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“No single dads for you, huh?” He’d meant it as a joke, but there was a sharpness to his tone he couldn’t mask.
Merry’s face flushed. “I mean…I’ve never dated a single parent, but I would be open to it.”
“You would?”
“Well, yeah. Like I said, I want a bunch of kids.”
“Even if they aren’t yours?”
“Just because they don’t share my blood doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be mine. My parents never officially adopted Noel after her parents died, but I consider her my family. My sister. And I’d feel the same way as a co-parent.”
Clark hesitated, surprised by her passion on the subject. “I didn’t mean to offend you. In my experience, some women aren’t as enthusiastic about dating single fathers.”
“You’re telling me you’ve never been with anyone else except Jace’s mom?”
“Depends on what you mean by been with.”
“Dating!” She cleared her throat. “I was talking about dating.”
“Then no. I haven’t dated anyone.”
“That’s a shame,” she said.
“Why is that?”
“You seem like a nice guy. I already know you’re a good father, or your son wouldn’t have turned out to be such a great kid. You’re employed, which is always a bonus.” She shrugged and added rapidly, “And you aren’t hard to look at.”
She turned away from him, missing his slack-jawed expression. “Hard to look at?”
“I said what I said. Don’t make a big deal about it.”
Clark laughed. “A definite improvement over the gawky teen I used to be.”
“Actually, I thought you were cute then too. All wiry muscle and mysterious.”
Shock waves shot through him, freezing him in place. “No you didn’t.”
“You had no idea I had a crush on you?”
He shook his head, his heart slamming in his chest.
“I did. It was during peak season and the place was swamped, so I helped out. We spent the whole day together and I was enamored with your dark eyes and broody soul.”
Clark scoffed. “Broody soul?”
“Yeah, like Angel on Buffy. Swoony.”
“I remember who I was in high school and swoony is not the term I would use.”
“Well, you were never a sixteen-year-old girl, so you don’t get a vote.”
“Fair enough.” Clark’s thoughts drifted back to that day. The laughter. The disappointment when he realized Merry had a boyfriend. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because every time I came around after that day you avoided me. I figured I wasn’t your type.”
“I thought you had a boyfriend.”
“Oh yes, Johnny, one of the many jerks I dated. I actually broke up with him after working with you. Not because of…well, not fully because of you, although I figured if I was crushing that hard, I probably shouldn’t be dating him.”
