“Hello?” he answered.
It didn’t sound like he was sleeping.
“Hey, it’s Kimberly! Are you busy?”
“Nope, not at all. I just got off the computer,” he said.
“That sounds like fun,” I laughed. “Listen, I wanted to call to tell you that I had a great time today. I know I might not have accurately shown it, but I did.”
“I had a great time, too. What was your favorite part of the date?” he asked.
Talk about putting me on the spot.
“I don’t know. What was yours?”
“When I kissed you in the parking lot.”
I could hear his voice smiling through the phone. “Yeah, I’d have to agree that was a pretty good part of the date.”
“So, does that mean you’ll go out with me again?” he asked.
“Yeah, I think I can swing that,” I teased him.
“Next time, I get to pick what we do,” he asserted.
“What would you like to do?”
“We haven’t known each other long enough to do what I want to do,” he said perversely. “But I’d like to do something special.”
Chapter Four
When I returned to work on Tuesday, I filled my coworkers in on all the details about my date—and who he was. As they listened to my story, they were shocked.
“It sounds like a fairy tale, Kimberly!” Rachel exclaimed.
“I know. It just seems so surreal. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.”
“You should go for it,” Sherry encouraged me.
Business was usual; we were painfully slow once again. On my break, I called to check on my daughter, which I typically did anyway.
“Hi Kimberly,” Lorraine answered the call.
“Hi. I was curious what you guys were up to today and was wondering how my munchkin is.”
“We’re not doing much to tell you the truth. She’s just been hanging out with Tyrone. He’s been working on painting the deck red so she’s been his big helper.”
“Oh, I bet he loves that,” I chuckled.
“Actually, he does! She’s a great drink-taker.” She snickered. “When you dropped her off this morning, I meant to ask you if you’ve gotten a hold of Dale since your date.”
“I called him last night,” I said, smiling.
“You did? I was thinking about it. If he really likes you, I say go for it. But if I were you, I wouldn’t keep him waiting too long. With his kind of cash, I’m sure women are lined up waiting to date him.” She raved.
“I’m more interested in an actual relationship and finding Nevaeh a good dad. We don’t need millions or billions of dollars to be happy.”
“Yeah, that’s right.” My friend chipped in.
“You never know. What if he has all this money, but he’s a complete asshole or what if he’s always gone or what if he’s abusive somehow? I don’t want to rush things only to find out too late.”
“I understand. So when do you expect you’ll talk to him again?” She pressed.
“I’m not sure, but.. I figured I’d hold out at least a couple of days. He said he wants to pick our next date. If he’s actually interested in me, then he’ll wait, but I better hang up. My break’s almost over and if Kevin comes in here and catches me on the phone, he’ll flip out. I’ll see you later.”
As soon as it was quitting time, I hung my apron in my locker, grabbed my purse and dashed out the door to pick up my cutie pie. I was glad my shift was over; my tips were hideous and business wasn’t picking up. Thoughts of calling Dale preoccupied my brain during my trip to Lorraine’s house. What if she was right? What if the ladies actually were lining up to date him? Would he take any of them up on it? If we ever became an exclusive item, would he be faithful to me? My mind finally shut off as I pulled in front of the house. Without fail, my sugar bug was waiting and watching through the window.
“Hi sweet pea,” I greeted my daughter, making my way through the door. “I heard you helped Uncle Tyrone paint the deck?”
“Yep, I sure did!” She announced beaming with pride of her accomplishment.
“I bet it looks beautiful. Can we go take a look at it?”
“Oh no, momma. We can’t walk out there. It’s wet!” she proclaimed.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Lorraine teased, walking into the room. “Would you like to tell your mom what else you did today?”
The tiny girl glimpsed down at the floor and shook her head no.