Dating For Decades by Tracy Krimmer

group?”
    “I started it when all of my friends were marrying themselves off or being coupled and having babies. I’ll admit I felt a little left out, even though I never want to be married. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to be in a relationship.” Why am I sharing all this information with him? He is easy to talk to, but I’m usually not so forthcoming. He’s like a human vacuum, and he’s pulling all the dirt out of me. Before the end of the night, I’ll probably have told him the color of my underwear.  
    “I get what you mean. A lot of the men I know are married as well. I’m forty-two and single. Most single men my age are that way because they’re divorced. Most I know have kids too.”
    “Kids. I don’t intend to have any of those.” I shake my hand, waving off any curse that comes with the word kids. Even though I’m on birth control, it’s a real fear. The best way to scare me is to show me a positive pregnancy test and have it be mine. I know if it happened, I probably would feel different and become an all-star soccer mom. But, if I can avoid a jam-packed schedule of school activities and feeding an additional mouth, I will.  
    “My best friend has two boys and they’re quite a handful. They’re great when they’re somebody else’s.” I’ve sat with them a few times when Shannon ran an errand or two and I barely thought I would make it through the hour. People say it’s different when they’re your own, but I don’t want to test that theory.
    He moves closer to me and touches my arm, making me suddenly aware of my heartbeat. “I can appreciate that. My brother has a set of twins. They’re eight and think they’re going on seventeen.”
    I inhale him at that moment, the rich aroma of his cologne tickling my nose. Even coming from the gym he smells amazing, and I’m transported to the lake with the sweet and salty scent. I open my eyes once I realize I closed them.  
    “Are you okay?”
    Shit. My smell session didn’t go unnoticed. “Yeah. I’m fine.” I take a glance around the room and I think we cleaned everything up. “Thanks for coming.” I put an end to this weird silence that lingered between us.
    “Like I said before, thanks for letting me. And thank you very much for the job. Work has been a little bit slow.”
    I got the impression from his reviews online he keeps pretty busy, so this is a bit of a shock to hear. “I hope you’re good.”
    “Oh, I am .” He knocks his elbow into mine.
    Is he flirting with me? I don’t think that would be so bad. But while we’ve never had a man in the group, I’m constituting a rule: no dating within the group, just like at work. It can only mean trouble.  

Chapter
    Thirteen

    Keith arrives at my office two weeks later on a Monday morning right on time. He seems a little out of place in my office wearing his blue jeans and T-shirt that has his company name written on it. Everyone here fancies up in their suits or skirts, even in the IT department, so he sticks out. Though next to Lucas, he’s the only one in the department who makes me turn my head. Everyone here is super young, with the exception of me and Terrence. I’m surrounded by children practically straight out of college. It’ll be nice to work with another person who has a little bit more experience in life.  
    “I hope you had a good weekend, Keith.” I greet him with a handshake. He’s been to two meetings now and everyone seems to like him. He’s okay, I guess. I can tolerate him just fine. I’m still getting used to a masculine presence in the group. The other women fawn over him like he’s the answer to all their problems. I’ll admit he’s nice to listen to, but I don’t want him pushing me away as leader of the group.
    “It was okay. I’m doing some work around the house, so I was able to get that done. You?”
    “Nothing exciting. Same old, same old.” And that’s certainly the truth. I worked, but that’s a normal night for me. My