I Have Lived and I Have Loved - Willow Winters Page 0,317

known when my eighth grade dance was, let alone had an opinion regarding my dress.

“You didn’t? Did he die?” she asked, seemingly unaware of how personal her question was.

I smiled. “No. He just wasn’t interested in me.”

The girl paused and then said, “Well my dad is entirely too interested. I thought my mom was strict.”

“What does your mom say about the dress?”

She shrugged. “Dad has the final say. Before she used to be able to talk him around, but now?” She shook her head. “I keep telling him he needs a girlfriend. He needs an adult to tell him I’m right sometimes.”

“You want your dad to have a girlfriend?” Didn’t kids want divorced parents to get back together rather than move on?

“Sure. He’s been on his own for so long and I want him to be happy. I don’t ever remember him having a girlfriend, and my mom has Jason. They’ve been married forever. I don’t want my dad to be on his own.”

Maybe her dad was still in love with her mom? “Does your father get along with your stepdad?”

“Yeah. They used to play basketball every week.”

Okay maybe her dad wasn’t hung up on her mom. “Wow, that sounds like a friendly divorce,” I said.

She frowned. “My mom and dad were never married.”

That sounded familiar. Poor girl. Loser dad not wanting to take responsibility—I knew how that one went. I stayed quiet, not wanting to make her feel bad.

“Dad just works too hard, and we have fun but I think he needs fun with a girlfriend. You know. Plus, I’d like to have someone to hang out with, go shopping with. And most of all, I’d like a baby sister. I’ve always been the only kid around, amongst a bunch of adults. I’m always the youngest and it sucks.”

I laughed. “You’re trying to get him to have another baby? You have to go easy on him.” I began to load a third washer with my whites. “He’d probably be just the same if he were married. Sounds like he cares about you. And because he is a man, your dad knows what goes on in boys’ heads.” They thought about sex a lot. I could understand her father’s concerns. She was sweet and beautiful.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” she asked.

I shook my head. “Nope. I’m concentrating on my work for now.” Which was true. I wasn’t interested in the distraction a man would bring to my life at the moment. Max King had been just about sex, which was exactly what I wanted. I needed to find someone to fuck who wasn’t my boss and wasn’t an asshole.

“That’s always my dad’s answer.”

“I’m not good at picking guys.” I wasn’t sure if I wasn’t good at picking them or I wasn’t looking for the right thing. I knew what I didn’t want. I knew someone who put family first was important to me, and most of the men I came across were driven and ambitious. I didn’t want a man who didn’t understand what should be a priority. I didn’t want a man like my father.

“I figure I’ll work hard, make my own money, have fun, and see if Prince Charming shows up unexpectedly.” Seemed unlikely but I hadn’t entirely given up hope. “The thing about boys is that you can think they’re going to be one thing and they turn out to be entirely another.” Max King was a perfect example of that. I still didn’t really know who he was. Was he an asshole? Someone who cared about a downtown deli-owner’s business? Or just a man who knew how to fuck? Maybe all of the above.

“Really?” she asked, her eyes wide.

“Sure. Be careful to avoid the guys who tell you how great they are. I’m looking for a man who shows me what a great guy he is.” By ignoring me, Max had proved he was an asshole. “Judge people by their actions, not their words.”

“Everyone keeps telling me that Callum Ryder likes me, but he hasn’t asked me to the dance.”

“Does that happen in the eighth grade? You go as boy-girl couples?”

She tucked her hair around her ear. “You don’t go together. I guess it just means you’ll dance with them when you’re there.”

That made more sense. “Right. And you want Callum Ryder to ask you?”

“Well, if he likes me, I thought he would.”

“But do you like him? Don’t be satisfied with a boy just because he likes you.” I poured detergent into the machines.

“He’s popular, and