Love and Sorrow (Small Town Secrets Book 5), стр. 20

“Yeah.”  I took a long drag on my cigarette.  Now this felt like a game, because I knew he had an ulterior reason for reaching out—but I wanted to play it cool as an October breeze.  “So was that all you called for?”

I could actually hear the smile on Justin’s face as he talked.  “I know we decided I’m out of the picture for a while.  And I’m cool with that.”  Obviously.  “But I miss our regular time together.”  I scoffed, something he also heard through the phone.  “I don’t care what you think, Randi.  You’re part of my life, and I miss you.”

Okay, so that was a bit of a revelation—if it was true.  But I kept my mouth shut, taking another drag on my cigarette.

“But here’s what I was thinking.  You and I have never really gone out on a date—we’ve done group things with other people from school, we’ve spent lots of time together alone, but never out, never just you and me unless it’s at your house.  You need a night out, Rascal.  I’ve never seen you more stressed out than the other night, and I’m pretty sure you’re not taking care of yourself like you should.  I just want to get you out of the house for a while.”

Maybe he was right—and I felt my spirits lifting, but I didn’t want to let myself get my hopes up too high.  “So what did you have in mind?”

“Dinner and dancing tomorrow night—unless you have to work or, um, have other plans.”

Jesus.  He knew I didn’t have other plans.  “No.  I have tomorrow night off.”

“So, then, what do you say?”

It sounded like fun, something I hadn’t had in far too long to remember.  “I’ll give you a solid maybe.”  My heart was saying YES!  “I’ll have to see if my parents can watch the kids tomorrow night.”

“Ask them if they can keep the kids overnight.”

Oh, my God.  What the hell did he have planned?  No way could I resist this.  “Why?”

“Because, woman, I plan to get you wasted.  You need a break.  You’re gonna have fun and let loose for the first time in who knows how long, and I’ll be your tour guide.”

“All right.  What time?”

“Seven sound okay?”

“Sure.”

“See you then, Rascal.”

When I hung up my phone, my heart felt light at first.  I hadn’t been on a real date since…  Holy shit.  The last real date I’d been on was with Mike, Devon’s dad.  If you could call what we did dating.  We’d plan to go to movie and wind up fucking in his truck.  A variation on that theme was planning a dinner date and instead grabbing take out, screwing like animals in his apartment before eating.  Maybe that was the difference between Mike and Justin.  I’d fucked Mike.  And while it was usually decent, that was the extent of it.  And Kent, Sarah’s dad?  Well, I’d loved that man, had felt like I’d blossomed into a woman with him, but his emotions had never caught up to mine.  So even though sex with him had been satisfying, it hadn’t gone anywhere.

Justin?  That man was a lover.  He knew how to please a woman and make her feel cared for, desirable, even precious.  Mike had made me feel desirable, but more like a steak dinner or a brand-new truck.  And while Justin and I had had some wild times in bed as well, the man had tender moments.  That insight helped me realize that was how I’d easily tiptoed over that line from friend with benefits to way more.

But what I needed to remember was I wasn’t the only woman in his life—probably not even the only one who felt this way.  And yet my relationship with him was far healthier than when I’d been with Mike.

And just because I wasn’t the only woman in his life, maybe there was something different about me when compared to the others Justin spent his time with?  Otherwise, why did he keep coming back?

Enough speculation.  I obviously had no more insight into Justin’s head than I did my daughter’s.

Lighting up another cigarette, I dialed the number to my parents’ house and felt surprised when my mother answered almost immediately.

The first thing she asked was the first thing I should have been ready to tell her.  “How did Sarah’s doctor appointment go?”

I lied.  “Fine.”  At some point, I’d have to tell my parents at least part of what was happening—but I wasn’t ready to do it right now, especially because I didn’t know what the hell was going on.  “I hate to ask you, mom, but I wondered if you and dad could watch the kids tomorrow and keep them overnight.”

“Hold on a second.”  After a moment, she said, “Yes, I think we’d like that.  We’re free tomorrow night.  I’m sorry about tonight, honey.”

“No, that’s fine, mom.  I get it.  You have a life.  It’s not your fault I have so much going on.”

“Do you have to work tomorrow night, too?”

“Actually, a friend of mine is taking me out.”

“Oh, that’s nice.  What will you be doing?”

“Dinner and dancing.”

There was no mistaking the disapproval in my mother’s voice.  “A man friend.”

“Yes.  He and I have been friends for a while now.  We met in school last year.  He knows I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately and offered to take my mind off it for a while.”

When my mother saw the opening, she dashed toward it.  “Have you thought about the offer?”

Lying again, I said, “Yeah.  I still haven’t decided yet.”

“Well, honey, why don’t you keep thinking about it?  You can pick up the kids Sunday afternoon and then we can talk about it seriously.”

Fuck me.  But this was the price I’d have to pay the piper.  “Okay.  I have to work Sunday night, though, so I won’t be able to stay for too long.”

“Of course, but you can stay long enough to eat and talk, can’t you?”

“Yes.”

“What time will you bring the kids by tomorrow?”

It took