To The Single Dad in the Store by J.S. Cooper

Chapter Seven

I was aboutto head to bed when I heard my phone beep. At first, I assumed it was just Shelby texting me to let me know that she’d gotten home okay, but then I realized that the beep was different. It wasn’t the beep of my main phone; it was the beep of my emergency phone.

I hurried to my handbag and pulled my phones out. Sure enough, I had a new text message on the burner phone. It had to be him. It just had to be. The only other people that had this number were Hunter and my parents, and they wouldn’t text me on it.

I took a deep breath and then opened the message. I read it quickly in my head and then read it out loud. “To my half-secret admirer. First off, I’m not a creep. I am not married. I’m glad to hear I’m a ‘bangable dad.’ I’m assuming that means you think I’m hot as well. I wish you’d handed me this note so I could have seen who you were, so I’d know if you had ‘insta-kissable’ lips or ‘psycho’ eyes. I don’t know why I’m texting this message back to you. Maybe a little bit of curiosity, though they do say curiosity killed the cat. Do you also have kids? Mine are a handful, but I love them. Send me a photo. The single dad in the store. P.S. My name is Steele.”

Steele, huh? It was a hot name, I couldn’t lie. He didn’t look like a Steele. He looked more like an Ethan or a Dylan, but Steele suited him, too.

I reread his message once more. I was a little bit disappointed. I felt like he didn’t realize it was me. Did he just think that it was some random woman in the grocery store?

Though I guess at the end of the day, I was a random woman. For all I knew, he had conversations with different women every single time he went to the store, and maybe they went a lot better than his conversations with me.

I decided to send him a message back because, well, I wanted to know more about him, which was weird. I had kind of failed in my mission to give him the first note because I hadn’t really told him off at all. But I could work up to that.

Yes, I would do it.

Dear Steele,

First off, you are a bit of a creep … just joking. I don’t know you well enough to know if you’re a creep. I do not have kids but would love to have kids one day. How old are your kids? Let’s not exchange photos now. Maybe later?

I definitely do not have ‘psycho’ eyes. I do not even know what that means. And yes, I have very insta-kissable lips. At least, all the men I’ve kissed have told me that I’m very kissable. And yes, you are hot, most probably the hottest dad I’ve ever seen. LOL.

But I did want to let you know one thing, Steele: this note wasn’t just meant to tell you about how hot you were. It was also meant to provide feedback on your parenting skills of which I feel you do not have many.

Your half-secret admirer,

Nellie

P.S. If you’re ever in need of any assistance or guidance, let me know. I’d be very willing to help.

I pressed send before I could change my mind then groaned as I reread my message. It was long and somewhat obnoxious. He had to know it was me now.

Of course, in the back of my mind, I wanted him to know it was me so I could find out once and for all if he would flirt or not. Did he find me attractive? I found him attractive, and I wanted him to find me attractive too. Not that I would date him, of course. He had three kids. But from what I could tell, he was single, and maybe I could help him. Maybe I could recommend a good nanny to him. I had some friends that were pretty good with kids, and maybe that’s all he needed was some help. Maybe he was just overworked.

Yes, that was it. I was just trying to be a helpful person.

Ding ding.My phone beeped, and I looked down to see another message. I chewed on my lower lip as I read it.

Dear Nellie,

I had a feeling it was you. You’re the obnoxious Karen I met in the store, huh? You just can’t leave me alone, can you? I do not need your help with my kids, thank you very much. And does your boyfriend know that you’re leaving notes for strange men in the grocery store?

And really, why would you call me bangable? Are you hoping to have some sort of threesome? Sorry, I don’t swing that way.

Have a good day.

Steele.

I immediately texted him back.

No, I’m not trying to have a threesome and that actually wasn’t my boyfriend, thank you very much. I just thought I was being helpful. So you do remember who I am?

He responded back immediately. Of course, I remember who you are. You don’t meet Karens every day, thank God.

Stop calling me a Karen,I texted back.

Or what? You’re going to bite me through the phone?He added a smiley face.

You are absolutely infuriating. I was just trying to help you! I replied.

His response a moment later. If you were just trying to help me, why didn’t you leave me alone?

I did leave you alone, I answered. I just wanted to give you some good advice so you didn’t bother other people as well.

I watched the little dots flicker on my screen for almost a full minute before his next answer came. Lady, I do not know what your deal is or your obsession with me. You go off on me in the grocery store and now you’re leaving notes in my cart and telling me that I’m bangable. Is this your way of asking me to have a one-night stand with you or something?

Or something,I responded.

So then, what do you want? he asked.

Nothing,I replied.

I pressed send and then quickly powered off the phone. Well, that had gone to hell fast. But what had I really expected to happen? I didn’t know. I lay back on the bed and closed my eyes. This was ridiculous. I probably was going to have to switch grocery stores now as well. There was no way in hell I wanted to see him out and about again, let alone his bratty kids.

I jumped up and headed toward the bathroom. Maybe a nice long soak in the bath would help. I needed to distract myself because if I didn’t, I was going to start crying, or worse yet I was going to turn that phone back on and I was going to text him something even more mean and horrible. Or if I was feeling absolutely crazy, I might actually even send him a photo showing him what he was missing.

But even I knew that would be the biggest mistake of my life, even bigger than leaving the note in his cart in the first place.