Page 23 of Hard To Leave

Chapter 8

Chloe

“To our first official date,”Jack said, clinking his glass with mine. We were at a small table overlooking the water. Marley’s Island Tavern was just on the outskirts of town, sitting on the edge of a beautiful little fishing island.

If we were “in season,” this place would be packed with people, but that was one of the benefits of living local, we could really enjoy these places when they weren’t overrun by the tourists.

“This is perfect. Thank you,” I said, smiling across the table and savoring what was most likely the best glass of Malbec I’ve ever tasted.

The waitress walked up to our table and placed our meals in front of us.She was tall, had dark brown hair, flawless olive skin, and a figure that made women envious. She had been pretty much ignoring me all night, her attention and humor focused on my date, but I couldn’t blame her.Jack had a larger-than-life personality and an effortless charm that oozed out of his every pore.It was easy to understand how women could be so drawn to him. Present company included.

She batted her eyes at my Jack. “Please let me know if there is anything else you need.” Her voice almost dropped into a whisper. I took a sip of my water and tried to ignore the feeling of jealousy growing inside me. She was lucky I wasn’t picking up the tab tonight because if I were, she wouldn’t receive much of a tip.

Jack deliberately reached over and folded his hand over the top of mine. “Thanks, but I already have everything I need at the moment.”

There was no doubt that his attention was set on me.

The waitress sulked and walked away with a little less pep in her step.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Does that happen to you often? The women constantly throwing themselves at your feet?”

He placed his napkin on his lap. “No more than it probably happens to you.” He winked and then sliced into his filet.

Heat hit my face. I felt foolish for getting the slightest bit jealous. “I highly doubt that. The only time I get that kind of attention is when a customer wants me to refill their coffee!”

He cocked his head to the side. “Why do you say that? You’re beautiful.”

There was no way I was having this conversation with him. He was already full of confidence; he didn’t need any more praise about his looks. It’s not that I thought that I was ugly, but he simply turned heads just from breathing.

“Let me ask you a question.”

“Fire away.”

“When was the last time you went on a date with a single mom?”

“What does that have to do with anything?” he asked with confusion in his voice.

“Well, my phone doesn’t exactly ring off the hook with guys looking to date a girl with another man’s child.”

He leaned forward on the table.“Are you being serious right now?”

I looked down at my lap, feeling my cheeks grow hot again. “Come on, Jack, I know you find me attractive, but there have to be a lot less complicated women out there to chase after. Women who are able to live a spontaneous and carefree life. I have a kid and responsibilities, which means I have to plan ahead and often put someone else’s needs ahead of my own.”

“And I don’t have responsibilities?”

“Of course, you do,” I said, trying to backpedal my way out of my comment. I wasn’t trying to offend him, but I wanted him to understand that this was why I was single. I didn’t have the luxury of having fun whenever I wanted, but I felt like I was coming across as a bitch.

Dating was never really my thing. It always felt awkward, and a bit contrived to me.

“Will you look at me?” he asked, pulling me from my thoughts. I put a little more effort into my smile than I needed to, hoping to erase the awkward tension. “I know you think you have me all figured out. I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that some of what you think isn’t true or that you’re crazy for feeling that way. I’ve never had a serious girlfriend. I’ve enjoyed the company of other women. But all those women were opportunities that I took because they offered. It was never really about me not being able to give them more, it was because I didn’t want to. But with you,” he said, as his eyes softened, “it feels different. I want more with you. I care about you.”

“But why me?” I asked, feeling unworthy of this kind of attention.

He rolled his eyes. “Why you? And don’t bother with your speech about ‘responsibilities’ again because your being a single mother is completely irrelevant to me. I’m more concerned about the difference in the zip codes we live in than your parental status. We already have enough obstacles in our way. We don’t need to create ones that aren’t an issue.”

He let out a heavy sigh. “As far as responsibilities go, I know mine are different than yours, but I have a business to run now and I have a legacy to protect that my father left behind. There really isn’t much room in my life for anything else, Chloe, but I want to make room for you.”

I looked into his eyes, feeling my protective wall start to crumble. For the first time in a long time, I saw someone who wanted me for just me.Jack didn’t seem to care about the distance between us, or maybe he just didn’t understand how difficult it would be. But he cared enough to try.

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