“I’m really sorry about Hope’s father. I want you to know that.”
“Thanks.” I briefly laid my head on his shoulder.
After walking around a few blocks, Hope told us she was tired and wanted to go home. Jack picked her up and carried her back to my parents’ house. Watching him with her was bittersweet. After checking all of Hope’s candy and eating a couple of pieces, we said goodbye to my parents and headed back to my apartment.
“Do you have any plans this weekend?” I asked him with the hope that he didn’t and maybe the three of us could do something.
“Actually, I have a date tomorrow night.”
“Oh.” My heart started to ache. “That’s good.”
“What about you?”
“No plans really. Just hanging out with Hope.”
He didn’t say a word and neither did I after hearing he was going on a date. Tony pulled up to my building and Jack carried Hope up to the apartment and laid her in bed.
“Thanks again for coming tonight. I know it meant a lot to Hope.”
“You’re welcome. Thank you for inviting me. Have a good weekend, Lorelei, and I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Good night, Jack.”
I shut the door and leaned against it. The thought of him going on a date tomorrow night made me sick and it made me angry. I should have been the one he was taking on a date, but I blew that chance.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Lorelei
It was Monday morning and the same routine started all over again. Walking into Jack’s office, I set down his coffee cup.
“Good morning, Lorelei. How was your weekend?”
“It was great. Hope and I did some shopping. We had a great time,” I lied. I wasn’t about to tell him that I stayed in all weekend and wallowed in self-pity.
“Good. I’m glad to hear it.”
“How was your date?”
“It was good. We had a great time.”
My blood was boiling because I was positive he slept with her. The thought of him with another woman made me want to crawl in a corner and hide. I couldn’t help the next words that flew out of my mouth.
“Do you need me to run to the store and buy you some more condoms?”
He chuckled. “No. That’s okay. I’m still set from when you bought me the ten boxes.”
“Should I send this woman some flowers from you?”
“No. Why would I send her flowers?”
“I don’t know. I was just asking. Usually, if a date goes great, the guy sends flowers.”
“He does?”
“Well, at least they do in the movies.”
He laughed. “I don’t need you to do any of those things, but when the stores open, I do need you to make a run to Banana Republic. I’ll make a list of the things I need you to pick up.”
“Okay. By the way, did your mother ever return from Paris?”
“She decided she was going to stay a couple of extra weeks. It seems she has met someone there.”
“Good for her.” I nodded my head and walked out of his office.
A couple of hours later, Stella called.
“Hello.”
“Hey, you. So don’t hate me.”
“What did you do?” I sighed.
“Promise me you won’t hate me first.”
“I won’t hate you, Stella.”
“So, I may have logged into your Match account and made a few tweaks to your profile.”
“WHAT! Why would you do that and how did you know my password?”
“You use the same password for everything. Just listen. This guy came up who I think is perfect for you.”
“Go on.”
“He’s twenty-eight and has never been married. He’s in business management, and wait for the best part: he loves kids. I think you should at least meet him, Lorelei.”
“I don’t know, Stella,” I whined.
“Listen, you said it was time to get out into the dating world. So here’s your opportunity. He seems like a great guy. Fun and outgoing.”
“How do you know this?”
“We may have talked online a bit and I pretended I was you.”
“STELLA!”
“He can’t wait to meet you on Friday night.”
“OH MY GOD! You set up a date?”
“Yeah, I did. Remember, don’t hate me. I love you and you’re like my sister.”
I couldn’t believe she set up a date for me with a random stranger online. But then again, that was Stella. I didn’t know if I could go through with it.
“I don’t know, Stella. I’m scared.”
“He’s such a romantic. He wants to meet on the top deck of the Empire State Building. Somewhere public where there’s a lot of people, so you’ll feel more comfortable. I told him that was very sweet of him.”
“Thanks. I appreciate you telling him that. How the fuck will I know who I’m looking for? And by the way, what does this guy look like?”
“He’ll be the tall, dark and handsome one holding a single red rose. I already told him yes, so you’re meeting at eight o’clock. The good thing is if you don’t like him or don’t click, you can leave. You don’t have to go to dinner or anything. You can go home and have some time to yourself. Hope is spending the night at my place. Sebastian will be out of town at a bachelor party, so she and I can have a girls’ night together.”
If I didn’t take this chance now, I might never. If Jack could go on a date, then so could I. There was no use sitting around and pining for the man that made it very clear to me that we were just friends.
“Fine. I’ll go. What’s this guy’s name?”
“Yippee! I knew you would. His name is Aiden.”
After hanging up with Stella, I walked into Jack’s office. I was hoping that telling him I was going on a date would infuriate him, but I was wrong.
“It seems I have a date Friday night.”
He looked up at me and smiled. “Good for you, Lorelei. Do I need to have this guy checked out for you?”
“No. That’s okay, Jack.”
“If you change your mind, let me know.” He winked.
Him and his damn winks. They sent flutters to my most sensitive areas.
****
My belly was a nervous wreck as I slipped into my black, spaghetti-strap slim-fit dress. I threw some curls at the ends of my hair and lightly sprayed it.
“Well, how do I look?” I asked Hope, who was sitting on my bed.
“You look beautiful, Mommy. Where are you going again?”
“Just out with a friend. No big deal.”
“Are you going out with Jack?” she asked.
“No, baby. I’m not going out with Jack.”
“When can I see him again?”
“I’ll give him a call over the weekend and see if he wants to hang out.”
“Okay.” She smiled.
I heard the door open, and when I walked out of the bedroom, Stella stopped dead in her tracks.
“Ah. Look at you. You’re gorgeous. Aiden isn’t going to know what hit him.”
“Thanks. I’m still mad at you.”
“No, you’re not. Now get your shoes on and get out of here. You don’t want to be late or the poor guy will think you stood him up.”
I gave Hope a hug and kiss goodbye. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Have fun with Auntie Stella tonight.”
“I will. She’s going to give me a mani/pedi and then teach me the do’s and don’t’s of buying a designer handbag.”
I looked at Stella and rolled my eyes before giving her a kiss on the cheek.
****
I made it to the Empire State Building at approximately seven fifty-five. Taking the elevator up to the top deck, I felt like I was going to throw up. My stomach was twisted and I could feel anxiety kicking in. I took in slow, deep breaths to try and calm myself down. It was ridiculous to be this nervous. He was just another person. We were just two people meeting for the first time. I met people every day and this was no different. So what if he was of the male species? Like Stella said, if I didn’t like him or we didn’t click right away, I could leave. No harm. We’d just part ways as if we had never met. The elevator doors opened, and as I made my way out with the crowd of people, I looked around for the tall, dark, and handsome man with the single red rose. Maybe he stood me up. I could only hope. Suddenly, I heard a low voice from behind.