Olivia was playing with Monty, well, I guess she was really just climbing on top of him and smashing his face into the carpet. "Be careful with him, babe," I said and Monty just grumbled a bit when she ignored me and sat on his snout.
Andrew was standing next to me, close enough that I could smell his aftershave or cologne, or whatever that delightful smell was. It was clean, but spicy and sweet at the same time.
"Wow, he just lays there and takes it, doesn't he."
Olivia giggled when Monty rolled onto his back and pressed his paw on her belly. "Yeah, he's a good boy. Loves her to death, I think. I don't know where I'd be without him."
I didn't realize I had spoken out loud, but Andrew just looked at me with a furrowed brow as if I had just told him something crazy. I stepped over to a stack of boxes and cleared my throat. "These need to go into the spare bedroom."
I'm sure he wanted me to elaborate, but he shrugged it off and started hauling my stuff up. His muscles flexed under his white t-shirt, that seemed a little too tight, showing off his hard toned chest that I wanted to reach out and touch just to confirm how hard it really was. I silently cursed myself for getting aroused by it. He was just a guy. Lots of guys have muscles.
I sorted through some of the things for the living room and tried to figure out where I wanted it all. The couch and coffee table were smashed together against one wall and a rocking chair was tipped over by the empty entertainment center. I had to sell my television before I moved. Most of the furniture I actually had, I had because no one bought it before I left. I had a good amount of money tucked away, but until I was able to put in some hours for work, I had to be smart.
Andrew had taken a few trips up and down the stairs before everything was out of the room. I showed him where I wanted the furniture and he moved it with ease. He distracted Olivia for a little bit while I went through some knick knacks that may or may not be used to decorate. I finally decided to just keep it simple and leave all the little stuff boxed up. I had no way of knowing if we were here to stay for a while or not. I hoped we would be, but I had yet to find out where I stood.
I pulled out a few framed pictures of Olivia and one of the both of us that an old friend had taken just before we moved. I didn't know when I would be able to afford any after leaving so I got as many done as I could. I heard her giggle as I studied one of her pictures. She looked so much like me, it was a little scary. The only difference was her eyes. They were gray with brown and blue designs throughout and green flecks here and there. Beautiful. I couldn't see any of David in her at all. I was thankful for that. I didn't want him to be a part of our lives any more than he was. I wondered if there was a reason she had so much more of me in her. It was almost as if it was planned that way.
I don't know how long I was staring at the picture, but when I finally looked up, Andrew was studying me, looking so carefully it was like he was searching my soul.
"You alright?" he asked.
I looked over at Olivia before answering. She was playing with some blocks and trying to stack them on top of Monty. Every time they fell over, she laughed and said "uh oh".
"Yeah," I took a deep breath. "I'm great."
He smiled and gestured to the pictures in my hand. "You want me to hang those? I think they would look great in here."
A couple hours later, everything was where it needed to be. Andrew had helped me set up my computer and had put together a few shelves that I had gotten. Everything that was still in boxes could wait. He offered to help with my bedroom, but I again told him that was mine and he just needed to back off. He chuckled and raised his hands in surrender.
Olivia was sitting on the couch with one of her books and having a hard time keeping her eyes open. It was 9:30PM already and I was amazed at how quickly the time had passed.
"Thank you for all your help. It would have taken me weeks to do all of this on my own."
Andrew was standing at the door with his hand on the doorknob and I was a few feet away from him with my arms across my chest and feeling nervous about… everything. I was never this nervous saying goodbye to anyone. He radiated calm and collected and that made me more nervous. He was too attractive for his own good.
"No problem. I'm glad I was able to help." He paused and looked at Olivia, then back at me. "I had a really good time, actually. Thank you for dinner."
"Oh, it was the least I could do," I said with a dismissive wave.
"Will you let me know if you ever need anything? I'm just a few feet away, okay?"
"I will," I said, surprised by how much I actually meant it. "Thanks again."
"Buh bye," Olivia said in a tired voice. Andrew's eyes lit up when he looked at her and waved.
"Bye, Olivia. Thanks for letting me eat and play with you." He turned back to me and grinned, "Goodnight, Jocelyn."
I nodded and waved as he stepped out the door.
"Well, that was fun, wasn't it?" I looked over at Olivia and she was climbing off the couch. "Okay, pretty girl. Time for a quick bath and then sleepy time."
"Bat," she smiled and ran to the stairs with renewed energy as I chased her with Monty leading the way. Her giggles echoed through the house. My head started to throb, but I ignored it. I wouldn't let it take away any time from my little girl.
After her bath, she was exhausted and didn't even drink any of the warm milk I had for her in her sippy cup. I rocked her to sleep and sang to her. She was out within a couple of minutes and I was feeling the exhaustion from the busy day.
I heard movement coming from the other side of the wall. Andrew. Wow, you sure can hear quite a bit through these walls. I made a mental note to remember that so we didn't annoy him at all. He is a good guy, but reminded me of why we were in this situation in the first place. I couldn't let myself get too close to anyone. Not yet. Not until I knew what was coming. I would be friends with him, if anything. That's what any good neighbor would do. Be friends.
