Chapter Two
Two
Alistair
What you seek is seeking you, too.
“Chai, hon. You all right in there?” I asked as I rapped my knuckles on the bathroom door.
“I’m fine, Dad,” she groaned. “Can’t I use the bathroom in peace?”
“Sorry, sorry. My bad. Just wanted to make sure you were all good.” I heard her let out a deep sigh as I walked down the hall toward the guest room I was staying in.
My daughter, Chai, had been dealing with some health issues, and I’d flown in from Colorado to take care of her while she recovered from abdominal surgery.
With my position as the CEO of a cannabis cultivation and distribution company, I was able to work remotely and provide her with the support she needed to get better.
And better she was. We’d spent the holidays together for the first time in who knew how long, and I could tell my presence was wearing on her patience.
Sure, we were close, but we hadn’t lived together for quite some time. She was a grown woman who was used to her independence and privacy. I interfered with that.
I’d be out of her hair soon enough, though. Now that she was well, I was scheduled to fly back to Colorado in two days’ time. While part of me was anxious to get back to the mountains, I didn’t have anything waiting for me back home besides work.
Chai’s mother and I had divorced when she was young, and I’d put my kid and work first, prioritizing those two things above all else.
I was a great father, and damn successful, but I wished I had someone to share that success with.
My life was lonely. As hard as it was to admit, it was the truth.
I was ready to find someone to spend my golden years with.
So, at Chai’s urging, I’d joined some dating apps. I’d had a few dates here and there, but I hadn’t felt that strong connection I was looking for.
I threw myself onto the guest bed I’d called my own for the past month and pulled out my phone for some good old-fashioned doom scrolling. Thankfully, I had Chai to keep me hip on all the lingo kids were using these days.
A notification popped up on the screen from Mate Match.
I had a match.
Vibrant red hair and bright green eyes framed by thick-rimmed glasses caught my attention.
Pam was fifty-four years old, a retired widow, who enjoyed knitting, film, and reading.
There was no way this woman was fifty-four. She didn’t look a day over forty.
While in Briar Glenn this past month, the app had been dead silent. So, of course, a few days before I was scheduled to leave, I got a match.
My finger hovered over the message button. Her profile said she was looking for something casual, and who knew if she’d even be available to grab a coffee or something before I left town?
At first glance, it didn’t seem like we had much in common, but there were only so many things you could cram into a short bio. I was sure we could find something to talk about. Plus, she was drop-dead gorgeous.
What the hell?
I tapped the message button.
Shit.
What should I say? I saw your profile and thought you looked hot? That sounded like something a teenage boy would say, not a grown man.
Maybe just a simple Hello, how are you doing?
That was good, right? A casual conversation starter.
Alistair: Hey there! How are you doing?
I pressed send and stared at my phone, waiting for her to respond. We’d just matched, so she had to have her phone nearby. My phone buzzed with an incoming message.
It was her.
Pam: Hi! I’m well, thanks. How are you?
How was I doing?
Well, I was over the moon that she’d responded, but it wasn’t exactly like I could say that.
Alistair: I’m doing great. I stumbled upon your profile and thought I’d say hello. It looks like you’re new here on the app?
Another instant response.
Pam: I am! My husband passed away a few years ago and I decided it’s finally time to put myself out there. I’m just looking for something casual, though. Nothing too serious, at least not right away.
We were sort of in the same boat, then. Besides, I wouldn’t be in town long enough for it to develop into something serious. But a relaxed coffee date with an attractive woman? That I could do.
Alistair: It may be sort of forward of me to ask, but would you want to meet for coffee? Tomorrow? I’m leaving Briar Glenn in a few days to head back to my home in Colorado.
I figured that would be the killing blow, the fact that in a few days’ time I’d be back at my cabin in the Rockies. I didn’t expect a reply and assumed she’d ghost me, but to my surprise, she messaged me back.
Pam: You’re only here for a few more days and you’d like to spend some of that time with me?
Alistair: Yes, is that weird?
