She stared at him, forgetting everything, including the receipt in her hand and the fact that this man’s ex-wife had been sitting in the back of her salon while Rachel had just willy-nilly lopped off a foot-and-a-half of her daughter’s precious hair. “But that would be like…a date.”

“Yeah, that was kind of what I was thinking.” His whole body posture spoke anxiety. If he’d been a teenage boy, Rachel swore he would have been hopping from one foot to the other like a two year old who had to pee. His nervousness appeared more subtle-a shift of his weight, the way his card missed the slot when he was trying to slide it back into his wallet-but to her, it might as well have been a neon sign.

“Oh.” Rachel swallowed, considering the offer. She hadn’t been out on a date in…god, she couldn’t remember when. Two years? It wasn’t that she hadn’t had opportunities. And she couldn’t be considered on the rebound anymore, since she and Stephen had been broken up for five. He’d married a woman ten years younger than they were and had moved to Georgia to be near the girl’s family, last she heard. And it wasn’t that she didn’t like men, because god knows, she did.

It was mostly work at Rapunzel’s that had her so busy, keeping her from starting or, god forbid, maintaining a relationship. At least, that’s what it had been before she got sick. Now she had even more reasons for her self-imposed exile.

But what harm was there, really? And this was game two of the Stanley Cup Finals! The Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings! Could she really turn that down? All these thoughts ran through her head in an instant-but it was long enough for her to hear Nina Malden calling out her name from behind and Jake’s head to snap up in surprise.

“You’ve got a deal.” Rachel handed over his receipt with a business card stapled to it. She’d quickly scrawled her name and cell phone number on the back. “Call me.” Jake took the paper and folded it, putting it into his wallet. He opened his mouth to say something but Rachel cut him off, speaking in a harsh whisper. “Your ex-wife is here. I suggest you take Emma home. Now.”