Returning the phone to Lizzie Tasha did allow herself a small smile thinking he’d accepted her decision, albeit begrudgingly until she heard Lizzie giving Jim the details of where they were then asked him with a slightly stunned expression, “You’re coming here, now?”
“Shit!” Tasha muttered in panic. She felt enough of a fool arguing about who was paying with a fifteen-year-old without James putting in an appearance and in person he wouldn’t take no for an answer and as much as she liked the idea of his hand on her ass, she didn’t want it doing in the middle of the shop. She snatched Lizzie’s phone from her and conceded. “Okay, I give up, you pay for it.”
Lizzie smiled and skipped to the cash desk to pay for the bikini leaving Tasha behind to speak to Jim.
“See it wasn’t so difficult, was it?”
“You have absolutely no idea.” It had been hard. To allow someone else to accept responsibility for her purchase and run the risk of it equating to them buying her.
“Then I thank you for allowing me to do so.” He sounded sincere. As if he did understand how hard it had been and would continue to be for her to get on board with his need to pay for things. As if he knew why it was so hard for her. “Will I get to see this argumentative bikini?”
With a smile of her own she was sure she could hear or maybe sense the smile he wore again now. Somehow, with smiles reinstated she felt centred, contentment washed over her. So much so she felt able to tease and flirt a little. “Maybe.”
“What’s it like?”
“Small and very expensive.” She laughed at her own, concise but apt description.
“Just the way I like them. I have to go. I will sext you later.”
Lizzie was back, holding up the beautifully packaged bikini and grinning. “Sorry for telling on you.” She looked and sounded like a fifteen-year-old again rather than someone unwilling to take no for an answer, someone like her father.
“It’s fine, really. I shouldn’t have put you in that position. I knew he’d asked you to charge it.” Tasha hugged Lizzie, not wanting her to feel in anyway compromised by her need to call her father. “Lunch?” she asked as her belly let out a loud growl.
“Yes, please. There’s a fantastic place around the corner.” Lizzie was already heading for the door. Tasha followed in her wake.
About half an hour later after Tasha had insisted they both leave their phones in their bags they ate lunch.
“You do know Daddy’s paying for lunch, don’t you?”
Tasha nodded, resigned to it.
“The assistant in the shop thought we were sisters, but I told her you were Daddy’s girlfriend. He really likes you.”
So much for discretion. Tasha wondered if she really was Jim’s girlfriend. She smiled and avoided the girlfriend label, simply admitting, “And I like him.”
Lizzie clapped excitedly. “Will you marry him? You’d be a really cool stepmom, not like the others.”
Tasha almost choked on her mineral water. This girl really was her father’s daughter.
“Thank you, but I haven’t known your dad very long at all, Lizzie, and I do like him, but you don’t marry people youlike.”
Lizzie shrugged and as both women pushed their empty plates away she pulled her phone out to begin texting rather than sexting thought Tasha as she reached for her own phone. She felt disappointed there was no text from Jim yet. She continued sipping her water and watched Lizzie smiling as she typed.
“Can I have your number?”
Tasha assumed sharing her number would be okay. In fact, maybe they should have swapped numbers earlier, in case they’d become separated. Lizzie gave Tasha her number and grinned when she received a message with her number.
Suddenly, her own phone vibrated on the table causing a grin of Cheshire cat proportions to spread across her face as she saw a message from Jim.
So, he was who Lizzie had text. Tasha looked across and could see she was on Facebook now.
She thought it was quite outrageous to discuss this with anyone, especially his daughter.
