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But he only grinned. “Do I get to see it?” There was a twinkle in his eye which had me grinning back.
“No way. This hat stays on until tomorrow morning. That’s when a woman Haylee knows will fix it for me.”
“Hm. You know I really want to see it now.”
He made a fake move for my hat, making me giggle.
“Nuh-uh. And you’re a gentleman. As such, you should respect a woman’s desire to hide a bad, bad dye job.”
His hand reached out and tipped the brim. “Who says I’m a gentleman all the time?”
Zing. Right. To. My. Girly. Parts.
Only to be interrupted by Haylee’s cheerful voice approaching from behind me. “Hey, Mark.”
She looked a cross between amused and curious, glancing between us both. I wondered how much she’d overheard.
Mark—no shocker—got awkward. “Oh, hi, Haylee. Um, I was coming by to let you know that I’m heading to the store. And see if you needed anything. Either of you.”
Now it was my turn to cock my head to the side. The one-eighty from flirtatious hunk of a guy to stuttering uncomfortable man was staggering. It was, however, completely endearing. “I’m good, but thank you.”
Haylee smiled. “I’m good, too.”
“Great. Um. Okay, then. Have a nice rest of the weekend.”
I gave him a small wave, wondering how differently things might have progressed if Haylee hadn’t been here. “You, too.”
The moment the door was closed, my friend arched her brow. It was clear she wanted details.
“What?”
She laughed while I walked back over to Tristan to get him cleaned up and down from his high chair. “I do believe that’s my question for you,” she remarked.
I shrugged. “He’s nice and evidently came by to see if I needed anything from the store.”
She met my eyes and seemed to be waiting for more. When nothing came, she relented. “I guess I was hoping there might be something to him randomly dropping by on a Sunday.”
“But I thought you said Mark didn’t, you know, date anyone.”
Now it was her turn to shrug. “He hasn’t. But never say never.”
“I, for one, think you couldn’t find more opposite people than Mark and I. The likelihood is he’s only being a nice guy and good neighbor.” He’d gone to Yale law school. I couldn’t make it through my first online math assignment.
“Are you open to dating?”
I thought back to my ideal, ‘doing it in the dark scenario’ and smiled. “I’m not sure, to be honest. The thought of getting back out there is terrifying. But if you’re asking if I’m still pining over my ex, the answer is no.”
I’d spent the last three years falling out of love with him a little more each day. However, I had no clue how to overcome the damage to my self-esteem.
“What if, instead of dating, you simply get out and meet some people? More casual, less pressure that way. I was invited to a mixer at school next Tuesday. Although spouses are invited, Josh won’t be here since it’s during the week. Even if he was in town, it’s not his thing. I think it makes him feel old to hang out with law school students.”
I laughed out loud. Josh was ten years older than Haylee. His wife was an exception when it came to maturity, but something told me other college kids probably weren’t.
“I’m not sure I’d have much in common with your fellow students, either.”
She shook her head. “And I do? I have a husband and baby. In any case, I’ve never really fit in with peers, so it would be a favor if you went with me.”
I recognized this could be an opportunity. If I went out and met people, it would help me work on the courage to exit my comfort zone. Matter of fact, this had Juliette 2.0 written all over it. “Sure, but only if I can get this mess of my hair fixed first.”
