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“I can assure you none of it’s true,” I joked and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Callen.”
“Isn’t she pretty?” Milly whispered, and I felt my cheeks warm. “Do it, Dad.”
Oh, God. I looked at Mark, whose eyes were now slits as he studied Callen. I knew he was thinking of Ty. I made a show to roll my wrist and check the time, thankful I’d worn my watch. Sometimes the simplest things could give you that moment you needed.
“Please excuse me. I have a session in fifteen, and if we don’t leave now, I’ll be late. We just took a quick side trip to come and wish Olivia good luck on her trip.” I turned to Olivia. “I hope you have a wonderful time. I can’t wait to hear all about it when you get back.”
“Deal.” She hugged me again and danced over to her parents.
“Ivy,” Callen ran a hand through his hair, “maybe we can go for coffee sometime?” He held out his card, and I took it, not wanting to be rude. “Or maybe ice cream.” He smiled. “The girls have been filling me in on what you like.”
“Oh, really?” I eyed Milly, who winked at me. “I’ll remember that.”
“Lovely meeting you.” He steered Milly away, and I glanced at Mark. He looked unimpressed.
“What?”
“Don’t what me,” he scoffed and followed me back to the car. “You flirted with him.”
“I wasn’t flirting. I was being nice.”
“To a guy, that’s flirting.”
“So, I have to be rude to someone,” I opened the door and hopped in the back seat, “so I’m not sending mixed signals?”
“Yes.” He started the engine.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“I didn’t make the rules, Ivy. That’s how it is.” He pulled out into traffic.
“And men say women are complicated.” I rolled my eyes and lifted the lid to my laptop.
“We’re not complicated,” he went on. “We’re very simple creatures once you understand us.”
“Oh, please enlighten me,” I huffed.
“I’ve taught you so much already, but if I must.” He took a deep breath, and I groaned dramatically. “Men need obvious clues, so when a woman looks them in the eye, answers their questions, smiles, takes their number,” he looked in the mirror, “we think, ‘Great. She likes me. We’re on.’”
“So, you’re saying by me being kind to Olivia’s best friend’s father, I have agreed to a date?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes, and because you took his number, you sealed the deal.”
“I did not seal a deal!” I laughed. “Okay, tell me how I should have handled it, then.”
“You should have said hi, backed up a step, and not made eye contact.” He held up a finger to show he wasn’t finished yet. “Then ignore him, and if he misreads your body language and still asks you out on a date, you say no, I’m dating Ty who just came back from a special ops mission in Afghanistan.” He grinned. “Sprinkle a little fear around you as a barricade.”
“You’re insane!”
“Why?”
“I’m an outgoing person, Mark. I won’t be someone I’m not.” I stared at him in the mirror. “You’re just protective of Ty.”
“Yes, I am. That’s how Blackstone works.” He paused. “You should’ve brought up Ty. Just sayin’.”
