Page 16 of All I Desire

“Oh. Oh, of course! Well, drive safe tonight. Text me when you get there.”

His eyes flash. “I’ll be back in a couple of days. Her mom’s leaving early tomorrow on a flight. She’s a pilot.”

“So you said.”

“I want to be there when Chloe wakes up, and we have some school shopping to do.”

My nod speeds up, like I’m one of those dog dolls people put on their dashboards. Is he staying with his ex? What kind of relationship do they have?

These are not the questions one asks of a man one just met and made out with randomly on a beach during a photo shoot.

“Great!” I cry, allowing my hands to flutter in the air. “Let me give you my number and you can text me when you’re back on the island.”

We exchange numbers and kiss fiercely enough to steal the breath from my lungs, then he hops in his truck. I slide into the driver’s side of Dad’s wagon and wave as he drives away. My heart’s still pounding from that last kiss.

I grab my phone and dial Ma. She answers on the first ring.

“How was it? Leilani said he’s handsome.”

Jesus. They’ve told Ma everything already. And probably all my brothers, too. Maybe the entire island. There will probably be a flashing roadside billboard when I’m driving home.

Alert: Natalia Hastings Made Out with Handsome Stranger on Beach

“It was cool. Yeah, he was pretty hot. Older. Muscular, but kind of a dad bod.”

“Dad bods are handsome, dear. Your dad has a dad bod.”

“Eww. Of course he does. Because he’s a dad.” I pause. “And so is Matthew.”

“He’s a father?” Ma’s voice is laced with surprise, probably because I’ve been vocal over the years about not wanting to date men with kids. Or maybe even havekids.

“Yeah,” I say, my earlier confidence in this relationship ebbing.

“That’s okay, sweetie.”

“Sure. Sure, it is. Hey, I need to ask you something. Would you make a lasagna for me? For my date? Extra-large tray?”

“Your date?” Her voice is panicked. “Which date?”

“Yeah, I said I’d cook dinner for…” my voice trails off when I realize she’s confused. “No, Ma, not that date. That date’s Wednesday, with Jordan, the guy online. And he’s not coming to my house, we’re meeting at the Square Grouper. I need a lasagna for my date on Friday. With a different guy. Matthew. The guy from tonight’s photo shoot.”

Hell. While I was necking with Matthew, I’d totally forgotten about a date I made with Jordan, a guy I’d recently “met” on Tinder. That’s how captivating Matthew was, and an indication of how uninteresting the other guy probably is, too. Maybe I’ll cancel on Wednesday…

“No problem, my dear,” Ma trills. “When it rains, it pours!”

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