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a deep breath, rang the bell, and waited.
    Jason opened the door a moment later. He looked freshly showered and he smelled divine. He wore a simple black Nike polo and khaki shorts. I felt slightly overdressed in a navy blue shift dress with camel colored heels.
    “Welcome.” He smiled at me and opened the door wider to allow me in.
    As I passed by him, I inhaled the delightful cologne he’d chosen. He leaned in and kissed my cheek in a friendly manner, and then he guided me with his hand on the small of my back. We passed a living room and a dining room before we ended up in the kitchen area.
    It was clear he’d shared this house with his wife. There were too many womanly clues hanging around. Like the abstract painting of a bowl of bananas and the matching valance above the kitchen sink.
    It looked transitional, though. The house featured a mix of masculinity with a few feminine touches that hadn’t been removed quite yet.
    As usual, my analytical brain immediately assessed the situation.
    His house made me wonder two things.
    First, how long had she been gone?
    Second, why was he hanging onto those things? Did he really like the valance with bananas? Or was it a way to hold onto his ex?
    He smiled as he motioned for me to sit in a stool at his counter, so I sat. He handed me a plate with appetizers and a smile.
    Tiny toasted breads with tomatoes on top filled the plate.
    “My mother’s bruschetta recipe,” he said sheepishly.
    I smiled at the effort he’d put in for our first date. Maybe the first of many. I felt optimistic and comfortable in Jason’s house. “Perfect. Does your mother live around here?”
    He shook his head, a touch of sadness clouding his eyes. “She died a few years ago.”
    “I’m so sorry.”
    He nodded and turned toward the refrigerator as an awkward silence descended. “Wine okay?” he asked, pulling out a chilled bottle.
    “Sounds perfect.”
    So his mom died and his wife left him. Poor guy probably had abandonment issues. And maybe I could be the person to make him feel wanted and cherished.
    Or maybe not.
    Time would tell, and by the end of the night, I’d know if this was worth pursuing.
    He poured two glasses quietly, and then he handed one to me.
    “To chance encounters at the grocery store.”
    I smiled and clinked his glass with mine. I set my glass down after my first sip, but we were both quiet for so long that I picked it back up. It gave me something to do while he stood awkwardly staring at me. I couldn’t tell if he wanted me to eat his appetizer or drink his wine or break the silence.
    “Are you hungry?” he finally asked.
    I nodded. “Can I do anything to help?”
    He shook his head and moved around the kitchen. Awkward silence descended again. 
    “Why don’t you tell me about yourself, Jason?”
    “I’m a father, as you know. Piper is my life. I’m all she has since her bitch of a mother left.”
    Whoa. I sensed a little bitterness toward the ex-wife.
    I cleared my throat. “What do you do for a living?”
    “I’m a mortgage broker. You?”
    “I’m actually a student at SDSU.”
    “How old are you?”
    “Twenty-three.”
    “And you’re a student?”
    I nodded. “Master’s program.”
    He fiddled with some dishes in the sink for a moment. “What’re you studying?”
    “Psychology.”
    We were treading into dangerous territory. I wasn’t sure what to tell him if he asked me about my thesis research. I figured it was common knowledge that a master’s came with some kind of project.
    I certainly couldn’t tell him he was a DILF in my social experiment.
    “What do you want to do with that degree?” He walked over to the oven and grabbed his hot pads to take something out.
    Shit. Even that was treading into dangerous territory given what he’d already told me about his ex-wife. “Marriage counseling.”
    He chuckled. “Perfect. You can analyze where Elise and I went wrong.”
    “I’d rather not.” It slipped out before I had a chance to