Page 42 of His Curvy Distraction

“You want that dinner now?”

“Yeah, I might as well. Since I don’t have a date tonight.”

“Sorry, man. I thought for sure when she walked in it was going to be a good thing.”

“Wasn’t meant to be.”

10

Natalie

I swiped at my cheeks as I hurried away from O’Kelley’s. I knew meeting up with him was a bad idea, but Mayor Knight? Could it get any worse?

I got to my car and slipped, almost face-planting against the side of my vehicle. I caught myself at the last minute, but of course, my feet didn’t stay put. I slipped, my ankle howling in pain.

No, wait. That was me howling. Like a wild animal on the street.

Ugh.

I pulled myself up and got into my car, starting it up and getting the hell out of there. No more dating. I couldn’t do it. I was foolish to think it was an option for me. Why? Why did I try?

Because you want a family.

“I don’t need it,” I told the voice in my head. I convinced myself a long time ago that my anxiety was too much. It knocked me down too many times, and most people silently faded into the background, not bothering to understand or try to be there for me.

Daisy was the first and only person outside my family who accepted me for me and didn’t judge me or try to change me or tell me I’d get over it. Daisy was family, as far as I was concerned. I didn’t need anyone else. I was fine.

Instead of going home to the apartment I shared with Daisy, I drove a little out of town and pulled into the driveway of the house where I grew up. Daisy would want to know all about the date and how the new guy was, but I was too raw and overwhelmed to be able to share anything with her. Knowing how her face would fall and how she’d want to go after Mayor Knight was more than I could handle.

I would tell her. Just not right now.

I let myself into my childhood home and was not at all surprised to find my parents on the couch watching the evening news.

“Natalie! What are you doing here? Is everything okay?” Mom asked, getting up and hurrying over to me. She turned on the light, waking up my dad, who jumped before realizing I was there.

“Natalie. Good to see you. Forgot you were coming over tonight.”

“That’s because she wasn’t supposed to be, Dean.” Mom smacked the back of his chair.

“Oh. Well, good to see you, anyway.”

“Thanks, Dad.” My parents were an odd couple, although when I was little I didn’t realize it. Dad was married before, and had two daughters from his first marriage. They lived with their mom when I was young, and I didn’t realize most people didn’t have siblings a decade older than them until I was in college. I also didn’t realize it wasn’t normal for your dad to be almost twenty years older than your mom.

But my parents loved each other. Dad said his first marriage was a good one, but it wasn’t the right one. My sisters spent time with us, but they were closer to their mom. It had been years since I’d seen either of them. They both left the area for college and never came back once their mom moved away.

“How are Renee and Eva?” I asked Dad, taking a seat on the couch where Mom had been.

Dad looked at Mom and sat up straight in his chair. “They’re good. Renee is destroying the patriarchy, as she says, in LA and loving every minute of it. Eva is busy as all get-out with the kids keeping her running. But they’re both good.”

“That’s good. I haven’t seen them in a long time. Tell them I said hello.”

Dad nodded. “I will.”

“What’s wrong, Natalie?” Mom asked.

I shook my head. “Just a bad date.”

“Do I need to get my gun?” Dad said.

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