I needed to talk to Benjamin. No matter how much I wanted to avoid it, I had to find out what my next steps were. If it didn't go well, I had Olivia's immediate future to worry about. She can't suffer because of me.
I set her in her crib and snuck out of the room. Monty laid himself down in front of the door and closed his eyes.
"Keep her safe for me buddy." He opened his eyes and sighed.
I stepped into my bathroom and turned on the shower. My headache had subsided while Andrew was here and now it seemed to be getting worse. I stood still as the hot water ran down my body and soaked my hair. The ache behind my eye was intense, but nothing like it had been before. I felt tears burning in my eyes. Please, just a little more time. For Olivia.
I focused on one thing at a time until I was finished, then wrapped myself in a robe and padded into the bedroom while towel drying my hair. I looked down at my phone for a long time. Benjamin wanted to give me some names of specialists in the area. I didn't want them at the time, but thinking twice now, I knew I should get in soon.
I dialed his number and left a voicemail. I never called his cell phone, only his office. I knew that he was a busy person and when he got my message, he would be pretty upset that I didn't call his personal number. "Hey, it's Jocelyn. I need those names you mentioned giving me, just in case. Give me a call when you can."
I heard muffled talking through my bedroom wall and imagined Andrew lying in bed watching TV. I snuggled into my bed and wrapped my arms around my pillow. I thought of his bright blue eyes and his heart breaking smile and shivered.
I need a friend. It's the only way to keep moving forward, I thought to myself. Olivia needs a friend too.
My eyes became heavy and the last thing I remember was seeing a pair of ocean blue eyes lying next to me, telling me that everything would be okay.
Chapter 3
Andrew
After hearing Jocelyn's shower running, I needed a distraction and fast. I called Madison and prayed that it wasn't too late. TV wasn't going to work for me anymore.
; "Hello?"
"Hey sis, sorry to call so late."
"That's fine, Drew. What's up?"
She was the only person on earth to ever call me Drew, and she was the only person on earth I would ever let call me Drew. Being a couple of years younger than me, we were close growing up. After Mom and Dad died, all we had was each other.
"Not much. I, um, I just wanted to say hi and see how you and Ty were doing."
"We are just fine. He is just as wonderful as ever. I still can't believe it has been a year since we got married. It feels like time has just flown."
"I bet. You knocked up yet?" I asked with a smile.
"Drew!" she warned. "I don't want you asking me that. It's bad enough you know we have sex."
"Whoa! Hey, I never said anything about sex. You didn't have to bring that up."
She laughed hard into the phone, "You are impossible." I heard her take a deep breath and sigh. "So, are you going to tell me the real reason you called at 10 o'clock at night?"
"Am I really that predictable?" I asked in shock.
"Drew, you never call after eight because you are afraid that you might interrupt something. And you said 'um' earlier in our conversation. You never say 'um' unless you are nervous or anxious about something. Now spit it out or I'll start talking about my honeymoon again."
My mouth was hanging open and I almost had to pick my jaw up off the floor. Where did she get this from? "Well, I guess you know me better than I know myself. I didn't realize all that stuff about me."
I heard her giggle and then move the phone away and speak to someone. "Okay, well now Ty is here, so go ahead. He can give you some manly advice if you need it."
I figured I should just say it. She would figure it out anyway. "Okay, so I, um, kind of met someone."
"Seriously?!" she shrieked.
"Maddy, calm down. It's not what you think."
"Well, then don't start off by saying you met someone. There is a societal agreement that saying that really means you met someone and really like them and could possibly see a future happening."
I guess it is what she thinks then. Man, where have I been? And why was I suddenly thinking about the future when I just met her today?
"You getting married was a mistake. You are way smarter than you were before."
"Hey! Don't sass me. Now, continue. You met someone…"
I groaned in exasperation, "Okay, yes. I met someone. She is my new neighbor and, well, I don't know, she's really great. Now before you say anything, let me tell you the situation."
She huffed into the phone, but stayed silent. I could tell that she wanted to ask about a billion questions and I didn't feel at all guilty about the pleasure that gave me. She tortured me with too many things to keep count.
"Her name is Jocelyn and she just moved here a couple days ago. I don't know too much about her because she doesn't really like to talk about herself. She is…" God, what is the right word? "Gorgeous and incredibly smart and independent and I really want to get to know her better."
"Okaaay, so what is the problem?" she asked.
"Well… she has a kid."
She was silent for just a beat before she spoke. "Hmmm, I don't see what the problem is with that. So what? She is a mom. Apparently, a single mom. That only makes her that much more interesting." She paused for a moment and then added, "Is she a good mom?"
I smiled at the question because there was only one answer. "The best."
I heard her speaking to Ty in the background and then the phone clicked. "I'm putting you on speaker, Drew. Ty wants in on this."
"Hey, man. Good to hear from you," he said.
"How's it going, Ty?"
Tyler had been my buddy for a long time and knew the reservations I had about women and dating in general, but after marrying Maddy? Well, let's just say he kind of turned into a woman himself.
"Great. And it sounds like it's going great for you, too."
