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Talk about torture. Nathan flirted really well.
“There’s another thing I wanted to talk to you about.” I lifted my head and looked out at the beach, at the little sandcastle we made this morning. Marley loved building those. “Travis reached out to me today about our date. Remember I told you we spoke after seeing each other at Wax?”
“I completely forgot about that.”
“So did I…”
“What did he say?”
“He wants to know if I have any free nights coming up, and I’m wondering if there is any reason why I shouldn’t go out with him. Before the Fourth, I didn’t really have one…”
“Well, you said Nathan might not be ready for anything right now, and you both agreed to put on the brakes. Honestly? I’m not sure you have a reason not to go out with Travis.”
“Me either.”
“It’s just a date. It might not even lead to anything. Plus, Travis is really hot. I met him once.”
“He’s definitely hot.”
“So is Nate though. They’re both super fun to look at.”
I laughed, keeping to myself how super fun Nathan was in every way. Naked ways especially.
“Don’t think and answer me—do you want to go out with Travis, Jenna?”
“I think I do…”
“So do it. Dates are fun. And you’re overdue for one.”
“It has been a while.” I leaned forward and braced my weight on my elbows. Syd was giving me the push I needed. I’d wanted to go out with Travis before. What was stopping me now? Nathan wasn’t ready…“I’m going to do it,” I said, voice steadier now. “I’m going to go out on a date with him.”
“Awesome!”
“Mama, you’re going on a date!”
I pushed off the rail and spun around. Olivia had her head poking through the slider and was currently beaming at me.
“Cool! When?” she shrieked, her voice carrying.
“Sweetheart, please go back inside,” I requested, bringing a finger to my lips. “I’ll be in in a minute.”
“Okay! Woo! A date! A date!”
“Olivia, shh!”
I winced, looking back at the monitor as the slider pulled shut. The lights flickered typically, then all five dots lit up and held bright as Marley’s cry came through the little speaker.
“Damn it,” I whispered, grabbing the monitor off the rail.
“Aw, I hear the sweet girl,” Sydney said. “Call me later, okay?”
“Yeah, okay. Bye, Syd.”
“See ya!”
I ended the call and headed back inside the house.
* * *I was upstairs getting Marley ready for bed when Nathan got home that night.
“Daddy’s home,” I said, smiling at her sweet face as it popped through the pajama shirt.
I could hear Oliver and Olivia greeting Nathan below me. The enthusiasm in their muffled voices was unmistakable. I wondered if they’d ever react differently to seeing Nathan.
Marley dropped the little book she was holding and grinned, her breathing excited now. She stood and tried squirming away from me.
“Hold on.” I giggled, catching her around her waist. “Pants first.”
We finished getting dressed. Then I took a small towel and rubbed her curls dry. They bounced around her face.
“You’re so pretty,” I said, kissing her cheek twice. She smelled like sweet lavender soap.
“Hey.”
At Nathan’s voice, I turned my head and peered behind me. He was standing in the bedroom doorway.
“Daddy!” Marley squealed. She tumbled over and pushed to her feet, rushing around me to get to him with the book in her hand.
“Hey,” I said, smiling at the two of them. Nathan scooped her up. “How was work?”
“It was okay.” He smiled at Marley and kissed her. She giggled against him.
I reached for the toy basket and began to clean up the mess around me. I dropped stuffed animals into the bin. “We built another sandcastle today. Marley is becoming a pro.”
“Oh yeah?”
His tone made me pause. He sounded bored, like what I’d shared meant absolutely nothing to him, which was never the case with Nathan. He always absorbed every bit of information I shared about Marley and practically begged for more.
I lifted my head to figure out why.
Nathan was staring at me.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Everything’s fine. Tell me about this date you have coming up.”
My mouth dropped open. No, she did not. I sighed and resumed the cleanup. “Olivia shouldn’t have told you that. She was listening in on a conversation she shouldn’t have heard.” I shifted the basket aside and stood then, meeting his serious gaze.
Could things get any more awkward? I was worried we’d barely scratched the surface.
“Okay, I think we need to talk. And I’d rather do it here in front of her than downstairs in front of them, if I had the option.”
“What do you want to talk about?”
“You being different with me.” I crossed my arms under my chest. “You said things wouldn’t be weird, and I think they’re pretty weird.”
“How am I being different with you?” He reached up and pulled at the knot in his tie, loosening it.
