Vicki’s Gift

by Fischer, Kristin Noel

  “No, this is the first time. Scarlet and Ford had plans to go out of town for their anniversary, but Ford’s mom, who was supposed to stay with the boys, got sick. When I heard they were going to take Aiden with them, I offered to keep him for the weekend.”

  “That’s so generous of you,” I said, impressed.

  “Nah. Aiden’s a sweet kid. Plus, he’s Grant’s brother. I want the two of them to have a good relationship like I had with Robbie.”

  I nodded, feeling a pang at the mention of Robbie. He’d been way too young to die. Still, I was happy to hear Seth talk so openly about his brother. I imagined coming to terms with Robbie’s tragic death hadn’t been easy.

  “What?” Seth asked, staring at me.

  I shook my head and plated the three chocolate muffins. “You’re a good guy, Seth. I don’t think a lot of guys would be willing to babysit their ex-wife’s son so she could go away for her anniversary with her new husband.”

  With a shrug, Seth glanced at the boys who were setting up the chess pieces to play again. “It’s to my benefit for Scarlet and Ford to have a strong marriage. They’re helping me raise Grant, and I want him to grow up in a stable household. Besides, it’s not Aiden’s fault how he came into being. And all that . . . well, I’m as much to blame for my divorce as anyone.”

  “How so?”

  He smiled sadly and shook his head. “It’s a long story. Maybe I’ll tell you about it some time.”

  “Sure.” I finished preparing his order, telling myself that friends talked about deep emotional issues such as divorce. Didn’t they?

  Chapter 25

  Seth

  On my next day off, I tucked a book under my arm and walked over to The Last Tangle to get my hair cut. Ed from Ed’s Barber Shop usually cut my hair, but this week he’d gone wild hog hunting with his brother.

  I entered the salon, prepared to sit and read while I waited for my appointment. Immediately, Bianca greeted me with a huge hug. “Seth, I’m so happy you came.”

  I was taken aback by her enthusiasm. Did she think I was going to stand her up? “My appointment is at ten, right?”

  “Yes.” She gestured for me to follow her back to her station. “Everyone, this is Seth Watson, the newest addition to the Rose Island Fire Department. That’s right, ladies, he’s a firefighter, and he’s single.”

  Heat burned my face as all the women in the salon stared at me. One of the older ladies actually winked. “Oh, you’re so good-looking,” she said. “And you look very strong.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  “You know,” she continued, “I have a granddaughter about your age. She’s a pet groomer, and she’s single too. Would you like her number?”

  “Oh, Seth has a German shepherd,” Bianca said. “Do you ever get King groomed?”

  “Not really.” I smiled at the woman with the granddaughter. “I’m not interested in dating right now, but thank you.”

  Bianca looped her arm through mine. “Seth has the dating scene all under control with his online profile.”

  All the women, including Bianca, laughed. I just stood there, smiling awkwardly, not understanding what she meant.

  Bianca spun her chair to face me. “Take a seat, Seth.”

  I did as she commanded and let her snap an apron on me. Running her hands through my hair, she asked, “A trim, a Mohawk, or something completely different?”

  “Just a trim.”

  “Okay.” She grabbed a pair of clippers and got to work. “How are things going in the online dating world?”

  “The what?”

  “It’s okay. Vicki helped me set up an account with that online dating site you use. I ended up deleting my profile, but before I did, I saw yours.”

  “Saw my what?”

  “Your online dating profile.”

  “My online dating profile?”

  She nodded. “Seth Watson, age thirty, Rose Island, Texas. Seven things about me: I love God, my son, AA, kayaking, reading, and chocolate. I’m looking for a woman who is ready for marriage, will love my son, and wants kids of our own through natural means or adoption.”

  I pulled away from Bianca and faced her directly. “What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t be embarrassed. I was going to do it too, but I changed my mind. Vicki says it’s a great way to meet people. Have you gone out with anyone yet?”

  I stared at her, feeling like I’d been transported to another planet. “Are you saying there’s an online dating profile set up for me with my picture and that blurb you just recited?”

  “Yes, of course. And don’t get too excited, but you and I were a perfect match. One hundred percent. Not that I think we should date or anything. Although, I think we can both agree our kids would be gorgeous.”

  I suddenly had an image of Oscar laughing as he showed something to one of the guys on his device at the station. I’d asked what was so funny, but Oscar insisted I’d find out soon enough. Had he signed me up for online dating without my knowledge?

  Now that I thought about it, I’d received a lot of emails from an online dating site. Thinking they were spam, I’d deleted them without reading them. Did those emails concern my bogus account?

  I took off the apron and came to my feet. “I think you better show me this profile because I don’t know anything about it.”

  Bianca’s eyes widened. “Of course.”

  *

  Humiliated and angry, I stormed over to the fire station to confront Oscar, the obvious mastermind behind this scheme. It was one thing to joke around about my lackluster love life, but he’d gone too far.

  In the workout room, I confronted Oscar while he was lifting weights. “You set up an online dating profile for me without my permission? What made you think you could do something like that?”

  Setting down the dumbbells, Oscar laughed as if it was all an innocent joke. “Dude. Calm down. It’s no big deal.”

