Page 19 of The Single Dad's Guide to Recreation

“Huh. I totally forgot about that.”

“I did not.” Hoping Josh will be available by now, I step away from the makeup table. “Thanks for the makeover, Van.”

“My pleasure,” Van says, and I actually kind of believe them.

Remembering that they’d said it was a challenge for them, I add, “Your tour was truly awesome.”

“Aww, thank you!” They open their arms wide, but then freeze. “I forgot to ask first. I’ve learned things are different here in New York. Can I hug you?”

“Um, sure. Don’t want to leave you hanging.”

When their arms enclose my torso, a hiccup of emotion bubbles up. I don’t think anyone has hugged me for a long time, and it feels really good. “Thanks, Van.”

“Thank you, Avery.” They step back and point a finger gun at Eli. “I’ll go make some hay for Pegasus, Eli.”

I turn to leave as well, before realizing I have no idea which way to go. “Um…”

Van has disappeared, so I ask Eli for directions back to the elevator banks, which are not at all in the direction I would’ve chosen. “I’m so glad you took the time to visit. I want community members to feel welcome here.”

“I enjoyed the tour, but I actually came looking for Josh.”

“He’s been growth hacking with our new accelerator group. Doing some real blue sky thinking.”

I nod, even though I have no idea what any of that means, exactly. “I was worried at first when he missed Playgroup. I’d thought maybe his wife would’ve brought Percy, but his mother did instead,” I say, even though I doubt Eli even knows what Playgroup is.

But as I’m thinking that perhaps he does know, and that maybe he’s the one—not Josh—who wants to cut the program, Eli says, “Oh no, his wife can’t bring Percy anywhere. She’s deceased.”

The doors close between us before I can ask anything else.

Josh is not married!my girl parts sing as I head back to my car.We’re allowed to lust over him!

But heisa widower, my frontal lobe warns.He’s grieving. Not a good time to get involved. For either of us.

We could be a part of the healing process,girl parts argue, complete with a hazy, romantic movie of the two of us running toward each other in a field of flowers.

Tires screeching and the honk of a car horn bring me crashing back to reality. And into a hedge. When I try to remove myself, I end up getting tangled further. “Oh, for cod’s sake!”

“Avery?” the man of my daydreams towers over me. His face is flushed, but I’m guessing it’s not because he was just fantasizing about me. “You just walked in front of my car!”

The anger in his tone has me shrinking farther into the bushes. “I didn’t do it on purpose. I was—” Suddenly, something below me gives way and the hedge swallows me. “Son of a bee sting!”

Josh pries apart the branches over my head. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah. Just… stuck.” Wincing, I manage to disentangle one arm. “And a little scratched.”

He reaches through the greenery to help me release the other arm but ends up pulling my hair. “Ow!”

“Sorry, sorry! This is like a scene fromLittle Shop of Horrors.”

After several tries, we manage to free both of my hands, but my rear end is still wedged between branches. “Now what?”

“I think the only thing to do is pull you out. On three?”

When I nod, he says, “Take hold of my wrists.”

I do so, and he grasps mine firmly, sending little tingles up my arms. “One, two…” we say together, but before I can say three, he hauls me out of the hedge and into his chest.

Grabbing his upper arms to keep from falling, I sputter, “You said three!”

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