Love And The Single Mom (Singles.... With Kids #1)

by C. J. Carmichael

  “Well, sometimes friends do end up getting married,” Robert conceded. “But not always.” He showcased some fancy footwork with the ball, hoping to distract her, but Ellie didn’t even notice.

  “So you might get married?”

  Robert rubbed his hands on the front of his sweatshirt. He glanced over at Margo. She was tossing the juice box into the trash. Any second she and Peter would be rejoining them.

  Hurry, he urged them. Get here before she says anything else.

  “It’s okay if you do,” Ellie went on to say. “Then I’d have two moms and two dads.”

  Robert saw the situation from her point of view. Poor kid was just trying to sort out her world. She’d seen her father remarry, so in her mind it was just a question of time before her mother did the same.

  But her question still made him nervous. Was he making another big mistake here?

  He glanced at Margo, felt the familiar warmth flood over him at just the sight of her. If he was, it was too late to stop what he’d started now.

  ON SATURDAY, true to his word, Robert spent the day at Margo’s going over the manual that had come with her computer accounting package and making lists of his ideas for improving profitability.

  Meanwhile, Margo went out with the kids to buy a new calendar, a really big calendar with stickies to mark birthdays, doctor’s appointments and, most importantly, no-school days. The kids helped her apply all the stickers to the appropriate days, and once that was done, she went through the school calendar and made sure she had every holiday, professional development day and parent-teacher interview day duly noted.

  She tacked the calendar to the front hall closet, then pulled out the kids’ school backpacks. If she wanted to make good on her resolution to be more organized in the future, this was where she had to start.

  She dumped out the contents to the floor. Peter’s pack was a mess of old cookie crumbs, scrunched-up spelling tests, rocks and sticks. She sorted out the garbage, saved the treasures, then checked the papers to see if there were any notes from the teacher.

  She found an announcement for a gay pride and family diversity assembly on Monday, and another asking for parent volunteers for the annual sports day a month away. She signed up for the afternoon, then made a note on her calendar to hire extra help to work with Em on that day.

  After she was done with Peter’s backpack, she tackled Ellie’s. This one was a breeze by comparison, as her daughter was a bit of a neat freak like her father. Margo found another notice about the family diversity assembly, but that was it.

  Margo hung the packs on their pegs in the closet, then headed to the kitchen. Tom had been his usual pedantic self the other day, but he had made one valid point. It was more important than ever that the family eat regular, healthy meals. She planned out a menu for the entire week, then took the kids grocery shopping so they’d have everything they needed on hand.

  At the end of the day Robert broke off from the accounting to help her make dinner, then later they played board games with the children.

  It all felt so normal and natural, that Margo couldn’t quite believe it. Robert left for home shortly after the kids went to bed, then on Sunday he came back just after lunch, to make good on his promise to take everyone to the park. After two hours of soccer Margo invited Robert home for dinner again.

  “It’s roast beef tonight,” she told him.

  “Then beef on a bun for school tomorrow,” Ellie said.

  “And shepherd’s pie for Monday night,” Peter added.

  Robert blinked.

  “Mommy raked leaves and now we’re organized,” Peter explained.

  Ellie gave a world-weary sigh. “He means she turned over a new leaf. Not raked leaves, Peter.”

  “It’s the same thing.” Peter’s face reddened. “Isn’t it, Mommy?”

  Margo was trying not to laugh. “Give or take a few leaves, yes, I suppose that’s true.”

  “Anyway,” Robert said, “I love roast beef and I love your mom’s cooking so I’m definitely accepting that invitation.”

  The four of them plus Boy entered from the back alley, so they wouldn’t need to troop through the bistro. Margo resisted the urge to check on the business. This was the first time since she’d opened that she’d taken an entire weekend off.

  But she’d needed the break. And the kids had soaked up the extra attention. If something dire happened at the bistro, she was sure one of her staff would come and let her know.

