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“I’m happy to hear that,” I tell her. “And they want to see you again tomorrow, so that sounds promising.”
While Sammy pulls out her phone and punches in a number, I tell her, “You never call me. You only text me.”
“You’re my dad,” she says. “You get to talk to me enough.”Ouch.
Sammy hangs up when the call goes to voicemail. “Do you mind walking around with me to see if we can find Melissa?”
Finding Melissa is the very last thing I want to do, but as I want to help my daughter in her pursuit of new friendships, I answer, “You bet.” I stand up and put on my shirt. “Where do you think we should start?”
She shrugs. “I have no idea. Let’s just go inside and look around.”
After gathering our pool paraphernalia, we abandon our current post and walk into the club house. The cool blast from the air conditioner is pure heaven. “I’m hungry,” I tell Sammy. We haven’t eaten since our morning scones. “Do you want to stop in the Putters’ Grill for a late lunch?”
“Sure, but let’s find Melissa first.”
After searching all the public rooms, I ask a woman at the front desk if she knows where I could find Tim. I figure she’ll be with him if their date is still going strong. “He’s probably upstairs in his office. Just take the elevator up and follow the signs.”
My knee is still a little tender, so I’m not walking very quickly. As such, Sammy runs ahead of me to push the call button. Once we’re in the elevator, she says, “I feel bad for interrupting Melissa’s date, but she knows how much I want to make friends, so I don’t think she’ll mind.”
When the elevator stops, we follow the signs to Tim’s office. They lead to a small waiting room. As there’s no one at the reception desk, I look at the signs on the two doors behind it. I approach the one that says Tim Ferris. After a brief knock, I open the door. I’m not at all prepared for what I see.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
MELISSA
Tim and I are standing in his office saying goodbye. “Even though I don’t have sex before being in a committed relationship,” he tells me, “I do enjoy kissing.” He gives me a pirate smile.
“Are you suggesting you’d like to kiss me now?” I like Tim and even though I don’t feel a crazy-strong attraction to him yet, I think kissing is a good idea. Hopefully, it’ll get my mind off Jamie.
He takes a step closer until our bodies are practically touching. “That’s what I’m saying. You game?”
Instead of answering, I lean toward him and gently touch my lips to his. The initial contact is nice. His lips are soft and his breath smells like mint—when did he brush his teeth?Yet there are no fireworks.
Before we have a chance to discover an undeniable chemistry, there’s a knock on the door. Then Jamie walks in. What ishedoing here?
“Oh, hey, I’m sorry. There was no one at the desk.” He clearly wasn’t expecting to walk in on a romantic moment.
Tim turns his head to look at him, before breaking physical contact with me. “Hi, Jamie. What can I help you with?”
“My daughter was hoping to find Melissa,” he says.
Looking behind him, I see Sammy standing in the waiting room. “Sammy, come on in,” I call out.
Once she joins us, she says, “My new friends want me to go swimming with them tomorrow so I can meet some of the other kids they know. But I’m supposed to work with you.”
“Don’t you worry about me,” I tell her. “Your social life is currently the most important thing.”
“Thank you so much!” She launches herself into my arms and hugs me tightly. “You’re wonderful!”
“I sure think so,” Tim says in a flirtatious manner.
Jamie looks like he wants to throw up. “We should let you go,” he says somewhat uncomfortably.
As he turns around to leave the room, Tim announces, “Melissa and I were just saying goodbye. I’m running late for an appointment.”
That’s clearly my cue to leave. “Thank you so much for such a nice date, Tim.”
“Thankyou.” He leans in and kisses my cheek. “What are you doing on Wednesday night?”
