PROLOGUE （UNEDITED） #3
She shakes her head. “No, I’m a physical therapist. I work at Pennsylvania Hospital.”
“Hmm. I’ve been in physical therapy for most of my life. None have looked like you. I would have enjoyed my various injuries a bit more if they had.”
Her head turns, and her blue eyes meet my green ones. “Are you flirting with me, Jett?”
I remove a strand of hair from her delicate face, letting my finger gently caress her soft skin.
“So you know, I have zero game, as my son would say. I don’t date, I never lie, and I have the unfortunate character trait of speaking my mind without thinking through the consequences.
So, no, I’m not flirting. I’m shooting straight.
You’re the most beautiful woman here tonight. That’s me being too honest.”
With her penetrating eyes still staring at mine, she wordlessly nods before moving them back to her phone. I do the same and read aloud the prompt. “What’s your love language?”
She sighs. “My friend wrote, acts of vacation and words of booking confirmation.” She rolls her eyes. “Those are not love languages.”
I chuckle. “I suppose. What’s your real love language?”
“Hmm,” she contemplates briefly, “I suppose quality time. It was missing from my marriage.” She gasps and covers her mouth. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that out loud. Maybe your honesty thing is rubbing off on me.”
“Why is that a secret?”
She licks her lips nervously. “I prefer to never speak ill of my ex-husband. We have a great co-parenting relationship and, no matter what, he will always be my daughter’s father.”
I nod. “I feel the same about my ex, but if it’s something that was missing, you’re entitled to your feelings. I don’t think it’s necessarily a negative about him. More of a…compatibility issue.”
She nods as she returns her attention to her phone. “Maybe you’re right, but it’s kind of a boring answer. I want to put something totally random. It doesn’t have to be true—it’s not like I’m really going to engage with this dating app.”
She happily types away before I see her deleting the long walks in the park answer.
“Hmm, what do I want to say I like to do in my spare time?” Her brow adorably creases.
“Maybe…line dancing,” she perks up. “Yes, that. I’ve never done it before, but let’s pretend I did and it’s my favorite thing in the world. ”
She completes her answer and then moves on to the next question, reading it aloud. “What earns him a second date?”
I look at her, wanting to know the answer. “Well?”
“Making me laugh, for sure. Having fun is up there too. I don’t need a stuffy, fancy restaurant.
I don’t like it when men throw money around like that.
It’s boring. I prefer a creative, thoughtful date.
And no games. I’m too old for games. Either we connect or we don’t.
It’s pretty simple. I’m thirty-nine. I know what I like and know what I don’t like.
Why would anyone want to pretend to be something they’re not at this point in life? ”
I exhale a long breath. “You’d be surprised.”
“What does that mean?” she asks.
“Money. A lot of women out there want a man for their money, not them.”
She nods in understanding. “Is that what happens to you? Women want you for your fame and fortune?”
I nod sadly, but don’t admit that’s all my ex-wife ever wanted from me, because I too won’t speak ill of the mother of my children.
She places her hand over mine. “I’m sorry, Jett. I never thought of it that way. I’m sure when you’re famous, it’s not easy to know people’s true intentions. All I see is a sweet, handsome man who I assume has a line of women wanting to date him.”
Her hand is so feminine and soft. It’s tiny, not even covering half of my huge hand.
Unable to help myself, I pick it up and kiss it before admitting, “There’s no line of women, and if my son didn’t ask me to put off dating until after he graduates from high school, I’d ask you out right now.
In fact, I’m considering disregarding his wishes because you’ve got me in a bit of a trance. ”
She visibly swallows. “If you didn’t work with my ex’s clients and have the kind of job you have to be married to, I would have said yes, but we both know what’s involved in coaching a professional football team. I won’t ever be with another man who can’t unplug from his job.”
I nod in understanding. She’s not wrong.
I have very little free time, which is half the reason I don’t date.
I’ve done my best to find time for Pierce these past few years, but I know it’s why Kennedy hates me.
I was a terrible father to her when she was growing up.
I was never home and missed everything important to her in her life.
We continue to stare at each other. I can’t say I’ve ever been more attracted to a woman than I am to her. It’s awakening something in me that has been dormant for as long as I can remember.
Her attention shifts back to her phone. “I’m certainly not putting my real name.”
“Agreed. I would never do that either.”
“Hmm, I need a good name.”
“What about a favorite movie character?” I suggest.
She nods before her eyes light up, and she gasps. “I’ve got it. Diane Court.”
I chuckle, understanding the eighties movie reference.
She smiles. “Yep. Diane Court. Username SaySomething. Thirty-nine-year-old seeking a nine-to-five kind of man.”
We spend the next thirty minutes filling out her fake answers. She replaces all her photos with those of fictional or historical characters. We laugh throughout it all.
We pass the glass of wine back and forth until we’ve kicked the entire bottle. It’s given her an adorable case of the giggles. I’m officially smitten.
It’s honestly the best time I’ve had with a woman in decades, though we’ve been gone from the party for an unreasonable amount of time.
When we begrudgingly go to stand, she looks up at me. “Wow,” she breathes, “you’re so…big.” I tower over her by more than a foot.
Jett of twenty-five years ago would have had a cheeky reply to that comment, but he’s long gone. I’m a shell of the man I once was. I barely remember him.
She slips back into her heels, giving her a few more inches, but I’m still much taller than her. I offer her my arm, and we make our way back into the party. I’m unsure of what will happen, but all I know is that I don’t want to part. Not yet.
As soon as we walk inside, I’m accosted by BooJuice or however the hell you say her name. “Where have you been?” she whines in obvious annoyance. “You’re not a very good date.”
I’m about to remind her that I’m not her date when Fallon leans into me and runs her hand up and down my chest. “Your date? You must be mistaken. He’s mine. We’ve planned it for weeks. I was just running a bit late, but I’m here now. Want to dance, honey?”
In light of my stunned silence, Fallon widens her eyes, urging me to play along. “Y…yes,” I attempt to agree even though lying doesn’t come naturally for me. “This is my date. I’m sorry that Leo must have misunderstood me when I told him Fallon would be late.”
My brow starts to sweat. I’m not built for this. I’ve led game-winning drives in hundreds of football games, but this is more difficult for me.
Beetlejuice has steam coming from her ears as she stomps away from us.
I blow out a breath in relief. “Thanks for that.”
“You’re a horrible liar,” she laughs.
I release a breath. “I know. I was never very good at poker.”
Her eyes flash with a bit of amusement as she releases my arm and steps away from my body. I miss her immediately.
“Thanks for tonight, Jett—you turned a crappy night into a good one—but I should get back to my friends.”
I don’t want her to leave, but I equally know that I’m not who she’s looking for. I’m not a nine-to-five man. I’m married to my job. The opposite of what she wants.
When I had swagger, I would have reminded her that she just promised me a dance, but instead, I offer, “It was a pleasure to spend the evening with you, Fallon. I hope our paths cross again sometime soon.”
She gives me a small smile. “Goodbye, Jett.”
I swear I see a fleeting look of disappointment on her face when I don’t respond, but she turns and walks away without looking back. Watching her disappear into the sea of people feels like a punch to the gut. I can’t let that be the end of things.
An idea occurs to me. I walk over to Leo, who’s standing at the bar. “Will you take me to the tech thingy store soon? I want to get an iPhone.”
He lets out a laugh as he slaps my back. “Finally. What changed your mind after all these years?”
“It’s just time.”
And I have a certain dating app I need to download.