  After their energetic afternoon, Boy flopped onto his dog bed and went straight to sleep. Meanwhile, the kids were content to go to their rooms and finish homework for school the next day. Peter was supposed to read for a half hour, while Ellie had spelling words to memorize.

  Robert followed Margo into the kitchen. It was much smaller and infinitely more basic than the one downstairs. Up here she had an electric stove and oven, a ten-year-old microwave and a dishwasher that sounded about as loud as a carwash.

  She preheated the oven, then rubbed olive oil and a spice mixture into her roast.

  “That smells good.” Robert placed a bottle of Australian Shiraz on the counter. Either he traveled with wine in his trunk, or he’d anticipated her dinner invitation. Margo wasn’t going to complain, either way. She handed him the corkscrew.

  A few minutes later they were both on the sofa with their wine. In the stillness, Margo was suddenly uncomfortable. “Would you like some cheese and crackers? I’ll—”

  “Don’t get up.” Robert took her hand and folded his fingers through hers.

  “But I’m—”

  “Margo.” Robert took his time saying her name, making it sound like a love letter. “It’s okay. We can sit here for a few minutes, can’t we?”

  “I should be—” She stopped. At any given time there were always a dozen jobs she could be doing. But maybe what was happening here, between her and Robert, deserved her attention right now.

  She looked at him. His cheeks were still ruddy from the exercise and his hair had been whipped around by the wind. As for his eyes, they seemed more blue than ever. Maybe that was just because he had them focused so intently on her right now.

  Warmth. Longing. She could feel his emotions, just as surely as she could taste the rich body of the wine against her tongue. If the kids weren’t in the next room, she was pretty sure they’d be kissing right now. In fact, she was awfully tempted to take the risk anyway.

  “It’s been a great weekend.”

  Did he mean that? “All we did was hang out with my kids.”

  “I’m okay with that. Not that I would object to being alone with you for a while.”

  “We’re alone right now.”

  His gaze dropped to her mouth. “I meant really alone.”

  He ran his fingers from her hand, up her arm then lightly touched her cheek.

  Chemistry. Every cell in her body felt it.

  “I want to kiss you, Margo.”

  She wanted the same thing. So badly. But as she darted a quick look at the kids’ closed bedroom doors, she heard him sigh.

  “It’s not the right time or place. I know that. I just wanted to tell you how I was feeling.” He touched the side of her face again with a feather-light gesture. “Maybe on Wednesday…?”

  “Yes.” On Wednesday the kids would be with Tom and Catherine. On Wednesday she could spend time with Robert and not feel guilty about it.

  He brushed his lips to the tip of her nose. “Good.”

  Margo told herself to be happy with the promise of an evening with Robert. But she couldn’t help thinking ahead. “It’s not going to be easy, is it? I have one free evening a week. That’s all.”

  “Ellie and Peter spend every other weekend with their dad, too, right?”

  “Yes, but I’m usually cooking from day to night, stocking up on soups and mixing cookie and muffin dough for the freezer. Then there’s the accounting.” She rolled her eyes. “And payroll.”

  Not to mention laundry, housework and spend
ing time with her girlfriends. How did other single moms handle all this and fit in time for romance, too? It was the ultimate question, and Margo still didn’t have an answer.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  ON SUNDAY NIGHT after dinner Robert went through the menu list with Margo. He had a lot of suggestions and Margo decided to implement them right away. Early Monday morning she rewrote the price list on the chalkboard behind the counter. Em arrived for work five minutes before opening.

  She made no comment on the new prices, just nodded, then went to the back to grab an apron. Business that morning was brisk as usual and only a few customers complained about the higher prices.

  Margo was left with the impression that she could have been charging these prices all along and her volumes wouldn’t have been affected, at all.

  “I guess you were right and I was undercharging,” she admitted to Robert when he came in before lunch.

  “The next step is to save money on the cost end. I have some new buying procedures I want to go over with you today. Then tomorrow we’ll discuss inventory control.”

