Page 133 of The Single Dads Club
When he pulled up in his sleek silver Lexus, I jogged out to meet him. Peter emerged from the car, all gelled blonde hair and straight white teeth indicating years of good orthodontia. He met me at the car door, dressed casually in jeans and a button-up shirt and kissed the back of my hand before helping me inside the car. The rich smell of leather enveloped me and I settled back in my seat.
Something about Peter was familiar, like a pair of worn-in jeans, or your comfy flip flops, but nothing about his presence—and certainly not his kiss—brought me anywhere close to fireworks. More like tolerable indifference. Cade on the other hand…well, my nipples pebbled at the mere thought of him.
After an uninspired tennis match, which he’d predictably let me win, we had lunch on the spacious stone patio at the club. I ordered a champagne strawberry salad and Peter the truffle risotto. We sipped sparkling water while we ate and Peter told elaborate stories designed to impress me.
He began with adventures on his father’s sailboat, crazy parties with his friends from prep school, and finally his career ambitions—to make partner by the age of thirty-five. Never once did he ask about mine. Or anything about me, really. I found my mind wandering to Cade and Lily. I wondered what they did on the weekends. I imagined chocolate-chip-pancake breakfasts eaten in pajamas while watching cartoons. Maybe even an impromptu food fight across the table and lots of laughter. The thought made me smile. I couldn’t help the occasional glances down at my watch, counting down the minutes until this date was over and I could go see Cade and Lily.
After our date, Peter drove me home and walked me to my front door where I lingered with my keys in my hand.
“That was fun. We should do it again. My family does this wine tour every fall, you should come.”
“I’ll think about it,” I said, then stuck my key into the lock.
Chapter 11
Cade
I got home from work just moments before six. Ian’s younger sister, Sophia, who was nineteen and taking classes at the nearby community college often babysat for me and had been here since three to see Lily off the bus.
I wandered inside and found Lily eating dinner at the table, and Sophia sitting with her, filing her nails.
“Caden!” Lily dropped her fork and was in my arms in seconds.
“Did you do your exercises?” I kissed the top of her head.
“Not yet. Me and Sophia were playin’.”
I frowned at Sophia. She shrugged and mumbled an apology, rising up to greet me with a hug. “Mmm, someone smells good.” She buried her nose in my neck.
“Don’t. I have a date coming over.” After work, I’d gotten in a quick workout with Ian and showered at the gym before coming home.
“You? A date?” Sophia narrowed her eyes in disbelief. “You don’t date. Lord knows I’ve been trying to get you to ask me out for years.”
“Sophia…” I gently steered her away by her shoulders, adding some distance between us. “You know Ian would have my balls if I laid so much as a finger on you.” Which was entirely true, but it was more than that. Sophia had grown in to a beautiful young woman, the problem was, when I looked at her, I still saw the gangly ten-year-old girl whose Barbie dolls regularly became Ian’s and my prisoners of war.
“We could work around thatand you know it. Ian isn’t the boss of me.” Sophia smiled, batting her eyelashes, resting her hand on my forearm. She’d been trying for months to get me to notice her, whether it was cleaning my house in her tiny cut-offshorts, or offering to watch Lily for me at any time of the day or night. And even though I knew her motives, I let her do it. If that made me a dick, then so be it. I wasn’t about to refuse her help. We both knew I needed it, though I’m sure she held on to hope I’d change my mind about her. About us. But that wasn’t going to happen.
“Finish your dinner, Lily. I have company coming over tonight.”
“Is Lexa comin’ back?” Lily’s face broke out into a grin when I nodded.
“Who’s Lexa?” Sophia asked with a smirk crossing her lips.
Who was Alexa? That was a very good question. A girl I had no shot in hell with in real life. A girl who had the face of an angel and the body to rival any porn star. Agirl whowas sweet to my sister and probably capable of destroying my heart in the process. That’s who Alexa was.
“Just a friend,” I muttered, desperate for the conversation to move on.
Sophia rolled her eyes. “Uh huh, friend my ass.” She slapped a palm over her mouth. “I meant bottom.” She looked down at Lily who was now giggling. “I’ll clean upfor you a little. Go get ready for your date, stud.” She slapped me on the ass. I rolled my eyes.
“Thanks, Soph.” I shuffled off to the laundry room, dropping my damp gym clothes into the washer. “Did you pick up your room, Lils?” I called from down the hall. I tried as much as possible to treat her like a regular kid. I wanted her to grow up independent and self-reliant, not thinking she was any different than anyone else, or incapable of taking care of herself. After all, the day would come when I wouldn’t be there to help her. And that was something I didn’t even want to think about.
I heard her scamper off to her room and I smiled to myself as I started the washer.
When I walked into the living room Sophia had thrown her hair up in a ponytail and had shed her baggy sweatshirt, leaving her in a skin-tight T-shirt and pair of jeans. She was flitting around the house, dusting the living room, picking up stray items and generally making the house presentable.
I had a feeling she was only sticking around to size up the girl I supposedly had a date with. I wasn’t even sure this was a date. I didn’t know what had prompted me to say that. Maybe because I knew Alexa wasn’t the kind of girl you screwed around with casually.
A knock at the front door sent a prickle down the back of my neck, raising the hair there and lighting all my senses in anticipation.
