Chapter Seven
“Everything okay?” Roman asked. He eased through the doorway onto the deck and slid the glass door closed halfway. “The boys heard raised voices and worried you and Lydia had gotten into an argument...again.” He ran a hand through his hair. It was the first time I’d seen him so off balance.
Wanting to reassure him more than what seemed reasonable, I responded quickly. “Yeah, it’s fine. No big deal. Just a sister thing.”
Roman’s hand was still on the sliding door’s handle, as if he were considering running. Not that I would blame him, I thought with a sigh. His hand moved from his hair to the back of his neck. “Do you two fight a lot?”
I laughed, which seemed to ease his concern. “Fight is a strong word. Lydia and I don’t get into screaming matches or anything. She tries to tell me how to live my life and sets me up with weirdos and I object. We’re ticked at each other basically until the end of the conversation when we make up and apologize. We’re good. Promise.”
Roman’s hand slid from the back of his neck and he tried not to show how relieved he felt. He wasn’t quite as successful as he probably hoped, but I didn’t hold it against him. His hand finally left the door handle and he stepped away. His movements were slow, but not exactly hesitant as he moved toward me. “I thought maybe you’d gotten angry at her for today,” he admitted.
“Today was entirely my fault.” I smiled, even though I knew what he’d really meant.
Making light of the day let Roman relax a little further. He made it to his chair and sat down. “I know your sister, and I’m sure she made a point of making sure you showed up at the game today. All without telling you I’d be there or that we usually took the boys for ice cream together.”
“Correct on both. You’re a sharp tack, Roman Carpenter.”
He seemed to be mildly surprised by my change in temperament, but didn’t comment. “You’re not upset with her then?”
“Oh, you bet I was when I first picked up the phone.” I laughed, now, after talking to Lydia. The hurt I’d felt at the beginning of our conversation was hard to put away completely, but it had mellowed considerably. “I know she was just trying to look out for me, though, and she was right about you, too, by the way.”
That made Roman look over at me. “Oh yeah? In what way?”
“You’re not like the other guys she’s tried to set me up with.”
“Which were…”
“Weird,” I laughed, “or old, or super lonely, or creepy, or married.”
Roman’s eyes flew open wide. “What? Lydia did not set you up with a married man.”
“Oh, she didn’t know he was married. In fact, she didn’t know him at all. She met him in a grocery store checkout line, talked to him for five minutes, decided he was the one for me, and set up a blind date right then and there.”
Shaking his head, Roman laughed despite his apologetic expression. “Lydia does not give up easily, though her tenacity doesn’t always keep up with good sense.”
“Amen to that,” I grumbled. “Although, to be fair, I’m not much better at choosing dates than she is. I’ve picked my fair share of duds, and even when I find someone I really like, I do something to run them off. It’s a talent of mine.”
Leaning back against my chair, I breathed in the night air. The day had been a mess. Roman undoubtedly thought I was the world’s biggest spaz. I was going to have a killer headache in the morning. This was possibly the last time I would ever have a conversation like this with a guy I could have easily fallen for. All of that made me want to cry, but I didn’t.
This one moment stood out from all the others. I could stuff the gum and ice cream away. This one I would keep. Even though there was a good chance Roman was watching me, I smiled and sank into the chair. Right now felt good and I was determined to enjoy it.
Until Roman spoke.
“Do you mind if I ask you that question now?”
Opening my eyes slowly, I willed him to take the request back. When I looked at him, though, the anxiety I had seen in him earlier pleaded with me to not be a coward. “Sure,” I said quietly.
“Why did you say no to being set up with me?” His eyebrows rose, like he was surprised at himself for voicing the question. Then, to cover up his discomfort, he kept talking. “I mean, why go out with all those other bad options, but say no to me? Was it because of Sammy?”
I pushed up in my seat and faced him more squarely. “What? Why would I say no just because of Sammy?”
“Well,” he said slowly, “before, you said how Lydia made a big deal about me being a single dad. Is that what turned you off? I mean, I get it if it was. It’s just that you’re great with kids, so I guess I just don’t understand.”
“I love kids,” I said. “I want my own kids someday. My nephews are my whole life outside of my master’s program right now. Why would you think I wouldn’t want to date a guy with a kid?”
Even in the fading light I could see red creeping onto Roman’s face. “The way you said single dad before…”
“I was just annoyed at her for trying to shove me into a pre-made family,” I snapped more harshly than I meant. “It was like she figured I’d never grow up and have one on my own so she was handing one over to me. You know how Lydia is. I love her, but she’s pushy as all get out when she thinks she’s right about something.”
“But, you said you wanted kids,” Roman said with a confused shake of his head.
Throwing up my hands and wincing when they came back down, I ignored the sting. “I do want kids. I just don’t want Lydia telling me with who or which ones to commandeer or whatever she’s cooking up in her head. I just want to find someone great in my own time and not have her pushing me into something.”
Roman was clearly frustrated as he said, “But you let her do exactly that with all those other guys. Why not me?”
Shocked by how animated he was about this, I went into defensive mode and snapped back. “Why are you so keen to know the details of what’s going on in my head? Did Lydia put you up to asking?”
His shoulders fell. “No,” he said after a minute. “I just don’t get it.”
“Get what?” I couldn’t imagine why he really cared.
Both hands ran through his hair, pulling at it as he tried to vent his frustration. “Look, I know this is going to sound really conceited, but I’m just going to say it.” He paused and looked at me. Waiting to see if I’d stop him? Or something? I had no idea, so I just shrugged. He let his hands fall before saying, “I’m decent looking, run my own contracting business, I think I’m a nice guy, and I not weird or creepy that I know of, so why weren’t you willing to go out with me at least once? What made you say no?”
For a few seconds, all I could do was stare at him. “Seriously?” I demanded. “Is this why you’ve been so nice to me today despite me being a total train wreck? You were just waiting for this moment to fix your bruised ego? You can’t stand being turned down or something? Really?”
He tried to say something, but I was fighting back tears again and more pissed at him than I ever was at Lydia. That was the only reason he’d been so nice to me all afternoon? I jumped up from my chair, lopsidedly thanks to my stupid hands, and started to turn away, but then spun back on him to find him also standing…barely a foot away from me. Whatever I had been about to say dissolved in the face of his intensity. I had no clue whether he was upset, scared, angry, or about to tell me to get out. I didn’t want to hang around and find out. At the end of my emotional rope, I spun on my heel and all but leaped through the open door.
“Greenly,” he hissed.
I knew he was following me, so I picked up my pace. I had every intention of grabbing my nephews and going home as soon as I reach the den. The words were on my lips for them to get their shoes on and find Thor’s leash. I skidded to a stop when I stumbled into the room to find all three boys lined out on the floor in sleeping bags, fast asleep. Only Thor lif
ted his head to stare at me. His big puppy eyes seemed to take in my frazzled appearance and pass it off as non-threating. His ears twitched once before he laid his head back on Evan’s sleeping bag and closed his eyes.
“Greenly, please,” a voice from behind me pleaded.
All my anger returned swift and laser pointed at Roman. Before I could say a single thing, he clapped his hand over my mouth and started pulling me down the hall.