Chapter 20: Pizza, Play, and Prizes

If an odd friend suggestion pops up, it’s a good indication that the owner of that account has been lurking on your page.

After what I had learned, I wanted to vet Justin without him knowing, so I called Haylee, who was more than willing to do it for me.

Haylee went to work while I took a quick shower. Once I was dressed, I returned to my bedroom and resumed our video chat while I finished getting ready.

“You look cute,” Haylee complimented me as soon as we connected. “But I thought you were going to wear the peach sundress.”

“I wanted to,” I told her, “but I started my period today.”

“I see. The black skirt is a good call,” she agreed.

“Are you sure it may not be too formal?”

“No—at least not for your boy!” Haylee exclaimed. “This guy is loaded, and I have to admit, he’s pretty easy on the eyes.”

“Yeah, I know,” I confessed. “I nearly melted the first time we met. I felt so stupid.”

“You are gorgeous,” Haylee affirmed loyally. “He was probably as dumbstruck as you were.”

“I doubt it,” I said with a little laugh, “but thank you anyway. So, have you had a chance to comb through his comment sections? Please tell me he responds.”

To my relief, Haylee said, “He doesn’t seem stuck up. Some of his followers are his classmates, and they seem to like him.”

“Good. I was worried that he was a pompous jerk that was putting on airs for my sake.”

“We didn’t exactly grow up poor,” Haylee pointed out. “And it’s unfair to assume that everyone who has money is an asshole.”

“I wasn’t being prejudiced,” I hurried to explain. “Toby just said something that I found a bit concerning. That’s why I wanted to check Justin out.”

Haylee rolled her eyes. “Toby just learned that he has competition.”

“Perhaps,” I granted. Toby had not struck me as the type, but to be fair, I didn’t know him that well. “Sorry I bothered you with this. It must seem silly, considering what you have gone through with Payton.”

“I need the distraction,” Haylee insisted. “I would rather be drooling over your handsome hunks than worrying about Payton.”

“That has to be annoying,” I sympathized. “Justin will be here soon. Maybe you would like to attend my date virtually?”

“Sure. And if things start getting steamy, I can offer you pointers,” she joked.

I laughed. “Thank you for the offer, but I plan to be a lady tonight.”

After we said our farewells, I finished styling my hair, then—after making some last-minute adjustments—I raced downstairs to get my mother’s approval.

“You look lovely, darling,” she complimented as soon as she saw me.

“Thank you, Mom.”

I did a second take. My mother was wearing a sleeveless dress. Though I wasn’t a huge fan of the floral pattern, it complemented her.

“You look lovely as well,” I said.

My mother’s cheeks reddened. “Well, since you’re going to be out tonight, I thought I would have supper with a friend.”

“Oh?” Though I wanted to ask if it was the same man she met at the conference, I decided not to pry. “I hope you have a good time.”

“You have a nice time as well,” she expressed, appearing relieved. Before we had a chance to exchange parting advice, the doorbell rang.

“That must be Justin,” I announced, rushing to answer the door.

I was slightly disappointed when I saw it was not Justin but an older man with large, dark eyes and raven-black hair neatly parted to one side. I stepped back and held open the door to reveal who was on the other side.

“Mom, I think it’s for you.”

My mother raised her brow in surprise, and the man threw up his hands. “Sorry, I’m a bit early. My last client canceled on me, so I thought we could get an early start. I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.” He tossed me a meaningful glance.

“This is my daughter, Dharma,” my mother introduced us. “She is waiting for a date to arrive as well. In fact, she thought you were him when you rang the bell.”

The man gazed at me. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

I chuckled. “It’s all right. He should be along soon.”

“Greg,” my mother interjected, “why don’t you wait here with Dharma while I go grab my purse?”

Without bothering to wait for a reply, my mother rushed down the hall in search of her bag.

Once she was out of earshot, I turned to Greg and crossed my arms over my chest. “So, Greg, what are your intentions with my mother?”

I had meant to cause him discomfort, but he didn’t flinch as he leaned over and whispered, “Between you and me, I didn’t expect her to want to see me again, so now I’m just rolling with the punches.”

I stifled a giggle as my mother returned, appearing a bit nervous as she patted her hair into place. He offered her his arm, and together they stepped out onto the porch. I followed them, deciding that it would be better if I waited outside for Justin.

As Greg was escorting my mother down the walkway, a black Aston Martin pulled in behind my mother’s car in the driveway.

Justin exited, carrying a bouquet. “I’m sorry, Dr. Dupree, I didn’t realize you were leaving. I’ll be out of your way in just a moment.”

“It’s no problem, Justin,” my mother told him. “I think we are taking Greg’s car.”

Greg let out a low whistle as he paused to admire Justin’s car. “Is this yours?”

“Yeah, it was a birthday present from my dad,” Justin said.

“If you’re tired of this old thing, I’d be happy to swap cars with you,” Greg jested.

My mother laughed and nudged him in the ribs with her elbow.

“Those flowers are beautiful,” I interjected, opening my arms out to accept them.

Justin blushed slightly. “Actually, the flowers are for your mom,” he said, handing them to her, then he turned to me and whispered, “Don’t get jealous, I have something planned for you as well.”

“Thank you, Justin!” my mother said, giving him a grateful look. “I’ll put them in water as soon as I get home.”

“We may be pretty late,” Greg told her. “I don’t mind waiting if you want to take care of them now.”

“I would appreciate that.” My mother beamed as they began to retreat to the house. “Don’t keep Dharma out too late!” she called over her shoulder before they disappeared inside.

“That seemed a bit formal,” Justin remarked as we climbed into the car. “Is your mom going on a date as well?”

“Yeah, I think she is a little nervous,” I commented. “Greg is the first man she has dated since my father passed away.”

“I didn’t realize you had lost your father,” Justin said, sounding apologetic. “I’m sorry.”

“How could you have known? We just met.”

“Yeah, that’s not a topic for light conversation,” Justin agreed.

I was suddenly reminded that it was one of the first facts about myself that I had revealed to Toby. I wondered if I was more reserved around Justin because my attraction to him was less subtle.

“I hadn’t expected to see you at the ballpark today,” Justin said, as if he had read my mind. “Were you there with Toby Conners? I didn’t realize you two were friends.”

“Yeah, he was one of the first people I met when we moved to town,” I divulged. “Actually, he was the one who helped me get home after I wiped out on my scooter.”

Before the conversation could turn awkward, I struggled to pivot. “Congratulations on your win, by the way.”

Justin grinned. “I wouldn’t call it ~my~ win—I hardly played.”

“You hit a couple home runs,” I reminded him. “I think you did your part.”

“Thank you,” Justin said. “Did you enjoy the game?”

“I don’t mean to sound like my mother, but I would have enjoyed it more if everything wasn’t so darn expensive,” I complained. “Did you know that they were charging to use the portable bathrooms?”

Justin threw back his head back and laughed. “It’s all in the name of charity.”

“I wasn’t feeling too charitable when I was forced to hold my urine because I hadn’t brought any change with me,” I snarked.

“Toby wasn’t willing to fork out the money?” Justin asked, appearing aghast.

“I was too shy to ask him,” I admitted.

“Don’t be afraid to ask me for anything,” Justin said as he parked the car in front of a pizzeria.

“Pat’s Pizza Planet?” I quizzed as I gazed at the large windows with loud signs that promoted pizza, play, and prizes.

Justin grabbed my hand. “I am about to introduce you to the best pizza in town.”