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“Okay.”
“Good. So,” he said, “what do you want to do tonight?”
All sorts of things sprung to mind, but I had to remember it would only be our second date. I evidently wasn’t a virgin, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to let Dex see my body just yet. As well as the stretch marks, saggy boobs, and belly that with a little less exercise and a few more bars of chocolate, would resemble the bonnet of an old style Volkswagen Beetle, I probably needed to trim my lady garden if Mandy’s horror of a few nights before had been anything to go by. I also needed to consider whether I’d dye my pubes to hide the grey ones.
“I could just come around and spend time with you and the kids, if you’d prefer,” Dex said, interrupting my thought process on whether hair dye or running mascara through them would be the best option.
“That would be great,” I began. “But unfortunately, Carl feels we should have some sort of ‘get-together’ before you spend any time with the kids.”
“Oh okay. Understandable.”
There was no hesitation in Dex’s response and he didn’t sound at all perturbed by Carl’s request. I breathed out an inaudible sigh of relief. He was so easy going, I had to think he probably wouldn’t fit into my chaotic life. Problem was, I wanted him in it and he seemed to want to be there.
“I suppose he’s got a point, but the simple fact Charlie has puked on you and you’ve given a job to Isaac kind of negates the need.”
“Maybe I should have spoken to Carl before offering Isaac a job,” Dex said, sounding a little worried. “You think I should give him a call?”
I thought about it and the simple fact that he was willing to do that, made me think that perhaps I should tell Carl to forget a meeting and just accept the fact that I was seeing Dex. I had to think of my kids though, and for once Carl was putting them first too. He wanted to be sure Dex wasn’t going to be any danger to them and I respected that. The problem was, I thought it was far too soon for Carl to be thinking of meeting Dex, but as he’d met the kids already, maybe Carl was right to want a meeting so soon.
Shit, I had no idea about all this ‘dating’ palaver, what the correct etiquette was when kids and ex-husbands were involved. Come to think of it, what the hell was dating anyway? When I was younger you found a boy you liked, snogged his face off, let him feel your boobs while dry humping your leg and he was your boyfriend. Unless of course he was your Friday night hook-up. They were the ones you only met up with on a Friday night in a club, usually because they didn’t want to be your boyfriend but wanted to snog your face off, feel your boobs and dry hump your leg once a week.
Maybe that was what Dex meant – I was his once a week hook up. But hadn’t that been what Debbie was and she’d been having sex with him. Surely he wouldn’t finish things with her for a non-sexual hook up with me? I’m not saying I’d never have sex with him, I most definitely would, but not just yet – although it had been four years. As well as finding Smarmy Morgan slightly alluring, I’d started sitting on the seat over the wheel on the bus, and I didn’t even need to take a bus.
Oh hell, I didn’t know what to think. What I did know was that it was giving me a bloody headache thinking about it.
“I’m sorry about this, Dex,” I sighed, getting my head back into the conversation. “I’m sure you’ve never had to meet a woman’s ex before, after just one date.”
“Our first date was a little different though,” he laughed. “I kinda bonded over puke with your kid. I ain’t never had that before.”
“I suppose so,” I replied with a laugh. “How about I call him and ask him to meet us tonight. I think he’d appreciate you telling him about offering Isaac a job.”
“He likely to hate the idea?”
I thought about it for a second. “No. He’ll just be pleased Isaac is finally out of the record shop. I think he’s open enough to see what a great opportunity this is for Isaac.”
“Okay, well give him a call,” he replied.
“Shall I suggest an early drink and then we could go and do something afterwards?”
I waited with bated breath, wondering if Dex would cry off, but he didn’t.
“Sounds good to me, darlin’. Text me the time and I’ll come and pick you up.”
“I can meet you, it’s fine,” I replied.
“No way. No date of mine makes her own way there. I’ll pick you up and to keep to Carl’s request, I’ll text you when I get there. That way I don’t even need to come up the drive.”
There was some humor in his voice and I couldn’t help but smile. Thankfully, he found some amusement in what could have been an awkward situation. Exes meeting new partners was never easy – my first meeting with Sophie had been extremely tense. I couldn’t get out of my head how much younger and prettier she was than me for a start.
“Dex,” I whispered.
“Yeah.”
“You know, if this is all too much. Meeting Carl and dealing with my kids-.”
“Hey,” he said, stopping me. “I’ve told you, it’s not. I totally get his concerns and maybe if I hadn’t already met the kids this meeting would be happening further down the line, but I have and it ain’t. Make the call darlin’ and let me know the details. Okay?”
“Yeah, okay,” I said on a long breath.
