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They spoke at the same time, stopping themselves when they realized. Both looked at each other, waiting to finish their thought. Then they chuckled. “Sorry,” she said quietly. “You can go ahead.”
Nigel rubbed the back of his neck. “Hope you like pulled pork and burgers because that’s what I brought.”
“Love it.”
The silence felt like it was choking her as they walked over to the counter. Georgia had already started pulling everything out, each ingredient in its own to-go container. “Our plates aren’t very nice or anything. Just some plastic ones,” April warned him as she grabbed them from the shelf inside the first cabinet. She noticed Georgia furrowing her brows out of the corner of her eye.
“That’s fine,” he replied, a smile still plastered across his face. “I don’t mind. If the food is good, it doesn’t matter, right?” Nigel winked at Georgia, who smiled in return.
Her daughter nudged her. April looked at her like she was crazy. “Just relax. Be normal,” Georgia said, and motioned towards Nigel.
April hadn’t realized she’d been so weird since he walked in. But obviously she was acting differently. She couldn’t help it. It had been years since there was any kind of romance in her life. And even though this was just a tiny crush, she couldn’t figure out how to be around him.
As Georgia filled her plate, Nigel stepped in front of April and whispered, “For the record, I think you’re very relaxed.” He smirked while April’s cheeks went bright red.
She feigned a giggle and started to serve herself a plate. Georgia sat on a stool at the kitchen counter and began to scarf down her food. As April stirred the rich, saucy pulled pork and heaped a spoonful onto her plate, long drips of barbeque sauce fell to the floor. “Oh, dang it,” she whispered.
“I’ve got it,” Nigel claimed, but before he could even reach for a napkin, April was already on the floor with a washcloth in her hand. Everyone stood watch while she frantically soaked up the mess.
She couldn’t see it, but assumed that Georgia was rolling her eyes. Why couldn’t she just let the man be chivalrous? This anxious energy felt like it was going to consume her.
After she stood and got her food, she stepped aside for Nigel to fill his own plate. And as he prepared his burger, he cleared his throat. “So, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to get a more formal dinner with me?”
“Oh, you’re serving something special at the restaurant?” April said between bites. Georgia nudged her again.
Nigel bit his bottom lip. “No, I was thinking maybe not at the restaurant.”
Her eyes grew wide. “Oh, uh, like a date?”
It was his turn to blush as she made him answer the straightforward question. “Yeah, like a date.” He shrugged.
Everything in her wanted to say yes. April wanted to yell out that she would love to. And if her daughter wasn’t there, she might have. But Georgia was there. She had no idea about April’s impending divorce. April wasn’t ready to lay all of that out now, in front of the man she was crushing on.
Her life was too complicated to date right now anyway. Right? “I’m really sorry. But I just can’t right now. I do enjoy spending time with you. I have-”
Nigel interrupted by waving his hands in front of him. “You don’t have to… No reason to explain yourself. I completely understand.”
Though he said it was fine, April saw the sadness in his eyes and felt horrible about her decision. For the first time, she wondered if it was the right thing, bringing her daughter down to stay with her.
April’s life was so complicated already. She didn’t want to tell her daughter all the details of her divorce, not yet at least. But she was such a great help, a fantastic partner in renovating this house into something out of her dreams. It was no doubt a good decision. There were just some things that were made harder by Georgia’s presence.
This was one of those things. April could let go of a possible date with this man she was interested in, in order to have her daughter here by her side. So she bit her tongue and smiled at the man she’d just turned down.
“I didn’t realize we missed so many meals at Giant’s that you had to come check up on us. Guess we’ll have to come by more often.”
Nigel sat on a stool next to April. “Yes, please do. The place is starting to feel empty without you two.”
Georgia chimed in between huge bites of her burger. “I can’t stand much more of her camp stove cooking. We’ll be in as soon as possible.”
The rest of lunch was more relaxed. The three joked and laughed until Nigel had to leave for the so-called dinner rush. He knew there would only be a few people coming in, but there wasn’t anyone else to cook. It was made clear to April that it was the only reason why he was leaving.
As he drove off, Georgia and April waved from the front door. “So, you like that guy?”
April’s face burned. “What? No. I mean, he’s very nice. I wasn’t expecting him to come and bring us lunch. And it was so good, too.”
With every word, she tried to curb Georgia’s suspicions. It clearly didn’t work when she replied, “All I asked was if you like him.” Her smirk was telling enough for April. Her daughter was observant; she’d caught on quickly that there were sparks between them. “I mean, I get why you can’t go out with him. But you seem to like looking at him.”
April’s mouth fell open. “What! I do not stare at him like that.”
