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

by C. J. Carmichael

  “Well, it would really help us here at the bank if you could get some of these ideas on paper. A business plan, if you will. That, plus a forecast of cash flows as they are expected to be after your implemented changes, might be enough for us to continue with the status quo for the time being.”

  “Thank you,” Margo said, before either of them could change their minds. She left the bank walking tall, but as soon as she stepped outside, her back and her spirits slumped.

  Now she needed to come up with a business plan and a forecasted cash flow statement. Could she ask Robert to help? But he’d already done so much and if he landed this new job at Citibank he wouldn’t have much free time.

  Since it was almost three-thirty, Margo walked from the bank to the kids’ school. For a change Ellie was the one in a talkative mood as they walked home.

  “Can you make a snack for school tomorrow?” Ellie asked. “For the assembly.”

  Margo recalled the notice she’d pulled from both of her children’s knapsacks last weekend. There’d been a comment about parents providing snacks. She’d made a note on the calendar about it. “Sure, honey. I can put together a fruit tray.”

  Ellie wrinkled her nose. “I was hoping for brownies.”

  Margo glanced meaningfully at her younger brother. “You know we’re trying to eat more healthfully, Ellie. The fruit tray will have to do.” She put a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  Peter didn’t lift his head, just kept shuffling along. “Yeah. I guess.”

  Since Peter’s diagnosis, Margo had substituted fruit and yogurt for the cookies and milk the kids usually ate after school. The fruit and yogurt weren’t nearly as popular, though Margo made an effort on the presentation, chopping up the fruit into tiny pieces and layering it with the yogurt in a parfait glass.

  At home she set the dishes in front of her children, noting their glum expressions. “Maybe we can play some soccer after dinner— What do you think?”

  “Why can’t we play now?” Ellie asked.

  “You know I have to work until six.”

  Ellie glared and said nothing.

  After their snack the kids went upstairs. “Remember, no TV until after your homework is done,” Margo called after them. She did her best to focus on her customers after that, but she couldn’t help wondering how much longer she’d be able to do this. How long until the bank pulled the plug on her and she had to admit defeat?

  She didn’t realize how preoccupied with worry she’d become, until Sandy showed up for her evening shift.

  “Margo, are you okay? You look like you’ve bitten your lip raw.”

  Margo went to the washroom and checked her face. Her bottom lip did look very red. She applied a thick layer of petroleum jelly, then went back to the kitchen. She took the latest notice from the bank and tucked it behind the phone. Edward came in then to grab his apron.

  “How are things?” she asked him. They hadn’t had a chance to chat in a while. “Is school going okay?”

  “I had to drop one of my classes. No big deal.” He tied the apron around his skinny waist, then washed his hands.

  It sounded like a big deal to her. She wondered what his parents thought. As far as she knew, he was still living at home. But if he was having trouble at school, that might explain his poor attitude at work lately. Maybe she shouldn’t stir up trouble, but she had to ask. “Is work taking up too much time?”

  He shrugged.

  “Because if you’re dropping classes because you’re short on time…”

  “Hey. Look. I need this job. I need the cash. Everything’s cool. Don’t worry.” He flashed a smile, then headed for the front, where Margo knew he’d do his usual lackluster job.

  If she had time to hunt for another employee, she might have called him back and pressed the issue, but she was glad to shelve the problem for later.

  Her stomach rumbled, and she realized that this time it was hunger, not nerves. She checked the kitchen clock and was dismayed to see how late it was.

  Damn, and she’d been so good about sticking to her schedule lately. Peter must be starving. No time for the planned chicken casserole. She had to make him something quick. Omelets, she decided as she ran up the stairs.

  “Peter?” she called as soon as she was inside the apartment.

  No answer. The place was eerily silent. She would have thought the kids would be long finished their homework and watching their favorite TV shows by now. She went to call them out of their rooms.

  But both were empty.

  “Ellie? Peter?” Margo checked the bathroom and her own bedroom, all with no success. Boy lifted his head from his cushion by the front window. She bent to give him a scratch. “Where did they go?”

  Boy tilted his head as if to say, good question.

  Margo straightened, scanning the room for clues. Could they have slipped outside without her noticing?

  On her way to the front door, she spotted a piece of paper on the kitchen counter.

  Mom, we’ve gone to the schoolyard to play soccer.

  She sighed with annoyance. What had Ellie been thinking? They weren’t allowed to go out without an adult and they certainly should have asked her before leaving the apartment for any reason.

  Really worried now about Peter—not only was he late for supper, but he was exercising before a meal, a definite no-no. Margo threw a peanut butter sandwich together, grabbed a box of juice, then headed for the school. The light was low outside, soon the sun would be setting.

  Margo stopped power-walking and started to jog.

  She rounded a block of side-by-side Victorians, then came to the grassy field to the south of the school. At first glance she didn’t see anyone. Then she noticed two children sitting on the grass next to the sidewalk.

  Ellie and Peter. She’d found them.

  “Thank goodness you’re okay!” She dashed over to them. “Why—?”

  She stopped talking when she realized Ellie was propping Peter up. He looked out-of-breath and a little bewildered.

