our
plates in front of us, I stared at the constellation of tiny freckles on
Maddox’s neck. It was something I’d never noticed.
He cocked his head
to the side and looked at me inquisitively. “What are you looking at?”
“You have a happy
face on your neck. Right here,” I said gesturing to the same spot on my own
neck. “I think he’s sticking his tongue out at me.”
He barked out a
laugh. “Are you turning my moles into an ink blot exercise? If you want a
closer look, I bet we can work something out.”
I rolled my eyes
and huffed out an exaggerated sigh. “You have a one-track mind, you know.”
“It’s hard not to
when you show up looking like that,” he said, waving his fork in my direction.
“Whatever,” I said,
dismissing the compliment. “I could have shown up in a muumuu, and you’d act
the exact same way.”
“Muumuus are hot.
Besides that’s just more fabric for me to imagine peeling off of you.”
“ Maaaaddox .”
He laid his fork down. His eyes softened
and held mine in a silent plea. “Give me a chance, Kate. I’ll take you anywhere
you want to go. I promise, it won’t be boring.” While he waited for me to
speak, he nodded the yes that he was hoping to hear from me.
I had no good
reason for denying him. He was funny and good looking .
Charming when he wanted to be. If I could have asked the boyfriend fairy to
find the perfect man for me, she would have delivered Maddox on a silver
platter.
There was also no
denying that I was attracted to him. Once upon a time, he’d charmed the pants right off of
me. However, even then, I’d known it wasn’t sustainable. My life had been
halfway across the country, sometimes halfway around the world, and he hadn’t
seemed like the kind of guy who could commit anyway. I’d had no problem walking
away. To me, that said it all.
I drank in the
sincere look on his face and tried to feel it again. I wanted to want him. I
really did. I wanted nothing more than to want him like he wanted me. But
something was holding me back. Someone was holding me back. Even with the perfect guy sitting across
from me, someone else was on my mind.
It was stupid and
crazy and ridiculous, and I needed to put an end to the madness. I needed to
get Paul out of my head. “I’ll think about it, okay?”
His blue eyes
blazed victoriously, and he picked up his fork and starting eating again. “I’ll
have you screaming ‘yes’ before you know it.”
“I said I
would think about it.”
It was an act. I
was playing hard to get even though I’d already made up my mind.
I was not going to
run with Paul tomorrow, and I was going to go on another date with
Maddox.
I looked out of the
restaurant window and watched a group of kids break an egg onto the sidewalk
across the street. They gathered around it to see if it would fry.
I reconsidered. I would run with Paul tomorrow. But only because it was supposed to be 102 degrees by
mid-afternoon.
But when Maddox
asked again, I was going to go out with him again. I was going to get Paul out
of my head once and for all.
BLINDSIDED
Grace
I
walked through the gate and carefully closed it behind me. Aurora’s stub of a
tail wiggled in anticipation of the face licking ahead. Chubs lapped from the
water faucet in the middle of the park, his owner by his side.
Aurora pulled against me until I let go of the leash
and then she headed toward him as if she knew exactly why we were there. He
barked a gruff hello and then, as expected, greedily licked her drooping jowls.
“You’re here,” Paul said, smiling broadly. “I was
about to give up on you.” His ball cap pulled low on his head again, obscuring
his eyes in the shadow of the brim.
“I made it,” I said while still assessing him. The
first couple of times I’d seen him dressed like this, in a t-shirt and jeans
with flip flops on his feet, it had felt like a disguise, as if he was hiding
behind this look of
plates in front of us, I stared at the constellation of tiny freckles on
Maddox’s neck. It was something I’d never noticed.
He cocked his head
to the side and looked at me inquisitively. “What are you looking at?”
“You have a happy
face on your neck. Right here,” I said gesturing to the same spot on my own
neck. “I think he’s sticking his tongue out at me.”
He barked out a
laugh. “Are you turning my moles into an ink blot exercise? If you want a
closer look, I bet we can work something out.”
I rolled my eyes
and huffed out an exaggerated sigh. “You have a one-track mind, you know.”
“It’s hard not to
when you show up looking like that,” he said, waving his fork in my direction.
“Whatever,” I said,
dismissing the compliment. “I could have shown up in a muumuu, and you’d act
the exact same way.”
“Muumuus are hot.
Besides that’s just more fabric for me to imagine peeling off of you.”
“ Maaaaddox .”
He laid his fork down. His eyes softened
and held mine in a silent plea. “Give me a chance, Kate. I’ll take you anywhere
you want to go. I promise, it won’t be boring.” While he waited for me to
speak, he nodded the yes that he was hoping to hear from me.
I had no good
reason for denying him. He was funny and good looking .
Charming when he wanted to be. If I could have asked the boyfriend fairy to
find the perfect man for me, she would have delivered Maddox on a silver
platter.
There was also no
denying that I was attracted to him. Once upon a time, he’d charmed the pants right off of
me. However, even then, I’d known it wasn’t sustainable. My life had been
halfway across the country, sometimes halfway around the world, and he hadn’t
seemed like the kind of guy who could commit anyway. I’d had no problem walking
away. To me, that said it all.
I drank in the
sincere look on his face and tried to feel it again. I wanted to want him. I
really did. I wanted nothing more than to want him like he wanted me. But
something was holding me back. Someone was holding me back. Even with the perfect guy sitting across
from me, someone else was on my mind.
It was stupid and
crazy and ridiculous, and I needed to put an end to the madness. I needed to
get Paul out of my head. “I’ll think about it, okay?”
His blue eyes
blazed victoriously, and he picked up his fork and starting eating again. “I’ll
have you screaming ‘yes’ before you know it.”
“I said I
would think about it.”
It was an act. I
was playing hard to get even though I’d already made up my mind.
I was not going to
run with Paul tomorrow, and I was going to go on another date with
Maddox.
I looked out of the
restaurant window and watched a group of kids break an egg onto the sidewalk
across the street. They gathered around it to see if it would fry.
I reconsidered. I would run with Paul tomorrow. But only because it was supposed to be 102 degrees by
mid-afternoon.
But when Maddox
asked again, I was going to go out with him again. I was going to get Paul out
of my head once and for all.
BLINDSIDED
Grace
I
walked through the gate and carefully closed it behind me. Aurora’s stub of a
tail wiggled in anticipation of the face licking ahead. Chubs lapped from the
water faucet in the middle of the park, his owner by his side.
Aurora pulled against me until I let go of the leash
and then she headed toward him as if she knew exactly why we were there. He
barked a gruff hello and then, as expected, greedily licked her drooping jowls.
“You’re here,” Paul said, smiling broadly. “I was
about to give up on you.” His ball cap pulled low on his head again, obscuring
his eyes in the shadow of the brim.
“I made it,” I said while still assessing him. The
first couple of times I’d seen him dressed like this, in a t-shirt and jeans
with flip flops on his feet, it had felt like a disguise, as if he was hiding
behind this look of
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