by Kahlen Aymes
“Wow.” I was blown away. Talk about a happy ending. “That’s… an incredible story.”
“I was worried she wouldn’t love me anymore. Remi, not Teagan,” he clarified with a huffed laugh.
I smiled that he’d made the distinction for my benefit. “How could she not love you? You’re an incredible father.”
“That’s nice of you to say.”
“Not at all. I can hear it in your voice when you talk about her, Jensen. I wish Derrick had been half the father to Dylan that you are to Remi.”
“I want to hear all about it, but not tonight. Mull this over and when you’re ready you can tell me your story, okay? No pressure.”
“You’re amazing, Jensen.” I wanted to pinch myself. How remarkable he was, couldn’t be real.
“But, you’re afraid to trust me…” he responded, knowingly.
I wanted to tell him everything, but I was thankful for his understanding that I needed to take things slow. “I’ve been afraid to trust any man, except Ben.”
“I sensed that, but don’t worry; I’ll convince you if you give me a chance. All I’m asking for, right now, is a play date. If you behave, we’ll go from there.” There was a teasing lilt to his voice that set me at ease.
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud, and Jensen chuckled in return. This was the most carefree and light-hearted I’d felt in a long time. “Behave, huh? Sounds good.”
“Good. Tomorrow when Walsh calls, act surprised.”
I found myself reluctant to end the call. It was as if he’d lassoed me through the phone line and was pulling me through it. “I will.”
“Goodnight, Missy.”
“Night, Jensen. And, thank you.”
As I put my phone on my bedside table, I felt anxious for the sun to rise and for Bryan Walsh’s call so I could start making plans. My heart was full. After hearing Jensen’s story, I realized good men did exist. I had real hope; for me, for Dylan; hope for a real future and a real life.
JENSEN
It was Thursday night, and Missy was starting at the station on Monday. I was anxious. Very anxious.
In the two weeks that had passed since Bryan offered her the job, we’d spoken on the phone twice. I guess you could say we’d become friends because she confided in me by sharing a bit of her past with her ex-husband, Derrick. He had a general contracting company in Dallas, and she’d met and married him when she was very young. He isolated her by forcing her to quit her job at FOX and stay home, even before they had Dylan.
I already had a solid hatred brewing within me for that prick, though she hadn’t told me the whole story yet. I sensed, by her hesitation, that the part she hadn’t told me was terrible. I didn’t press her and figured she’d tell me if, and when, she was ready. I could guess he was the typical abusive asshole; intimidate the woman, trash her self-esteem, make sure she has no friends, control everything, and make her think it’s because she is at fault. Just thinking about it made me want to fucking kill something.
I wouldn’t be there to welcome her on Monday because I wouldn’t fly back to Atlanta until late Monday night after my show taped in Bristol.
“What’s on your mind, man?” Chase asked. He noticed my preoccupation. We were having a beer in his backyard as steaks sizzled on the grill. They smelled amazing when he opened the lid to check on them. “Is it about your new gig?”
I glanced up from where I was sitting in one of the Adirondack chairs around the pool. It always amazed me how a simple wooden chair could be so comfortable. It wasn’t the first time Chase and I hung out drinking beer and cooking steaks, but this time Remi was paddling around the shallow end with her inflatable arm floaties and having a marvelous time. Her laughter tinkled in the warm air, as the sky turned a brilliant lilac leading down to bright orange as the sun set in the west. Teagan was sitting close by, hip deep in water, on the steps leading into the pool.
“Nah. That’s going well,” I said, though I had only been at it a week. “It’s a big change. I like not being in front of the camera, but there’s a lot more to producing a show than just showing up and reading the teleprompter.” I sat back, grinning, and lifted my beer to my lips.
“Look at me! Daddy! Jensey!” Remi called from the pool, dog paddling around in a circle. “I’m swimming!”
“Watch what you’re doing, baby,” Teagan admonished. Her swollen stomach was the only tell that she was pregnant. “Jensen, do you remember Norine?”
