Chapter Five Flirting
Haven
“S o, rumor has it there’s a hot new dad in town. Care to confirm?”
I glance up at Marie and roll my eyes. “Who told you that?”
She grins at me from her perch on top of my desk. I’m scrubbing down the small tables we use for arts and crafts with soap and water, which is a regular part of my routine at the end of the day. Marie usually stops in my room after her weekly library reading visit with the kindergarteners.
“Maggie,” she answers. “I can always rely on her for the hot gossip around here.”
“Oh, yeah, because we’re such a hotbed for drama.” I snort and shake my head. “You both need to get hobbies.”
“That doesn’t answer my question,” she replies, arching a brow. “Is the new dad hot or not?”
I sigh and reluctantly nod. “Yeah… he’s really hot.”
Marie claps her hands together in glee. “Oh, yay! It’s about time we got some fresh meat around here.”
I straighten and put my hands on my hips.
“You can’t drool over the hot dad,” I tell her.
“Why not?” she asks. “He married?”
“No,” I hesitantly answer. “It’s just… you know… not appropriate.”
She releases a huff of breath. “Oh, don’t be such a prude. There’s nothing wrong with looking. Now, spill! What’s hot dad look like?”
“Okay, first off, his name isn’t hot dad,” I correct. “It’s Chris.”
Marie smiles. “Oh, Christopher, a good name. Strong. Manly. What else?”
“It’s Christian.”
“Even sexier,” Marie replies, but I ignore her little comment.
“And he’s… tall,” I admit. “In shape. Nice, broad shoulders and a slim waist. He’s got brown hair, but it’s not super dark. It’s kind of milk chocolatey. And his eyes are so blue, you can hardly look away from them. They’re so gorgeous…”
I trail off when I notice that Marie’s eyes have gone wide, and she’s staring at me with a surprised grin.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
She chuckles and shakes her head. “Oh, you like him.”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” I exclaim as I feel my cheeks flush and my heart race. “I don’t like him… I mean, I do, but just as a person. He’s nice and Oliver is an adorable kid.”
Marie doesn’t look convinced. In fact, she looks rather smug as she crosses her arms and holds my gaze.
“Mmmhmm… you know, I have noticed you’ve been putting a little more effort into your appearance the last three days,” she says. “You always look good, don’t get me wrong, but your makeup has been more precise and you’ve been curling your hair. Sure you’re not trying to impress hot dad?”
“Chris,” I state again. “His name is Chris, and no, I’m not trying to impress him.”
“Whatever you say,” she replies flippantly.
Her easy dismissal of my words irks me a bit, but then again, I can’t fault her for the suspicion. If I’m being totally honest, Chris intrigues me. Apart from his looks, he appears to be a good man and an excellent father. Oliver is always clean, and well-dressed, and he looks properly fed. More than that, he’s a very happy little boy who, despite being shy, makes friends rather easily and is also excited to see his dad at the end of the day when Chris comes to pick him up.
It’s actually adorable watching them when they’re together. They look so much alike… Oliver is basically Chris’ mini-me.
I glance back up at Marie and hesitantly. “Hypothetically speaking… if I were trying to impress him…”
Her eyes widen and light up. Her grin is as big as the Cheshire Cat’s.
“How would you go about doing it?” she says, finishing my sentence.
I clear my throat and shrug, trying to seem nonchalant, though I’m pretty sure I’m failing at it miserably.
“Sure,” I murmur.
“Well, you’re off to a good start,” Marie declares. “You’re hot, brilliant, and charming. Honestly, if you are just a little forward with him, I’m certain he’ll be putty in your hands.”
“Forward?” I shake my head. “I don’t know if I can do that.”
She rolls her eyes and scoffs. “Oh, please, you’re one of the most confident people I know. You just have to be yourself and let him know you’re interested. I wouldn’t bother being subtle, either. Most guys don’t pick up on subtlety. The bulldozer method is usually best to get your message across.”
I chuckle and sigh. “I’m not sure I’m the bulldozer type, but I get your point.”
She tilts her head to the side and studies me for several moments. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you like this, you know.”
“Like what?”
“Light,” she explains. “Optimistic. Looking forward rather than focusing entirely on the present.”
My stomach clenches, and my grip on my wet rag tightens.
“Marie, I don’t want you to get your hopes up too high,” I tell her. “I’m interested in getting to know Chris better, but dating is still not something I can focus on right now. I need to keep my priorities as they are.”
Her face falls and her shoulders droop in clear disappointment.
“Come on, Haven,” she says. “You can enjoy Chris’ company and spend time with him without lowering your family as your number one priority. It’s a balancing act, but I know you can do it.”
“I appreciate the vote of confidence,” I reply. “But no guy deserves to be dragged into my chaos. Especially not a nice guy like Chris.”
“Haven, you are saintly to a fault,” Marie grumbles. “You don’t have to live like a celibate monk, you know.”
I chuckle. “I’m aware, my dear. It’s just how things are right now.”
“Well, I think you should flirt with the hot new dad,” Marie declares.
“Chris,” I say again.
“You should flirt with Chris,” she replies. “You don’t have to date him. Just have a little fun.”
