More than this

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 2

Quinn stood outside her loft, wishing that she’d been smart enough to meet this guy at the restaurant, if that’s what you could call it. It had barely been a step up from fast food. Now he stood in front of her, still talking about himself, when all she wanted to do was curl up on the couch with a good book. This is what she got for picking a guy based on his online profile. Next time she’d make sure she had at least a phone conversation before making a date.

Jeff suddenly stopped his rambling and asked, “So, I think we really hit it off tonight, right?”

She stared blankly at him. Lying had never come easy to her. “I had a pretty good time.”

He stroked her arm, and she locked her knees to stop herself from pulling away. He wasn’t a bad guy. He didn’t give her the creeps. Jeff was even kind of good-looking: tall with dark hair and brown eyes, a little on the skinny side. But something turned her completely off.

When his hand stopped stroking her arm and his fingers interlocked with hers, the sweatiness of his palm was apparent. Eww. How was she supposed to disengage without seeming like a b***h?

“I’d like to see you again.”

“Maybe. Why don’t you send me an e-mail and we can set something up?”

“Can I have your number?”

She shifted slightly to the left, nearer to the door. “I don’t like to give out my number to too many people. This was just our first date and all.”

“But definitely not our last.” He leaned in to kiss her.

She saw it coming, thought she’d get a little peck on the cheek, but his mouth crashed into hers. When she didn’t immediately open her lips, his tongue poked and prodded. It was slimy and gross. When she tried to step back, he pulled her closer. The quick move startled her and in her shock, she inadvertently opened her mouth.

That was one hell of a mistake. He jabbed his tongue so far into her mouth, it was like he wanted to inspect her molars. And he was a sloppy kisser too. Saliva everywhere.

Her stomach started to churn just as he pulled away. “How about we take this upstairs?”

Not in this lifetime. “I don’t sleep with guys on the first date.”

“There’s a lot of territory between a kiss at the door and sleeping together.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

Like she wanted to dry-hump that? “No, thanks. I should be getting in. It’s late and I have work tomorrow.”

“Oh, okay.” He really sounded disappointed. “Maybe we can get together this weekend.”

She slid toward the door, hoping he’d get the hint and not try to swoop in for another kiss. “I’ll be pretty busy this weekend. End of the school year stuff. But send me an e-mail. Good night.”

She didn’t wait for him to respond. She practically ran for the door. After scrubbing her mouth twice and then throwing her toothbrush in the trash, she called Indy. She plopped on the couch and put her feet up on the table. While Indy’s phone rang, she stared at the green nail polish on her toes. What a waste of a perfectly good pedicure.

When Indy finally answered, she laid right into her. “You and your stupid idea.”

“What’d I do now?”

Quinn sighed. “You told me I needed to date. I can’t date. There’s something genetically wrong with me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with you.” She paused. “Well, there’s nothing genetically wrong with you.”

“You’re funny. How do you do this? How do you go out and meet guys and have them be normal?”

“Honey, it’s all about numbers. That’s why I said five guys in two weeks. Within those five, you might find one halfway decent guy. The other four will be comprised of weirdos, sickos, and losers.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” She tried to figure out what category Jeff fell into.

“Sure. If you keep at it, you’ll find someone. Then you can give up on this silly idea of being a single mother.”

Quinn picked at the loose threads on her favorite burgundy throw pillow. “It’s not a silly idea. I would be a good mom. Finding a husband hasn’t worked out for me.”

“You haven’t tried finding a husband. You gave up after Nick, and we both know it.”

Indy was right, as usual, when it came to men and dating.

“Cheer up. I have a growing list of ideas for how you can spend your summer. It’s gonna be a blast.”

Somehow, Quinn didn’t think she’d agree. They said their goodbyes and hung up. Quinn went back to the information she’d been culling from the Internet. All of her choices for becoming a mom sat in this one blue folder. Over the course of the last few days, she’d been adding information, and the file was growing quickly.

She wasn’t being silly. She was thirty-one and had no prospects for a husband. Millions of women were single mothers. She knew she could provide a good life for a child. Her biological clock wasn’t just ticking, it was like a bomb ready to detonate. She didn’t want to leave her future to fate. She could control what happened in her life.

In the meantime, she’d play Indy’s game and do things outside her comfort zone to prove to her and anyone else that she was ready for this challenge.