Page 66 of Coveted Justice

“Maybe. I don’t know. Until a few days ago, I’d never thought about him that way. All of the sudden, it seems like everything has changed. I’m not sure how to handle this.”

“Josh doesn’t seem like the type to go around kissing girls willy-nilly,” Maddie replied. “I think there’s probably a good chance that he likes you, too.”

“You think so?”

Amanda sounded hopeful. Maddie was pretty sure her daughter liked Josh more than she was letting on.

“I can’t say for sure, but I think it’s a real possibility. When you see him tomorrow, just tell him that you like him.”

A look of horror crossed Amanda’s features.

“I can’t do that. What if you’re wrong and he doesn’t like me? He just kissed me because…I was there.”

“If he did that, then he isn’t the person that I thought he was. However, I see your point. The direct approach is a difficult one.”

“What would you do, Mom? I don’t want to lose Josh as my friend.”

What would she do? Nothing, if the truth be told. She’d known next to nothing about men when she’d met Tanner, and the little she did know wasn’t all that positive. She was an idiot when it came to romance and love. Tanner had done all the heavy lifting in the beginning of their relationship, taking all the chances.

Being a parent meant knowing when she didn’t have the answers. Tonight was one of those times.

“I don’t know,” she confessed. “I didn’t have much luck in the romance department until your father came along. But I will say this, he made sure that I knew he had feelings for me. He didn’t have to say it out loud, but I could tell by the way he looked at me, and the way he acted.”

“So if Josh likes me he’ll let me know?”

Maddie wasn’t a big fan of telling her daughter to be passive in a relationship. It went fully against her own ideas about men and women and love, in general.

“I don’t know what Josh is going to do. You can only control yourself in this situation. But I will say this, acting strange and awkward tomorrow won’t help things.”

“It would only make it worse,” Amanda sighed. “I know. That’s what’s so hard about this. I don’t want to act like it didn’t happen, but I don’t want to make a big deal about it either. I’m stuck and I don’t know what to do.”

“Josh probably feels the same way,” Maddie said. “He’s probably worried about tomorrow, too. Maybe you should just see how he acts and take your cues from him. And if you feel that the time is right, you can bring up the kiss. Or not. You do what feels right to you.”

“I can do that,” Amanda replied with a nod of agreement. “And I hope he’s feeling the same way. I’d hate to think that I’m the only one confused about all of this.”

“You can call me tomorrow if you need me. I may not have any good advice, but I can be there for you. I can even stop by the office if you’d like me to. We could go out to lunch. Just the two of us.”

“You have patients tomorrow.”

“I can move my schedule around a bit. I’m only part-time now, remember?”

Amanda just laughed and shook her head.

“You could but it would be a hassle on such short notice. No, I’ll be fine. But if it gets weird I just might call you.”

“Absolutely, I can definitely take time out for a phone call.”

Amanda placed her plate on the small table before wrapping her arms around her knees, hugging them into her chest.

“Mom, do you like Josh?”

“As a nephew or as a boyfriend for you?”

“Either. Both.”

“What I know of Josh is that he’s a fine young man who is absolutely brilliant. As for whether I like him as a boyfriend for you remains to be seen. I would want him to treat you with the respect that you deserve. I know that he sees how Reed treats Kaylee, so he has an excellent role model.”

“I think he would be a good boyfriend.”

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