  “It’s a huge violation of privacy, not to mention degrading.”

  “Degrading?”

  “Yeah, I don’t need your help managing my love life. If I want a girlfriend, I’ll find one myself.”

  “Will you? Will you really?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing.” Oscar picked up another set of dumbbells and did a few bicep curls. “Look, man, I’m sorry I violated your privacy, but you need to get out. You say you can find a girlfriend on your own, but have you found a date yet for the concert at The Grand?”

  “Not yet.”

  “It’s next week. You heard the captain. It’s a social event. You’re supposed to bring a date. Trust me, you don’t want to show up like the pathetic divorcé who couldn’t find anyone to bring.”

  “Wow.” I pressed a hand to my chest, feigning injury, which wasn’t that hard to do, given that I did feel slightly injured.

  “Sorry.” He hung his head. “That was a low blow.”

  “Yeah, it was. I may be a pathetic divorcé, but I don’t need you interfering like that. It’s just rude, okay?”

  “Then take down the profile. You should’ve received an email. Follow the instructions to delete it.”

  I nodded. “Okay, I will.”

  *

  Because I had an hour before picking up Grant from school, I walked over to Sweet Elephant’s, the new coffee shop down the street from me. Living in the home I’d grown up in was strange, especially given how much I’d changed.

  After purchasing a decaf latte and chocolate croissant, I retreated to one of the side rooms and sank into a comfy couch. Opening my laptop, I found one of the dating site emails and followed the link to my profile. Just like Bianca explained, there I was on the web page, advertising my desire for a woman who would love my son and me.

  I cringed, not sure why. I mean, everything Oscar wrote in my profile was true. I did love God, Grant, AA, kayaking, reading, and chocolate. I did want a woman who would love both Grant and me. Also, I was looking for a woman who wan
ted to have kids with me.

  Unlike Vicki, I couldn’t imagine life without kids. When she broke up with me, that was one of her reasons. Intellectually, I appreciated her honestly. So, why couldn’t I stop thinking about her? Why—despite my resolve to just be friends—did I keep trying to find a way to make things work between us?

  Focus, Seth. Focus.

  Returning my attention to the website, I tried to figure out how to delete my profile. I pressed one button after another. Suddenly, all these messages popped up from various women saying they were interested in me. I stared at them for a minute. Then, against my better judgment, I typed in Vicki’s name.

  Her profile appeared with a big 1% match.

  1% match?

  Ouch. Closing my eyes, I just shook my head. Talk about evidence that we shouldn’t be together.

  Chapter 26

  Vicki

  In addition to baking and waiting on customers behind the counter, I also enjoyed bussing tables because it gave me the opportunity to mingle with everyone.

  While clearing a table, I overheard a group of college students talking about Sweet Elephant, the new coffee shop near the college. The kids, who obviously didn’t know I owned Vicki’s Bakery, went on and on about Sweet Elephant’s chill vibe and eclectic seating.

  Feeling the need to check out my competition, I rode my bike over to Sweet Elephant’s after lunch. From the outside, the place wasn’t very impressive. In fact, it looked like an old Dairy Queen someone had bought for a bargain. The sign, I had to admit, was adorable with three elephants decorated and painted in festive colors—green, yellow, pink, and blue.

  Inside, I was alarmed by the chaos of people and junk. It felt like I was in the middle of antique weekend in Round Top. In addition to all the customers, the coffee shop was stuffed with vintage furniture, eclectic lamps, framed photographs, wildly dressed mannequins, and countless bookshelves overflowing with old books, knickknacks, and board games. In one corner stood a life-sized medieval knight, complete with a suit of armor, chain mail, and a hinged helmet. He wielded a halberd that looked capable of chopping down a castle door or whatever knights used to do with weapons back then.

  “Are you in line?” asked a man with way too much facial hair.

  I looked around, not realizing there was a line. Honestly, it seemed like pure anarchy here. In my bakery, I had two clearly delineated lines—one for placing your order and another for picking it up. Here, the standard seemed very anything goes.

  “Who’s next?” the barista asked.

  When nobody responded, the man with the beard nudged me. “You’re up.”

  “Yes. Thank you.” I stepped forward and ordered a plain coffee.

  “What else can I get you?”

  “Just the coffee.”

  “Right.” He rang up my order and took my payment as if he had all the time in the world. While he poured my coffee, I glanced around, resisting the urge to grab a tub and bus a few tables.

  “Here you go,” he said, handing me my coffee.

  “Thank you.” I carried my coffee through the shop, which was divided into several themed rooms. One of the rooms, most likely called the miniature room, contained tiny scenes from all over the world, including the Vatican City, London, and the Taj Mahal.

  Sitting on a couch with his back to me was a man with beautiful broad shoulders. I glanced at his laptop and noticed that he was scrolling through messages from what looked like an online dating site. Suddenly, he typed in my name. Instantly, my picture popped up with the words “1% match.”

  I must’ve sucked in a sharp breath or something because the man turned to face me. “Vicki?”

  “Seth. What are you doing?”

