by Tia Siren
“No one!” I said, my eyes widening at Sarah.
She shrugged her shoulders as if to say she hadn’t known he was there.
“Look! I can read this book.” He held up one of the chapter books I had bought for him at the thrift store.
“You can?” Sarah asked, amazement on her face. “Let me see.”
Tommy wiggled between the two of us on the couch, opened the book, and began to read. Sarah looked at me as if she were witnessing the making of the earth. I was so proud of my son. I had to do something to feed his growth. If it meant I slept four hours a night to get him across town and back, I would do it. Tommy deserved the best, and I would do everything in my power to make it happen.
“Good night,” I said, giving him a kiss before sending him off to bed.
When he was out of the room, Sarah shook her head. “That kid. Holy cow, he is like next level. I think he is one of those prodigy kids or something.”
I laughed. “I don’t know about that, but he is definitely smart. Too smart for his own good sometimes.”
“You better stay on his good side. That kid is going to invent something that changes the world. He’s going to be buying you a new house if you stay in his good graces,” she teased. “Hell, for that matter, I better make sure Aunty Sarah is on his good side as well.”
We both laughed. “I’ve got to get him into that school,” I said aloud.
She nodded. “I’ll help you. I can pick him up on my days off. We’ll make this work.”
I looked at her and smiled. “Aw, that’s really sweet. Thank you for being such a good friend. There’s no way I could have done any of this without you.”
“Well, I may not be your baby daddy, but I can be the really awesome godmother who doubles as a second mommy when required,” she said.
“Thank you. I’ll call the school on Monday and ask them to send me the scholarship information.”
“Good. And don’t give up on the mystery man. He’s out there somewhere. We’ll find him,” she said with all the confidence in the world.
I wished I had a fraction of her confidence.
Chapter Three
Tyler
Normally, I was the guy who kicked ass and took names at work. I was a multitasker with endless energy. I could juggle several calls at once while making trades from my computer. Normally, that was how I was. Today, not so much. Today, I was struggling to remember the name of the man sitting across from my desk. Robert, Rupert, Richard—hell, I didn’t know.
I nodded my head, pretending to give a shit about the report he was reading to me. I didn’t. I mean, I did, and I knew I should, but I just couldn’t find the strength to care. My focus was elsewhere. It was on her. My quest to find her had suddenly become an obsession.
“Do you have any questions?” the guy asked.
“No. This is all great information. Can you leave a copy with me and I’ll go over it in detail and get back to you later?”
“Of course, Mr. Case. I look forward to hearing from you. All my information is in the packet,” he said, setting a small packet on my desk.
I nodded my head, stood, shook his hand, and watched him leave before flopping back into my fancy ergonomic chair. I let out a long sigh, bored as hell and wanting to be anywhere but where I was. I spun my chair around and stared out the wall of windows of my fifteenth-floor office suite. I could see the bay and thought about skipping work and taking my boat out.
“Mr. Case.” My assistant’s voice filled the room.
I groaned. I didn’t want to be an adult today. I wanted to go play. No, scratch that. I wanted to go find my mystery woman.
“Yes, April,” I replied instead.
“Your eleven o’clock is here,” she announced.
Another meeting with another investor. I loved that people wanted to give my company money, and I should have been far more eager to take it. The luster was missing. The excitement wasn’t there.
“Send them in, please.”
I stood, buttoned my suit jacket, and waited for my next appointment to come in. I managed to get through another boring meeting, the whole time thinking about what I wanted for lunch. I was starving!
“Mr. Case?” The voice echoed in my office again.
“Yes, April?”
“Your noon appointment is going to be a couple minutes late.”
I groaned. I was so hungry. “Fine. I’ll wait.”
I hit the icon for the daily news on my tablet and leaned back in my chair to check out what was happening in the world. An ad popped up, and I nearly dismissed it until an idea popped into my head. I watched the promo for The Bachelor and the idea blossomed.
I was a bachelor in search of a woman to settle down with. I already knew the woman, but if I could get myself a show like that, maybe she would see it and search me out. That was assuming she wanted to find me. God, I hoped she wanted to find me!
“What are you doing?” Landon said, waltzing into my office and startling me.
I shrugged a shoulder, a little embarrassed to tell him what I was thinking.
“Ew, did I catch you looking at porn?” he asked, his lip curled.
I rolled me eyes and held up my tablet.
He looked at me. “Are you hoping to date the guy?”
“No. I’m hoping to be the guy,” I said.
“You want to be the next bachelor?” he asked, his confusion evident.
“Yes! Well, not The Bachelor, but a different version. I don’t want to wait for this one to be over. I want to do it now!”
Landon flopped down on my leather couch, stretched his arms across the back, and nodded his head. “That’s a good idea. Think of the women who will be showing up. You’ll get a free pass to sleep with all of them.”
“I don’t want to sleep with all of them.” I groaned in frustration. “I want her to see me!”
Landon smiled. “I say kill two birds with one stone.”
“If I can get a network to give the idea some thought and then run media across the country, she’ll have to see it. I want it on billboards, the sides of buses, TV, the internet, everywhere!” I said, excitement making me giddy.
