Chapter 4 #3
“I’m sure that can be arranged. I can tell just from talking to you that the two of you would get along.”
“So what else should I know about you?”
“I have a daughter who’s six. Myla. And I’m a single dad.”
“How long have you been divorced?”
He shook his head. “Not. My wife died when Myla was six months old.”
“Oh, god. That’s horrible. What happened?”
“They diagnosed her cancer while she was pregnant. We begged her not to have the baby so she could have treatments, but she wouldn’t hear of it.
She wanted Myla more than anything. But by the time Myla was born, the cancer had spread too far.
She only lasted another six months.” He took a gulp of air and tried to calm the pounding of his heart. “It was hard. Still is.”
“I’m sure it must be. I can’t say I know how you feel because I don’t, but I’m sorry you went through that.”
“Thank you. I have a strong family or I wouldn’t have made it. My sister and my mom have helped, and my brother’s wife and my wife’s sister. They’ve all been here for me.”
“So you’re still close to her family?”
“I don’t know that I’d say that, but we have a good relationship.
They don’t live far, and Myla spends time with them.
My mother-in-law is a nurse in a pediatrician’s office, so she’s always taken care of vaccinations, checkups, things like that.
She told me early on that the medical stuff was something she could handle so I didn’t have to worry about it, and she’s been true to her word.
I honestly don’t know what I’d do without them. ”
“It’s great that you’ve got help. My folks have been a lot of help too.”
There was a lull in the conversation and Kyle tried to think of something to ask her. “So what kind of stuff do you like to do when you’re not working?”
“Well, let’s see … I like to fish. Oh, and I love rodeos. And state fairs.”
“I love all that stuff too.” Kyle was feeling hopeful. It sounded like they had a lot in common.
“I have a little garden and I love working in it. I have potted plants all over the place too, and I have fun with those. Succulents too. Those are a lot of fun to work with.”
“I guess you did the flowers in front of the business?”
She smiled with pride. “Actually, yes—I did.”
“Very nice!”
They sat there and talked about first one thing and then another—shows they liked on TV, places they wanted to go, their favorite vacation spots, funny things that happened to them when they were kids.
All kinds of stuff. Lost in conversation, they were both startled when the girl at the counter asked, “Y’all want more coffee? You ran dry an hour ago.”
Kyle glanced down at his watch. “Oh my god, we’ve been here for three hours!”
“Are you serious?” Gina spun and looked at the clock on the wall. “Oh my god, Sabrina’s probably about to have a cow. I should get back.”
“Yeah, I guess you should, and I need to get home. Myla will be there and she’ll be wondering where I am.”
“Is she alone?”
“Oh, no. My sister is there. I told her I might not get home in time, so she’ll be there waiting. But I do need to get going. Listen, Gina …” He knew what he wanted to say, but how would she respond? Was he willing to take that chance? “I know we met under weird circumstances.”
“Thank you, Sabrina,” she said with a sigh.
That made him laugh. “Right! But I have to say, I’ve really enjoyed this. And honestly, I really like you. I’m glad I met you. I’m not sure if you’d be interested in going to dinner, but—”
“Yes. I’d be very interested in going to dinner.”
Kyle couldn’t believe his ears. “Well, okay then! I’ll walk you to your truck and we can exchange phone numbers if you want.”
“Yes. I’d like that a lot.”
He called her number so she’d have his, then leaned against her truck and looked her up and down.
The girl was stacked, and she was beautiful.
When he’d first seen her he’d thought of her as being mousy, but when she smiled, her whole face lit up and her eyes sparkled. “So go back and thank Sabrina for me.”
She started to laugh again and Kyle wanted to hug her.
“Not a chance! I’m going to make her think we had an awful time and I’m still pissed.
Let her sweat it for a few days. It’ll be good for her.
” Then she leaned toward him. “But I have to say, I’m very glad you showed up today.
I want to get to know you better, Emmett Kyle Miller. ”
Kyle didn’t even give it a second thought, just reached down and clasped her hands in his, then tipped his head slightly and gave her a soft, sweet kiss on the lips.
When he straightened and looked down at her, there was that smile again, and the little catch he’d felt in his chest turned into a full-out somersault of his heart. “Give you a call and set up dinner?”
“I hope you do. Bye, Kyle. Drive safely.”
“You too. Later.” He climbed into his truck and watched as she drove away, but when she pulled out onto the street, she gave her horn a couple of little toots as she went.
All the way home, Kyle hummed and whistled. It had been an amazing afternoon. And if things worked out, he knew what he was going to do.
He was buying Sabrina a bouquet of flowers and a gift card for a massage. That girl had earned all of it.
“Hi!”
“Hi yourself! Having a good evening?”
“Yeah. The kids are in their rooms, doing whatever it is they do, and I’m just finishing up in the kitchen.” Gina loaded another plate into the dishwasher and surveyed the countertops. Good enough. “I think I’m finally going to get to sit down for a minute!”
“They don’t help you with the cleanup?”