“I meant, why aren’t you on a date?”
My brows rose. “You know how well my last relationship turned out. Add to that my brother-in-law’s latest stunt, and you’d get why my focus is elsewhere.”
He frowned. “What did your brother-in-law do?”
“Oh shoot.” I covered my mouth while debating how to dig out of this hole. In truth, Eli hardly seemed like a guy who mingled and gossiped.
“Can you keep a secret—I mean, seriously keep one?” When he nodded, the idea of discussing Lyle with someone other than my mom and sister came as a relief. “The short version is that he ran off with a bimbo, leaving my sister alone and pregnant. There’s more to it, but Amanda and I don’t have the kind of relationship where I feel I can say more, if you know what I mean.”
“Mm, only child here, so I can’t claim to get the nuances of sibling relationships.”
“I remember.” We smiled at each other, perhaps both harkening back to the bench outside the post office. With the music playing in the background, anyone—including me—could’ve mistaken us as being on a date, eagerly learning bits and pieces of information about each other. If Karen was floating around, I hoped she liked me enough to whisper in Eli’s ear that he could lean on me as he took his first steps forward without her.
“That’s all unfortunate,” he added, “but you seem too young to be cynical about men.”
“Not so young. Just immature.” I winked, and he chuckled. “And not entirely cynical. There are plenty of men out there like my dad. But my thirtieth birthday is soon, and I need to get myself together before I involve anyone else.”
“That doesn’t sound immature.”
“An anomaly, I promise.” I laughed. “Meanwhile, you talk like you’re an old man, yet you can’t be more than thirty-four.”
“Thirty-six . . . despite the baby face.” He circled his face with one hand.
“It’s the eyes.” I could stare into them forever—so bright—like a sunny sky after days of rain. For a few precious seconds we gazed at each other as if there weren’t another thing on earth worth seeing.
The waitress killed the moment when she stopped by to check if we needed refills. We both declined. After she left, Eli folded his arms on the table. “Everyone’s a work in progress, so don’t put your love life on hold while you evolve.”
I’d been around the block enough to recognize the subtle cast of that line, and starving fish that I was, I risked the bite. “If the right man came along—someone honest and interesting—I’d probably throw my heart in the ring again.”
Another period of silence passed before he leaned across the table, dropping his voice. “Since you’re spilling secrets, maybe I should share one of my own.”
Please, God, don’t let the purring in my chest be heard over the twang of Tony’s guitar. “Do tell.”
“The truth is . . .” He swallowed thickly. “You’re the first woman I’ve met since Karen that’s made me feel anything at all. That’s why I came to yoga, and also why that psychic shook me up so bad. I felt guilty, like my being there had hurt my wife, no matter what she supposedly said in her ‘message.’”
Hearing his secret taught me what winning the lottery would feel like, which was equal parts an urge to shriek and an inability to breathe. Amanda would have a smart response—something empathetic and interesting. I wanted to leap over the table and wrap him in a big hug, and maybe add a kiss. Definitely a kiss. Instead, I scooted off the bench and held out my hand. “Let’s go get ice cream.”
“Ice cream?” His head flinched back briefly, brows pulled tight, but he clasped my hand. He didn’t gingerly hold it in awe and trace all the lines on my palm, but my entire body warmed from his touch anyway.
“My dad and I always got ice cream to celebrate a good day or a milestone. From my perspective, what you said is something to celebrate.”
A painfully beautiful smile spread across his face, which pretty much stole my heart for good. It was too soon to say that to any sane person, so it stayed in the vault, but that right there—that smile would make it into the memory jar before the night ended.
Eli gestured toward the door. “Then ice cream it is.”
“Let me tell Lexi. She’ll hang with Tony when he’s done, so it’s no biggie.” Lexi had never been needy or possessive, and Tony’s set would be over soon anyway. It was hard to let go of Eli’s hand, knowing I might not get another chance to hold it for some time.
Less than ten minutes later, Eli and I had ordered ice cream at Dream Cream and found a seat on the bench outside the shop. He’d gotten coffee chocolate chip in a cone, and I’d ordered a sundae with extra whipped cream.
“I’m glad I ran into you tonight.” I licked whipped cream from my chin. No one had ever accused me of gracefully devouring a sundae. “Thanks for the excuse to pig out.”
“You’re welcome.” He’d grown quiet since we’d arrived. Whatever his interest in me, he wasn’t ready to act on it. For all I knew, he was thinking about his wife now, maybe even feeling guilty about what he’d admitted. If I wanted to know this man, it’d require baby steps. Not my strength. “I keep thinking about what you said at the bar—”
“Erin, I—”
I held up my hand. “Let me finish, please. I only want to say that I could really use a new friend. It seems like you could use a new friend, too. So from now on, I’ll drag you out of your house to take walks with Mo, and you think up new excuses to eat more ice cream.”
He tipped his head, blinking at me as if he wasn’t quite sure what to make of me. Most of the time that was probably a good thing.
“The walks will keep us from gaining weight.” He licked his cone.
“They won’t hurt, that’s for sure.”
He tossed the uneaten remains in the trash. “I only see one problem with your plan.”
“Please don’t tell me you don’t like ice cream, ’cause that’s a deal breaker. I got a little suspicious when you ordered a coffee flavor.” An animated grimace accompanied my odd sense of humor. “No true ice-cream lover picks coffee over all the other choices. Were you thinking that sounded more macho than raspberry ripple or tutti-frutti?”
“I can’t say that I’ve ever been accused of acting macho.” He grinned.
“Some people see stuff through rose-colored glasses. Mine are more like mirrors in a fun house. Things get a little weird and distorted, but it’s entertaining!” At least I hoped he thought so.
“Duly noted. But let’s get back to your plan’s flaw.”
“Only one? Wow, I’m getting smarter every year. Okay, lay it on me. What’s the flaw?” I shoveled a huge amount of my sundae into my mouth to stop the nervous chatter.
“Maybe it’s not a flaw but a request.”
I swallowed the giant ball of ice cream and fudge so I could speak. “Ask away. You’ll find me to be a very easygoing friend—open to lots of things.”
He cocked his head, his expression so soft it made my heart mushier than the puddle of fudge and whipped cream in my cup. “Well, then, maybe I have my answer.”