He shakes his head slowly. There's another eye roll. I should take a drink every time he does that. Of course, I'd probably have alcohol poisoning before dessert.
"A pipe burst in the apartment above mine this afternoon, causing a deluge, and I'm not sure about the condition of my things. I don't have a lot, but I'd prefer what I have to be dry." He casually shrugs one shoulder. "I'm not holding my breath for my landlord to fix it anytime soon, either."
I relax back into my chair. It's not me. It has nothing to do with me. Maybe I haven't lost my touch. “Oh, my God, that's the worst. I remember when I was a kid, my mom got the bright idea that we were going to move to Minnesota. It was like the reverse90210. Of course, it was because she was following a guy there. He flew out to Cali, and we all drove back to his house together. It tookdaysto get to St. Paul, and when we arrived, we discovered the pipes had burst in his house. It was like stupid cold, like negative one-hundred, and all the radiators blew up because Mr. Wonderful turned his heat off to save money. Everything was covered in icicles. Mom took one look and dragged me out to the car, and that was the last we ever saw of St. Paul."
"What about the bloke?"
I shrug. "What about him? I couldn't believe that she even committed to that much. I'm sure there was someone else the following week."
"Oh," he says softly. His eyes drop to his beer. "Yeah, my mum's a bit of a mess herself. Never was able to pull herself together."
So, he knows what it's like. He should understand where I'm coming from then. "Yeah, so I don't want to do that to Paisley. I haven't really dated since she was born. I've been trying to lie low. Stay out of the spotlight, you know. It never used to bother me—in fact, I loved being seen. But now that I have Paisley, I don't want her life negatively affected by decisions I make. I'm not going to go parading a new guy every week. I know what that's like."
He looks up and his gaze locks on mine for a brief second. "Me too. It's how I ended up here. My dad met my mum during a study abroad year in Australia. She thought he was there to stay. He was not. And then he took me on a trip to America, and we never went back. It was ugly and messy and unfortunate."
Wow. This is the most depressing first date I've ever been on.
"Things are getting real deep real quick. Let's talk about something lighter. I don't want to talk about serious adulty things."
"Fine, but one more serious thing—Paisley?"
Yes, I named my daughter Paisley Elvis Clementine Stetson. I realize it's a mouthful, but not without reason.
"For Paisley Park. You know, Prince's company."
We sang with Prince one time. It was one of the highlights of my life. Yes, the Sassy Cats were big enough to sing with Prince. We weren't actually allowed to make eye contact with him, except for during the performance, but at least we were up on stage with him.
And now I'm being set up on a blind date, hoping he doesn't get up and leave because he's so bored with me.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
"Right. Okay. Makes more sense. Prince was a real genius. So you don't leave your tot often?"
I want to tell him that I do have a nanny—Maria—who is a tremendous help, but that doesn't sound like something you say on a first date. You also don't share that the nanny used to work for your baby daddy and his wife, raising their son. You especially don't share that the baby daddy is none other than Jonathan Spencer Maxwell.
God, even thinking his name makes me want to roll my eyes. I take a sip of my mimosa instead. What a pretentious prick. But when you're a mega movie star with boyish good looks and the ability to charm the pants off of anyone—myself included—you can make everyone call you by three stupid names.
"I mean, I have help, but this is the first time she's gone with him for this long. Three weeks. It's just me, all by myself, for three weeks."
"Do you want to spend it alone? I'm not saying you should, but I hear some mums just want peace and quiet." He gives me an apologetic smile, as if he's sorry he dragged me out when I could be staying in.
I mean, he sort of did.
Despite his grumpy exterior, I can see some kindness. A genuine feeling. Someone who's not looking for something from me. He's really just here for me. And even though he's just met me, he seems real in his concern. I barely know what to do with that.
I smile back at him. "I like having adult time. I don't actually like being alone that much. I just want to be able to go the whole night without asking if you have to go pee pee in the potty."
That finally cracks his grumpy exterior once and for all, and his grin spreads from ear to ear. "I promise, you won't have to mention going pee pee in the potty." The words are slow and measured coming out of his mouth. I'm guessing that's not a phrase he uses often—or ever. It's comical from him.
"Is it a problem that I have a kid?" I don't know how to date as a mother. Let's face it, most of what I did before I got pregnant with Paisley wasn't really dating. It was more like hooking up. While in my head I've turned over a new leaf and am looking for more, in reality, I probably don't have more to give than the occasional hookup.
Especially not with someone who lives on the other side of the country.
Still, now that Henderson is starting to relax a bit, I should give him a chance. The night is way too young, and he is way too cute to rule anything out.
Chapter 2: Henderson
Iwas nervous there for a bit. She's not at all what I expected.
