Page 64 of The Irresistible One
“I hope that means you brought me some?”
“Of course I did. They’re in the car.” She pointed behind her, toward the entrance of the restaurant. “I made sure the driver kept the air-conditioning on so the chocolate chips wouldn’t melt.”
Hayden patted his stomach, his polo tucked into his pants, showing nothing but flatness. Even before my brother had a home gym, he would go for a several-mile run on the beach every day, followed by at least an hour workout session. Convenience had only made him buffer.
“Dottie, I need to marry a woman like you.”
She waved the air. “You? Get married? Will I be alive to see that day?”
Dottie had gotten divorced before I even met her. She had a little girl a couple of years younger than me, closer to Hayden’s age, and Lucy had become like a sister to us. Wherever Dottie was, Lucy wasn’t usually too far behind.
My brother nodded toward me. “This one’s no better.”
I lifted my martini again. “Do not shift the topic to me. I’m innocent in all of this.”
“Innocent, but S-I-N-G-L-E,” Dottie said, spelling out the last word.
“Abbi isn’t listening—are you, baby?” I laughed when there was no response from my daughter. “Besides, Abbi knows Mom is all about her and doesn’t have time for anything else besides work, so nothing you say will surprise her.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way.”
I looked at my brother, who had just spoken. “Don’t tell me you’re going to start in on theyou need to be datingtalk when I can turn it right around on you and say the same thing.”
“You’re older.”
“Thanks for the reminder.” I smiled at him.
“Neither of you is getting any younger.” Dottie crossed her hands on top of her plate. “Take it from someone who knows this well. I’m not saying my years were wasted. I have so much to look back on and be proud of.”
Before she could say another word, I cut in with, “You raised our whole family, Dottie.” I reached for her hand. “And you gave us much, much more than you had to …” Once again, I didn’t need to finish that sentence. She knew exactly what I was referring to. “You have a lot to be proud of.”
She clasped my fingers. “That’s why I have no regrets. I love the life I’ve lived. But would it have been nice to share it with someone? To have help with Lucy?” Her gaze shifted to me, like she wanted to emphasize the single-parent point. “And once Lucy went off to college, I would have liked to have a home that wasn’t empty. And someone to travel with, to talk to at the end of my workday and express all the pent-up feelings I harbored—because in my line of work, as you can imagine, there are many.” She pushed up her glasses. “I wish I had made it a priority to find someonespecial.”
“It’s not too late,” I told her.
She squeezed me. “Who would want me?”
“Dottie! Don’t you dare say that. Plenty of men would want you.” I shook her fingers, like I was trying to punish her. “You’re only in your sixties, and you’ve got it going on, girl. Don’t act like you’re on your deathbed. You’re far from that.”
She pointed at her forehead. “Do you see these wrinkles?” She then nodded toward Hayden. “You and Jones and Callum and Talon and Leo gave these to me.”
Hayden put his arms on the table, his brows rising. “And Sophie didn’t?”
Dottie snorted. “She wasn’t the one trying to skydive off dirt piles or jump from the roof to dunk a basketball.” She patted her heart. “Or the time you boys took the golf cart to the pond to see if it would float …”
I laughed, remembering many of those episodes. “I kept things fresh in different ways.”
“You sure did.” Dottie grinned at me. “Anyway, the whole point is, not even Botox can fill these grooves. I look haggard and tired and?—”
“Are you saying I need to find you a man, Dottie?” Hayden rimmed his bourbon with his finger before lifting it. “You know, I know a lot of people. Men the same age as you who are worth?—”
She released my hand to point at my brother. “Absolutely not. Don’t even think about it, Hayden. You will do no such thing.” She let out a long breath. “I just want you two to learn from me and hear me out because when I say you don’t get these years back, I mean that.”
Her attention turned to me. “When you came into my life at eleven years old, I knew you could do it all. I saw it in your scared eyes and your dirt-smudged cheeks.” She gave me a soft smile. “I thought to myself,This girl can’t be stopped.” Shepaused. “I was right.” Her shoulders shook a little, adding to her point. “You can have it all, Sophie. You can be a mom, a top attorney, and a wife—if that’s what you choose. But don’t avoid the latter because of time. Not when time moves so fast, and it’s not something you can rewind.”
Her head whipped toward Hayden. “I’m talking to you, too, there.”
“I hear you,” Hayden replied.
