Beth gave him one of her death stares. “No, you sneak food on the couch when you can get away with it. Tonight is not one of those times. The movie’s paused. You won’t miss anything.”
“I’m okay with it,” Gabby said. She looked so grown up, except for the pizza sauce gracing both sides of her mouth.
Beth handed her a napkin and pointed out where to wipe.
Ashley could tell they weren’t being as natural as they would be if she wasn’t there, and she also suspected that Beth had other motives for inviting Ashley over. Ones that went beyond messing with Chase. Ashley suspected she was on trial. Maybe it was fear of other random women being introduced to the family, maybe it was pure matchmaking, but either way, Beth clearly wanted to fix Ashley up with Chase. It made Ashley wonder what Chase had said about her.
“How do you think he’s doing?” Beth whispered, half-way through the movie.
Ashley shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “I’m sure he’s having fun.”
“Just like us,” Gabby said, smiling up at Ashley.
***
Tiffany was also in a T-shirt and jeans, and even with the awkward closet incident, Chase couldn’t help but feel grateful for the last minute change of clothes.
She gave him a hug as he walked up, and then they waited together to be seated at the casual chain restaurant he’d chosen.
“So, your profile said you’re a guardian to your siblings. Is that right? What happened to your parents?” She blinked up at him with her wide blue eyes, framed with drawn-in eyebrows. Somehow he hadn’t noticed that little detail in her profile picture.
He figured Tiffany would ask about the kids at some point, but not right after the hellos. And that changed how much he wanted to reveal. He thought about his conversation with Ashley, about protecting them, even from someone’s random curiosity. When Ashley asked questions, he knew it was because she wanted to know him better. Because she cared. Tiffany was still merely a stranger.
“Our parents died in a car accident years ago. I’m the oldest.”
“Oh, that’s terrible. How many siblings do you have? Like, what ages are they?”
The hostess called his name, and he jumped up and walked to the desk. Tiffany followed. He pretended to have forgotten her questions and made sure to jump in with a new question of his own once they were seated.
Tiffany told him all about where she grew up and all the sports she played in high school. They had both played basketball, so that gave them a good ten minutes of small-talk filler until it was time to order.
He ordered a steak again, though at a third of the price of Carmelo’s. Tiffany ordered a Cobb salad and a bowl of soup. Without the menus between them, she leaned in and took his hands, rubbing his fingers against hers.
“Your hands are so cold, Chase.” She gave him a little flirty smile as she rubbed her thumbs against his knuckles.
His hands were cold because of the overhead fan on full blast, though he wasn’t about to ask to be reseated and cause the wait staff to scramble. It was a typical busy Saturday night. If only he hadn’t rested his hands on the table top. Obviously, he’d sent her an unintended message. It wasn’t Tiffany’s fault, but he’d known within the first five minutes that she wasn’t for him, and every minute longer on this date only confirmed it. Now he had a whole dinner to sit through.
From now on, he’d ask to meet his matches for coffee, or at least message back and forth for a while before committing to a date. This was time and money away from Beth, Gabby, and Tyler. And while he’d spent plenty of both on Ashley, somehow this felt different.
“If you’ll excuse me for a minute.” He pulled away and went to the men’s room, stopping just outside to text Beth and see how everyone was doing.
We’re fine. Get back to your date.So typical Beth.
The waiter was approaching their table with the food, so he quickly returned, happy to have something busy for his hands besides being caressed by Tiffany.
Of course, she immediately reached out with her fork and took a taste of his cinnamon apples. “Ooh, those are delicious.”
Everything she did that annoyed him filled him with guilt. Because if it was Ashley sitting across from him, he wouldn’t care. Except maybe for the drawn-in eyebrows thing. He liked Ashley’s eyebrows the way they were.
***
Reading to Gabby and tucking her into bed felt a little surreal. And while at ten years old, Gabby might be a little old for it, she probably didn’t get that kind of attention all the time either. It felt nice to be so needed.
“Are you Beth’s friend or Chase’s friend?” Gabby asked with a sleepy yawn as Ashley was turning off the light.
Ashley smiled. “I’m both. And we’re friends too, right?”
Gabby nodded. “Goodnight, Ashley.”
“Goodnight, Gabby.”
Ashley headed down the hall to see how Beth was doing with Tyler. From the sound of it, he was not nearly as sleepy as Gabby. She peeked in to see Beth chasing after him with pajamas in hand. He leaped over the bed and ducked as she made a grab for him. But since it looked more like a game than an actual struggle, she left them to it and went to go tidy up the front room and kitchen.
She took the two pizza boxes out to the trash can and looked up and down the street. It was a nice little neighborhood. Everyone had their front porch lights on and an older couple held hands as they went for their evening walk. They waved to her as they passed.
It felt so … domestic. Was it crazy to dream about being a part of all this?
She stepped back inside and started gathering up random items, putting away stray socks and books, folding the blanket they’d shared while watching the movie. Chase’s work backpack was on the kitchen counter, and she picked it up and carried it to his room, leaving it just inside his door.
The room smelled like him. It was a welcome, familiar scent. He had a little nightstand next to his bed, and she noticed a worn copy of the Bible, along with one of the Harry Potter books. There was so much to him she still wanted to know. But looking around was now reaching snooping levels, and she reached for the light switch to turn off the light. Except now she noticed next to the books on the nightstand there was a small worry stone, the same color, size, and shape as the one her secret admirer had given her. And in that moment, she knew without a doubt that Chase was keeping more than just his reading habits a secret.