He grimaced. “You know that’s going to bring out the crazies. You better beef up your security.”
The thought of my face everywhere, along with my name and all the other dirty details that would attract a woman, was disconcerting. I liked to keep a low profile as much as I could. Stepping out of my comfort zone was going to be difficult. I wasn’t thrilled about the idea, but if it meant I could find her, I was willing to sacrifice my privacy.
“I’ll get through it,” I said, committing to the idea. “I need to call Connor.”
Landon laughed. “I can’t believe you’re actually going to do this.”
I shrugged one shoulder. “I have to get a network to give me the show first.”
“You could buy a network and then produce your own show,” he pointed out.
I grinned. “You’re right. That’s brilliant. If it comes down to it, I’ll do exactly that. I’ve always said we needed to branch out into other areas of business.”
Landon burst into laughter. “You are out of your mind. Can we go to lunch when you’re done feeding your fantasy?”
I shook my head. “I have one more meeting. The guy is running late, but I’ll make it short. I’m hungry as well. I want tacos,” I said.
Landon sighed. “You always want tacos.”
“I like tacos,” I said nonchalantly. “Who doesn’t like tacos?”
Landon stood up, mumbling something under his breath. I asked April to find Connor for me. I was going to get the guy on the job. Connor was like a tenacious bulldog. Once I gave him a task or told him what I wanted, he made it happen. I wasn’t always sure how he did it, but the man did not take no for an answer. He would get me a network.
My next meeting arrived. I rushed through it, not really interested in the pitch but doing my best to be kind about it.
“Le
t’s go,” I said to Landon when he answered his phone.
“Meet you at the elevators.”
I rushed out of the office, anxious to eat. Alex was waiting to whisk us away to the Mexican restaurant that served the best tacos in California, at least as far as I was concerned.
“Did you sic your dog on every network you could think of?” Landon asked, shoveling food into his mouth.
I nodded my head. “Kind of. I didn’t have a lot of time to get into it. He’ll have something for me by the end of the day, though. I guarantee it.” I grinned, knowing how lucky I was to have such an amazing assistant.
“What if she doesn’t come forward?” Landon asked.
I didn’t even want to think about that. I shrugged. “Well, then I guess I have to accept it wasn’t meant to be.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I’m sure there’s going to be some kind of screening process, and I’m going to make sure the women have background checks run on them. I’ll pick a woman from the pool of contestants,” I said, resigning myself to the possibility that I might never see my mystery woman again.
“You actually want to get married?” Landon choked as he said the words.
“I do. I want someone to love and to have children with. I want a family. What’s the point of having all this money if I don’t have anyone to share it with or pass it down to once I’m gone?”
“Damn, dude, have you been doing a lot of soul searching or what?” he asked, saying it as if he had been sucking on lemons.
I shrugged. “I’m thirty-five. My mom had almost raised me by this age. I don’t want to keep up this playboy lifestyle forever. I’ve had my fun.”
Landon was nodding his head. “Yep, midlife crisis. I knew it. You’ll get through it and then the old Tyler will be back.”
“I hope not.”
“You’re not exactly over the hill. You look twenty-five-ish. You’ve got a lot of living left to do.”
I sighed. “We’ll see. I need to find her. If I find her and we hate each other, I’ll reevaluate. If I don’t find her and fall in love with one of the women who applies to be my wife, so be it. I have to scratch this itch. It is literally making me crazy.”
“No shit,” Landon said.
We finished our tacos and headed back to the office. I only had a couple more meetings scheduled, which meant I could focus on making my idea come to life.
Connor walked in, his red hair and huge body always hard to miss in any room. He sat down and stared at me.
“What?” I asked defensively.
“You’re crazy,” he started. “Crazy like a fox!” He grinned, showing off his perfect white teeth that were nearly hidden by the red mustache that flowed into a neatly trimmed beard.
I smiled. “Did you find a network?”
He shook his head. “No. First you find a producer and a whole bunch of other TV people who will put this together and present it to a network.”
“Oh,” I said, feeling a little silly about my lack of knowledge of the industry.
“I have scheduled a few meetings. I can do this part. I’ve got a little dossier put together that makes you look like a prime catch.”
“I am a prime catch.”
He gave me a look. “Humility and humbleness. Remember, we’re working hard on those things,” he said, scolding me like my mother would have if she were alive today.
“I’m not being arrogant, just simply stating facts,” I shot back.
“Anyhow, I’ve got a nice file and I’m sure I’ll find a producer willing to throw this thing together in a hurry. You do know these things are usually in the development process for months?”
I shook my head. “I’m not waiting months. I’ll pay whatever it takes. I want this to happen yesterday.”
He smiled. “Have I ever let you down?”
“Nope, never, which is why I expect to be starring in my own show this time next week.”
He chuckled. “You have far more confidence in me than I do.”
“You’ll make it happen, Connor. There’s a fat bonus in it for you if you do,” I said, dangling money in front of the man.
