Page 26 of Don't Call Me Sweetheart

I glanced up to find Jessica staring down at me with wide eyes. “What’s what?”

“On your face.” Spoken with all the drama a fourteen-year-old girl could muster. Which was considerable.

“What?” I patted my cheeks, nose, and forehead. “Is it paint? I don’t feel anything. What is it?”

“Your smile.”

I frowned. “What’s wrong with it?”

“I’ve never seen it before.”

“That’s not true.” I stared at Jessica in confusion. “I smile all the time!” Truth. And I rarely had to fake it.

“Not like that,” Jessica said. “This smile is different.”

I could feel my cheeks redden under her scrutiny. Not the least because I remembered what had put that smile on my face in the first place.

“What’s going on, Mom?” Jessica asked, her head tilted sideways.

I paused. Last night, after that searing kiss, I had made it clear to Max that I wouldn’t be comfortable dating him, even just for practice, without Jessica’s blessing. He was her principal. We couldn’t pretend even a short-term relationship couldn’t have long-term consequences for Jessica. That’s where we had left it, open-ended. The ball was in Jessica’s court; she just didn’t know it yet.

I twisted my bottom lip under my teeth. The words had to be spoken, but that didn’t mean they came easy. I hadn’t gone on a single date since George had died. Not one. For Jessica’s entire life, I had been married or a single widow.

And even when George was alive, he was often deployed. It had always been the two of us. Me and Jessica. I had no idea how my daughter would react to the idea of me dating any man, much less her principal.

What if she said no?

Well, if she said no, I would have to abide by that. But, oh god, that would mean an end to flirting. To cards. To kissing. My stomach flipped. I didn’t want to end it now. I was just getting started.

“You know how I met with Principal Darlington about being the temporary archery coach?” When Jessica nodded, I continued, gathering my courage. “Well, we hit it off. He…asked me on a date.” This wasn’t strictly true, but the truth was too complicated.

Jessica stared at me.

“How would you feel about my saying yes?” I asked in a rush.

Jessica blinked. “To a date?”

“Yes.” And kissing. And sex. And…practice.

“Okay.”

I furrowed my brow. “Okay?”

“Yeah. Okay.”

“You…you don’t care if I date your principal?”

“Well.” Jessica contemplated that. “I don’t think you dating him is going to get me out of homework, although that would be nice. He’s not my teacher. I wouldn’t like that at all. But he seems cool. Everyone likes him. So, yeah. Okay.”

I chewed my bottom lip again. “Honey, I know you haven’t seen me with a man since your dad—”

“Mom,” Jessica interjected. “Come on. I was barely four when he died. My memories of him are so hazy, I can’t tell if they’re real or if I just want them to be real.”

My heart cracked a little at that. “Oh, honey,” I whispered.

Jessica shook her head. “It’s fine, Mom. It sucks, but life isn’t fair, you know? I can’t have my dad back. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t date anyone ever again. Would Dad even want that?”

I flinched. Jessica had no idea how little her dad would have cared to know I was with another man.

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