"What about someone you slept with? Was there a guy who wanted more, but you blew them off?"
I actually snorted at his suggestion. "For that to happen, I would need to have sex lately. And let me just say it's been far too long since I've gotten any." Parker raised his brow at me. "Okay, besides our drunken wedding night, but that hardly counts since neither of us remember it." I waved the spoon between the two of us.
"I think it counts."
"Then before that I would say it's been about a year since I had sex, and no, the guy I slept with wouldn't care enough to do that. That would require him to care and remember my name. He actually kicked me out of his bed after it was over. Not that I normally stuck around, but he barely pulled out before he was telling me to scram."
It wasn't my proudest moment. I was normally a better judge of character than that. But that was cruel even to my low standards.
Parker's mouth dropped open. It brought a little comedy to my current situation.
"That's wrong on so many levels."
"Yeah, but considering the sex was mediocre, at best, I was happy to be kicked out."
Parker cleared his throat. "Okay. Anyone else you can think about who might give you problems? Maybe a disgruntle parent."
I didn't have to think hard. "No one. I usually have pretty good kids. I make things fun, so the kids love me, and therefore the parents do. It's rare that I fail a kid. I've been known to find alternative ways to help the kids learn the material and go out of my way to provide extra assistance if needed. I'm not trying to brag that I'm a perfect teacher, but I can't think of one parent who would have it out for me."
I didn't even want to mention my lack of a sex life lately. The one example I gave was enough. I was more radical in my twenties but have slowed down immensely since hitting my thirties five years ago.
The frustration was evident on Parker's face. I knew I wasn't helping, but it wasn't my fault I had nothing to give.
"How about we table this discussion for now and go out to dinner? Do you have a favorite place you would like me to take you to?"
Excitement filled me. "As a matter of fact, I do."
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
PARKER
I wasn't sure what I expected when Molly said she had a favorite restaurant, but this wasn't it.
Or maybe it made perfect sense.
The Mexican restaurant was nothing more than a hole-in-the-wall in some shady neighborhood of Boston. The sign out front barely labeled what was inside, but it was what was in the restaurant that truly blew my mind.
The place was clean. And I meant super clean. Whoever the owner was and the employees who worked for them took pride in the place. There wasn't more than a dozen tables throughout the place, and almost every one of them was full.
"We're lucky we got here in time. This place rarely has an open table." Molly settled into the chair across from me at the small table.
"I'm surprised anyone willingly comes to this neighborhood." I didn't mean to sound like a jackass, but it was no secret drug deals happened on every corner, and the crime rate for the area was higher than anywhere else in the city.
"Juanita––she's the one who owns it––and her husband make sure to shut down before it gets dark. They usually don't even make it that long. This isn't a made-to-order kind of place. They make two different meals a night. Once they are gone, they close up shop. I've yet to have anything here that I didn't like."
"Do you come here often?" I wasn't sure how I felt about her coming to this neighborhood by herself.
Molly scoffed, "Yeah, right. As you said, it's a sketchy neighborhood. Elle and I used to come every few months before she met Rhett. We haven't been back since."
I didn't know if that made things better or worse. Two women alone was dangerous. At least they didn't stay once it got dark. Silver lining and all.
A young woman approached the table before I could think of a response to that. "What can I get the two of you tonight?"
"We'll take one of each special, please." Molly winked at me. "Trust me, you're going to want to try both."
I would take her word for it. We ordered drinks, and the young woman was off to talk to another table of customers just as fast as she arrived.
"That's Maria. She's the daughter. Juanita likes to keep things in the family. Just the three of them work here."
