Page 11 of Single Daddy To Go

I zip up the dress and look at myself in the mirror. It’s nothing crazy, but I look sweet. I pick up my brushes to start on my makeup when Haley squeals so hard I drop a cosmetic brush in shock.

“What?” I ask, turning towards her. “Is everything okay?”

My friend’s eyes are fixed on the screen, eating it up greedily.

“Is this Rob Lockhart?” Haley turns her phone towards me. The image on the cell is a headshot of Rob in three quarters profile. He looks a bit younger in the picture, but it’s definitely the same guy.

I nod, smiling at how handsome he is.

“Oh my god, Ally. Way to bury the lede. One of the dads from daycare, my butt. Why didn’t you mention that part where he’s the billionaire CEO of Lockhart Industries?”

What? My heart skips a beat. I don’t even know what to say. I just stand there, unsure how to process this information.

“Um, I didn’t know that part,” I mumble eventually, when I can make my mouth work again.

Holy shit, is this true? I knew Rob was well off, because he wears business suits and because pretty much all of the parents at Ladybug are doing well. Its location on the ritzy Upper West Side makes that par for the course. But I had no idea he was abillionaire.

“Oh my god, Ally, he’s on theForbesWorld Billionaires list. How on Earth did you score this one?” Her voice is filled with bemused incredulity. Haley keeps scrolling her phone, learning more about Rob. I’m not the sort of girl who googles a date. I guess I’m old fashioned. I just like to get to know people on a personal level.

I shrug, in disbelief myself. “His daughter attends the day care I work at. I’ve met him a few times when he’s come to pick her up. He seems really nice. I don’t know, Haley. He asked me out. I actually tried pretty hard to say no, because I was worried about what it would look like if I went out with one of the dads, but he’s really charming andverypersuasive. I swear, I had no idea.”

“Maybe that’s why he likes you,” she says with a thoughtful look. “Because you’re the sort of girl who agrees to a date with a ridiculously rich guy and doesn’t even notice that he’s rich.”

“Maybe,” I say, going back to the mirror to do my makeup. I was always going to put my best effort in, but now I know I have to turn it up a notch.

“Quite the man about town,” Haley says, as she keeps looking at pictures on her phone.

I want to ignore her and focus on what I’m doing, but the curiosity is too much for me.

“What do you mean?”

She shrugs.

“Goes to a lot of events. Gets his photo taken a lot.”

I grab the phone and look. She’s right. Hedoesgo to a lot of events and gets his photo taken a lot. The part she didn’t mention was that he does so with lots of different beautiful women.

I scroll the photos, my heart sinking. Rob is in a tuxedo in a lot of the snaps and looks absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, so do the women on his arm. They’re almost all tall and blonde, and resemble supermodels. They’re wearing high fashion dresses that probably cost more than a year of my salary, and they’re decked out in diamonds and pearls.

I hand the phone back, feeling dejected.

“Wow. Why would he even bother with me? These women are like perfect beauty queens while I’m just some average girl. Here he is with all these tall blondes, whereas I’m a pumpkin by comparison.”

Haley shakes her head.

“No, you’re awesome. And besides, maybe he doesn’t want a supermodel. Maybe he wants someone down to Earth and kind. Beauty fades right? It’s what’s on the inside that counts. Plus, just because you’re curvy and short doesn’t mean you’re not desirable.”

There’s a lump in my throat. I try to swallow it down, but it remains.

“People say that but-”

“No!” Haley cuts me off. “It’s real. Don’t get down on yourself.Heasked you out, right?”

I think back to the moment, replaying in my mind.

“Yes. He asked me out.”

She shrugs.