flirty smile. “Do you think about that first time?”
I was going to end up blushing. “No.”
“Liar.”
“Do you?” I asked.
He slowly nodded while looking directly into my eyes. “I’ll admit I didn’t think about it a lot, but I do now. It’s hard not to think about it.”
“Why?” I pushed. I was enjoying making him squirm a little. It was nice to put the shoe on the other foot.
He leaned forward. “Because of things like last night. You wear those skirts that hug your body, and you look at me with that crazy hot look. How can I think of anything else?”
He was naughty, naughty, naughty. And I loved it. “I don’t wear tight skirts.”
“Tight enough,” he said with a laugh. “I have a very good memory.”
We ordered and I tried very hard to change the subject. He somehow turned everything into a sexual innuendo. Almost everything.
“How old is your son?” he asked. “The one you mentioned in your letter.”
I almost choked on the bite of salad. It was an innocent question. No big deal. He wasn’t asking anything specific. “I only have one son,” I said with a nervous laugh. “You didn’t need to be specific. He’s eight.”
He took a bite of his own salad. “I’m not good at beating around the bush,” he said. “So, I’m just going to say it. If I’m blunt, sorry.”
“Okay, I’ve learned that about you. I expect it of you.”
“Where’s the father?” he asked.
I swallowed the lump of lettuce in my throat. That was not the question I expected. It was rude. “He’s dead,” I blurted out. When I saw him flinch, I realized my answer was cold. “I mean, he died before Jace was born.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.”
“Were you close?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Not really.”
“You weren’t married?”
I smiled and sipped my diet soda. “I didn’t know you were so old-fashioned.”
“I guess I assumed you were,” he countered. “You’ve always struck me as traditional.”
“I guess I’m not,” I said.
“I can’t say I’m not sad that I don’t have to deal with baby-daddy drama,” he said nonchalantly.
I raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t want your baby daddy getting jealous.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re safe.”
“I can’t believe you have a kid,” he said. “I never pictured you as a mom.”
“Were you expecting something frumpy?”
“I guess. I don’t know. I’m not sure. It just took me by surprise. Is he a good kid?”
I smiled. “I don’t think any parent is going to say no, whether the kid is good or bad. We tend to be kind of territorial and oblivious at the same time.”
“Is he like you or like his dad?”
The questions were getting harder. They were innocent, but when he asked, it felt like I was being interrogated. “I’m not sure,” I said. “I guess me. I’m the only one that has been around him. I’ve raised him. He only has me to be influenced by.”
“I see. I guess that makes sense. Does he do well in school? Does he have your math brain?”
“You’re opening a can of worms,” I warned him with a laugh. “Another piece of advice. Parents will brag and talk about their kids all day.”
“I don’t mind. I asked.”
“He is smart. Very smart. Unfortunately, when you’re in the third grade, being smart isn’t necessarily a key to being popular.”
He frowned. “Is he picked on?” he asked.
It was a topic close to my heart. I slowly nodded. “He is.”
“I’m sorry. That’s brutal. I’ve been there before. It is not fun.”
“I just don’t know how to help him. I thought quitting my job was the answer. It did seem to help, but I don’t know if it’s a permanent solution.”
“Are they beating him up?”
“I don’t know if I could say beating him up, but when I had to leave a couple of weeks ago, it was because he’d been punched by one of the boys.”
His eyes narrowed. “They hit him?”
“Yes. It’s so sad because he is such a good kid. He’s funny and nice and they are just not getting to see him for who he really is.”
“How does your son take it?” he asked. “What’s his name?”
“Jace, and he takes it like a champ, but I know it hurts him. I can’t help but feel guilty.”
“Why would you feel guilty?” he asked.
I shouldn’t tell him, but I was desperate to get a man’s opinion. “Because he’s never had a male influence in his life. It’s just me. I feel like I might be making him a target. The kids