Page 26 of Unforgiven in Cheshire Bay

“Really? Me?”

“Is there someone else here I’m not seeing?” It was cute how he stared, how the edges of his eyes crinkled with a hint of a grin, and how sexy and alluring he looked.

What the hell was wrong with me? This man nearly cost me everything years ago, and now he was trying to charm me, and successfully I might add.

“Well, I…”

“Oh shit, I never thought to ask.” He pulled back and his grin stretched into a grimace. “Maybe you are seeing someone else, and I totally misread all the vibes.”

Oh my god, there were vibes? What kind of signals was I putting off?

“Ah, no, there’s no one else. I’m a single mother. That’s the best dating repellant you can buy.” I laughed at my own words but stopped when he didn’t return the gesture.

“That should have zero effect on things.”

“But it does. Having a child, on my own, immediately kicked me out of the dating pool.” I dropped my focus to the grease-stained napkin in front of me, although I wasn’t ashamed of my daughter, quite the opposite. “I’m okay with that. Vera means everything to me, and she’s my world.”

“I admire that.” He tipped up my chin. “I think single motherhood is amazing.”

I swallowed. “You do?”

“You’re so strong and capable, and you don’t need anyone’s help. The reason you think guys might not be interested in you isn’t because you have a child, it’s because your strength and independence are wholly intimidating to them. It makes us the weaker sex, which…” He leaned closer and lowered his voice to a deep, throaty sound. “We are but don’t like to admit that.”

A heat forged deep between my thighs. What the actual hell?

He cleared his throat and put a little cooling distance between us. “So, now that we’ve established how your single motherhood is not a deterrent, and you don’t have a boyfriend or husband lurking around ready to pound me for asking, what do you say to a date?”

“When?” I swallowed. That one-word answer alone told me all I felt in my soul. Despite who he was, I was strangely attracted to him and I wanted to go out with him, maybe even see if sex with a partner was still the same, or different, or better.

“I’m flexible, but now that I know you’re interested…” He circled my heated face and tapped me gently on the nose. “Is it alright if I plan something fun?”

“I like fun.” My words withered as I spoke, and I suddenly felt like I was sixteen all over again and the cute guy from the baseball team was asking me out.

“Perfect. I’ll call you soon with the details.” He popped the last bite of his pastry into his mouth.

“I do need a bit of heads-up since I need to secure a babysitter.”

“I can arrange that.”

I shook my head. “No, no, no. I have two sitters I use as I don’t trust anyone else.”

The corner of his mouth pushed up. “Oh, I get that, and I completely understand. I meant I can arrange the date with some lead time.”

I was an idiot. Of course, that’s what he meant. “Thank you.”

“Call you soon?”

“I look forward to it.”

He stepped to the door and the chimes rang.

“Thank you for the treat. I appreciate it.” I called out before he walked out of view.

“My pleasure.”

He disappeared, and suddenly I was in dire need of a shower, the colder the better. That man had somehow stirred the embers deep inside. I never thought they’d ever be warmed enough to flick back to life.

Wanting to see David again, and with no solid reasoning for it, two days later I popped in unannounced to Birch Bay Burgers. It was still strange being in the restaurant, but I found myself laughing a little too, which helped reduce a little of the tension lodged into a tight ball in my gut. I’d been a visitor more times in the past couple of weeks than I had in the last seven years.

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