Did she think I was some creep?
Pam: Not at all. I’d love to get coffee with you.
Alistair: It’s a date then. Tomorrow at 9 a.m., the coffee shop on 5th and Main?
Pam: I’ll see you then.
Alistair: Looking forward to it!
I couldn’t stop the wide smile that stretched across my face.
“Why are you smiling at your phone like an idiot?” Chai leaned against the doorway, assessing me like only a daughter could.
“I’m smiling at my phone like an idiot because I just asked a woman to go on a date with me tomorrow,” I said proudly.
“No way! Your last day here and you’re going to spend it doing something other than playing Candy Crush!” she shrieked and plopped down beside me on the bed, her hands reaching for my phone. “Who? Let me see her!”
Chai squealed when I handed her my phone. “Dad, do you know who this is?”
I shook my head no.
“This is Tegan’s mom! You know, Atlas from the gym? His mate’s mom!”
I’d met Atlas a few times when he’d stopped by to check on Chai, but I’d never met his mate. “Oh yeah? What’s their family like?”
She stood and handed me my phone. “Well, I’ve never met her mom, but Tegan is super sweet. She owns the bakery on Main Street.”
So that’s what she meant by “former bakery owner.” Her daughter had taken over her business. I loved that, and in this day and age, it wasn’t all that common.
“So I guess it’s out of the question to suggest we go there after we get coffee?” I was clueless when it came to dating, even more so in a town that wasn’t my own. I needed Chai’s help.
“You should take her ice skating at the rink they put up in the park. It’s romantic. What about the rest of her profile? What does it say she likes?”
“Uhh…” I squinted down at the tiny screen. I needed reading glasses, but I was holding out as long as I could. “It says she likes knitting, romance books, and movies.”
Chai tapped her hoof on the floor, her tail swishing back and forth behind her. “The movies are a no-go for a first date—not conducive to conversation. Stick with the coffee shop, treat her to a book at the bookstore, and then if you’re hitting it off, suggest ice skating.”
I smiled at my daughter. “You know, for someone who refuses to date, you’re pretty good at this, kid. You should follow your own advice sometime.”
She shook her head. “I’m good, thanks.”
“Chai, you can’t let—”
Her eyes about rolled out of her head. “Anywaaay, are you sure this is a good idea right before you leave? What if you really hit it off with Pam?”
I shrugged. “We both said we’re looking for something casual. It’s just one date.”
“Mm-hmm.” Chai crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t make her catch feelings and then break her heart. Her soon-to-be son-in-law is my boss.”
She was being ridiculous. I hadn’t been in a relationship for years. Why would this be any different? “One date, Chai. Coffee, the bookstore, and maybe some ice skating. It’s one date.”
“Whatever you say.” She turned her back to me and started off down the hall. “Sleep tight, Romeo,” she called out.
“Night, kid,” I grumbled.
Sometimes adult children were more of a pain in the ass than they were as kids.
I rose from the bed with a groan and shut the door. I slipped off my clothes, changed into my sweatpants, and threaded my tail through the hole in the back. I turned off the light and climbed back into bed.
For a good fifteen minutes, I tossed and turned. No matter how much I tried to relax, sleep just wouldn’t find me. It was a shame I didn’t bring any edibles with me. Those always did the trick.
My phone vibrated from where I’d set it on the nightstand.
A Mate Match message from Pam.
I unlocked my phone, the bright light irritating my eyes in the otherwise dark room.
Pam: Are you awake??
Huh. It seemed someone else was having a hard time sleeping.
Alistair: I’m up. Is everything okay?
Ugh. I hoped she wasn’t about to cancel on me. This was the first thing I’d looked forward to in I don’t know how long.
Pam: I’m just having a hard time falling asleep. I think I’m nervous about tomorrow.
She was nervous about our date. It was fucking cute. I mean, I was nervous, too. Might as well admit it.
Alistair: I’m nervous, too.
Pam: Would you want to chat on the phone for a bit? I know it’s old-school, but it might help ease our nerves a little.
