Page 34 of Truth or More Truth (Throwback RomComs #3)

thirty-two

. . .

I ’m still amazed by how much I want to talk to Melissa.

I’m not a big talker when I’m not working.

And even for work, I only have the conversations I’m required to have.

Diego is the only exception when it comes to people I interact with for work.

And I guess indirectly Ash and Leslie as well, since they both also work for Diego in one way or another.

But wanting to talk to a woman like this?

A woman I’m interested in? It honestly hasn’t ever happened before.

I do enjoy talking to Nanette, and I consider her one of my best friends, but I never had an overwhelming desire to constantly talk to her or be with her like I do with Melissa.

“So what’ve you been up to since you got back home from Arkansas?” I ask.

“You don’t want to hear about the trip home with Diego?” she teases. “Make sure he didn’t try to steal me away from you?”

“I have no doubt he’d have tried his best to flirt with you and maybe try to seduce you if the circumstances were different,” I admit, “but I already talked to him and he said he kept his hands to himself and was the perfect gentleman.”

“Well, I don’t know about perfect, but he was respectful for the most part.”

My eyebrows draw together. “But not for the whole part?” I practically growl. I might be needing to have a conversation with the man .

“Calm down, Bobby Joe. He just asked me some very personal questions when we played ‘Truth or Dare,’ but I shut him down.”

“How personal are we talking?” I demand, sitting up straight in my office chair.

“More personal than I wanted to get with him, but he did respect my choice to not respond.”

“Well, that’s good at least.” I’d still be having a chat with him about it, though.

“But enough about Diego. The trip was fine. Actually, it was fun, because how could it not be, considering the company? Since then I’ve mostly been working.

I’ve seen Wendy and Randall a couple times, and tonight I went to my parents’ house for dinner.

I go over there every Sunday evening. Once a month the Hamilton crew joins us, or we go over to Ruth’s.

Well, I guess it’s not going to be just Ruth’s anymore, is it?

That’s so weird they’ll all be practically living together. Good weird, mind you, but still weird.”

My chest tightens. “It’s also weird that my ex-wife lives in my backyard. Is that a good weird?” I’m honestly more worried about this being an issue for her than me having a teenager.

She hesitates the briefest of seconds, and my heart stops.

“Definitely good weird. It shows you’re a compassionate man, and it also tells me you want to be as close to your daughter as possible, even when she’s not living in your house.”

I blow out a long breath. “I appreciate you saying that.”

“I’m not just saying it. I mean it.”

“Thanks.”

“Anyway,” she says, “I’m not sure I’d want to be a newlywed and living with my in-laws, but to each their own, I guess.”

“It’s a giant house and large property, and I think it’ll work out OK for all of them.”

“I hope so,” she replies. “Now, tell me about your house. I want to be able to picture you there when I talk to you. Where are you sitting right now?”

“I’m sitting at my desk in my home office.”

“That doesn’t sound very comfortable.”

“It’s not bad. I have a fancy chair. It’s padded and I can swivel it and move it up and down.” I swivel back and forth a few times for no good reason other than thinking about that option. “I’ve even fallen asleep in it a time or two.”

“Ooo, that is a fancy office chair. Mine makes my back hurt.”

“Maybe I need to have a chat with your employer about getting better chairs for the office.” The team management respects me because of Diego, so they’d likely make it happen without question.

“You don’t need to do that.”

“I can do it, though. It wouldn’t be just for you but for all employees, if you’re worried about being singled out.”

“All right then, I won’t complain if you get them to spring for comfy chairs in the office.”

A smile spreads across my face. “Consider it done.”

“Pretty confident in your abilities there, aren’t you, Bobby Joe?”

I chuckle. “Always, when it comes to convincing baseball execs to do something they might not do otherwise.”

“Or you could have Diego ask, and there will be absolutely zero chance they’ll say no.”

Though I should be slightly offended by that, a full-blown belly laugh bursts out of me.