  Margo was open to all of his ideas, but she wasn’t as optimistic as Robert about the final result. Whenever Robert spoke of savings, it was half a percentage point here, another half there. Would all these little adjustments add up to enough in the end?

  And, more importantly, could she stay in business long enough to get to the point where she was turning a profit?

  Midway through the afternoon, Robert received a call and had to leave for another job interview. Margo wished him good luck with mixed feelings. She knew how important it was for him to get back on track with his career. But once he was working fulltime hours again, would they ever find time to spend together?

  Singles With Kids friends were coming for a coffee night, and she intended to get their advice on dating. Selena, in particular, seemed able to juggle men as well as her other commitments. Maybe she could help Margo do the same.

  In keeping with her new organized lifestyle, Margo served dinner for her children precisely at six o’clock. As she ate, she sorted through the day’s mail. Several new bills had arrived and she stuffed them into the basket with the others, without even reading them. One was a second notice with nasty red lettering. She shoved that one to the very bottom.

  Robert knew the paltry state of her business bank account balance. She’d admitted that she was using personal savings to pay her bills now, but she hadn’t admitted just how quickly those funds were disappearing. She couldn’t. She was too embarrassed. Like her friends, Robert had faith in her ability to make a success of the bistro. She couldn’t admit to anyone just how desperate the situation really was.

  She’d made pasta for dinner—the kids’ favorite—and Ellie and Peter both cleaned their plates and asked for seconds. She couldn’t even finish her own serving, though. Looking at those bills had upset her stomach. She took a couple of antacid pills, then left the dishes so she could focus on getting the kids organized for bed before her friends showed up. Once homework and baths had been taken care of, she slipped down to the bistro kitchen to bake a pan of caramel brownies for her friends.

  Peter and Ellie ran downstairs just when she was pulling them from the Garland’s gas oven.

  “Can I have a piece?” Peter pleaded.

  “I’m sorry, honey.”

  “But they smell so good….”

  “I know.” She covered the pan with a clean cloth, feeling like a huge meanie. “But these have way too much sugar. Would you like one of those special lollipops we bought for you?” They were sweetened with sucrose and had been recommended by the nutritionist as a dessert substitute.

  But Peter wasn’t impressed. He stomped his foot, then raced back up the stairs. Ellie moved in on the brownies. She lifted the corner of the cloth and inhaled the sweet, chocolaty aroma.

  “Mom, can I have some?”

  Margo didn’t know what to say. It didn’t seem fair for Ellie to have a treat when Peter couldn’t. On the other hand, Ellie wasn’t the one with the diabetes. Maybe she shouldn’t have baked the brownies at all….

  But that wasn’t going to be a long-term solution to this problem. She owned a bistro. She baked goodies every day.

  “Just a sliver, okay, Ellie? Then please go upstairs and brush your teeth. My friends are coming over for coffee. They should be here any minute.”

  Margo followed her daughter up the stairs, then once Ellie and Peter were settled for the night, she ran back down to start making coffee. For a change Edward had shown up on time for his shift, and he and Sandy seemed to be getting along well.

  Selena was the first to arrive. She was wearing a dramatic black top with jeans and looked wonderful, except that little white bits of something were stuck to her hair. She glanced around the room. “Wow. Am I early? This is a real first.” She perched on one of the stools.

  “Espresso?” Margo asked, already scooping a generous quantity of beans into the grinder.

  “A double.”

  “Coming right up.” Margo tamped the grounds into the espresso maker, then moved closer to Selena. “What’s in your hair?”

  Selena patted her head, located one of the tiny white things, then examined it. “Oh, that’s Styrofoam from my latest project. I didn’t have time to wash my hair after work tonight.”

  “What are you working on?” Selena’s installation art fascinated Margo. The projects were mostly made outdoors and tended to be political statements of one sort or another. As Selena filled her in on the details of this latest undertaking, Margo started work on the other coffees.

