Chapter 1 #3
“Dear god! Take your pistol! She could be an ax murderer or something!” Constance shrieked.
Kyle couldn’t hold back his despair. “Oh, Connie, for the love of god, she’s not an ax murderer! She’s just a woman who works at her dad’s furniture store.”
“Furniture store, huh? Bet they sell trunks to hide bodies in,” she said, then snickered.
Kyle couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, yeah, by the truckloads!”
Then she asked the million dollar question: “Did you tell Myla?”
Even though he knew she couldn’t see him, Kyle was shaking his head when he answered, “No. And I’m not going to either, so don’t you tell her. I don’t know if she’d be excited or scared, but I don’t want either. This is nothing. It’s just a meetup. Nothing more.”
“Okay. Oh, I’m so excited for you!” Constance squealed.
“Calm down! I’m not expecting much,” Kyle said, rolling his eyes for no one to see. “I’m just sticking my toes in the water, that’s all.”
“Jump on in, bro!” she said, laughing.
Oh, lord. I wish I’d called someone else, Kyle told himself. I’ll never hear the end of this. “So I’m supposed to meet her at seven. Can I bring Myla over at about six thirty?”
He was thrilled with her next words. “How ’bout I come over there and stay with her?
That way she’ll be at home. Ray will be here with the boys, so they’ll be fine.
” Their boys, ages nine and twelve, would be okay without her for one evening, and he was pretty sure she’d welcome the chance to giggle with Myla and enjoy some girl time away from her all-male family.
“That’s so awesome. It’s perfect. Thank you so much. And if she asks, just tell her I’ve gone to a meeting. Technically, that’s not a lie.”
“No. Technically, it’s not. And I won’t say anything,” Constance told him. He sure hoped she stuck to that. Having Myla know he was looking at dating someone wasn’t something he needed right then.
The light on the back of the visor was too bright, and he hoped if she was there, she couldn’t see him checking his hair in the mirror.
He stepped out of the truck, adjusted the legs of his jeans, and strode toward the restaurant.
Just as he was about to say something to the hostess, he saw a woman waving to him from across the dining area.
As he moved toward her, he took in the sight.
Yeah, it was the same woman, with one major difference.
She was at least fifty pounds heavier than her picture, if not more.
It wasn’t her weight that alarmed Kyle. Becky hadn’t been a stick either, and he’d loved her softness and curves.
No, it was the fact that she’d deliberately misrepresented herself that bothered him.
Why hadn’t she posted a pic that was realistic?
The site had specifically said to do that.
If she’d lie about her appearance, what else might she lie about?
Turning to leave was tempting, but it was his first attempt, and he didn’t dare.
He’d already accepted that there’d be a lot of frogs he’d have to kiss, but so soon?
“You must be Kyle!” she chirped and stood. Reaching to hug him, Kyle intercepted her hand and took it in his. A look of distress passed over her face momentarily, and then she smiled again. “It’s so good to meet you!”
“Likewise. Let’s sit down and order. I’m hungry,” he told her, trying to find a way to stop drawing attention to them there in the middle of the restaurant. He moved to her side of the table to hold her chair, and she nodded and gave him a coy smile.
The server came and took their order. Kyle was shocked—she ordered a ten-ounce steak, baked potato with all the trimmings, green beans, a salad, and macaroni and cheese.
There was obviously nothing wrong with the girl’s appetite, that was for sure.
When the server left to turn in their order, Kyle didn’t get a chance to say a word before Ashley blurted out, “So how big is your farm?”
“I’ve got a couple thousand acres,” he told her, taking a sip of water before he spoke again. “It’s our family farm.”
“Two thousand acres! You really are going to need help doing that! I’ve always wanted to farm, to be a farmer’s wife, to live out in the country like that. So do you have a big house?”
What the hell? Kyle wanted to shout, but he just answered as politely as possible, “It’s an okay house. Three bedrooms; well, two and a little office. Used to be my grandparents’ house. It’s old, but I’ve done a lot of work to it.”
“Oh! A real farmhouse, huh?” Ashley crowed. Kyle wanted to crawl under the table. He was expecting her to propose to him within the next five minutes.
Their food came and he tried to think of things to ask her about herself, but she just kept up the questions, almost like she was interviewing him as husband material. But he was startled when she asked, “So how much did you make farming last year?”
Kyle was dumbfounded. He’d never dreamed she’d ask that straightforwardly. “Actually, I don’t think I’m comfortable answering that question,” he said, trying to make his words as gentle as possible.
“If we’re looking at a long-term relationship, I need to know these things,” Ashley said almost patronizingly.
“I think it’s a little early for that, don’t you?” Kyle asked. “I mean, we just met.”
“I can change all that if you’ll let me,” Ashley said, a grin splitting her face. “I brought a bag with me so I can stay the night if you want.”
Kyle was horrified. The evening wasn’t going at all like he had thought it would. “Um, uh, no. I mean, my daughter’s home, so I can’t do that.”
“Who’s watching her?” Ashley asked.
“My sister.”
“Then we could go to a motel if you want.” When the sentence was out, she winked.
Fuck no! Kyle’s mind screamed. “I really need to just go on home. I’ll have to get her ready for school tomorrow and get her into bed. She’s used to me being there.”
“Daddy’s girl, huh?” Ashley said with a sarcastic edge. “Me too.”
Kyle didn’t think before the words slipped out. “Yeah, well, when Daddy’s all you’ve got, there’s not a lot of options.”
The wistful look that crossed Ashley’s face made Kyle’s stomach flip. “I’ve always wanted a little girl of my own.”
I’ve got to get out of here, Kyle told himself instantly.
Things were getting far too real far too fast. He barely knew this woman and she was offering to raise his child!
Glancing down at his watch, he exclaimed, “Wow, look at the time! I’ve got to get going!
” He motioned for the server. “Could I have our check, please?”
“Aren’t we going to have dessert?” Ashley whined.
Damn! This is ridiculous! “I suppose we can …” he started.
“Oh, okay. I know. You’ve got to get home to your kid. I get it.” Quick as a wink, Ashley hopped up out of her chair and grabbed her sweater from the back of it.
“Here. Let me help you with that,” he said, reaching for her sweater.
“I’ve got it. Well, thanks for dinner. I’ll be chatting with you.
” Before he could say another word, she turned on her heels and hotfooted it out of the restaurant.
Kyle paid the check and left the server a generous tip before heading out to his truck.
He hadn’t any more than gotten inside and closed the truck door when he heard his phone ping.
I enjoyed dinner. Find an overnight babysitter and I’ll make good on my offer.
He read it three times, trying to let the whole thing soak in. What a nightmare. He wasn’t sure he was cut out for all the dating stuff, not after that. Unsure what to say, he just sent back a short message.
I did too. Thanks.
His mother would say, “Don’t burn your bridges.” But right at that moment, a flamethrower seemed like a very good idea.
Constance was standing in the middle of the living room when he stepped through his front door. “Well?”
“Let’s just say this was a trial run and leave it at that,” Kyle told her, brushing past her and heading for the kitchen. He reached into the refrigerator and took out a beer—god, did he ever need one.
“Was it that bad?”
Kyle snorted. “She actually tried to get me to go to a motel with her.”
Constance’s eyes went wide. “And what about Myla?”