  He closed his laptop and came to his feet. “What are you doing here?”

  My heart hammered. “Were you looking at my dating profile?”

  He sheepishly glanced at his computer. “Yeah, I was.”

  “Why?”

  He shrugged and sidestepped the question. “Do you want to sit down?”

  “Okay.” I sank onto the ragged couch that’d seen better days. Despite the ugly, frayed fabric, it was actually pretty comfortable.

  Seth set his ankle on top of his knee. “Did you follow me here?”

  “No. I didn’t know you’d be here. I came on my own. I heard some customers talking . . .”

  “So, you came to check out the competition?”

  I grinned, embarrassed. “Something like that.”

  We both sipped our coffee. Mine wasn’t bad. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t the worst cup of coffee in the world. I gestured at Seth’s laptop. “How’s the online dating going?”

  A muscle in his jaw tightened. “Oh, well . . . you know how it is.”

  “Yeah. It can be a little rough.”

  He took a bite of his croissant and washed it down with a gulp of coffee.

  “How does it taste?” I asked.

  “Decent. Not as good as anything from your bakery, but it’s okay.”

  I smiled in spite of myself. “Good to hear. I’d hate to think this place might run me out of town.”

  “Never.” He glanced at the miniature little pope, waving from his window in Vatican City. “Variety is good. It’s the spice of life. Rose Island needs both this place and yours.”

  “You think so?”

  “Definitely. Our little island is growing. There’s definitely room for more bakeries and coffee shops.”

  A moment of companionable silence passed between us. How were we supposed to be friends when I was still attracted to him? Yet, how could there ever be more between us when we were only a 1 percent match? And why was he checking out my profile? General curiosity or something more?

  “Can I ask you a question?” Seth said.

  “Can I ask you one first?”

  He gave an easy grin. “Sure.”

  “I noticed you had a ton of messages. If you weren’t going to answer them, why did you set up your profile in the first place?”

  “I didn’t.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “A so-called friend from work set it up without my knowledge.”

  “Are you serious?”

  He nodded. “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “Oh, Seth.” At first, I was appalled, then I laughed. “That’s so rude.”

  “I know, right?”

  He gave a little chuckle of his own, warming my heart.

  “Why did your so-called friend do that? I mean, I wouldn’t think it would be very hard for you to find a date.”

  “You’d be surprised. Not that it matters. I’m not looking to date anyone right now. I just want to focus on staying sober and taking care of Grant.”

  I offered a sad smile, pleased he felt comfortable enough to talk about his sobriety. I’d always worried about his drinking, especially after Robbie died and later when we lost Marcus.

  “So, you said you had a question for me?” I prodded.

  He glanced down at his laptop and took a deep breath. “Even though I’m not interested in dating anyone right now, I’m supposed to bring a date to this event for work. That’s the whole reason Oscar set up my profile—to find me a date for that night.”

  “He did a pretty good job with the profile. It’s a good picture, and the things he said are true, right? You’re still interested in getting married and having more kids.”

  “Yes.” His gaze held mine. “Becoming Grant’s father was the best thing that ever happened to me. While the circumstances weren’t ideal, I’ve never regretted having him. I’ve always loved him even if I haven’t been a perfect father.”

  I tugged at a thread on the couch. “From my perspective, it looks like you’re an amazing father.”

  He offered a sad smile. “I try my best, but during my drinking years . . . well, I never physically hurt him or anything, but it’s difficult to be emotionally present when you’re drunk or hungover all the time.”

  The pain in Seth’s voice made me sad.
“But you’re sober now?”

  He smiled. “Yes. I’m sober now.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Yeah, it is. Anyway . . . back to my question.” He stared at his hands briefly before looking up at me. “There’s this event for work. I’m supposed to bring a date. What would you think . . . well, you wouldn’t want to come with me, would you? Just as friends?”

  Just as friends. My heart sank at the phrase. Of course, just as friends. What did I want from him? Undying love and devotion? We were both old enough now to understand those days of our youth were over.

  Crossing my legs, I pretended to seriously consider his offer. “When is it?”

  “A week from this Thursday.”

  “A week from this Thursday . . .” I allowed enough time to pass before shaking my head. “I’m so sorry, Seth, but I have other plans that night.”

  He studied me a beat. “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  “Yeah.” He grinned.

  “Why is that funny?”

  He chuckled again. “You haven’t changed at all, have you?”

  I squared my shoulders. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Your chin still twitches whenever you’re not being completely honest.”

  I covered my chin with my hand to stop it from moving. “Are you accusing me of lying?”

  His brow lifted. “Are you saying you’re not lying?”

  Despite myself, I smiled. “Okay, you’re right. I don’t have plans that night.”

  “I thought so.”

  “I just think going to a work event with you is a bad idea. We can be friends, but . . .” I shook my head. “Given our past, I don’t think hanging out is a good idea, do you?”

  “No.” He stared back at the miniature Vatican City. “Just for the record, can you tell me why it isn’t a good idea?”

  “Because we want different things. You want kids, and I don’t.”

  He rubbed the stubble along his jawline. “You haven’t changed your mind about that?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  He nodded. “Fair enough.”