  Nora arrived just as Margo was putting the finishing touches on her chai latte and Rosie followed right after her.

  “Wow, you look great.” Selena checked out Rosie’s classic black dress, heels and makeup. “Were you at a party?”

  “Black tie. Work related, of course.” Rosie made a face. “I wish I’d had time to change, but I didn’t want to be later than I already am.”

  “I don’t blame you,” Selena said. “Tonight we’re going to be talking about Margo’s new man.”

  Margo colored. “I said I wanted to discuss dating as a single parent. Not my love life in particular.”

  Everyone laughed, but Selena said, “We’re not letting you off the hook that easily. So where should we sit? Same place as last time?”

  “Yes.” Margo added whipped cream to Rosie’s mocha, then led the way to the annex. “Make yourselves comfortable. I’m just going to grab the brownies from the kitchen.”

  When she returned, all eyes were on the tray in her hands.

  “I have to watch what I eat all week long in order to make up for these nights,” Nora said, as Margo set the tray on the table. “Not that I’m complaining, you understand. You’re a great cook, Margo.”

  Margo passed her the knife. “I’ve always loved baking, but the scent drifts up to the apartment and Peter is feeling really deprived.”

  “Oh, the poor little guy,” Rosie said.

  Margo groaned. “I suppose I should try to get all the baking done on the weekends when the kids are with their father, but things always taste better when they’re fresh from the oven.”

  Nora had just tasted a tiny piece of the brownie. She licked her lips then rolled her eyes. “You’re not kidding. These are unbelievable. How is Peter making out overall? Besides missing sweets.”

  “As good as can be expected, I think. He does hate his shots. He likes to hold on to Boy whenever I give them to him. Thank goodness that dog is so gentle.”

  “Did you ever take him to the vet?” Selena asked.

  “I did, and everything checked out fine. The vet gave him a clean bill of health, but she did make one comment that has me a little concerned.”

  “Oh?”

  “She said that Boy still has his puppy teeth. Which explains why he’s been chewing everything in sight in our apartment.”

  “You know what else it means?” Nora said. “That he isn’t fully grown yet
.”

  “That’s the problem. He’s already the perfect size. I wouldn’t want him to get much bigger.”

  “Maybe you should reconsider keeping him. Space issues aside,” Nora said, “the last complication you need in your life right now is a dog.”

  “If only his owner would claim him. I’ve always thrived on chaos, but unfortunately juvenile diabetes does not.”

  Selena reached across the table to pat her hand. “You have my sympathy there. Organization isn’t my thing, either.”

  “I’m far from a perfectionist,” Margo added. “But lately my life is definitely verging on out-of-control. Peter’s diabetes was the last straw. Or maybe it was the dog. Or—”

  “The new boyfriend?” Selena suggested, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

  “Yeah,” Nora said. “Tell us about Robert.”

  Rosie laughed. “Those of us with no men in our lives want to live vicariously through you.”

  “Well, he’s wonderful. The only problem is, he’s too wonderful. I’m thinking about him all the time when I should be concentrating on other things. Like my kids. And my business.”

  “Careful, Margo.” Selena licked a dab of toffee from her pinkie. “I totally approve of the new guy. He looks delicious. But you have to remember…men are just for fun. It’s not a good idea to take them too seriously.”

  “When I first met Robert, I tried to think of him that way,” Margo admitted. “As someone I could date occasionally and have a good time with. But after this weekend, I just don’t know….”

  “What happened this weekend?” Nora wanted to know.

  “We spent almost all of it together. With the kids. He taught them to play soccer.”

  “I never introduce men to my son,” Selena said.

  “Then when do you find time to date?” Margo wondered. “Between work, and looking after a house and spending time with the kids, when is there any extra time?”

  “The short answer is, there isn’t.” Nora scraped a fork over her empty plate. “Not that it’s ever been an issue for me. Since Kevin, I can’t even picture myself with someone else.”