Page 141 of Engulfing Emma

“Coins.” He pulls one out of his pocket. “Look at this. It was minted in error. See how the head is off to the side and there is the bit of another head showing along the edge?”

I take it into my hand and study it. “Interesting. Is it worth a lot?”

“Do you think I’d be carrying it around in my pocket if it were?”

“I guess not. So whydoyou carry it around?”

“It’s my lucky quarter.”

“You think you’re going to get lucky tonight?” I joke.

He tosses it in the air and catches it. “I don’t sleep with women on the first date,” he says in total seriousness. “I request a clean bill of health before going down that road.”

Did he really just say that?I could be home playing scrabble with Evelyn and Mom or soaking in a hot tub with a book. Both ideas appeal to me greatly at the moment.

“My best coins are locked in a safe deposit box. I have quite the collection of mules.”

“Mules?” I ask, wishing this torture would end.

“Coins with designs not normally seen on the same piece.”

“You’ve lost me.”

“You know, like the front side of one coin with the back side of a totally different coin. They are very rare.”

“Why are they called mules?”

“They’re named after the animal. The mule is a hybrid offspring of a horse and a donkey. Just like the coins are a hybrid of two different coins not meant to be together.”

Donkey.

Now I’m thinking about Leo. Does he still play with the gift I gave him? Did Brett smash it to smithereens when I broke things off?

Dan goes on and nauseatingly on about some Sacagawea dollar he got out of a Cheerios box nineteen years ago that made him want to start collecting coins.

I share aget-me-out-of-herelook with Becca.

“Oh, gosh,” I say, faking getting a text. “My daughter is having a little emergency. Girl problems. I have to run to the store and get a few things for her.”

Becca tries not to let the guys see her smile.

“See? That’s why I don’t have kids,” Dan says. “They suck up all your time. They’re time-suckers. You are tied to them for eighteen long years. Maybe more. No thank you. I’ll stick with my dog. At least with dogs, you can take them to the pound when you get tired of them.”

My jaw drops, and I have to bite my tongue to keep myself from going off on him.

“Why don’t we call it a night?” Becca says, thwarting my impending attack. “We didn’t need dessert anyway. I’m still trying to lose the five pounds I gained on our honeymoon.”

“I’ll get the check,” Jordan says.

“Separate checks please,” Dan says. “For all of us.” He turns to me. “I make it a point not to pay for women until the fifth date. I hope you brought money with you.”

This time I can’t hold back. “Sure, because by then you’ll know if she’s diseased or not, but I’m willing to bet you don’t get to that fifth date very often, do you? Not even with that lucky mule thing in your pocket.”

“It’s not a mule in my pocket. It’s just a misprint.” He seems confused by my outburst. “Did I say something to offend you?”

“No, Dan. You’ve been the perfect gentleman. In fact, let’s do this again. I’ve been looking for someone to become my kid’s new father. You interested?”

He stumbles over his words. “Uh, well, Jordan just said we were going to have some fun. I wasn’t … I’m not …”

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