it probably said something about him that in his late 30s he had no idea how to do the dating thing anymore.   he'd been married for 13 years, unhappily for most of them, and divorced going on 6 years with very little time for seeing women between work and taking care of his daughter. & maybe, if lawson was being honest with himself, he was afraid of putting himself out there again. he didn't want to find another woman like katherine, blind to her flaws until way too late & he didn't want to put river through more than she'd already had to deal with over the years. his daughter was his priority, 100%. lawson had barely spared a wayward glance to women in those past 6 years, aside from the one exception. maybe that was why he found himself so drawn in upon meeting her again & why he ultimately asked her on a date. walking side by side through downtown encino, making small talk, getting to really know one another outside of mutual work. he'd nearly felt the hair stand up on his neck when asked about his dating life ( or lack thereof ), but he had nothing to hide. ❛ i guess you could say i've been a bit of a CYNIC, ❜ he admit, a small shrug of a shoulder while his hands were buried in his pockets. ❛ between my own marriage, seeing acquantainces marriages falling apart, horror stories from my divorce attorney friend . . . it can be hard not to feel discouraged. i've seen love die way too many times. what about you ? hopefully no horror stories of your own. ❜