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The boys went through the highlights of the game, hands waving wildly. I wanted to devote all my attention to them and their win, but I couldn’t stop replaying my conversation with Liam and stressing about how I’d left things.
I turned right down Main Street and pulled into the parking lot, where several other parents and kids were pouring out of their cars. As the boys unbuckled, I turned to face them.
Since Liam had plans… “Do you want to do a movie night on Friday? We could go see that new one about the—”
“Actually, Nana is watching us on Friday. Dad’s got a date,” Dallas said, rifling through his soccer bag without looking up. As if he hadn’t just dropped a bomb in my Goldfish dust–covered car.
My heart dropped right out of my chest.
A date?
Liam Wells had a freaking date? And he’d had the gall to flirt with me only a few days ago? What in the actual—
“Yeah. Nana promised to show us how to bake beach cookies,” Miles added.
I’ve got plans.
He couldn’t even tell me he had a date. No, he’d skirted around it, using vague wording. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why had I let myself get excited about the prospect of spending time with him? Why had I allowed a smidge of my heart to think we’d shared a moment?
I shouldn’t be anything more than neutral to the man. I knew it. How had I forgotten?
Clearing the lump from my throat, I pulled myself together. I was a strong-willed, independent single mom who could take care of herself and her sons alone. I had no business being excited about meeting up with my ex-husband on a Friday night. Because if he’d looked at me like he did during the game, it would have only led to catastrophe. It would have complicated everything. It would have rattled me, had me thinking and feeling things I’d long ago locked away. And that would only hurt me and the boys.
No. I would not allow my heart to be broken again.
Miles and Dallas exchanged a look, then Miles gave me a sweet, sympathetic smile. He could tell it had knocked me down a peg, and that killed me. They were too young to have to deal with the mess their father and I had created.
“But maybe another night, Mom?”
I nodded and forced a smile. Fake it till you make it took on a whole new meaning in motherhood, and I was slowly becoming a master at it. “Yeah, bud. Another night. Come on. Let’s go get some ice cream.”
Later that night, when both boys were tucked in, I slumped back on the couch and rehashed the day.
If I wanted to remain neutral with Liam, then I’d have to buckle down and stop noticing all his…well, sexiness. I’d have to remind myself that there were other fish in the sea. I was still young-ish. Surely I could find a tiger shark out there to spend an evening with.
Maybe the emotions that had been bubbling up regarding my ex-husband were a sign that I was lonely. A reminder that I hadn’t been on a date in years. In fact, the last person who’d taken me out was Liam.
That settled it. It was time to get back out there. If Liam could do it, then why couldn’t I?
Perhaps it was time to take Hank up on his offer of a date. He’d asked a few times, and I’d successfully let him down easy. Until now, I’d had no intentions of saying yes. Especially the last time he’d asked. Because that time, I’d been sitting beside Liam on his living room floor. But Hank was a nice guy. He was good-looking and friendly, and the boys liked him, especially after he and a few other firefighters had done a presentation at the school last fall.
I wasn’t ready for anything serious, but a night out would be a good way to remind myself that I was valuable on my own.
Hank was recently divorced, and I had a feeling that he was new to this whole post-relationship dating thing as well, so this had the potential to be a reset for us both.
Without giving myself the opportunity to overthink it, I raced upstairs, pulled my phone out, and made the call.
“Mari?”
“Hey, Hank.” I sucked in a breath. “I changed my mind. I would actually love to go out with you. Would Friday work?”
“I’m telling you, this woman is evil.” Crew was focused on his own reflection in the window beside us, fixing his hair until every strand was exactly where he wanted it.
He had always been particular about his clothes and hair. On the surface, one would think he was shallow and vain, but in reality, anything out of order stressed him out.
“Is she actually evil, or are you just upset because she parks next to you on busy nights?” Luke asked.
“Both.” Crew nodded, inching closer to the glass and running a finger along one eyebrow.
