AllFreeNovel
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“I dunno.Moms are just, well, women, you know?Just treat them like any other date.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought, but—”
“But what?”
“Well, we went on a date last night.”
“With her kid in tow?”
“No.He’s at his dad’s for the holiday.”
“Good.So what’d you do?”
“Dinner and a concert.”I smile at the memory.In truth, it was the best date I’ve had in a couple years, at least.She’s easy company.
“Dinneranda concert?First date and you’re already pulling out the big guns?You’re ruining it for other single guys, you know,” he chides.“Raising the bar and all that.”
“It wasn’t that big of a deal.It was one of those Christmas concerts they put on at the Navy chapel around this time of year.And then when we came back—”
“W-wait, wait, wait.Back up a sec.”
I straighten in the sofa.“What?”
“You took her to aChristmasconcert?”
“Yeah.Why?”
There’s a long pause that has me worried.
“Dude, I uh, feel duty-bound to ask you this, as my friend, best man, former officemate, and SEAL brother.”
I brace myself at his serious tone which is totally uncharacteristic for Mason.“What?”
“Well… do you think you’re just falling for her because of—well, Christmas?”
“Christmas?”
“Yeah.You know, it’s kind of a special time.And everything is… well,contrived.”
“Contrived?”
“Yeah.Fake and… sentimental.Almost even…” he pauses, either searching for the right word or for dramatic effect.“…staged.”
“Staged?”
“Yeah.Unnatural.That sort of thing.You go to a Christmas concert together and before you know it, you’re making snow angels or crap that’s just notnormal.And then you’re suddenly thinking you’re in love when it’s really just that this season is so sappy that even the strongest among us will end up eventually sucked into it.”
“You’re sounding a little Scrooge-like over there.”
“I’m just a realist.You might start associating her with things that bring up—you know—emotions.”
I laugh at how he says that last word as though it’s a profanity.“You’ve been reading more psychobabble books again.”I shake my head.Mason has a natural tendency to hyper-analyze things.When he leaves the Navy, he really should pursue a psych degree.
“Have not.”He pauses.“Well, actually I have.Freya got this parenting book and it’s filled with stuff like that.”
“Well, for the record, I wouldn’t make snow angels withanywoman.”
“Good.”
