Page 9 of Missing

Doug looked me in the eyes and held my gaze, the air between us thick with tension. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “Beth, would you consider letting me take you to lunch?”

Did he just ask me out?The butterflies in my stomach danced a happy dance. It wouldn’t be a date-date, but a lunch date still counted as a date.Thank God I flirted back.

“I’d like that.” His grin changed into a full-blown smile causing the lines around his eyes to wrinkle.

He put his steaming cup of coffee down and reached into his pocket. “Here’s my card.” His strong fingers brushed against mine as I reached for it. “Text me your number. I’ll call you later so we can set a date.”

“Okay.” Suddenly I felt shy, which was silly. I’d known him for a year, and while we weren’t friends, we weren’t strangers either.

That was about to change.

Which made me giddy because I’d been crushing on Doug from afar for a while now. I wasn’t usually attracted to redheads, but something about his quiet demeanor and steel blue eyes pulled me in. Maybe suddenly feeling shy wasn’t so silly.

It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this excited about a date.

“Beth?” Doug’s soft voice cut through my inner ramblings.

“Right, sorry.” Heat flooded my face as I blushed.

“No need to apologize, just wanted to know what time I should call.”

I rushed to answer. “Oh, right, of course, after seven-thirty is good. Thanks.” Chase would be asleep by then.At least he should be.

He grinned. “I have to run, there’s a stack of paperwork calling my name. I’ll call you around eight.”

“Have fun with that.”Really?I chuckled at my stupidity and waved. “I’ll talk to you later.”

The bell above the door hadn’t finished jingling when I heard Mary clear her throat. “Did Doug just ask you out on a date?”

I couldn’t hide my girlish grin. “He did.”

“Good for you.” She came over and gave me a quick hug.

“You’re not going to ask if I said yes?” It was a silly question since she’d heard our conversation.

“Have you seen your face?” Mary laughed. “Even if I hadn’t overheard you, I’d be able to tell by the ear-to-ear smile, the beautiful blush in your cheeks, and the sparkle in your eyes.”

#

It was a little awkward when John stopped by to play tee ball with Chase. I had just agreed to a date with one of his employees, and wasn’t sure what he’d think about it, so I didn’t mention it.

I wasn’t trying to hide it from him, at least that’s what I told myself. Not that it mattered, because Mary would probably tell him later, but I also didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. In all likelihood, we’d have a date or two and he’d decide dating a single mom wasn’t his cup of coffee. Or glass of beer.Or whatever suits him.

Before they started practice, I told John about Chase’s fall earlier so he’d know to be careful.

While John occupied Chase, I took advantage of the free time and read. It was a long book and taking me forever to read; but I was enjoying the story so far. It was a time travel romance, recommended by Meg and Emily, Jamie’s girlfriend. Apparently, they thought the redheaded Scottish hero was swoon-worthy.

That’d make two swoon-worthy redheads in my life.Is Doug Scottish?He could be, with his pale complexion and red hair.

“Mommy, Uncle John said I’m good at tee ball.” Chase announced as soon as he opened the sliding glass patio door.

I slipped my bookmark in place and set my book aside. “I can’t wait to watch you play.”

John stood back and listened, a calm expression on his smiling face, as Chase told me all about their practice. John had raised four athletic children and was used to the energy. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he missed it. Or maybe he was already thinking about what it’d be like to be a grandpa.

When it was time for John to leave, I thanked him as I hugged him goodbye. Then I herded my little ball of energy into the bathtub. It was never an easy task, getting a boy to take a bath, but tonight was extra hard because he was super charged after an hour of playing with one of his favorite people.

I tucked Chase into bed and read him his favorite bedtime story. Then, after cleaning up the mess in the bathroom, I checked to see how I looked in the mirror. Which was silly because I’d be talking to Doug on the phone. I shrugged;it’s for me, not for him.Looking good helped me feel good about myself so I brushed out my hair and put on some lip gloss.

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