As much as I hate to admit it, that’s actually a pretty appealing idea. I do think Chris is attractive, and I like talking to him. What’s the harm in a little flirting?
“I’ll see,” I tell Marie with a nonchalant shrug. “Chris is nice, so… maybe I’ll just see what happens.”
Marie winks at me. “That’s my girl. Let loose a little bit.”
It’s not something I’m used to doing anymore, but I’ve also never been as tempted to indulge as I’ve been since meeting Chris.
***
The next morning, I stand by the door, greeting my kiddos as they come in. I keep glancing down the hall, waiting with bated breath for Chris and Oliver to appear. After my talk yesterday with Marie, I’m actually nervous to see Chris. It’s silly, I know, but since I decided to give flirting a chance, I’ve had butterflies in my stomach.
Smoothing down the front of my dress, I smile at the kids walking through the door, but then feel my breath leave me in a rush when Chris finally comes strolling down the hall. He catches sight of me and grins.
“Hey, Miss Haven,” he says as he draws near.
“Hello,” I say, trying to sound natural. I glance down at Oliver, who’s standing next to his dad, holding his hand. “Good morning, Oliver. How are you today?”
“Good,” the little boy murmurs, sticking his finger into his mouth.
I smile, feeling a warmth blossom in my chest as I gaze down at him. He’s still shy when he first arrives each morning, but I know he’ll warm up once he’s playing with the other kids. He’s so adorable and is really such a sweetheart. Even though he’s only been in my room for a few days, he’s already won a special place in my heart.
“Go on in, buddy,” Chris says gently, urging Oliver forward.
The little boy looks up at his dad reluctantly, but then slips past me to go play. I watch him join up with some of the other kids and then turn my attention back to Chris.
“How’s he doing?” he asks.
“Great,” I assure him. “He’s making friends quickly and seems to be feeling more at ease every day.”
“Good,” he sighs, looking relieved. “I’m glad.”
“Has the move been difficult for him?”
He shrugs his shoulders and slips his hands into the front of his jeans. Damn… he looks good in jeans.
“It hasn’t been too hard,” he says. “Oliver likes the new house and having more space to play outside. I think he’s just adjusting. It’s a big change going from the city to the country.”
“Of course,” I nod. “That’s to be expected. Um… how’s the move been for you?”
He flashes me a half-grin that makes my heart flutter.
“Better than I anticipated,” he answers, holding my gaze. I can feel my cheeks heat, and I duck my head, hiding my blush and coughing into my hand to give me a moment to gather my thoughts.
“I’m glad to hear that,” I murmur, looking back up at him with a slight, shy smile. “Oliver’s been making friends, but how about you?”
I can’t help my curiosity. He’s attractive, charming, and sweet. There are plenty of single girls in town who would happily scoop him up if given the chance. Has he already had some approach him? Hitting on him in the grocery store? Flirting in the park when he takes Oliver to play?
Suddenly, I’m painfully aware of how many places in town he could bump into a single woman on the hunt. I shouldn’t care because I don’t actually want to date him, as I told Marie over and over, but there’s still a strange churning in my gut that I can’t ignore.
“I’ve met a few people,” he says, and it seems as though he’s choosing his words carefully. “I wouldn’t say I’ve made any friends yet, per se. It's much harder to do that as an adult than a kid, isn’t it?”
Is he dodging the question? Strange… but here’s also a sense of relief pulsing through me.
“Well,” I begin, “if you need anyone to show you around town and point out all the sites, I’d, um, be happy to help.”
His eyebrows rise and his eyes widen slightly in apparent surprise.
“Oh! That… that would be great. I’d like that very much, actually.”
I have to keep my smile from getting too big so he doesn’t see how happy his response makes me.
“Great,” I say. “We can arrange for a little tour, then.”
“I appreciate it,” he replies, his lips curling into a small grin.
We stand there, staring at each other for several moments like two dorky teenagers giving each other eyes.
At last, I clear my throat and nervously chuckle, “I should get in there with the kids. We need to get our day started.”
“Right.” He nods. “Yeah, of course. I won’t keep you. We’ll talk later?”
“Definitely,” I assure him.
“All right… I’ll see you later.”
I give him a small wave as he turns and makes his way back down the hallway. Before he turns a corner and disappears from sight, he pauses and glances back at me from over his shoulder. My heart is racing again as I give him another silly wave that causes a smile to cross his lips.
God, he’s so good looking.
Once he’s gone, I release a long breath and shake my head. I can’t believe I just did that. I can’t believe I basically asked him on a date… well, it’s not actually a date. Not really. I’m just being a good neighbor and helping him get to know Blue Ridge. That’s all.
And if some flirting happens on our outing, it is what it is.
Shaking my head, I try to force all thoughts of Chris out of my mind so I can focus on the rest of the day. After all, these kids aren’t going to wait for me to get my mind straight. Raising my chin, I slap on a bright smile and turn, making my way into the room to join my kiddos and act as though I’m not at all affected by the charming, sexy, and oh-so irresistible Chris.
Even though I’m sure that’s going to be much easier said than done.