It was old-school. In the age of text messaging, I rarely talked on the phone anymore. Other than business calls, a random phone call or video chat with Chai was pretty much it. Getting to know each other before meeting would be nice, though.
Alistair: Sure.
I texted her my number, and my phone vibrated with an incoming call from an unknown number a few moments later.
“Hey.” My voice sounded gruff, so I cleared my throat. “Pam?”
“Alistair?” Her voice was smooth and pleasant, just like I thought she’d sound.
“The one and only,” I said with a laugh, and she followed suit. Within the first minute of our call, I’d already made her laugh. I’d call that a win.
“Thank you for doing this. I’m just so nervous. I didn’t expect to match so soon, let alone set up a date. I literally signed up for the app today.”
That explained why we’d just matched. “Your first day on the app and my ugly mug gets a right swipe from you—and a date! It must be my lucky day.”
Another warm, lighthearted laugh. “You did not just call yourself ugly.”
I mean, yeah, I was handsome. But when you compared me to someone like her? She was way out of my league. “I mean, if the shoe fits—”
“I happen to think you’re quite handsome. Unless your pictures are photoshopped or they’re old.” There was a hint of a smile in her voice.
I chuckled. “I can assure you, they’re definitely not photoshopped or filtered or anything like that. The one of me on the cliffside is from last year, but the rest my daughter took when she visited me a few months ago.”
“What’s your daughter’s name?”
“Chai. I found out that she knows your daughter and works for your soon-to-be son-in-law.”
“Get out of town. She works at Leviathan Fitness?” Pam asked.
“Mm-hmm. Well, when she isn’t on medical leave.”
“Oh no. I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“It’s all right. She’s doing much better now. That’s actually why I’m heading back to Colorado. I stayed with her for a month while she recovered.” For dramatic effect and to lighten the mood, I lowered my voice. “I think she can’t wait for me to leave.”
Pam broke out into laughter, making me grin. “I can only imagine if I had to stay with either of my kids for a month. They’d be the same way.”
“You have two, right?”
“Yes. My son, Reece, is thirty-five and my daughter, Tegan, is thirty.”
My mouth hung open. “You have a thirty-five-year-old?”
She laughed again. “Don’t sound so surprised! I started early! How old is your daughter?”
“She’s twenty-five. I was thirty when she was born. Her mom and I divorced a few years later.”
My ex-wife and I’d had our fair share of problems. Rather than continue in a loveless marriage full of arguments, we decided to go our separate ways.
It was a lot healthier for us to co-parent Chai instead of dragging out our relationship.
I was the primary caregiver, so I never felt like I missed out on Chai’s childhood.
Pam hummed in understanding. “Sometimes that’s for the best. My husband and I got to that point several times, but we stuck it out for Reece and Tegan.
I know it wasn’t the right thing to do, but at the time, it seemed like the only option I had.
The past is the past, though. There’s nothing I can do about it now. ”
That’s right. She was a widow. Should I bring up her husband?
An awkward silence stretched between us before Pam finally spoke again. “It’s okay. Most people don’t know what to say when you lose your spouse. It’s been a little over two years since Don passed, and honestly, my life is a lot better without him.”
“It sounds like we were in similar situations.”
She sighed. “But you were smart enough to walk away.”
I didn’t like hearing her put herself down. “Hey, none of that. Relationships are complex, especially when there are kids involved. You did what you thought was best for them. It sounds like you’re a great mom.”
“I’d like to think so.” The so was stretched out by a yawn.
I smiled to myself. If she was this sweet in person, I was going to be in trouble. “I should probably get to bed. It’s getting late and I have a hot date in the morning.”
“That’s funny,” she murmured. “I have a hot date, too.”
“Well, make sure you tell him how lucky he is to be out with you.”
“Will do. Good night, Alistair.”
“Good night, Pam.”
I hung up the phone and stared at the dark ceiling while thoughts of Pam Rollins swirled around in my head. I already suspected one coffee date might not be enough.