“True. And if they do say no, he’ll just buy the chairs himself.

” It occurs to me I could do the same thing.

However, the Cubs wouldn’t find it as odd for Diego to ask for or buy new office chairs for everyone as it would be for me to do so.

Plus, Leslie could potentially use it as positive PR for our mutual client.

“Either way,” I say, “we’re getting you and your co-workers new chairs.”

Melissa cheers, and my heart soars.

“So tell me about the rest of your office,” she demands. “Is it dark and brooding, with imposing mahogany furniture and a plush rug?”

I smile again. “It’s nice to know you think I live like the mafia don you believe me to be.”

“I bet there’s also a portrait of a horse and you have an illegal gambling den in the basement.”

“You nailed it. ”

She pauses. “Really?”

Another belly laugh bursts free. What is it about this woman that makes me laugh so much?

“No, none of that is true. Well, I do have a plush rug, but that’s about it.

My house is Mediterranean style, so the floors are terracotta tiles, the ceilings have exposed beams, and the walls are white.

Well, except for Kelli’s room, which is bright pink.

” It’s like a Barbie box exploded in there, although she claims she’s too old to play with the dolls anymore.

“My office is on the second floor, with a balcony overlooking the backyard.”

“There’s a pool in that backyard, isn’t there?”

“Yes, and a hot tub.”

“Oh, man, I could use a hot tub right about now.”

I try not to picture her in my hot tub with me, and I fail miserably. But then I realize since we’re dating, there’s nothing wrong with picturing us together in a hot tub, which makes me smile yet again.

“What’s Nanette’s house like?” she asks. “I’m guessing it’s the same style?”

I swivel my chair so I can look outside, where the guest house is faintly glowing from the security lights I had installed. “Yes, but smaller and only one story, so she doesn’t have to deal with stairs. We weren’t sure she’d be able to climb them when I bought the place.”

“Makes sense. Kelli told me you were off to pick her up from the hospital when I called earlier. So she’s doing all right?”

“Yes, she was in the hospital a few days longer than they expected, but she’s holding her own. She’s glad to be home in her own bed, though, without nurses waking her up every few hours.”

“Why do they do that in the hospital?” she asks. “It’s never made any sense to me, at least not for most patients.”

“I guess they want to be thorough.” I tap my fingers on my desk. “And maybe avoid malpractice lawsuits.”

“Spoken like a lawyer.”

I grin. “Did you expect anything less? ”

“Can’t say I did.”

“Now, tell me how you ended up working for the team.”

“The short story is my dad has long-time connections with the team through both the Wrigley family and the Tribune. He was able to get me an interview, and I really hope I got the job because I’m qualified and not because of my dad.”

I shake my head. “I’m thinking your job history of working in HR on Wall Street more than qualifies you for the job, along with your Ivy League education. And you’re great at interacting with people of all kinds. They’d have been crazy not to hire you.”

“I appreciate you saying that.”

“I’m not just saying that,” I tease, echoing her words from earlier. “I mean it.”

“Thanks. And while I would love to talk to you all night long, it’s getting late here, and I need my beauty sleep.”

I take a second to weigh my words before saying, “You don’t need beauty sleep. You’re already stunning.” That sounds like a line, but I mean it with all my being.

She huffs out a laugh. “Wow, B.S., that was smooth.”

“Maybe so, but it’s true. It’s also true that you need sleep, though, so I’ll let you go.”

“Call me tomorrow night? I don’t have any plans after work, so I’ll be around all night, whenever you have time to call.”

“Sounds perfect.”

“How was your chat with Melissa last night?” Kelli asks as we’re driving to school Monday morning.

I cut my eyes to her for a moment. “How do you know I talked to her?” I’m surprised she didn’t ask me about Melissa the second she walked into the kitchen for breakfast.

She shrugs and smirks. “Because you liiiiiike her! Why would you wait?”

“OK, fine. I called her.” I don’t give her more details yet, because I know that will drive her crazy .

