Page 20 of More Than a Helping Hand

She closes the distance between us and wraps me in a hug. “I’m so happy for you. Why don’t you let Bailey come over this weekend so that you can go out with him again?”

“We’ll see.”

As I get out mugs, she grabs the sugar bowl and half and half. “So tell me how dinner went.”

“It was fine. We talked. Ate. The most exciting part was when he choked, and I had to give him the Heimlich maneuver.” I pour her a cup of coffee. “There’s really not much to tell.”

Do I feel bad keeping secrets from my sister? Yes. Am I going to open up and explain how Parker’s coworker bought me dinner and has me rethinking my decision to never date again? No. I’m not ready to do that.

Being smart like she is, she picks up on my cues. “Okay so let’s move on to the second question.”

“Shoot.”

“Who is DeeDee? Bailey talked about him a lot.” She eyes me over the rim of her cup as she takes a sip. “From the way she talks, he’s a giant.”

I manage to swallow my sip of coffee. I’m shocked I didn’t spew it. But very thankful. “He works with Parker. He’s over six feet tall. So to her, he seems like a giant. And his shoulders are broad. Big guy.” If I don’t stop running my mouth, Paisley will figure out that even talking about Anderson sets my insides on fire.

“I’ll have to ask Bluebonnet about him. Is he new?”

“How should I know?” I make a mental note to ask him how long he’s worked at the ranch. It could be interesting to hear what Bluebonnet says about him, so I offer a bit more information. “Bailey spent the day with Parker earlier this week up at the barn. And she met the guy. Anderson is his name, I think. She was chatty with him, which surprised me. But he ended up sitting on one of her cactus plants, which makes me feel horrible. So we had him over on Saturday morning so that she could show him all the other plants, but she put them on the counter so that he couldn’t sit on them.”

“Bailey talked to him?”

I nod. “Crazy, right? Parker even sent me a picture of Anderson holding Bailey so that she could pet the horses. But when I dropped her off, she was afraid of horses.”

“Can I see the picture?”

Now I wish I hadn’t opened my mouth about that part, but it would only delay her seeing it because once Mom and Dad are back and we all gather for a family meal, Parker will show everyone.

“Sure.” I pull up the photo and hand over my phone.

She stares at the screen. “Dang. Well if it doesn’t work out with your mystery man, you could ask Parker to set you up with Anderson.”

I don’t even respond to that remark. “Will you let me know what Bluebonnet says about him? Since Bailey is so taken with him, I’d like to hear her opinion.”

“Absolutely. He must be pretty special if Bailey warmed up to him so quickly.”

“Yeah. He seems like a nice guy.”

She finishes her coffee, then picks up her purse. “I’m going to run. Bailey sounded pretty eager for movie time.”

“Thanks for everything, Paisley.” I mean the words with all my heart, but I’m tired of being the one that always needs to say them. Needy is not what I want to be.

“You’re welcome. And maybe if things go well with your mystery man on your next date, you can invite him to a family dinner one weekend.”

She shouldn’t hold her breath on that one. “Maybe. But like I said. I’m not even sure it’ll turn into anything.”

* * *

After crawling under the covers,I tap out a text to Anderson.

Me:My sister offered to have Bailey over again next weekend, so if you’re free Saturday night, I can meet you for dinner.

Anderson:Tell me where and when, and I’ll be there with bells on.

Me:That answer was quick. Don’t you need to check your calendar?

Anderson:Nope. If there was something scheduled, I’d cancel.

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