  “Mom!” Ellie’s voice was full of relief. “Peter can’t see right. And he can’t walk. He says he’s too dizzy.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  MARGO CROUCHED ON the grass next to her son. She poked a straw into the juice box then brought it to Peter’s lips. “Can you drink this, honey?”

  His lips parted to accept the straw and his cheeks collapsed as he started to suck. With each swallow, Margo felt her panic ebbing.

  “I’m sorry, Mom.” Now that help had arrived, Ellie started to cry.

  “Don’t worry, Peter’s going to be fine. But we’re going to take him to the clinic just to be sure.”

  “It was my idea to sneak out and play soccer.”

  “We’ll talk about it later, okay?” Margo scooped her son into her arms. He was so heavy now…in another year she’d never be able to do this.

  “I know I should have asked you—” Ellie clung to her side as they started down the sidewalk.

  “Shh, Ellie. It’s all right.” Worried by her son’s pale complexion, she tried to walk faster. “Let’s just concentrate on looking after your brother. Can you pull my cell phone out of my pocket?”

  She had a taxi number stored there and she instructed Ellie on how to place the call while she headed toward the closest main intersection.

  “Tell the driver we’ll meet him on Mission and Ninth.” With Peter’s legs wrapped around her hips, Margo held him tight to her chest and focused on her destination rather than the burning in her arms. By the time she’d made it to the meeting point for the taxi, he was looking a little stronger.

  “Do you feel any better?”

  He nodded.

  She hugged him tighter. Ellie reached up to stroke her brother’s back.

  They waited ten minutes for the taxi, then it took another ten minutes to reach the twenty-four-hour clinic. When Margo described what had happened to the nurse at reception, she and her children were ushered straight to a room.


  The doctor was a woman about Margo’s age. Margo spewed out their story, her anxiety mounting as she saw the concern in the doctor’s eyes. Before Margo finished recounting all the events, the doctor began a physical exam.

  “You did everything right,” the doctor told her finally. “And since your son’s symptoms have receded, now would be a good time to give him that peanut butter sandwich. He needs something substantial, something with protein, that takes longer than the fruit juice to digest.”

  Margo pulled the sandwich from her purse and handed it to Peter. “Sorry, it’s squished.”

  “That’s okay.” He gave her a little smile.

  As he took his first bite, Margo turned and gave her daughter a hug. Ellie’s face was streaked with dried tears.

  “I’m s-sorry, Mom.”

  “Don’t blame yourself,” the doctor said kindly. “With a new diagnosis of diabetes, situations like this do sometimes occur. It takes time for people to adjust. And it’s possible that your doctor’s initial treatment plan may need to be modified. Have there been any changes in your routine lately? Is Peter eating differently? Doing any new activities?”

  “Soccer,” all three of them said at the same time.

  The doctor’s eyebrows went up.

  “A few weeks ago we started playing soccer as a family. And Peter’s been playing with kids at school, too.”

  “Well, then, that could be our answer. Any increase in exercise will require modification to a diabetic’s diet and insulin requirements. I suggest you meet with Peter’s doctor as soon as possible and discuss all of this with him.”

  “Yes. I will absolutely do that.”

  The kids were quiet during the taxi ride home. Margo supposed they were recovering from the shock of the whole frightening experience. At home she let them watch a favorite movie while she made omelets and salad for their very late dinner.

  After they’d finished eating, the three of them talked about what had happened. “I don’t want you to blame yourself,” Margo told her daughter. “Like the doctor said, we can all learn something from this.”

  After the kids were in bed, Margo poured herself a glass of wine and collapsed on the sofa with the phone in her hand.

  Who she really felt like talking to right now was Robert. But obligation had her dialing Tom’s number instead.

  Catherine answered. “Hi, Margo. How are things with you?”

  She sounded genuinely interested, and by now Margo knew her well enough to realize it wasn’t an act. “It hasn’t been a great day, to tell you the truth. Peter’s okay now, but this afternoon he had an insulin reaction.”

  “Oh, no. That sounds frightening.”

  “It was. May I speak to Tom?”

  “Sure. Hang on.”

  Margo took several deep breaths while she waited for her ex to come on the line. She’d told the kids that there was no point in blaming anyone for this incident and she’d meant it.

  She didn’t think Tom would feel the same way, though. And she knew exactly whom he would point his finger at.

  Yet, when she explained what had happened, he surprised her by not having much to say.

  “You’re positive Peter’s okay now?”

  “Yes. Tomorrow, though, I’m going to call his doctor first thing and see if we need to modify his treatment.”

  “I’d like to come to that appointment.”

  “Sure. I’ll call you as soon as I know when it will be.” Right after Margo disconnected from the call the phone rang again. She pressed Talk and said, “Yes, Tom?” Had he realized that he’d forgotten to berate her for what had happened?

  “Sorry. This isn’t Tom.”

  “Robert.” She sat up straight, her mind shifting gears rapidly. “How was your job interview today?”

  “It went well. Very well.” His voice lowered. “How are you?”

  They’d spent most of the weekend together but hadn’t spoken since the kids came home from Tom and Catherine’s on Sunday night. Margo closed her eyes in an effort to tap into the way she’d felt back then. She loved the fact that they’d watched an old movie together in bed after making love, and before making love the second time. It was a night she would never forget.

