Page 5 of Asher's Assignment
“Uh-oh. I know that tone. What happened?”
“Nothing.” She leaned her palms on the counter and stared at the phone. “I’m just in a bit of a funk, I guess.” Truthfully, she had been since Edie got married. It had highlighted how far she was from having the family she craved. Hearing Edie’s baby news didn’t help. She was thrilled for her sister, but she was also a little jealous. Esther had always wanted to be a mom.
“It’s too bad you don’t have a break until Thanksgiving. I’d tell you to come down here for a little getaway. I could use an in-person movie night.”
“Me too.”
The bubbling of the rice pot drew her attention. She turned the burner down and put a lid on the pan.
“You need to shake things up,” Edie said.
“I don’t have time to shake things up.”
“I’m not talking anything crazy. Go on a date.”
Esther snorted. “With whom?”
“I don’t know. Aren’t there any cute, single teachers at your school?”
“Single, yes. Cute—well, if you like baby men, sure.” There was a second-grade teacher fresh out of college who was easy on the eyes. But she didn’t want to date a guy so much younger. She was twenty-eight, but Mark was only twenty-three. The only other single male teachers at her school were forty-something divorced dads. That was too far in the other direction for her. And as much as she wanted to be a mom, it would take a special man for her to consider starting that part of her life with teenagers already in the mix. None of her colleagues fit that bill.
“It’s too bad Jordan doesn’t have a brother,” Esther quipped. Jordan MacDowell was a catch. Handsome, successful, kind—he treated her sister like a queen.
“No, but I have some friends…”
Esther could hear the smile in Edie’s voice.
“Asher’s single. So is Max,” Edie said.
“Max is not single. He and Margot just refuse to admit it.”
Edie chuckled. “He’s too old for you, anyway.”
“Margot’s only a few years older.”
“Yeah, but that woman’s got life experience coming out her ears. But you’re in luck. Asher’s still available.”
Dark hair, laughing brown eyes, and a bright smile beneath a full beard flashed through Esther’s mind. That man was sex on a stick. And he knew it. He was also so not her type. “Asher would drive me crazy inside of a week.”
“Eh, maybe. He’s not as nutty as he first seems.”
Esther raised an eyebrow but said nothing. If that were true, she hadn’t seen it on her trip down there. He’d been the life of the party at every gathering.
“I think Asher uses his humor to protect his feelings. The man’s a genius, and it’s hard for him to connect with people sometimes.”
“Well, in any case, it wouldn’t work. He’s there and I’m here.”
“Love finds a way, dear sister. That’s something I’ve learned in the last year. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you live. Love finds a way.”
“Well, I wish it would find its way here.”
“Maybe I’ll send him your way. He could use a vacation.”
“Edith, don’t you dare!”
Edie laughed.
“I’m serious. You won’t have to worry about Mom skinning you. I’ll do it for her.”