“Stop it. That’s another thing we’re working on, remember? You can’t just throw money at everything to get what you want,” he lectured. “Except me. I do jump through rings of fire for cash. But for anyone else, no more offering bribes,” he said, waggling his finger at me.
“Incentives, not bribes,” I said. “There’s a difference.”
He looked at me with exaggerated distain.
I nodded. “Fine. Got it. Now, get out there and make this happen.”
He stood and left me alone in my office. My mind was in overdrive as I thought about the possibilities. What if she didn’t show up? What if she wanted nothing to do with me? I hadn’t been being arrogant when I’d said I was a great catch. I was kind, I could be loving given the right person, and I could provide any woman with whatever her heart desired.
“You better show up, my little green-eyed girl. I won’t stop until I find you,” I mumbled to myself, staring out the window and wondering if she was out there somewhere nearby. She could have been walking by my building right now, or even working in one of the office buildings across the street. I got the feeling she was from San Francisco. Maybe it was wishful thinking. I closed my eyes and sent up a silent prayer asking for just this one thing. I could do the rest. All I needed was a name.
Chapter Four
Emily
I rolled over and looked at the clock. It was almost eight. It felt good to sleep in for a change. I was off for the day and got to spend it with Tommy. I was hoping to take him to the park after doing some pages in the workbooks I had picked up for him the other day. I loved that his idea of fun was learning new words or working on his addition.
Staring up at the ceiling, I willed myself to get out of bed. Tommy was probably already awake and reading in his room. I loved having a brilliant child, but I didn’t love that I was constantly second-guessing myself about my abilities to raise my child.
“Mom!” Tommy called out, confirming my suspicions.
“I’m coming,” I shouted back, rolling over and crawling out of bed. I padded out to the kitchen in my bare feet.
He had a bowl out with cereal dumped in and all around it, but clearly the heavy gallon of milk was an issue. I poured milk in the bowl before scooping up the extra cereal from the table and dropping it inside. We couldn’t afford to waste food.
“Thanks,” he mumbled, shoving a spoonful of Fruit Loops into his mouth. “Can we do my books today?” he asked, milk dribbling from the corner of his mouth.
“Please don’t talk with your mouth full, and yes, we can. We’ll do it after you eat and get dressed and I’ve had a chance to have a cup of coffee.”
The kid was anxious. One of the books included a tracking sheet that had stickers for every page completed. He was dead set on filling that sheet as quickly as possible. Clearly, I was going to need more books.
Relenting, I pulled a few pages out and passed them to him.
“You work on these while I take a quick shower,” I told him, leaving him at the kitchen table.
When I got out of the shower, he was outside the shower door waiting for me.
“I’m done,” he announced.
Inwardly, I groaned. I’d hoped I had bought myself a good thirty minutes. “How about you start the next page.”
He smiled and took off toward the kitchen. I gave him a few more worksheets and pulled out my old laptop and Googled a website I’d heard about from someone at work. I quickly signed up for a free trial month and set him to work on some of the activities designed for first-grade homeschool students.
It kept him occupied while I did some housework and laundry. It wasn’t long before I heard the words I’d been dreading yet fully expecting.
“I’m done!” he called out.
“Of course you are,” I mumbled, pushing the button on my dryer and holding it down, hoping
the thing would start.
The dryer had been secondhand and was on its last legs. I couldn’t exactly run out and buy another one. It had to keep working. As I walked into the kitchen to start a new lesson on the program for him, I looked around at my apartment. I made okay money, but supporting a child on my own meant I was barely living above poverty. A little child support could have gone a long way toward getting Tommy some new clothes, maybe a nicer bed, and the little things I couldn’t afford.
I remembered his father and the way he had looked. From the first time I had seen him, I’d felt he was a wealthy man. The child support I needed wasn’t an exorbitant amount. Just a little extra cash each month would be plenty and make all the difference. I was sure he would be willing to do that much. If only I could find him.
“Are you hungry?” I asked. “You didn’t each much of that cereal earlier.”
He looked so damn cute and way too grown up as he sat at the table in his booster seat, expertly navigating the mouse to the laptop. He looked like a little businessman. I just wanted to squeeze his cheeks and hold him close forever.
He shrugged a shoulder, super focused on whatever task he was working on. I could practically see the little wheels spinning in his head.
“Aunt Sarah is going to be here after a bit. She’s bringing pizza!” I said with enthusiasm, hoping to tear his eyes away from the screen.
It didn’t work.
“Okay,” he murmured, clicking the mouse several times.
I went back to my chores, listening to him talk and giggle as the little mouse teacher in the program instructed him. I was going to pay for the monthly subscription. My mind was already made up after just a couple hours.
It was only a little while later when Sarah showed up carrying a large pizza box in one hand and a two-liter soda bottle in the other.
She came in and raised an eyebrow when she saw Tommy at the table. “Working on the computer already?”
I shrugged. “It’s a fun learning program.”
“Hey, Tommy,” she said, setting the pizza on the table.
“Hi, Aunt Sarah,” he mumbled, not taking his eyes away from the screen.