I could hear the smile in his voice and thought about how whipped that man really was. He would have never said anything like that before Maddy. It would have been more like "Andrew, you dumbass, what took you so freaking long to call me?" Yeah, Maddy had him whipped.
"Okay, Drew. You obviously really like this woman. Her having a kid doesn't change anything except that she has different priorities than other women you have gone out with. I actually think that is a good thing. You don't need a psycho slut hanging all over you and staying up all night waiting for you to call her," she said.
At that moment, I decided that I had shared way too much with Maddy in the past. She knew almost every detail of my carefree dating life. I didn't like to get too serious for fear of getting ripped to shreds. I was careful to keep women at a distance and never really had a serious girlfriend. She was right, though. I had dated a lot of bimbos. Well, I had gone out with a lot of bimbos.
"You need a woman with a good head on her shoulders. A woman who knows what is important in life and who will see you for the sweet guy that you really are. Now, tell me about the kid," Maddy demanded excitedly.
I couldn't help but smile so wide that my eyes nearly shut. "Oh man. Her name is Olivia and she is just incredible. She is the most adorable little girl I have ever seen and she's smart. She loves Jocelyn and just… God, I melt when she smiles at me."
"Whoa, Andrew! You never talk like this. You are being really sappy. Ty looks like he is going to be sick."
Madison was shocked and I could tell that she was starting to tear up. "Don't let something like the fear of becoming an insta-dad chase you away from something so special."
"Maddy, I hardly know her. I just met her this morning and I helped her with a few boxes and stuff. She is really reserved and I don't know if she is even interested in being anything more than just a quiet neighbor." Plus, I thought to myself, I feel a little insane liking a woman this much after only talking to her a couple of times.
"I think something big happened to her and that's why she moved here," I added. "But I can't seem to get any answers from her."
I ran a hand through my hair and waited for Madison to tell me something profound. I heard movement on the other side of the wall. Jocelyn was out of the shower and was probably going to sleep now. I wished that I could be next to her and just look at her.
"Like you said, Drew, you hardly know her and she hardly knows you. Give it some time. You probably scare her and she has a daughter to look out for. Remember that. Her little girl is the priority. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
I hung my head and felt thoroughly put in place. She was right, and why should that make me back off? The fact that she considered her kid a priority only said that much more about her. "You are right, sis. Man, when did you get to be so much like Mom? You are so wise it's scary."
She chuckled at that, "Well, I do have a man-child that I take care of. You have to grow up fast when something like that comes along. But all kidding aside, I only know what I'm saying is right because it is what Mom would have said and you know it."
"Thanks, Maddy."
"So?" she chimed. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm not sure." I tapped my chin and thought of what I could do to make sure I saw her again. "Any suggestions?"
"Hmmm."
Ty's voice chimed in, "I know! My sister has passes to go to the zoo this weekend. She wanted Madison and me to take the kids since she has to work. Why don't you come with us and bring Jocelyn?"
I considered it for a moment and then shook my head, "I don't know. She doesn't seem like she would just go somewhere with me, a near complete stranger, for a day."
Maddy sighed. "You are probably right, but it's more for the kids. Olivia would probably get a kick out of Josh and Ella. There is a chance that she would want her daughter to have a fun day at the zoo."
The sudden excitement made my head swim. There was a chance. "Alright, it's worth a shot. I would want to do something with Olivia anyway. You guys are going to love her, if Jocelyn agrees to come."
"She will, Drew. You are too good of a guy for her to not trust you," Madison said with resolve.
We made plans for Saturday afternoon and I told them I would let them know for sure by Friday. I had three days to get Jocelyn to agree to come with me. I pictured Olivia looking at all the animals and seeing her excited smile and hearing her giggle when she saw the monkeys. My heart warmed at the image in my head.
What the hell? What has gotten into you?
I asked myself that question over and over again as I started to drift off and I decided not to care about it. Whatever it was, it felt good.
Jocelyn
I was dreaming about a tall, dark man with ocean blue eyes holding me and Olivia tightly in his arms and promising that he would watch out for us. I wasn't scared or sad, just relieved that Olivia would have someone and content to be wrapped in such strong arms feeling safe and whole.
The sound of Saturday Night Fever pulled me away, "Ah ah ah ah stayin' alive, stayin' alive."
"Ugh! Damn phone." I knew it was Benjamin before I even answered. He had programmed the song into my phone long ago. Said it would give me motivation and reassurance every time he called. It just made me hate the song even more.
"Hello?"
"Hey stranger! I have a bone to pick with you. I have told you a million times to call my cell phone. There is no need for you to call my office and you know it. You are my friend no matter how far away you are and it hurts my feelings that you think I would be too busy for you." He was upset, but amused at the same time.
"Good morning to you, too, Ben." I sat up and rubbed my eyes. "Couldn't you let me sleep a few more minutes before you verbally chastised me?"
"No. Once I heard your message, I was too ticked to wait. Now that I got it out, how did the move go?"
I laughed softly, "I swear you are bipolar."
"Only when it comes to you. You bring out the worst in me, you know that? Make me worry all the time. I already have enough stress with Linda and the kids, give me a break will ya?"
Our Time Page 3