Page 11 of Second Dance
“Easy for you to say. Your daughter said nice things about you,” Delphine said darkly. “Whereas mine said I’m rudely blunt. And that I hate it when people talk at movies.”
“You do hate that,” Esme said meekly. “And her admiration for you was very clear.”
“She knows you well,” Lila said.
“Fine. She’s right. But still.” Delphine frowned into her beer.
“Now everyone knows I don’t share popcorn,” I said, trying to sound serious, but a giggle escaped. “That was a great prompt. It really showcased who we are.”
“Robbie said he made sure everyone answered the same questions,” Esme said. “So that they would all match.”
“Of course he did,” Lila said.
“And unlike all of your children, he showed no remorse when I confronted him,” Esme said. “He said it was statistically unlikely we would find our match on there, but that it was worth trying, and that surely it couldn’t pick any worse than I had on my own. Meaning his father.”
“Well, he has a point,” Delphine said.
“I realize that.” Esme laughed, shaking her head. “I know you guys are mad, but it’s not really that big of a deal, is it? And get this. Tyler rewrote Robbie’s original About Me section. Robbie showed me the original. I had to go into the bathroom so he wouldn’t see me laughing. It was so him.”
Just then, the jukebox rolled into a familiar melody—“AlreadyGone(But Still Here).”It had been a huge hit a few years back. I’d not been surprised to see Tyler had put it in her profile.
“How weird that this came on,” Esme said. “Could it be a sign?”
“Of what?” Delphine asked.
“Well, you know … I don’t know,” Esme said. “That maybe the kids are right, and we should put ourselves out there.”
“I should have known something was up when Tyler asked me about my favorite song.” Seraphina tugged on her earring, letting out a little laugh. “Although, he should’ve known without having to ask. I’ve listened to it a thousand times.”
Hunter slid a fresh pitcher and basket of fries onto the table. “This song?”
Seraphina glanced up at him. “Yes. It’s my all time favorite. I love Ivy Day’s voice but it’s the song itself that moves me.”
For a heartbeat, something flickered across Hunter’s face—like her words had pleased him. Then it was gone, replaced by his usual polite reserve.
“What do you like about it?” Hunter asked.
Seraphina paused for a moment, perhaps gathering just the right words. “That you can't truly be loved unless you love yourself. That when you hold people too tightly out of insecurity, you push them away. You manifest the worst—the tighter you grip, the more they want to leave.”
“That’s so true,” Esme said, shaking her head sadly. “Take it from me.”
“You ladies need anything else?” Hunter asked, his usual guarded expression returning.
We said no, thanking him. I caught Seraphina watching him as he headed back to the bar.
“I can’t believe the kids did this right under our noses,” Delphine said, clearly still hot. “How are we going to punish them?”
“Take their phones,” I said. “It’s the thing that’ll hurt the most.”
The others nodded in agreement.
“Did anyone have any matches or messages?” Lila asked, almost too casually. “Just out of curiosity.”
I placed my hands on the tabletop, leaning forward. “I did. And you’re all going to want to see this. Hang on. I’ll pull it up.” I located Alex’s profile and showed it to them, waiting as they passed it around the table.
“So he didn’t cheat on you,” Delphine said. “He met someone with kids and adopted them. Kind of like you.”
“Yeah. I know,” I said. “And did you see the part about being in love twice?”
