Promises (TP 6)

15 - Again

This is the second of a double update.

She was there looking beautiful, so he had asked her to dance. The things about Tessa that Kristi was nosy about left him intrigued.

"How did you know I danced?"

"I saw pictures of you together on Facebook."

"Are you kidding me?" She shook her head. "My girls could see them."

She laughed. "Kids don't use Facebook anymore. Why do you care if they see you if it meant nothing?"

Did it mean something? "Exactly. I was well aware I wasn't dancing with their mother. They might... I don't know."

"You're right. Seeing you with anyone who isn't Erica will be a shock for them."

"Gabby's easygoing, but Hannah didn't like I was dating."

"Hannah is still mourning. I know you all are, but she's taking longer."

He stared into his coffee cup. "I know. I have no more dates scheduled. I won't be seeing my former patient again. We had coffee on Sunday morning and my kids are a deal breaker."

"Sorry."

"It's fine." He didn't even like her very much, but at least he had some experience dating.

"Dan's in New Jersey again."

"He's been away a lot more."

"It's this project. I'll be glad when it's over."

"Let me know if I can help while he's out of town. I owe you."

"Thanks, but I'm pretty good at taking care of myself."

Their coffee meetings never lasted very long. Kristi had to run off to an appointment or to volunteer or an errand. Patrick couldn't keep up, but she was always busy.

A week later, Kristi was frustrated because Dan was in New Jersey again.

"Plenty of people travel for their jobs."

"Dan rarely did until recently."

"Send the kids to my house on Saturday night. You and Dan can make up for lost time."

"I don't know. Maybe. Ivy can always go across the street."

Patrick knew Ben could stay at the Brenner's house too. He just wanted to help his friend.

Kristy ran off to tackle a project. He had his own list of things to do. He had to take a trip to Walmart. He didn't mind shopping, at least not during the week when it wasn't crowded. He browsed around the hardware aisles. He needed a new door stopper to replace a broken one.

He wandered into the men's department and remembered Kevin needed new underwear. He stared at the wall of packages. There were various styles, sizes and waist bands. He found the right package in boys extra large, hoping they would fit. It wouldn't hurt if he had an upgrade, especially if he was going to be dating. He wore men's medium and found the style of boxer briefs he preferred.

He stopped in the toothpaste aisle. When he pushed his cart back into the main aisle, he almost hit another cart. Looking up to apologize, he froze. It was her.

Finding his voice, he said, "We keep running into each other, literally."

She laughed before her eyes glanced at his cart with his underwear, Crest, hardware, and a box of waxy chocolate doughnuts.

"Don't you know those aren't good for your teeth?"

"The kids like them. They won't harm them if they brush after."

Her cart was full of ingredients. Things that needed recipes to use - spices, flour, nuts.

"Are you baking?"

"Just restocking. It was nice bumping into you."

He suddenly didn't want her to leave. "Are you in a hurry? Maybe we could talk."

"Talk?"

He nodded. "Um, visit. I enjoyed your company before."

She blushed. "Do you know people were talking about us?"

"I know our picture was on Facebook." He surprised himself. "Would you like to go out with me sometime?"

She shook her head. "I don't like leaving my girls."

"They're in school now."

"I don't like people talking about me. Besides, your friend doesn't like me."

"I'm asking you out, she isn't."

She shook her head again. "I don't date."

The more difficult she was, the more he wanted to convince her. He could tell she wasn't just playing hard to get. Suddenly he wanted to protect her from whatever convinced her she shouldn't have a life.

As he debated his next argument, she said, "I have to go. I've been out all morning and haven't had lunch."

"See. I haven't either. What's the harm in two acquaintances having lunch?" She started to speak, but he continued. "We don't have to go out. You can come to my house if you want to keep it private."

She sighed. "You win, but I'd rather you come to my house."

He smiled as if he just won a prize. He didn't care if it was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The more she resisted, the more he wanted to spend time with her. While they had their little debate, he was distracted by how she looked different, but even better than the other night. Her legs which were shapely for not being too long were in tight skinny jeans, not stockings. Her lips were a natural rose, not the darker shade she had put on. Her face without a trace of makeup glowed. She had brown eyes that were like a cup of cocoa, which differed from the dark ones he had been in love with for years. His children ranged from dark like Erica's to hazel.

They both had to check out, and he was glad when they chose self checkouts a distance apart. He felt awkward enough buying underwear. At least, he wasn't buying condoms. He hadn't expected sex either time and was glad both women were prepared. He glanced across as Tessa scanned her groceries. He shook his head; she was nothing like Noelle.