I nodded. “Yes. She was one of the nurses at the oncologist’s office, right?”
“Yep. She asked about you today when I took Remi in for her six-month check-up.” Teagan’s expression turned teasing, and she nodded suggestively.
I grimaced; glad to have an opportunity to bypass the subject of Norine. “How’d it go?”
“All clear. She was so brave.”
“We sang Happy while they poked me,” Remi piped up from the water. There were lights under the water in the sides of the pool to illuminate it after dark. “Even nurse Norine, except’n she sounded kinda funny.”
“Maybe someday you won’t have to have any more needle pokes, sweet pea.” She always hated needles, and she’d had more than her share in her short life.
“What do you think about Norine?” Teagan persisted. “Would you want to take her to dinner next weekend? Or, maybe we can invite you both over here one night.”
“Teagan, there’s something extremely warped about my ex trying to set me up.”
Chase chuckled and joined in with Teagan’s teasing, flipping over the burger he was making for Remi. “It’s not any more wrong than me cooking my wife’s ex a steak, is it?”
We all laughed together. “I guess not, but I like you, and I don’t like Norine.”
To outsiders, my relationship with Teagan and Chase might seem strange, but we’d been through a lot together, and we were all focused on one thing; raising Remi and what was best for her. There might have been some bad feelings between us at one point, but we’d cleared the air and gotten on the same page.
“I’d just like to see you settled and happy, Jens,” Teagan murmured, then redirected her attention at the little girl in the pool. “Come over this way, Remi. Stay away from the deep end.”
“She’s fine, babe. Jensen can jump in if something happens to her floaties.” Chase’s dry sense of humor was not lost on me, and I huffed out a laugh. “Seriously, J. You need to get out there.” He loaded the cooked steaks and burgers onto a platter and brought them to the table, then went back to get the corn and potatoes roasting on the side burners.
“I’m interested in the woman who is taking over my old job at the network, so cool your jets.”
“Yeah! Cool your jets,” Remi echoed, continuing to circle the shallow end of the pool. I laughed out loud as I went toward the pool and motioned for Remi to come to the edge so I could lift her out. “Time to eat, squirt.”
“Goodie! I want a cheeseburger, please!”
“One cheeseburger, coming up!” Chase answered enthusiastically, grabbing a hamburger bun from the open package and using a spatula to load it with the freshly grilled meat dripping with cheese.
I could tell Teagan’s interest was piqued when she stood and got out of the pool, grabbing the towel that was sitting beside her poolside, before wrapping it around her body and coming to join us at the table. “Really?” She poured iced tea into two glasses and added ice from the cooler sitting beside the table, reaching back in to lift out two more beers for Chase and me. “Has she already come to work there?”
I picked up my dripping child by her arms, holding her away from me until I could set her down by a chaise lounge where another towel was waiting. I removed the floaties and wound the towel around her little body. “She starts on Monday. I met her a couple of weeks ago when I had to take her on a test run. That trip to L.A.”
“Tell us about her,” Teagan urged, making Remi a plate while I sat her down in a chair between Chase’s and mine. He came around with a
hoodie and held it out for me. Without a word, I took it and held it while Remi slid her arms into the sleeves. “Chase, there’s another towel over there. Put it over her legs. It might get chilly now that the sun has set.” When it came to Remi, we were like a well-oiled machine.
“Jensen?” Teagan asked again. “Where’s this mystery woman from?”
I proceeded to relay what I knew about Missy to my friends, telling them about her roots at the FOX affiliate in Dallas and then her move to Wyoming to live with her brother following her divorce. Purposely, I left out what I knew of Missy and Dylan’s suffering at the hands of her ex-husband. It wasn’t my place to share.
“She has a little boy about Remi’s age. I thought it would be nice if they could play together.”
“Maybe Teagan can help them get settled,” Chase suggested, cutting off a piece of steak and forking it into his mouth.
