Nancy, the older waitress that often served them and always remembered their order, brought a basket of rolls out and not too long after, delivered their meals, which were delicious, as usual.
As they ate, Matt told her that as long as the weather stayed cold, he was planning on taking Billy ice-fishing on Sunday.
“There’s a group of us going. It should be a good time.”
“Ice-fishing. So you’ll literally stand over a hole in the ice hoping to catch a fish?” It did not sound at all fun to Mandy.
But Matt seemed excited about it. “Yes, pretty much. We’ll have a cooler of beer and food, so it will be a good time.”
She smiled. “I’m sure Billy will love it.”
“He’ll fit right in.”
“Hi, Matt! I thought that was you.”
Mandy and Matt looked up to see a bubbly blonde woman approach their table. She was wearing a snug, low-cut sweater that showed off her ample cleavage and jeans that looked poured onto her. She was also wearing leather boots with ridiculously high heels. Mandy wondered how she could walk in them—they looked painful. Her hair was a chin-length mass of fluffy layers and her lipstick was very red.
“Amy, nice to see you. Do you know my girlfriend, Mandy Lawson? Mandy, Amy works next door to my office.”
Amy glanced her way and nodded. “Nice to meet you. I’m the building office manager.” She turned to Matt. “Did you like the present I left for you?”
Matt laughed. “Yes, I ate every crumb. That was unnecessary but kind of you. Thanks again.”
“Well, I’m off to meet my friends. You two have fun.”
Amy walked off and Mandy raised her eyebrows. “She made you a present?”
“She likes to bake. She made lemon cakes for all the guys at the boat basin.”
“Isn’t that nice.” Mandy wondered how old Amy was. “Is she single?”
“I don’t really know. Maybe? She goes out with her friends a lot. Seems like everywhere I go, Amy is there.”
“Interesting.” Mandy thought it was likely that Amy was single and looking for her next boyfriend and maybe had her eyes on Matt. He was a catch and at forty-four, he was plenty young enough to start a new family with someone. She thought of Cory and his very pregnant young girlfriend and lost her appetite. She picked at her dinner, while Matt inhaled the rest of his. He noticed that she wasn’t eating much.
“Is your chicken okay?”
“It’s fine. Delicious as usual. I’m just not that hungry I guess.” She took another bite and set her fork down. “Did I tell you Cory might be getting engaged soon? His young girlfriend is expecting.”
“Oh! Wow.” Matt took a sip of his beer and looked at her closely. “Is that what’s bothering you?”
She shook her head. “Not anymore. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it when I first heard. It’s strange to think that Cory is basically going to start over. He might have several kids, who knows? You could do that too. I bet Amy would be up for it.”
He reached over and took her hand and squeezed it. “I’m not interested in Amy. And I think kids are great, but mine are in college. The thought of starting over again makes me tired.” He looked into her eyes. “Unless you really wanted more, then I could find a way to get on board. You’re still young enough if that’s what you wanted to do?”
Mandy laughed. “Oh, my goodness, that’s the last thing I want. I love my children, but I agree with you. The thought of doing it all again—diapers, sleepless nights…no, thank you.”
Matt looked relieved. “Good. I’m glad we are on the same page.”
Mandy was very glad too and relieved that Matt said he had no interest in Amy. Because it was clear to Mandy, that Amy was interested in Matt. She thought it was brazen of her to walk up while they were having dinner together and to mention in front of Mandy that she’d given Matt a gift. Who did that? And Mandy had been wondering what to do about a gift for Matt. She wanted to get him something meaningful but not too much or too little. She needed to check with Jill and Emma for ideas. She had no idea what would be appropriate after dating someone for three months, but she wanted to get him something special.
Chapter 7
Gina stared at her closet for a good ten minutes trying to decide what to wear for her night out with Alex. She still wasn’t sure if it was meant to be an actual date, so it felt silly to be so worried about what to wear, but she couldn’t help it. It had taken her all of two seconds to decide what to wear when she met Jared at the stroll, but she knew that wasn’t a date, so it was different. There was no pressure, no expectations. She’d been surprised by what a fun day it had turned out to be. Jared was a nice guy and the time had flown by.