  The entire weekend had been marvelous.

  Robert made her feel cherished and special.

  And he’d also distracted her dangerously from all the work that had been waiting for her at home and at the bistro.

  “We had a little emergency here tonight,” she said lightly, determined not to make it into too big of a deal.

  “What happened?”

  She only got out the first syllable of her answer before she started to cry. Frustrated with herself, she covered the mouthpiece. Why was she falling apart now? She’d been fine when she was talking to Catherine and Tom.

  “I’ll be right there,” Robert said. Then she heard a click as he disconnected.

  FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER, Margo was pouring a glass of wine for Robert. She’d stopped crying only a few minutes before he’d arrived. Though she’d splashed her face with cold water, she knew her eyes were still red and her lips swollen.

  “You didn’t need to rush over here. I don’t know why I fell apart like that.”

  “I don’t know, either,” Robert reminded her. “Will you please tell me what happened? You seem fine. The bistro’s still standing… Are Ellie and Peter okay?”

  She nodded. “They’re both asleep. Peter had an insulin reaction tonight. We just got back from the clinic about two hours ago.”

  Robert’s expression softened with sympathy. “That can be very scary.”

  “The whole thing was terrifying. I came upstairs shortly after seven to make dinner. The kids were nowhere in sight….” She halted, remembering the awful panic of that moment. “When I calmed down enough to look around, I found a note from Ellie explaining that they’d gone to the school grounds to play soccer.”

  “Are they allowed to take off on their own like that?”

  “No. Especially not without asking first.” Margo let out a long, pent-up breath then gave him a play-by-play of everything that had happened after that.

  Robert drew her in for a hug. “You should have called me.”

  She’d wanted to. But she and Robert were just on the cusp of something here. She hadn’t wanted to presume that he would drop everything to help her.

  She sighed as he rubbed his hands up and down her arms. For a moment she laid down the burden of being the one in control and it felt heavenly.

  “Poor Margo. What a lousy day.”

  She pressed her face against his shoulder for another few seconds, then reluctantly drew away. “How about you? Did you hear back from Citibank?”

  He didn’t say anything at first, but she saw the answer in his eyes. “They offered you the job!”

  “Yeah, they did.” Finally he allowed himself to smile and she could see how very happy he really was. “I start on Thursday.”

  Three days from now. “Wow, that’s soon.”

  “It would have been next Monday, but there’s a VP in from New York and they want me to meet him.”

  “Congratulations, Robert. I knew you’d get what you wanted eventually.” She glanced at the bottle of Pinot Noir on the counter. “We should be drinking champagne.”

  Robert pulled her back in close. “And dancing in the moonlight….”

  She swayed in his arms. “I like the way you think.”

  “And I like the way you—”

  “Mommy?” A bedroom door opened. “Mom? I can’t sleep.” Ellie came into the room rubbing her eyes.

  Margo had slipped out of Robert’s arms with the first sound of her name. “What’s wrong, honey?”

  “I keep wondering what would have happened if you didn’t come to the school and find us. Would Peter have died?”

  “Oh, Ellie.” Margo took her daughter’s hand and led her to the family room. Robert had settled into one of the chairs by the television and Ellie’s eyes widen
ed when she saw him.

  “I heard talking. I thought it was the TV.”

  “Robert came over to tell me about his new job.”

  “Your mom told me what happened today. It must have been really frightening,” Robert said.

  Ellie nodded.

  “Come here, honey.” Margo pulled her daughter close to her on the sofa. “I’m glad you didn’t stay in your bedroom and worry all alone. It’s good to talk about problems. That’s what moms—and dads—are for.”

  “Your mom is right. You want to know what my mother always told me?”

  “What?”

  “She said to think about the things that went right. In your case, it was a good thing you left that note for your mom or she never would have known where to find you.”

  “That’s true.” For a guy with no kids, Robert’s instincts were on the mark. He’d figured out exactly the helpful thing to say.

  “And you did something else right, too, Ellie. You stayed with your brother and you held him and talked to him. I bet he would have been really scared if you hadn’t been there.”

  It was bittersweet to see the relief on Ellie’s face. Margo hadn’t realized how much her daughter had been blaming herself for what had happened.

  “I won’t sneak out of the house ever again, Mom.”

  “I know.” Margo squeezed her daughter tightly. From his vantage point on the chair, Robert smiled at them, then slowly stood.

  “Robert. I’ll just—”

  “No. You stay there with Ellie. She needs you right now.” As he walked by, he brushed the top of Ellie’s head and gave Margo a private look. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  Still holding Ellie close, Margo watched him leave. They hadn’t had a chance to discuss his job and what changes, if any, it would bring to their relationship.

  They already had so little time to spend together. Once he was working nine to five again—or more—Robert would no longer be free to drop in for lunch. Or to help her with the business end of the bistro.

  She supposed it was selfish of her to think about that. She ought to be glad for him, that he was getting what he wanted. The bistro, after all, was her dream, not his. She’d just have to write up that business plan and revise the cash flow estimates on her own.