It was the first time in six years I’d sat in a restaurant reading a newspaper and sipping my coffee like a lady of leisure. And I was neither a lady nor a person of pleasure.
Of course, I owed it all to Drew ... of all the fucking people.
Like my words meant nothing, as if my feelings weren’t traitorous enough, my mouth had changed course and easily agreed to everything he suggested.
I smoothed my messy hair with my hand, tied it back, and closed the paper, leaning back in my chair and taking a long breath. Although I was tired, this was the best I’d felt in a long time.
I sat back up and looked at my watch. It had been an hour, so I tried to get the server’s attention for my check when I spotted Drew. He was telling my server something, Darla by his side. He patted her on the shoulder and shook his head before pointing over at me.
I stood up, and they made their way toward me.
“Mom, I did great, Coach Drew said. He did.”
“She did,” Drew said with a grin. “Kept up with my eight- and nine-year-olds, but I’m sure you figured as much.”
I nodded. “She’s very skilled for her age.”
“She comes by it naturally.”
“Mom.” Darla tugged on my shirt. “Drew said he would get me a strawberry smoothie if you would allow me?”
“Wait, let me get some money.” I reached down to my purse hanging off my shoulder until a hand settled on mine.
If I weren’t a grown woman with a kid, I would have swooned, physically swayed from side to side. To say our attraction hadn’t waned would be putting it lightly. A slight caress of his fingers, and I was mush. Jell-O, sludge, pudding, all goopy.
“It’s on me, Jules.”
“My mom is Claire.” Darla looked up at him with a confused expression.
“I’ll explain to you later, Dar,” I said, hoping she would forget after sucking down a smoothie. “Why don’t you go get the smoothie? A small one, though.”
With Darla tramping back to the counter, her sparkly shoes reflecting off the windows, I nearly growled at Drew. “You can’t—”
“I know; I’m sorry. I want to rewind and do every day of the last seven years over. Can you understand that? I missed all of this. Even you being pregnant.” His hand wrapped around mine, his thumb moving over my skin in a caress. “She’s so good. God, she’s a miniature you, that determined look on her face as the ball makes its way over the net.”
“I don’t know if being a mini-me is a compliment.” I tried to move away, but as soon as I shifted back on my heels, Drew tightened his grip on my hand.
“I’d like to take you to dinner this week. Either just us or the three of us, depending on what you want. Anywhere you want. Italian, sandwiches, vegetables, whatever.”
He stared me down with his blue eyes, and for the briefest of moments, I was lost at sea again. I didn’t care about life jackets or maps; I wanted to be lost in him.
Drew swallowed and his brow furrowed. His fear of rejection was so palpable, my silence clearly making him uneasy, that I changed course. And just like that, my resolve to maintain boundaries went out the window.
“Yes. We should do it. I don’t work on Mondays, but I’ll have to see if Molly can come. She already comes a lot, which makes me sad to leave Darla again, but I think we should do this without her.”
“Do you know Molly well? I meant to ask.”
“Drew, I need a sitter and I found her through Care.com. Give it a rest.”
“You don’t really need a sitter. I can set you up ...”
I shook my head as Darla made her way back toward us. I wasn’t quitting my job for a man. Even if he was the man of my dreams and the father of my daughter.
“Mommy, this is so good. You have to try it.” Darla shoved her straw toward me.
I bent down and took a sip, feigning ecstasy. “Yum!”
“Darla, see you next week? Maybe you and your mom will have lunch with me after the lesson?”
