“Stay and eat,” Maisie said. “I’ll get you the Donald fork.” She ran past me into the kitchen again.
“You can’t turn down the Donald fork,” he said with a smirk.
“I guess I’ll stay then.” It was really pathetic how much I liked it whenever he’d ask me dine with them on nights like this. I felt like a dumb school girl wanting whatever crumbs of attention Dylan would throw my way.
“Yay!” Maisie put the fork on the table. “Daddy, we played Candyland and I drew this picture. It’s of Little Bear and his mommy. His mommy lives with him, not like my mommy.”
The spark in Dylan’s eyes dimmed. “Where’s Little Bear’s daddy?”
“He’s …” Maisie’s brow furrowed. “Where is he, Tessa?”
“That’s a good question. The book doesn’t say.”
Dylan shook his head. “Dads don’t get enough attention in kids’ materials.”
He was right, and I felt guilty that I hadn’t more actively sought out books with dads. “You should write one,” I said.
“I’ll write one, Daddy.” Maisie grabbed her paper and crayons and started coloring.
A few minutes later, we were at the table eating chicken and vegetables.
“So, tomorrow is the last day of school. How does it feel, Mais?” he asked.
“Good. After tomorrow I’m in first grade.” She held up her index finger.
“You need to stop growing up so fast,” he said with a sweet smile at Maisie.
“I can’t help it, Daddy.” She held her hands up in a shrug.
“How about you, Tessa? What grade do you go into next year?” he asked, taking a bite of the vegetables.
I gave a little shrug as I pushed my food around my plate. “Eighteenth? If I go.”
“If?”
“Eighteen!” Maisie’s eyes widened.
I didn’t want to go into my financial woes. “Just need to secure tuition funds.” To avoid going into detail, I took a bite of my chicken.
He frowned. “Is that a real problem?”
I shook my head. “The problem is, what are Maisie and I going to do all summer?”
“I want to go to the pool,” Maisie said.
“So, you’re still good to watch her this summer?” Dylan watched me over the rim of his glass of water.
I nodded. “Yes. Maisie and I are going to have a blast, aren’t we sweet pea?”
“Yep.” Maisie chased a brussels sprout around her plate with her fork.
After dinner, I offered to do the dishes while Dylan played Candyland with Maisie. When I was done, Dylan walked me to the door, and watched as I made my way next door to my house. He always watched to make sure I got home okay, a gesture that wasn’t needed, and yet I found it completely endearing.
“How’s the single hot dad?” Corrine, one of my roommates asked as I closed and locked the door behind me.
“Still hot and single,” I said.
“I don’t know why you don’t jump him,” said Allison, my other roommate. She was sitting on the couch painting her toenails a bright pink.
“Because I don’t want the embarrassment that would come with him rejecting me.” I sat on the couch next to Allison and looked over at Corrine, who was sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table doing some sort of formulas for her stats final.
“I doubt that would happen. You’re pretty with a good body.” Allison set her nail polish in the table.
“Remember, he used to sleep with Veronica Tisdale. There’s no way I compare to her.”
“He’s a man. I’m not sure they’re that picky,” Corrine said.
“Gee thanks,” I said with a laugh.
“You know what I mean.”
“I’d still jump him. I bet he’s good in bed.” Allison waved her hands over her toes to help dry the polish.
“He doesn’t seem to get out much.” Corrine put her pencil down. “Does he?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. I only babysit when he’s working. I’ve never seen him on a date. I think he’s too focused on raising Maisie.”
“He probably gets his jollies off with a woman at the gym,” Allison said.
I frowned. “You think?”
“He has to sometime, doesn’t he? Don’t men’s balls shrivel up or something if they don’t blow their load every now and then?”
I knew Allison was kidding, but I still said, “You’ve been letting Keith manipulate you into bed again, haven’t you?”
She gave me a coy smile. “Maybe. He’s good at it.”
“Manipulating or in bed?” Corrine asked.
“Both.” Allison waggled her eyebrows.
That night in bed, I thought about what Dylan might do if I came on to him. He was nice to me, but that didn’t mean he thought I was attractive. He’d probably act flattered, but inside be horrified. He was a man who’d had lots of sex with Veronica Tisdale, one of the most beautiful women in the world. I could imagine all the ways they’d had sex. With me, he’d have someone who had no clue what they were doing. Sure, there was an idea that men liked virgins, but I wasn’t sure that was true. Men liked creativity in bed more, I was sure, and that I didn’t have.
With a sigh, I rolled over and went to sleep. At least I could have him in my dreams.
2 Dylan
I watched as Tessa disappeared into the house next door. I was troubled by the idea that I might lose her as a babysitter for Maisie. It was going to happen someday, but I thought I had at least one more year of her help. The thought of having to find another suitable person to help me was only just one part of it. The truth was, I liked being around Tessa. On nights like tonight, when she stayed and ate dinner with us, I felt like I was giving Maisie a real family experience. Granted, Tessa wasn’t Maisie’s mother or my wife, but she fit with us somehow. Since I didn’t plan to ever marry again, nights like tonight were the only times Maisie would have something like that.
Tessa was smart, positive, and nurturing to Maisie, which I knew Maisie needed from a woman. Since her mother was
