“Yes, this is definitely uncharted territory,” I snicker. “But I think we're wrapping it up now. I'll stay another half hour to debrief with Elle and then I'll head over if that's ok? You don't have to feed Lizzie, I can cook her something when we get home.”
“Right. Ok, well, see you in a bit.”
“See you soon.”
Why did that feel weird?
I walk back into the cafe and thank Jake for being understanding as I sit back down.
“It's no problem at all. I guess it's a good segue to ask about your daughter. How old is she?”
I can't help the smile that takes over my face. “Lizzie will be two in just under five weeks,” I chuckle at my ridiculous need to be specific. “She's wonderful, and entering that cheeky phase where she's constantly testing the waters, but she knows how cute she is and that she can wrap just about everyone around her little finger. Her dad especially.” I shake my head, still smiling.
“And your relationship with her father, it's...good?”
“Absolutely! Brad and I have actually become pretty good friends and excellent co-parents. Honestly, he's the perfect teammate, so it's made everything so much easier.”
Jake just hums noncommittally as his gaze roams my face, his middle finger tracing the edge of his coffee cup absentmindedly. After a beat, he says, “That's good. As long as it's just co-parenting.”
“What...what does that mean?”And have I found my first red flag?
“Sorry, this will probably be a point against me seeing as it's a first date but,” he lets out a loaded breath, “in truth, my wife cheated on me. A lot, it turns out. So sometimes I struggle with trust if there's a close male friend involved. Logically, I know that not everyone will be like her. But,” he shrugs, “sometimes jealousy rears its ugly head.”
It's a really honest answer, and I can understand having trust issues in that scenario. And he's aware of it, which is a plus. I regard him as I mull it over. His posture is rigid, but I'm guessing he's bracing himself for my response. “Well, thank you for being so open with me. And as long as you keep being openabout what you're feeling, and don't take your trust issues out on me without an honest conversation, it's not a deal breaker.” I pause, unsure if my next question is too personal for a first date, but needing to ask it anyway, “Can I ask what happened to your wife? It's just your profile said you're a widower.”
His eyes skip over my shoulder, gaze locked somewhere in the past. “She died in a car crash four years ago. Funnily enough, it's how I found out she'd been cheating. She was in the car with her childhood best friend. A man, you may have deciphered.”
“But how?—”
“How does that prove infidelity? Well, first of all, she was meant to be on a business trip in Glasgow, not a car in Kent. And there were a couple of used condoms in the car,” he sneers. His face is a mixture of pain and anger.
“Whoa. My god, Jake, I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine how that news must have hit you.”
“Even worse, so many of her friends came out of the woodwork after she died to tell me that they knew. That she'd been cheating with him foryears.” His hand tightens around his empty mug. “I’m sorry, probably not the best conversation for a first date,” he blinks repeatedly, as if to clear the images from his mind.
“No, it's my fault. I shouldn't have asked. I am sorry, Jake,” I squeeze his forearm.
“Have I scared you off?” he asks with a vulnerability that I find endearing.
“Not at all. If you wanted a second date, you should definitely ask.”
His face lights up at that and he reaches across the small table to take one of my hands between both of his. “Shari, I would like nothing more than to take you on a second date. I know it’s short notice, but are you free on Friday for dinner?”
“I can absolutely be free on Friday night,” I smile.
“Baaaabe! He was hot!”Elle squeals as she drops into Jake's vacated seat. He's been gone all of ten seconds, but I knew she wouldn't be able to rein it in for long. “What was he like, though? You seemed to really hit it off!”
I laugh at her excitement, “We did! He's charming, we like a lot of the same things and conversation was so easy, he truly is hot, and he was really honest with me about having trust issues because of his ex.”
“Ooh, trust issues aren't good,” she grimaces.
I ponder it again, “No, but he didn't actually have to volunteer that info on a first date, ya know? So maybe that's a green flag?”
“As long as it doesn't become an issue later, I guess. So you got a good vibe from him overall? He seemed completely focused on you.”
“Yeah, I got a really good vibe. And it was nice being his centre of attention. He didn't once look at his phone, and I didn't notice him sneakily checking out any other women. He didn't even talk to my boobs! Ugh, that is such a low bar, but...seriously, online dating sucks.”
Laughing, she reaches over to squeeze my hand. “It is a low bar, but sounds like a positive first date, so I'm excited for you!”
