AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I have,” she agrees. “I went by Shelly back then. My hair was brown and cut in a bob. I just got my braces off when we had our first date.”
I stare at her, still not able to place her.
“I had a crush on Declan Wells,” she confesses. “I was using you to get to him.”
“Ouch.” I feign pain by placing a hand against the middle of my chest.
“Uncle Declan is getting married,” Kirby once again hands out personal info. “To Auntie Abby.”
“Really?” Michelle’s eyes widen. “Isn’t she a lucky ducky?”
“Lucky ducky?” Kirby giggles her way through those two words. “I like that.”
“I like you.” Michelle pats the top of my daughter’s head as her gaze wanders over my jeans and sweater before landing squarely on my face. “You really came into your own, Rook.”
What the fuck is happening?
This woman drops the gem that she dated me fifteen years ago because she was hot for my best friend, and now she wants a piece of me?
“Are you single?” she asks without the slightest glance at my daughter.
That doesn’t stop Kirby from answering, “He is!”
How the hell did I lose control of this conversation?
“Let’s meet up for a drink when you’re….” She leans closer to me to drop her voice to a whisper. “Alone.”
Before my daughter can broadcast the news that I’ll be on my own for four days beginning a week from today, I shake my head. “It was good to see you, Shelly.”
“Michelle,” she corrects me. “It’s Michelle now.”
“Shelly is a nickname,” Kirby interjects. “Just like mine is Kirbs. Some of my friends call me that. It’s cute.”
“You’re cute,” Michelle says.
“You’re pretty,” Kirby offers. “My dad likes to drink water and sometimes root beer if I want a sip. So you know what to order him when you meet up for a drink.”
Dammit.
“I’ll look you up.” Michelle circles a fingertip in front of my face. “Unless you look me up first.”
That won’t happen, and it’s not because I can’t remember her surname.
“I’m hungry,” Kirby finally says something that works in my favor. “Can we go home for lunch now, Daddy?”
I pick her back up so I can sprint away from this woman. “We’re going now.”
“I’ll talk to you soon!” Michelle calls after us before she adds, “I bet you look just as good coming as you do leaving. Get it?”
Jesus.
“She seems nice,” Kirby whispers. “You should share a root beer with her.”
I won’t be sharing anything with her.
I have no objection to indulging in some fun with a beautiful woman when the opportunity presents itself, but Michelle or Shelly is someone I never intend to see again.
“We need to talk about stranger danger,” I say to my daughter as I once again slide her to her feet before we descend the concrete steps that lead to the subway platform. “We can’t tell our names to people we don’t know, Kirby.”
