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“She’s just a friend.”
Of course, his mother heard what he didn’t say. “But you’re hoping it will eventually be more than that, right?”
He didn’t answer.
“Invite her to come to the barbecue. I’d love to meet her.”
“Mom, I can’t—”
“Yes, you can. You said she’s a friend, right? Well, we’ll have a bunch of friends here. She’ll fit right in.”
Drew wasn’t so sure about that.
“Well?”
“I’ll think about it.”
“You do that. Now, go meet this girl of yours. If she’s the right one for you, she’ll know what a catch you are.”
He laughed. “You’re biased, you know?”
“Of course I am. Doesn’t mean I’m wrong, though.”
Drew shook his head.
“What are you still hanging on the phone for? Go. Scadoodle. I want grandbabies one of these days before I’m too old to enjoy ’em.”
“Goodbye, Mom.”
It was her turn to laugh. “Goodbye, Drew. Take care of yourself. We love you.”
“Love you, too. I’ll call back soon.”
He hung up the phone and lowered his head. So much for keeping Beth a secret for a while, until they figured everything out.
***
Chapter 10
Most days flew by for Beth while she was at the café. There was plenty of work to keep her busy, and for the months since the fallout with Ben her business had been the only real bright spot in her day-to-day life. Her customers were always able to lift her spirits.
Today had been different. From the moment she awoke, Beth’s mind was on her upcoming meeting with Drew. She’d enjoyed her time with him the day before, and despite her reservations, she was looking forward to seeing him again.
She worked doubly hard to stay on top of her work throughout the day so that she could leave a little early. Even Tommy noticed and commented that she must have a date with her firefighter. Beth tried to ignore him, but inside she felt a little giddy. Every time she caught herself getting too worked up¸ she’d remind herself that she still didn’t know all that much about Drew. But even she knew that excuse wasn’t going to hold true much longer. He’d told her about his job, his family, and some of his hobbies. How much more did she need to know?
The sad reality was that no matter how cautious she was, there was always the chance that he’d hurt her—especially now that he was worming his way into her heart. It was crazy really. The man would be a handful for whatever mistress chose to take him on. So why was she beginning to consider it?
Even with the extras she’d done throughout the day, it was after two thirty by the time she was able to leave the café. Having rushed home, Beth jumped into the shower and got herself ready as quickly as she could for her non-date with Drew. She chuckled to herself as she pulled one of her favorite pairs of shorts up over her legs and took a glance in the mirror to see how they made her backside look. Each meeting with him felt more and more like a date no matter how much she insisted otherwise. She cared about her appearance. She cared what he thought of her appearance.
After a final check in the mirror, Beth grabbed her purse off the table and headed for her car.
She spotted him standing near the entrance of the movie theater as soon as she pulled into the parking lot. After finding a place to park, she went to meet him. “Hey.”
“Hey.” He smiled, but it wasn’t the full of life smile he normally flashed her. This one didn’t set off butterflies in her stomach.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Drew shook his head. “Nothing. Are you ready to go in? There are a couple of movies starting soon.”
