Not Quite Dating (Not Quite #1)(29)
Author: Catherine Bybee

“You were great, Danny. You must have practiced for a really long time to remember all the words to the songs,” she told him.

“We sing every day in class.”

Danny pulled out of her arms and hugged Monica.

He slipped into Jack’s embrace just as easily. “Hey, Uncle Jack. Wasn’t that cool?”

Uncle Jack, that was new. Jessie narrowed her eyes and watched Jack’s expression. When it didn’t change, she wondered if Jack had caught Danny’s title.

“Cool for days, partner.”

“Do you want some cookies? There are cookies in the back.” Danny grabbed Jack’s hand and pulled him toward the back of the room, where the teachers and the parents had set out the refreshments.

“Uncle Jack?” Monica asked under her voice.

“New to me.”

“Danny loves him. Look at them.”

Jessie couldn’t stop staring. Danny was chatting up a storm, and Jack was listening and laughing alongside him.

“It’s natural,” Jessie told her sister. “Danny doesn’t have a man in his life. Jack has been around a few times, so he’s gravitating toward him.” She really hoped she wasn’t making a mistake by letting the two of them get to know each other. Jack was an all-around good guy, and she trusted him. Trusted that he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her son in any way. However, who knew how long Jack would be in their lives. It was a chance she wasn’t willing to take.

“I don’t know why you’d bother dating anyone else.”

“Jack and I aren’t dating.” Was no one listening to her on this subject?

“Lawyers are boring.”

“You can say that again.” Jack snuck up behind them. Jessie jumped when she heard his voice. She turned and noticed the candy cane sticking out between his lips. The smile on his face was simply priceless. “Are we talking about a particular lawyer?”

Guilty. God, she felt so guilty. “No. Hey, Danny, do they have any more of those candy canes?”

Her son nodded and pulled her away from Jack and Monica. The farther away from her sister and Jack she walked, the more she worried about their topic of conversation.

At the refreshment table, Danny greeted one of his friends, and the child’s mother turned to Jessie and started chatting.

A few minutes later, Jessie meandered her way through the thinning crowd and back to Monica and Jack’s side. The two of them were laughing. Mo held her side as if the laughing pained her.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.” But Monica was hiding her grin behind a hand.

Jessie’s sister radar was flying high. Monica was up to something. “Sure. Nothing.”

Danny pulled on her hand. “My teacher said we can go after the show.”

Jessie glanced down at her son. “Are you ready to leave?”

People were already filing out of the auditorium. “I need to get my backpack from my room,” Danny told her.

Monica placed her hand on Danny’s shoulder and said, “Why don’t you take me with you so you can show me your classroom.”

Before Jessie could say anything, Monica and Danny were walking away, leaving Jack and her standing alone.

“It was really nice of you to come.”

“I enjoyed it,” he said as they started to walk out of the busy room with the other parents. “I haven’t been to something like this since I was Danny’s age. They haven’t changed much, have they?”

“More treats, but that’s about it.”

He smiled. “I remember a cookie and, if we were lucky, one candy cane. Seems as if they had an entire bakery in the back.”

“Lots of the parents bring treats for the kids.”

Loads of adults were crammed into Danny’s classroom, so Jessie decided to stay outside. Through the window, she saw Danny pointing out some of his “artwork” to Monica that hung on the walls.

“Danny seems to like his school.”

“He loves it. Such a social kid. You would think living in an apartment building would mean there were lots of kids he could play with, but there aren’t.” Her apartment building wasn’t loaded with nasty people and big parties, but it wasn’t loaded with families, either. “One of these days I’ll be able to put us in a house in a neighborhood. Ever since he saw that movie with the golden lab, Danny’s bugged me about getting a dog.”

“I take it your landlord doesn’t accept pets.”

“Right. Big dogs don’t belong cooped up inside all day, anyway.”

Jack patted her on the back. “Give yourself a break. You’ll get there.”

Jessie forced a smile onto her face. “I know. Someday.”

Danny ran from his classroom and up to them. “I’m ready,” he informed them.

“I have to get to class,” Monica announced. “Thanks for showing me your classroom, buddy.” She knelt down to talk to Danny. “Watch your mom for me, will ya? Make sure she takes a nap.”

Danny giggled.

“Are you staying late?” Jessie asked her sister.

“We have a huge test on Monday, so we’re going to have a long study session. I’ll be home before you go to work. I’m inviting Lynn over to study Saturday while you’re gone.”

Just the hint of a mention about her being away from home on Saturday was enough to have Jessie glancing over at Jack.

“I thought you were off Saturday,” Jack said.

“Mom has a date,” Danny spit out.

The expression on Jack’s face froze. “Is that so?” Slowly his gaze moved to Jessie.

“You remember Brad from the party.” Full disclosure. She shouldn’t feel guilty, but the feeling rolled off her in painful waves.

“Right.” Jack drew out the word in a long sigh. “The lawyer-looking guy.”

“He is a lawyer, actually.” She sounded defensive.

“He’s not your type,” Jack said with absolute certainty in his voice.

She shifted from foot to foot. “How do you know what my type is?”

“You’ll be bored within thirty minutes.”

Monica turned to Jack. “Do you know this guy?”

Jack never stopped staring at Jessie. The gaze made her fidget. “I see his type all the time at the hotel. Stuffy, not a lot of fun.”

“Why do you want to date someone who isn’t fun, Mommy?”

Jessie pulled her eyes away from Jack’s and said to Danny, “Jack doesn’t know if Brad will be fun or not; he’s assuming.”