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“Everything’s ready. You can do chicken, beef, or pork tacos. You go first.” She handed him a plate.
He waited to eat until everyone was seated at the table.
“How have you been? Any updates?” Jace tried sounding casual, though a slight smile tugged at his mouth.
Alex and Reece did a poor job of camouflaging their smiles by biting into their tacos.
“It was busy. I went on a few dates.”
“Multiple dates?” Megan’s pitch was higher than usual. “That’s why you weren’t home or answering my texts.”
“Yes. I went by the USO, and they told me how to get in touch with Erin.” He didn’t go into details about setting up the Facebook account. “I took her to dinner.”
“How did that go?” Megan leaned closer.
“She was easy to talk to, and we had a nice time. However, her divorce just became final a few months ago, and she is not interested in a serious relationship anytime soon.” He skipped the part about her screenwriting and interest in Special Ops.
“Oh.” Megan’s shoulders relaxed, and she leaned back in her chair. “We said it wouldn’t be the first one.”
“Better to know that upfront with such limited time,” Jace said.
“That’s what I figured.” Though it was still unfortunate. “I activated my profile on the online dating site I picked. I started getting wink and heart notifications within five minutes.”
“You still have hair and all your teeth. Not bad for a guy your age,” Jace joked.
“Thanks, son. I messaged some women whose profiles I liked to see who’d respond.”
“How many?” Now Reece was grinning.
“I started with five, thinking I wouldn’t hear from half of them. I also responded to about another five who contacted me first.” He’d stayed up way too late responding to messages and quickly realized this mission could become a full-time job. “There was one who stood out. Mid-thirties, divorced.” And made him feel attractive and interesting right off the bat. “She suggested we meet in person after exchanging a couple of messages. She was booked over the weekend but was free Thursday and suggested dinner at this nice restaurant.”
“Booked?” Megan repeated.
“I thought she meant other dates from the app.” That should have been his first clue. “She was on time and dressed to impress. Even looked like her picture.”
“That’s not always the case,” Jace said. “Though my wife was prettier than her picture.”
“Nice save.” Alex accepted a kiss on the cheek from Jace.
“She ordered a cocktail before I even looked at the wine menu and immediately started asking what I wanted out of this relationship.”
“Relationship? On the first date? Red flag,” Reece stated.
“Remember, I’m new to all this. I told her I’m looking for a relationship that could eventually lead to marriage.” He hadn’t wanted to scare her off, but after Erin, he wanted to know upfront. “She asked how many nights a week I’d want her to block out for me and how long until we’d be exclusive. That’s when she started dictating terms and telling me how much it would cost me for her to be exclusive.”
“Dad! What site were you using?” Megan’s eyes were huge. “Please tell me it wasn’t Sugar Babies.”
“It was a regular dating site, although she explained she was looking to date men who provide financial benefits in exchange for her company. She said she used keywords in her profile that I was supposed to pick up on.”
“If she’s in her thirties, she’s a little old for Sugar Babies. Most of those women are in their twenties or younger—from what I hear,” Alex clarified.
“How did dinner go?” Megan asked.
“I didn’t stay. I told her that’s not what I was looking for and left. I wasn’t risking being seen with her by anybody I knew.”
“Good move,” Megan concurred.
When he got home, he’d checked her profile to see what words were supposed to clue him in that she was looking for a sugar daddy. He wasn’t making that mistake again. “I wish I could say it got better from there. The next woman spent half our date talking about her ex cheating on her. She’s convinced that every man cheats, particularly military men. What do you say to that?”
