
What did he say? Did she hear him right? Her fingers gently touched her face as she suspected her mouth was open. His words made no sense. They certainly didn’t jive with her last date’s comments.
“This gets more interesting by the minute.” Oliver commented, while watching the two of them avidly.
“I’m not sure what to say. The last date I went on the man commented I was too large to be attractive. I assumed other men thought likewise.” Melody gripped the counter behind her back in case another verbal volley hit her, knocking her off her set of accepted beliefs.
Levi’s grey eyes warmed as he smiled. “Melody, you probably don’t get out much.”
“No lie there” she readily agreed because it was familiar ground. Her knees felt a little less shaky than before. How could she ease into her chair, making it look natural? Standing against the counter made her feel as if she were on display. The voices of the children coming back from the lake sent Charmer into a series of half-hearted barks. It was enough of a distraction for her to sit down and fold her hands in her lap.
“This date of yours, was he a little on the small side?”
The question had her trying to remember. He hadn’t been overly tall. A little on the scrawny side, not wide across the shoulders and chest like Levi was. “I think so. He never noticed my new outfit, my hair or how hard I worked on my makeup, just that I was too big.”
Oliver put his age spotted hand over hers. “It hurts me to hear you talk like this. You remind me so much of my wife when she was young. Let me tell you, she’s the prettiest thing I ever set eyes on. She still is.”
The sweet man made her eyes glisten. She didn’t necessarily believe his words, but still it was nice to see a man still deeply in love with his wife after all these years.
“I know the type.” Levi nodded his head, as if hearing a conversation only he was privy to.
Charmer nudged her leg. Her fingers scratched his head, not quite familiar with what he might want, not knowing the dog well enough to know his non-verbal cues. Instead, she asked, “What type is that?”
Crossing his arms, Levi looked in her direction, then back at Oliver. “Men who are unsure of their masculinity like small dainty women. In the end, they don’t really know how to be a man. As far as masculinity, all they have is superior size and different plumbing. A doll-like woman makes them feel like a man, but it doesn’t make him one. More like a boy playing with his sister’s Barbies.”