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“Exactly. So maybe I don’t want to date.” I was nearly finished with my meal, and Dad had barely eaten half of his.
“You want more than sex fromBright Side.”
I choked on the shrimp I’d just shoved in my mouth. I coughed and spluttered while Dad absently patted my back as if I wasn’t dying.
“You’re getting blunt in your old age,” I said after gulping down half of my lemonade.
“I can’t wait until you’re in your sixties. See how old you think it is then,” he huffed.
“I’m only teasing.”
“I’m feeling a little sensitive about it. Some teenager called me gramps yesterday. Kinda got under my skin,” he admitted.
“Do I even want to know what you said back?” I asked warily.
That had his mouth turning up. “Probably not.” I could only imagine. I closed the lid to the now empty cardboard box on my lap. Dad glanced over and frowned. “You need to slow down. Enjoy the food. You’ve already seen the potential choking hazard eating can be.”
I ignored the scolding even though he was right. Usually, I spent my lunch breaks at my desk, scarfing down whatever Diane put in front of me.
“How do I get her to go out with me again? Alone.” I was in my forties and had plenty of experience under my belt, but Trish felt too important to screw up.
Dad looked over at me like a sly devil. “Be sincere. Don’t make her feel like you only want her for one thing.”
“I haven’t,” I said quickly.
He held up his hand. “You’ve done something to irritate her. But she’s interested.”
“She made these for me.” I pointed toward the bag of cakes to prove my point.
“How do you know?”
“Well, I don’tknowknow, but I had a crimson tie on yesterday that had small elephants on it. So I’m taking it as making them for me.”
Dad laughed. “That’s a good sign.” He paused, mulling things over while he chewed. “What kind of date do you want to take her on?”
“I’d like to cook for her.”
“You’ll have to wait until she trusts you for that.” Dad tapped his fork on the side of the container. “Unless you cook and then take her someplace besides your apartment to eat.”
“Like a picnic.” I nodded, enthusiasm building. “I think you might be on to something.”
“I know a good spot near the river. It’s pretty quiet, but enough foot traffic that she won’t be nervous.”
“Why do you think she’s scared to be alone with me?” I tilted my head to the side.
He was quiet for a moment. “Instinct,” he finally answered. “She needs to feel safe. From what, I don’t know. But I feel it in here.” Dad pointed at his chest.
I didn’t disagree. My father saying that out loud made me realize I felt that too.
“You’re going to have to walk a fine line between pressuring her a little or so much that you push her away.”
“How am I going to do that?”
“By falling off the tightrope a few times and getting back up there again.” He closed his empty food container and slapped me on the shoulder. “Once I tell your sister you’ve got a lady friend coming to Dino’s, she’ll make sure she comes.”
“You’ll both give me a hard time,” I grumbled good-naturedly, and then I narrowed my eyes. “Is that why you did this? So she’d come to New York?”
Dad lifted his eyes toward the sky. “I did it for you. The end.” He reached for the bag of mini-cakes and took one out. “Seeing your sister will have a positive side effect. You’d think she lived in Wyoming with your brother for as often as she comes to the city.”
