“Your kids are … Jream, Jrake, Mary, and Michael, right?”
They all nodded again.
“Great kids.You’re doing fantastic jobs raising such polite, kind little humans.Keep up the good work.”I offered them an even bigger grin before turning back to Naomi.“Murder their asses with kindness.It always throws them off.”
Her cheeks were bright-pink, and she made herself small by shrinking down into her chair.
Did I just fuck up?I thought I was making it better.
“I understand why you did what you did,” she murmured.“And I appreciate it.But I’m not sure it’s going to land the way you think it will.They’re going to judgememore than they will you.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m older.And that double standard still lives and breathes in society.It’s fine for a fifty-year-old man to date a twenty-year-old woman.But flip it around and the murmurs of disapproval will deafen you.”
“Did Gabrielle face backlash for dating Maverick?”
She shook her head.“No.But Maverick is a celebrity, and Gabrielle carries herself with this air of ‘fuck with me and find out what happens.’That kind of frightens people.”
“Yeah, I can see that.”The sudden shift in her mood saddened me.The last thing I wanted to do was have her sit there, unable to be her radiant, charismatic self.“Do you want to take our dinner to go?”I asked, hating that our beautiful evening was turning sour because a few people decided to judge and gawk at something they had no clue about.We were both consenting adults, and despite our age difference, we had a lot in common and a lot to talk about.I never grew tired of our conversations, and we never seemed to run out of things to talk about.
She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head, unable to stop herself from glancing back over at the McJudgersons and their friends, the Judgensteins.“No.We deserve to be here and enjoy our date, just as much as they do.”
I wanted to reach for her hand again, but refrained.“Good.Because I am thoroughly enjoying showing mygirlfriendoff in public.”
She tried to hide her smile by sipping her lemonade, but the twinkle in her eyes betrayed how much she enjoyed me calling her my girlfriend.I really liked saying it out loud.
Lola brought our dinner, and we dove in.
“So … I was thinking about ways that we couldbetogether and have it not be in the back of my truck,” I said after swallowing a bite of my perfectly cooked salmon.
She chewed her coleslaw and lifted her brows.
“Friday … what if you ducked out for like an hour from work and met me at my house on my lunch hour?It would be quick because I’d have to get back to school.But we could actually be in a bed.”
“Are you proposing we have a Friday nooner quickie?”she asked.
“If that’s what you want to call it?”
Nodding, she used her fork to wedge off a piece of her crab cake.“I kind of like the idea of being sneaky.I mean, I guess youcouldcome to my place too, but with Mabel at Gabrielle’s with Damon, they might see your truck.”
“She knows we’re having sex.”
Her eyes widened in horror.
“My kid and I have no secrets from each other.She asked, and I said yes.”
“How’d she take that?”
“She asked if we were being safe.”
Naomi’s cringe was cute.“Oh god.”
“It’s all good.She’s happy that I’m happy, and that I found someone who makes me happy.Even though she’s thirteen, she doesn’t act like it.”
“Yeah, I’m beginning to see that more and more.”
The McJudgersons and the Judgensteins got up from their table to leave.The women’s eyes fell on Naomi again, so much ridicule shone in their gazes.They had to pass our table.
