“Sorry, Laura,” I say, glancing at the clock and wincing when I see the hour. “We can talk tomorrow.”
“Not so fast,” she says to me. Then she tells Rob, “It’s Angie. I’ll be right back.”
I hear Rob’s muted voice say, “Okay,” and then Laura shuffling around.
“We really can talk about this tomorrow.”
“Nope. No. Uh-uh,” she says. Then, she must have moved far enough away from Rob because she says, “What’s up?”
“I think I misread EJ,” I tell her. “He said he sees dating me as something he can separate from my boys.”
“Wow,” Laura says. “I didn't get that feel from him at all.”
“Yeah. I didn't either, but he just said it himself.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I'm sure.”
“Something doesn’t add up. Why would he pursue you if the boys are an afterthought? EJ’s not the type of man to lead a woman on.”
“He really isn’t. That’s what’s making me second-guess everything.”
“What were his exact words?” Laura asks.
“He said people were asking about the boys today. He told them my boys are a totally separate situation. He even said, ‘It's not about the boys.’”
“Wow,” Laura says. “I don’t know. Something feels off—like we’re missing a piece of a puzzle. You’re not wrong to be cautious. Rob had to earn his way back to me. A man needs to do more than sweet talk. He needs to put action behind his words.”
“What should I do?” I ask Laura.
“Get some sleep. Tomorrow you can ask EJ some very specific questions. You don’t need to waste your time if he’s not interested in you as a package deal. But for now, don’t assume the worst.”
“I’ll try not to,” I tell her.
We hang up and I set my phone on my bedside table. I try to sleep, but it takes a while to finally settle. I really like EJ—a lot. My feelings for him grew quickly. After all, we’ve known one another for most of our lives.
If he’s not interested in fatherhood, I can’t blame him.
But I also can’t date him.
Chapter 12
EJ
The natural state of motherhood is unselfishness.
~ Jessica Lange
I wave goodbye to Champ across the station parking lot and walk to my truck.
I texted Angie a few times today. It was a busy shift, so I couldn’t call.
She did answer my texts, but something’s off. I can’t quite tell what. Saturday night she was exhausted after a long day at Bordeaux Days. Yesterday she said she was spending the day with the boys. But she didn’t call me after they were asleep like she usually does. And when I called her, she was polite, but not warm. Not exactly cold. Definitely cool. I’m not one to let embers sit, waiting to see if something’s about to burn down, so I intend to get to the bottom of whatever this is. Maybe I did something to upset her. I can’t imagine what since I was working the festival all day Saturday and we haven’t seen one another since then.
I thrum my fingers on the steering wheel of my truck and pull into the parking lot near the Dippity Do. I feel oddly empty-handed. It’s not like I usually show up with anything aside from the occasional dinner. Should I have brought flowers? I wish there were a handbook I could consult somewhere.How to Approach the Woman You’re Falling for When It Seems Like She Might Be Upset With You but Then Again Might Just Be Having an Off Day.
Yeah. I don’t think that exists. I guess I’ll have to wing it.
