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“A few minutes ago.” I lean in for a hug, and a whiff of his cologne slaps me in the face. “You look nice.”
“I've got my skinny jeans on.”
He doesn’t meanactualskinny jeans. He’s talking about the smaller-size jeans you leave at the top of your closet for ages, hoping that someday you’ll fit into them again.
“I'm down ten pounds.” He shakes Nigel’s hand while he's still talking about his weight loss. “I haven't worn this shirt in five years.” He tugs at the hem of a plaid button-up with long sleeves.
“It looks very nice, Mr. Johnson.”
I catch my sisters rolling their eyes at Nigel’s formal use of my dad’s name.
“Dad, this is my friend, Nigel.” I’m not quite ready to call him my date.
“Nigel, nice to meet you.” My father always jokes that he doesn't want to know a man’s name until there's a ring on our finger. So the chances of him remembering Nigel’s name is slim.
“So when does Anna Mae show up?” Ben asks.
“She should be here any minute.”
“What about my date?” Tessa asks. “Is he going to stand me up?”
“No, he's a wonderful guy.” My dad turns to look at Nigel. “This is my friend from the cemetery. His wife’s dead too.”
I dip a carrot in ranch dressing and bring it to my mouth. “I pictured him as being, like…old.”
“No, I told you on the phone that Tyler’s in his early thirties with a seven-year-old son.”
Tyler?
I choke on the carrot that’s in my mouth, and it's not just a little cough. It's one of those major, dramatic chokes that causes everybody in the room to stop and stare. Nigel pats my back, and I swear Brooke looks like she’s ready to perform the Heimlich if the need arises.
My mind goes back to the phone call when my dad first told me about his friend. I was only half listening and clearly missed some major details.
I finally manage to cough the chunk of carrot out of my esophagus. “Tyler? As in Tyler Dixon?”
“Yeah.”
The doorbell rings, and it’s either my replacement mom or the man my thoughts keep drifting to when I have nothing else to think about—which seems to be all the time. I'm not sure which one is the lesser evil.
I hear my dad call for Tessa, and I know immediately it’s Tyler.
Nigel leans in. “How do you know him?”
I shake my head. “He’s just a parent at my school.”
Their voices get louder as they approach the kitchen. I turn around to see the last moment of Tessa and Tyler’s introduction. Tessa’s smile grows, and she lifts her shoulder in a flirtatious way.
She’s into him.
Who wouldn’t be?
Tyler is way too easy on the eyes, but he’s old—too old for Tessa.
He turns to me. “Meg? What are you doing here?”
His smile is so big and so animated that I know this isn’t a surprise to him.
“Do you guys know each other?” my dad asks as he places a hand on Tyler’s shoulder.
