Page 41 of Summer Heat
Our food arrived then, and the subject was forgotten. I checked Derek's table here and there, and they seemed to be getting along. It didn't seem like a first date. I wondered if Maya cramped his style on the weekends he had her.
We ate, and Maya talked about her new bathroom and when it would be done. Shep was great about answering her questions. It also allowed my mind to wander. Maybe it was time for me to think about dating again.
If Derek could, why not me? I wasn't getting any younger, and I wanted a relationship with someone. Someone like Shep who adored my daughter. Surely there was someone out there for me. I kind of assumed that no one would want to date me because of Maya. Derek had always been indifferent to her, so wouldn't another man be too?
But Shep had destroyed my assumptions about men and made me think that anything was possible.
Maya asked to wash her hands, and I said she could since I could see her walk to the bathroom and go inside.
Shep placed his cloth napkin on the table. "You're quiet tonight."
"I was just thinking about Derek being here on a date."
His forehead wrinkled. "Does it bother you that he's seeing someone?"
"Not at all. But I wonder if it's time for me to get back out there. Maybe there's a guy out there who won't mind that I have a daughter."
Shep shook his head. "Any man who's worth anything will love Maya."
"I wonder how hard he will be to find." Someone who'd play with Maya at the table and sing toothbrushing songs to her to get her to brush her teeth.
His jaw worked. "You want to date."
I shrugged. "Maya's with him every other weekend. So I can go out then. There's no reason for me not to."
"How are you going to go about finding someone?"
My brow furrowed. "The usual way I suppose. Ask my friends for recommendations and get on a dating app."
He shifted in his chair. "A dating app?"
"Yeah, you've never done one?" Then I rolled my eyes. "Of course you haven't. You wouldn't need to."
The waitress cleared the table and asked if we needed anything. "Can you bring us the dessert menu, please?" Shep replied.
I appreciated that he'd asked for one.
He placed his elbows on the table. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You walk into a room and heads turn. You're handsome, charming?—"
Shep grinned. "You think I'm handsome?"
I rolled my eyes. "You know you are. That's part of your charm." He was confident and sure of himself in all areas except when it came to his family. He kept those insecurities bottled up.
Maya crawled over Shep's lap before he could stand to let her in. She leaned against him, clearly tired.
The waitress placed the menu in the middle of the table.
Shep picked it up. "They have ice cream with chocolate sauce. Does that sound good?"
At Maya's eager nod, Shep handed the waiter the menu. "Ice cream, please."
"Sure thing. I'll get that for you right away."
"When we get home, it's bedtime for you," I said to Maya, and she didn't protest. It had been a long day for her.
Shep patted her head. "I need you rested for tomorrow. We have more work to do."