“Missy asked my advice on a temporary place to stay until she found something, but I don’t think she has much money because she hasn’t really worked in the past couple of years; outside of babysitting some of her son’s friends in the afternoons after their morning kindergarten. I think she plans on leaving Dylan in Wyoming for at least a few weeks until she’s settled.”
“Why don’t they just stay here until they find a place? We’ve got plenty of room,” Chase suggested. “That’s if you trust her.”
“I do, but…”
Teagan’s face lit up at her husband’s suggestion. “That’s a wonderful idea, babe! Then she can bring her little boy with her! I’m home all day, and he can go to school and playgroups with Remi.”
“Is he mean like Nolan?” Remi piped up, picking out an extra browned piece of potato and moving it to the edge of her plate. She wrinkled her nose and pursed her lips in a pout.
“Remi, I’m sure this little boy is very nice,” Teagan said. “He doesn’t have any friends yet, so wouldn’t it be nice to make him and his mommy feel welcome?”
She nodded and took a bite from her burger. “Okay,” she said with her mouth full. It was clear that her time in the pool had worked up her appetite.
Once again, Chase and Teagan amazed me. “That’s extremely generous, but I’m not sure she’d accept.” I scooped a pile of potatoes onto my plate next to the ribeye Chase had grilled to a perfect medium rare.
“Why not?” Chase asked.
“She’s proud. She didn’t share that she was low on funds, I’m just assuming. I’m not sure how to bring it up without seeming presumptuous.”
“Well, you don’t have to mention anything about money!” Teagan insisted. Her long brown hair twisted into a topknot, and she didn’t have any makeup on. “You never know until you ask. If she’s new to the area, I can help her look for a place.”
“She might get piss—” I stopped at Teagan’s stern look. “Uh, she might get upset if I start making decisions for her, but she probably does need help.”
“She’s a damsel!” Remi said simply, with a little shrug, before diving into her burger again.
My eyes locked with Chase’s and then flashed to Teagan. We all grinned at the wisdom of our daughter, trying hard not to laugh out loud while continuing with our meal.
My little Remi was right on the mark. Missy was a damsel, all right.
***
Later that night and back at my house, I decided to call Missy to tell her about Teagan’s offer.
I took out my phone as soon as I threw my keys on the coffee table and kicked off my shoes. Would Missy think it was weird that my ex was offering to have her stay at her home? It wasn’t as if we were already dating, so hopefully she’d see it in simple terms; as help from the friend of a friend.
As the phone rang, I was still pondering if it was even a good idea. I’d thought about little else the entire drive home. Missy seemed very proud, and the last thing I wanted was to insult her by assuming she didn’t have the money to work things out on her own. I was basing my opinion entirely on what she had told me, but I had no idea what her divorce settlement was. For all I knew, she could be loaded. It was a slippery slope.
We hadn’t spoken about anything personal since our conversation about my marriage to Teagan. Though I had hoped she’d bring it up sometime in the interim before her start date at ESPN, but she hadn’t. I was more than a little disappointed. I’d been thinking about her non-stop since we’d said goodbye at LAX, and I’d had to rely on what few details I could dig out of Bryan and Cindy.
I wasn’t usually nervous when approaching women; even being decidedly out of practice since the divorce. I’d discovered it was like riding a bike and I just had to get back in the saddle. I felt differently with Missy, and my heart was pounding wildly in anticipation of a simple phone call.
I wasn’t sure if it was because we could be working together sometimes, or that I didn’t want her to conflate her undoubtedly colored opinion of men, onto me. She hadn’t said what kind of abuse she’d suffered at the hands of her evil ex-husband, but it gnawed at me. I imagined all sorts of horrible things that bastard had done to her and her son. My imagination was probably worse than the truth, but I felt uptight and worried, and I didn’t like it. Maybe I’d be able to relax once she moved to Atlanta and I could keep a closer eye on her. I shook my head at myself as the phone rang. What the fuck was I doing? I barely knew this woman. I shouldn’t be going all caveman about her.
