I giggled. “Right, wait until they go to college. You’ll be in the poor house.”
“True dat. I’m not going to hold you up. I was just dropping by. I have to pick up one of my kids from some summer extracurricular activity. Is it wrong to steer them away from college.”
“Yes, it is.” I laughed.
“Thought so. Stay dry. I hear it’s supposed to start raining soon. Hit me up.”
“I will.”
We both moved in at the same time to give each other another a hug. I watched Nelson leave the store and walk down the street.
I walked back behind the counter and sat in the high chair.
“Gross.” Jason’s voice came from across the room.
“What’s gross?”
“You, falling all over Denzel Washington.”
Nelson was a decent looking man but he was no Denzel.
I pursed my lips. “Ah, it’s not in my nature to fall over any man.”
“That guy, he was one of your exes?”
“Yes.” I shook my head.
“From high school?”
“Yes, Nelson is my first real boyfriend.”
“Real, meaning?” He raised his thick dark eyebrow at me.
“My first.” I squinted, tilted and head and gave him a hard stare.
Jason’s face twisted. “You gave him— your virginity. Did he have hair back then?”
“Yes, he had hair way back in the day.”
“I don’t like him.”
“I don’t think he cares.”
“Why was he here?”
“He came in to ask me out. Weren’t you eavesdropping?”
“Out where? On a date?”
“Yes, on a date. People my age go on dates. We don’t just hang out at the mall.”
“I don’t like him.” He pouted. He was really pouting.
“Well, it’s a good thing you’re not going to be dating him.”
“If you go out with him I’m quite sure I would be jealous. That guy is not in your league. He’s clearly a wanker.”
“Oh, Jason sometimes you say some really weird shit.” Did he just call Nelson a wanker?
“You say that all the time. I’m making a concerted effort to be less weird.”
“Weird is not what I mean. You just don’t talk like a regular young person. I edit books and you have a broad vocabulary. You say things like concerted. My son is fifteen and I’m sure he doesn’t even know what that word means. When I say weird I don’t really mean it. I mean advanced. You know a lot of stuff for a twenty-year-old guy.”
“I’m not sure, but this all sort of seems like a compliment and also I way to change the subject. I don’t want you to go out with old man Nelson. What kind of name is Nelson? I mean there’s only one Nelson and that’s Mandela. Giving your child that name it just seems rude. He will never be able to live up to that name.”
“I’m sure it’s a family name. Instead of worrying about my dating life, you should try to find you a suitable girlfriend before summer is over. Some of the girls that come in here are very pretty.”
“Most girls my age are self-obsessed have low self-esteem and severe daddy issues. Like you pointed out, I’m a bit advanced. The conversations with girls my age will be superficial and boring.”
“You don’t know that. All women aren’t the same.”
“Why would you date this guy Nelson if you’re going back home in two months?”
“Because as a real adult person, I can do whatever I want to do.”
I walked out of the room. I intended to walk away but I didn’t know how else to handle the situation. I feared that Jason would challenge me and I wouldn’t even have the right words to spar with him. He was too smart for his own good. It’s not like I could take off a belt a spank his legs.
Chapter 9
KATRINA
The entire day passed without any incident. I kept the mop handy because customers were walking in with wet feet. Some would come in for a few seconds when the rain was coming down in buckets. Jason was being his normal jovial self with the customers. He was just acting bizarrely with me. He had engaged all the customers in small talk, even the ones that didn’t buy anything, the ones taking refuge from the rain. He ran the store with me being in the backdrop. He wasn’t saying much more to me then was required. He was giving me his polite version of the cold shoulder. Maybe I was reading it all wrong but I think he was sulking about Nelson. It was cute but he would get over it. I was divorced and no man could ever tell me what to do.
We both cleaned the store before closing. When it was time to lock the door I wanted to address the boundaries. My nerves wouldn’t let me. The fact that I was obsessing about a little kiss, some groping, and a little flirtatious banter seemed ridiculous. Jason’s nonchalance was about to drive me crazy. There was no way I was going to let this young man get into my head.
It had been raining off and on all day. The streets were wet and there was no way I could let Jason drive home at night in the rain. If something happened to him it would be my fault. I would want to fight any parent that would let my kid ride a bike in the dark, in the rain when they had a car. Jason didn’t live far and it would be nothing for me to throw his bike in the back of my car and drive him home.
“I’m going to head out now.” He finally said something to me.
“No.”
“Do you have something more for me to do?”
Jason ran his hand through his hair and it was sexy the way his bicep bulged with the motion. But I wasn’t going to let that distract me from my Good Samaritan task.
“No, it’s pouring outside. I can’t let you ride your bike all the way home in the rain.”
“I get to sleep over.” His eyes grew large.
“What?” Where did he get the notion from the
