She was about to send off a shot in her favorite spot on the corner of the foul line when she hesitated, turning to meet my eyes with wariness.
“I wasn’t going to do this, but after what I just witnessed…” I trailed off, trying to find the right words.
“What?”
“I’ll help you get more comfortable with flirting. And teach you how to put yourself out there.” I wanted to laugh at the obvious irony of my statement. I was the last guy planning to put myself out anywhere, but hopefully I’d be able to remember a few things from the old glory days.
“Are you serious, Clark?”
I shook my head at her audacity to make me laugh at our shared love of the Griswold family. I was making her a serious offer to help.Help. Not to get involved. Not to mess anything up. To help a friend in very obvious need. And in exchange, I’d have a summer free from relentless setups.
“Very serious.”
She didn’t flinch. Just stood there staring at me, waiting for the bomb to drop. “In exchange for what?”
“Why do you just assume I’m after something?” I asked, my hand going to my heart innocently.
“Because I know you.”
She did know me. And I wasn’t sure whether that thought scared me more or less than what I was about to say. “Alright. I need a safety net, Tuck.”
Shelby’s brow furrowed slightly, but she waited patiently for me to say more. And with great reluctance, I knew I had to give her more.
“Look, I don’t want to get into what happened with Miranda, alright? But everybody seems to think I should be dating again. Even my own mom gave me a lecture today about getting out there. If they’re not telling me that, they’re trying to set me up with somebody. Ever since the divorce papers were signed, it’s…been relentless. But you know what? I don’t want to. I’m not doing that to Sophie again.”
The words came out quick and sharp, like I feared that if I took a breath, she would counter everything I was saying. Deep down, I knew I was probably pushing it too far. But grief and anger continued to cloud every thought, and I couldn’t imagine getting close to anyone like that again. Not now. Not ever. Not at my daughter’s expense. But instead of telling me I was wrong or feeding me lines full of clichéd sentiments, Shelby just nodded once.
“Okay,” she said.
That was it.
I stared at her in disbelief as relief clambered down my veins. To my utter horror, my eyes began to burn slightly before I got a hold of myself. Even as kids, she always seemed to understand what I needed. Always giving me the space I needed, even though it must have driven her crazy growing up. Therewere no lectures. No telling me I was wrong. No trying to change my mind. She was already on my side. I had forgotten how easy it was to be her friend.
Good hell, I’ve missed her.
“So, what does being your safety net entail?” She folded her arms across her chest, looking toward me in question.
I cleared my throat and did my best to inject some humor back between us. In a space of one minute, I had gone from teasing her, propositioning her, and almost crying. It must be the parenting that had made me so soft.
“Well, first of all, you should know that lots of women would kill for an opportunity like this.”
My comment did just as I intended, and when Shelby smiled, I did too, and suddenly, breathing became easier.
We’d be fine.
“I just want people off my back for a while. Even if it’s only for the summer. If I need a date for something, you’re the date. If I need an excuse, it’s you. Thanks to the subpar matchmaking work of Kelsey and Tessa, we’ll be working together a lot this summer, so it shouldn’t be hard to think of things to keep us busy. If people see us together and think we’re starting something, maybe then everyone will leave me alone for a while. I just want a summer like the old days with you, Tuck.”
Her brow furrowed. “So…are we dating, then? Pretending?”
“No. I’m not doing any of that. I want you to deter dates.”
“But you said…if you needed a date, that’s me.”
“I’m not going to need a date. I just want you to be there in case I need you. Like safe non-dating dating. Clear as mud?”
She huffed out a laugh while rubbing at her forehead like this all pained her. “Safedating?”
“Safenon-dating,” I corrected. “You’re going to have to control yourself. I’m off the market.”