“Exactly.“
A smile rolls across her lips.
“Please... I’m not doing any dating.”
“It’s been a while.”
“I don’t need a date.”
“I know exactly what you need, but you’re not gonna find it staying home.”
“I don’t need that headache. Really.”
“It’s only a headache if you have no idea what you’re doing. I trust you know better than that.”
A soft laugh falls from her lips, brightening her eyes.
“I’m really not interested,” she says.
“Why not? In a few more months, you’re going to graduate. We can afford a babysitter if I can’t be there to stay with her.”
She waves me off, her eyes pulling away again.
“You’re still attractive...” I joke.
She laughs.
“You are such an ass,” she says quietly. “You think I know what to do, but frankly, I have no idea. I don’t know much about men. Jacob was the only man in my life.”
“You know people. Don’t worry about men. You’ll figure them out. You only need to stay away from jerks.”
She shakes her head.
“Yeah… I’m not sure about this dating thing. It’s a waste of time, in my opinion.”
“It’s not getting easier if you wait for it to happen.”
“It’s not only that. Nobody gets serious with someone with a kid.”
“That’s not true.”
“Yes, it is.”
“I wouldn’t care,” I say.
She smiles.
“Men are not like you, Jaden.”
A few moments of silence pass.
I take a swig.
“Why don’t you date?” she asks.
“I’m busy.”
“You can’t possibly expect me to believe you?”