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Natalie smiled softly. “That sounds great.”
“Perfect. You two ladies think of the perfect spot.”
“We don’t know any of the new places here,” Natalie said.
“Think of what you’re in the mood for, then. I’m up for whatever,” I said, before heading home to clean up.
I rushed through my shower, wanting to get back to them. Delaney had made a good point that we needed to get to know each other better. I wanted her to be comfortable, but I couldn’t help but think she might have an ulterior motive for going out. Did she sense something between me and her mother? At this point, I wasn’t sure I could stop myself from falling for both herandher mother.
I wanted to take care of both of them. I wanted to take them out and give them a good time. Tonight would be casual, but I’d love to take them to one of the fancier restaurants.
On the drive home, Sam called. “Hey, just checking in.”
“Everything’s going good,” I said as I signaled to make a turn.
“Hopefully that continues.” Sam’s deep voice filled the cabin of my truck.
“I want to get the B&B done so Natalie can start taking reservations. She mentioned she can’t take pictures of an unfinished project.”
“No. She can’t. We’re working as fast as we can. I can pull more people from other projects if you need it.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”
“You want to come over for dinner tonight? Maggie missed you on Sunday.”
“I wish I could, but I have a date.”
The truck was silent for a few seconds. I checked to make sure the call hadn’t disconnected when Sam asked, “What did you say?”
“I said I have a date, but don’t get too excited. It’s with a nine-year-old. Delaney asked me to go to the daddy-daughter dance with her, and I said yes. She asked if we could go out before to get to know each other.”
“You’re taking her to the dance?” Sam asked, his tone cautious.
“She was crying because her dad couldn’t or wouldn’t come. The flyer said she could take someone special to her. It didn’t need to be a dad or grandfather, so I said I’d go.”
Sam whistled before he asked, “Are you someone special to her?”
My jaw tightened. I didn’t like where he was going with this. “Not yet. That’s why we’re hanging out.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea?”
A muscle ticked in my jaw. “Why do you ask?”
“It’s just… Natalie’s a single mom. They’ve been through a lot—a divorce, moving across the country—”
“You don’t need to tell me what they’ve been through. I know. I was the one who found Delaney crying.”
The cabin fell silent.
“This is some serious shit, you know. You can’t just swoop in and out of their lives. If you’re going to be invested, you need to be there.”
“I intend to.” I clenched my teeth.
“As friends or something else?”
“As friends.” For now. There was no denying that I was attracted to and intrigued by Delaney’s mother.
“What if Natalie starts dating someone else? I overheard Alice asking to set her up with a blind date.”