“Hello?” she answered; her voice already familiar to me.
“Hi, stranger,” I murmured. “Are you ready to start your new job?”
“Hey.” I couldn’t tell if the tone in Missy’s voice was one of surprise or pleasure. “I’m all packed, if that’s what you mean?” I could hear the sadness in her answer, even though she tried to sound positive.
I rubbed a hand over the back of my neck as I plopped down on the sofa getting ready to drop the bomb. “I realize Atlanta and ESPN will be a big change from Jackson Hole, but I think you’ll do great.”
“How’s the production thing working out?”
Her redirection of the conversation told me she was feeling sad. I didn’t know how I knew, but I did. “It’s going well. It’s only been a week.”
“Is Jarvis working alone for now?”
“Yeah, but you’ll be there to save him soon enough.” I was trying to lift her spirits. “I’ve got your promos all figured out; Missy and Mills.”
She huffed out a laugh, but melancholy still laced her tone. “That’s cute.”
“Missy, if you’re having second thoughts, I’m sure Walsh would understand.”
“It’s not that,” she murmured softly.
“Is Dylan upset about the move?” It was the logical place for my mind to land. That, and her worry over being in front of the camera.
“Yes. He doesn’t want to leave Ben and his friends, but I think I’m just anxious about leaving him here. I’ll need to spend every minute of my free time looking for a place that I can afford.”
“There are a lot of nice neighborhoods in Atlanta. Not all of them are over-the-top on cost of living,” I reassured her. “I certainly don’t live in the most affluent area.”
She sighed into the phone. “I’ve been researching the school districts and looking at the bus lines. Mr. Walsh said after I get settled, I can take some time off to fly home and drive back with Dylan. Until then, I won’t have a car, and I’m staying in the motel that Nicole arranged near the station.”
Shit, I thought. I’d completely underestimated how difficult it was to move all the way across the country. I’d grown up around this area and gone to college not far away in Clemson, North Carolina. That was nothing compared to the long-distance trek Missy and Dylan were making.
I was lost in my thoughts until she continued. “I’ll have to leave Dylan here with Ben for a month or two, and that’s what’s killing me. Coming down for my interview was the longest I’ve been away from him since he was born.”
I smiled to myself, softly, knowing I was about to solve that proble
m. She was setting this up for me. “Yeah, that’ll be tough, but what if you didn’t have to leave him?”
“What?” Missy asked hesitantly. “I’ve tried to figure out a way to have him with me, but I can’t work it out. My mother is trying to sell her house, but until she does, she can’t move. I can’t pull him out of school until I know where I’m going to live. I don’t want to bounce him around.”
I was happy to hear that her plans to have her mother join her were going to materialize because it would help her feel better about traveling out of town for assignments. “I understand all that, but I’ve figured it out. Or, at least, Teagan has.”
“You’re ex-wife? You were discussing me with her?” Her tone hardened slightly.
I seemed to be putting my foot into my mouth. “Don’t be upset about it. I told you, Teagan and Chase are my friends. So are you,” I said gently; waiting for her to answer.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I said firmly. “But only if you think you can trust me.” I truly wanted more from her than friendship, but if that was all she was comfortable with, I still wanted to help her. “Remi is the same age as Dylan, and Teagan is home all day. She offered to have you and Dylan stay with them until you found a place of your own. They’ve got a huge house and Chase is gone half the time. She’d welcome the company and Dylan would have a new friend, too.”
“Jensen.” She seemed at a loss for words. “I don’t know what to say. No one has ever done anything like this for me before.”
“It’s up to you, but just so you know, there is no catch. I just thought it would be easier. So, did Chase and Teagan.”
“Um… What about enrolling him into school? I’ll worry about him if I’m not settled permanently. What about my car? How will I get it down there? I can’t afford to have it shipped.” There was an embarrassed silence that followed. Obviously, pride dictated that she kept the state of her personal finances to herself. She might be low on money now, but that was about to change in a few weeks when she received her first paycheck or two.