“Let him put the puck in the net? Taken a ride on his hockey stick?”
“I will throw this smoothie at you.”
She laughs, bright and delighted, and a guy two tables over literally turns around to stare at her.
“Okay, okay.” She holds up her hands in surrender. “I’ll behave. But Tori, seriously.” Her expression sobers. “You know what’s happening here, right?”
“Nothing is happening.”
“Something is definitely happening. You’re falling for this guy.”
The words land in my chest like a stone dropped into still water, ripples spreading outward and disturbing everything.
“I can’t fall for him,” I say quietly. “I have rules. Rules that exist for a reason. You’re the one who warned me about his reputation, remember?”
“I know. And I stand by being cautious.” She reaches across the table and takes my hand. “But I’ve also been watching you for the past few weeks, and you know what I see?”
“What?”
“Someone who’s actually happy.” She squeezes my fingers. “When’s the last time you felt like this about anyone?”
I think about my nonexistent dating life.
“It’s been a while,” I admit.
“Exactly.” She releases my hand and sits back. “Look, I’m not saying throw caution to the wind. I’m just saying... maybe don’t let fear make your decisions for you.”
“I’m not—”
“I know you, Tori. You use logic like a shield.”
That lands a little too close to home. I take another sip of my smoothie just to have something to do.
“He’s got a kid,” I say finally. “Anyone he dates isn’t just dating him—they’re auditioning for stepmom. That’s... a lot.”
“So?”
“So am I even ready for that? I’m twenty-six. I still forget to water my plants. I ate cereal for dinner three times last week.” I drain half my glass. “And Maisie’s already been abandoned by her mom. She doesn’t need some random woman waltzing in and then disappearing when things get hard.”
Winnie tilts her head, studying me. “Do you think that’s what you’d do? Waltz in and disappear?”
“No. I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Tori.” She sets down her wine. “You’ve wanted kids for as long as I’ve known you. You used to babysit three families on our street at the same time and loved every second of it. You cried at that diaper commercial last month.”
“It was emotional. The dad learned to braid hair.”
“My point is, you’re not some flight risk. You’re the most loyal person I know.” She pulls her smoothie closer. “And yeah, dating a guy with a kid is serious. But you’re not some random woman. You’re you. And from everything you’ve told me, that little girl already likes you.”
I think about Maisie looking up at me with those trusting eyes, telling me her daddy talked about me.
My throat tightens.
“What if I mess it up?”
“What if you don’t?”
I drop my head onto the table with a groan and Winnie pats it.