“Aaaaaaaaaand?” She sweeps an arm out as she says it.

“I guess we’re dating now.”

My daughter squeals and does a cute little shimmy in her seat. “Yesssss! When do I get to meet her?”

I sigh. “Not anytime soon. She lives halfway across the country, remember? And the two of us need to get to know each other better before I spring you on her.” I shoot her a grin.

“I’m afraid once she meets you, she might keep dating me just because you’re such a great kid and not because she likes me. ”

Her cheeks turn pink at the compliment. “You’re pretty likable, too.” She raises an eyebrow at me. “Except when you’re being a jerk.”

I clap a hand over my heart. “Ouch.”

“If the shoe fits, grumpy pants.”

I reach over and give her a playful shove on the shoulder. “I love you, kiddo.”

“Love you, too. But I’d love you more if you let me meet your girlfriend soon.” She barks out a laugh. “Dude, it’s weird you have a girlfriend.”

“Dude? Did you just call me ‘dude’?”

“Sure did. Would you rather me call you ‘old man’?”

“Uh, no.” I pull up in front of her school. “Have a good day at school, pumpkin.”

Kelli shakes a finger in my face. “No. No pumpkin.”

“All right, dude.”

She laughs again and flings her arms around my neck. “You’re the silliest grumpy old man I know. Now, go home and call Melissa and tell her you’re going to fly her out here to meet me this weekend.”

“Not gonna happen.” I do want to see her, but hopefully I’ll be able to fly to Chicago for a couple days later this week.

“See you after school.” Whitley’s mom offered to bring Kelli home after school every day this week, which is a great help.

By next week, Opal should feel comfortable leaving Nanette long enough to make the twenty-minute round trip to go pick her up.

Kelli slams the door, waves at me through the window, and then dashes toward a group of girls a few dozen yards away .

I really don’t know how I managed to raise such a great kid.

Actually, most of the credit goes to Nanette, but I’m pretty sure I haven’t done much to mess Kelli up, other than being out of town a lot.

Oh, and let’s not forget getting into a car accident that nearly cost her mom her life.

As I pull out of the school drive, I shake my head at myself.

If I’m going to continue to move forward with my life, I need to start believing what everyone keeps telling me—the accident was in no way my fault.

When I get back home, I’m going to need to jump right back into work mode.

Since some of my clients play for teams in the Eastern time zone, I’m typically up by five a.m. If I don’t have any urgent messages waiting for me, I’ll spend some time in my home gym before starting the work day.

Today was not one of those days. Jimmie Zane is still acting like a child, which is why I’ll likely be heading back to Chicago this week.

Not that I’m complaining much. I don’t really want to leave Kelli and Nanette again so soon after the hospital stay, but I want to make sure my client doesn’t do anything else to damage his budding career and, of course, I want to see Melissa.

My girlfriend Melissa. It’s as weird for me to think that as it was for Kelli to say it.

I’ve never had a girlfriend, which is bizarre for a man who has been married, but Nanette and I went straight from friendship to marriage.

I didn’t date during my brief stint in high school, and even in college and law school, I never went on more than a handful of dates with any one woman.

It didn’t help that I was a few years younger than my classmates, but I also was so busy working and studying that I didn’t have much time for anything else.

Granted, I haven’t even gone on one typical date with Melissa, and now I’m calling her my girlfriend.

But I figure spending all that one-on-one time together and then choosing to date long-distance qualifies her for the position.

Maybe I should ask her, though, before I introduce her to someone as my girlfriend and I find out she doesn’t feel we’re at that stage yet.

I wasn’t lying when I said I don’t know how to do this.

Not only do I not know how to date as a single dad, I don’t really know how to date in general.

Everything I know I learned this past year from watching Ash and Randall navigate their own relationships.

Neither of them did things the conventional way either, though.

But maybe that’s always the case. Life and relationships don’t usually play out like movies and books suggest they will.