Page 60 of Give Me a Shot

“And you don’t think that if push came to shove, I could handle it?” she asked, smirking.

“Oh, I’m sure you could. I’d feel sorry for the idiot who tried to mess with you. But I don’t want ‘push’ to have a chance to come to ‘shove.’ ”

“Okay, Mo, I appreciate it,” she said, standing. “I’ll go. What do you want?”

“Same,” he said. “Any pop. Here.” He pulled his wallet out of his pocket to give her some money. She waved him off.

“You got dinner, I can get drinks.”

Mo didn’t want to make her pay for anything, but at the same time this was Jess, and she might not like it if he pushed.

“Okay,” he said. “Thanks.”

He sat back down as Jess walked away. In the quiet, he realized how much he’d been talking. It had been quite a lot, but he wasn’t drained like he normally was. He was out on a date with a woman he enjoyed being with, and who wanted to understand him better. She literally researched how his mind works. That thought made him a little jittery again. No one had taken the time to learn about his HSP until it became a problem for them. She’d looked into it so she could avoid problems. Jess was attractive, intelligent, confident, and thoughtful. And she was interested in him? He hoped he could rise to the challenge. Then she was back.

“Hey,” she said as she got close.

“Hey,” he stood up, and she handed him a paper cup.

“That one’s a Cherry Coke and this one is regular. Do you like cherry?” she asked.

“I do, but you can have it if you like it,” he said.

“Not necessarily. I took a guess.” She smiled at him as she got comfortable on the blanket again.

He smiled back but realized he hadn’t said anything about the blanket.

“Sorry about the blanket. I know it itches,” he said.

She waved a hand like she was swatting a fly.

“Do not worry at all. I’m impressed that you were equipped for a surprise picnic.” She picked up her sandwich and took another bite. “It sounds like you’re a great dad,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind my asking about it, but you were married to Maddie’s mom, right?”

He nodded; his mouth was full.

“It just didn’t work out?” she asked.

He nodded again and swallowed quickly.

“We’re better off as friends,” he said. “We co-parent well, so that’s the most important thing.”

“It is,” Jess said. “You know, I don’t want to put the cart before the horse or anything, but if we do continue dating, I won’t ask you to meet Maddie for at least six months.”

“No?” he asked. “Why six months?”

“From what I’ve read, that’s the recommended time frame. I think it’s to make sure that you and I are compatible so that Maddie doesn’t have strangers coming in and out of her life.” She wiggled her straw around in her cup before having some more.

Mo wasn’t sure how to respond. He hadn’t thought to date, so he hadn’t looked it up. But if she’d researched his HSP, it made sense that she’d research dating a parent. He smiled.

“Thank you for being concerned about her well-being,” he said.

“Of course.”

“It’s kind of you to think about my family. I’d like to ask about yours,” he said. Jess still had a pleasant expression, but it seemed like her eyes tightened for a flash. “But I…I feel like it might be uncomfortable for you.”

She looked away momentarily, then squeezed his hand again.

“Thank you, Mo. I appreciate it. I’ve never had a goodrelationship with my parents. I was much closer to my sister. But now…” She sighed. “Now it’s best that they live in Illinois, and I live here. I’ll tell you more another day?”

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