilted her wine glass back and forth. “Parents aren’t the most objective measures of their children’s goodness. Don’t you think?”
“I…uh…wow…” I half laughed. This woman was something else. “I can forward you her report card, how about that?”
“That’d be great.”
She clearly didn’t understand sarcasm when she heard it.
