Page 4 of Her Football Star Ex

Ugh.

And the exercise had been going so well.

“Maybe I need to give online dating a shot,” I mumbled as I switched on my blinker to turn into the parking lot of our office building.

Our tiny town had a grand total of three single guys close to my age. And since one of them was my ex-husband, and the other two were even less charming than him, my best bet was to find someone online.

“Did you say something?” Kira looked up from her phone, like she hadn’t quite caught what I’d said.

I pulled into the parking lot and turned to Kira, trepidation filling my chest. “Do you think I’d look completely desperate if I tried online dating?”

“Not at all.” Kira gave me an understanding smile. “Everyone is online these days. And it’s way better than the alternative of spending hours in a bar or coffee shop just hoping a guy will hit on you.”

“Plus, it’s probably better guys know up front that they’re getting two for the price of one,” I said, hoping to sound more confident about it than I really was. I could put that I’m a single mom right on my profile instead of trying to figure out a way to naturally bring it up in conversation.

Because, while I saw Jaxon as a major blessing and I was so thankful that I at least had him in my life, I knew a lot of single guys in their twenties would see it as a drawback. It would be good to just narrow things down right away.

I was quiet for a moment, just watching the snow softly fall on the windshield as I thought about actually putting myself out there again.

Sure, I could stand in front of a court all day every day and barely break a sweat. But put myself out there for guys to weigh the pros and cons of dating me?

The thought gave me hives.

Kira must have sensed my growing anxiety because she touched my arm. “You’ve only been divorced for a year. You don’t need to rush into anything if you’re not ready.”

I sighed. “But your wedding is coming up whether I’m ready or not.”

I needed a date. I couldn’t show up alone.

“I could always set you up with my cousin Marty,” she suggested. “He’s still single. He’s even asked about you a few times.”

Marty-pickle-breath Johnson had been asking about me?

I scrunched up my nose as the image of her cousin came into my mind. He wasn’t exactly ugly, but his resemblance to Mr. Collins in the latest movie adaption of Pride and Prejudice was uncanny.

And the fact that his personality was also nearly identical to Mr. Collins would be almost comical, if he wasn’t so awkward to be around.

Kira must have seen my expression because she hurried to say, “I know he’s not exactly your tall, dark, and handsome type. But he just got his Ph.D. in Physics, so what he lacks in looks he can make up for with intelligent conversation.”

Not wanting to seem completely shallow, I shrugged nonchalantly and said, “If I’m still dateless a month from now, I might take you up on that.”

Keyword: might.

Which meant I would most definitely be taking some photos and setting up an online dating profile as soon as I got home from work tonight instead of taking that bubble bath. Because there was no way I would have Marty be the guy I spent the evening trying to make my ex jealous of.

2

Vincent

“Don’t forget to grab Petrie,”I told Jaxon after parking my dark gray truck in front of Emerson’s house on Monday evening. “You don’t want to miss him when you’re going to bed tonight.”

“I got him,” he called from behind me. And when I climbed out of my truck and opened the backseat door, my blond-haired, brown-eyed, four-year-old son was indeed holding the mangled-looking, black-and-white stuffed cat in his hands.

We really needed to replace his favorite stuffed animal. Petrie had definitely seen some better days.

I waited for Jaxon to unbuckle his seatbelt and when he was ready, I helped him out of the truck and onto the wet asphalt drive.

Before shutting the door, I grabbed the backpack with his special blanket and raccoon stuffed animal tucked inside—the things he needed to sleep with no matter whose house he was staying at. “Ready to go see your mommy?”

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