Page 37 of Defensive Indifference

I pull into the apartment complex and park, all the while working out what I can say to make Dustin feel better. I can’t exactly tell him I intend to do my best to change his mother’s mind about this guy and give me a shot instead. This adult relationship nonsense is more than a kid should have to worry about, so I refrain from offering any sort of suggestion of that nature and hand him his bat and glove instead.

“I’m sure it’ll work out how God intends, kiddo. Let’s go see if Annie is here. I’m sure she’ll keep your mind off all of that tonight.”

He rolls his eyes—something he’s pretty good at—and leads me to the apartment as if I wasn’t just inside it this morning. It’s small but seems to work for them, though I highly doubt it’s worth the rent increase coming to them. Annie sits on the sofa reading a magazine and startles when we enter. She presses her hand to her chest before adjusting her glasses.

“You almost put me in the grave. How was your day?”

Dustin dives directly into everything from baseball practice, to scoring a run on pros, to lunch and shopping. He beams when he shows her his new bat and glove, then promptly disappears into his bedroom to hang them on the wall with his worn-out gear. Annie chuckles and rises from the sofa.

“Boys. I’m not sure I could keep up with one if I’m honest.”

“He’s energetic, that’s for sure. If you’re all set, I’ll tell him goodbye and—”

“Tell me how come Lina is out on a date tonight with a man and the one she should be on a date with is standing here in front of me?” Annie rests her hands on both hips and offers a stern rebuke with that scowl.

“Uh…”

“Don’t tell me I’m wrong. You know you at least have some interest in her. You spent the whole day with Dustin, and no one can spend a day with that child and not adore him. When are you going to make a move, hotshot baseball guy?”

Hotshot baseball guy?

I jangle my keys and sigh. “Lest you forget, she does not seem to have equivalent feelings for me.”

“So, you admit you have feelings for her, then?”

“I’m not sure I’d survive this conversation with you if I lied about it, so yeah. But I’m also not sure admitting those feelings to her would do much good right now. I’ve gotta…” I wave my hand around as if that means anything to her, then sigh more deeply and drop my hand to my side. “She’s not my biggest fan, and with just cause. I think I need to earn her trust a little more, lay things out, help her see—”

“You’re an idiot.” Annie drops her hands and meets me at the door. “That woman lives and breathes for her son. She entrusted you with him all day long, driving him places, taking him out in public. It says she trusts that you’d protect him. Don’t discount what that means to a woman like her. To a good mother.”

My phone buzzes in my pocket, but I ignore it for now. Annie might have the answer, the key I need to show Evalina that I’m not only an option, but maybe the only one she’ll ever need. The thought of that sends a shiver of fear down my spine.

“What do you suggest then?”

Annie huffs. “Ask her on a date, you dolt. A romantic one with flowers, the whole shebang. Make it clear you are here for more than friendship.”

“Yeah, well, I get the feeling if that sort of thing won her over, she’d already be fawning over my money.” Immediately, I want to take it back. Annie’s scowl deepens and her furrowed brow adds to her generally scary presentation. This woman adores her boss.

“You’re a real dummy, you know that?”

“Yeah, I get that sometimes. I know she’s not like that.”

“Doesn’t mean a woman doesn’t want to be courted. She already knows you care for her son. Show her you care for her too. Trust me.”

My phone buzzes again, so I slip it out and see it’s Marco inviting me to The Salty Dog to hang out for a while. Most of the guys will be there, so I tap out a reply. At the very least, it’ll keep my mind off of what Evalina and some random guy are doing on their date.

“I gotta go, but I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Annie.”

“No problem, but if you hurt her, I’ll—”

I raise a hand to stop her. “I know. You’ll kill me. Get in line.”

Chapter Eighteen

Evalina

I was wrong about Nick. He’s not a good guy; he’s a narcissistic, money-driven loser who hasn’t heard a word I’ve said all night. If his game is to sweet-talk women until they’re too attached to him to walk away before he brings out his true personality, he should probably do the sweet-talking for a few dates.

Actually, I’m not sure any number of dates could make a woman stay with this jerk.