Fake it Baby

by Tia Siren

  I sat at my desk and reviewed the messages. One in particular had me excited. I quickly called the person back and discovered that a gentleman who owned a large parcel of land on the outside of town had passed away. His surviving relatives wanted to unload it.

  “Yes!” I shouted at the ceiling.

  “What?” Anna shouted back.

  “Nothing, nothing,” I told her quickly, pulling up the information about the land.

  This could be a good deal for me. It was a bigger piece of property than the farm. It was a little further out of town, but I knew the sellers were in a hurry. The family wanted the cash, not the land. I wouldn’t have to worry about another Ashley coming along and ruining my deal.

  I called the developer I’d worked with on our ill-fated farm purchase and let him know about this new property. He was hesitant, and clearly still irate about our other deal falling through, but asked me to put together a proposal for his review. This could work out to be an even better and more profitable deal for me.

  When one door slammed in your face, kick out a window. That was my motto, and it looked to be proving true. I got busy pulling information from the county, getting some comps put together, and then packed up to leave the office. I needed to get my eyes on this property. The family said there was a decrepit cabin on the place but didn’t think it was worth anything. That was fine with me. The place would be bulldozed anyway if this deal went through.

  When I saw it, I felt a little guilty about what I had planned for the pristine area. I didn’t want to put condos on it and cut down all the trees. It would be a beautiful place to build a home. I wondered if I could talk the developer into building upscale homes on ten-acre parcels. The property was one hundred acres. It could still be a lucrative development deal.

  It was after lunchtime by the time I made it back to my truck. I had snapped a few pictures of the property with my camera but would need to get some better ones, which reminded me of Ashley.

  I wanted to see her and Jasper, which gave me an idea. As soon as I got back to the office, after spending the entire trip back building up my courage, I called Ashley.

  I hoped she would pick up. We hadn’t talked since I’d left her with a pile of boxes at the farm. I wasn’t sure if she had played nice because she’d needed the help and we were back to hating each other or if she had been too busy to call. We had to work out a deal that satisfied both of us when it came to me seeing Jasper.

  “Hey.” She answered with genuine pleasantness.

  It was a little weird, but I guessed I wasn’t the only who had buried the hatchet regarding our past.

  “Hey. I wanted to talk to you about seeing Jasper. Can I take him to dinner tonight?”

  There was a brief pause before she answered.

  “Sure, but with one stipulation.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’m coming too.”

  That was unexpected. “Why?”

  “I need to get used to the idea, and I want to make sure you two get along. As far as I know, you have zero experience with kids.”

  I bit back the retort on my tongue. I had zero experience with kids because she had denied me the chance to learn like every other new dad.

  “Fine. Should I pick you guys up or do you trust me to drive with a kid in the truck?” I quipped. I instantly regretted it. I didn’t want to fight with her.

  “You can pick us up if you would like, or I can meet you there. It’s up to you. Jasper does use a booster seat, but I can take it out of my dad’s truck for a trip into town.”

  “I’ll be there at six. Is that too late?” I asked, suddenly realizing that could be too late for a kid.

  She laughed. “No. That works perfectly. I’ll have him dressed, clean, and ready to go.”

  I hung up the phone. I heard a shuffle of feet and looked up in time to see Anna scurrying away. She had been eavesdropping.

  I stood and went to her desk. “Anna?”

  “Yes?”

  “I think you know. You can’t eavesdrop on all my conversations.”

  “I don’t. Well, not all of them. Only the ones that involve my sister.” She said the last word with a sneer. “I’m assuming you were talking to her.”

  “Private calls are meant to be private,” I said, dodging her question.

  “You’re a fool if you think she will stick around and you guys will have some happily ever after. She’s going to get you to fall in love with her all over again and then take off. Again.”

  I shook my head. “You two really need to work out your differences. She’s not so bad, Anna.”

  She scoffed. “She had your baby and never told you!”

  I eyed her closely. “You’re the anonymous person who emailed me, aren’t you?”

  She was unapologetic as she stared at me. “Yep. I thought it was about time you knew. I mean, she brought him back here and had no intention of ever letting you see him.”

  I wasn’t sure about that. I had a feeling part of the reason she came home was to unburden herself.

  “Thank you. I appreciate you bringing it to my attention.”

  “What? That’s it?”

  “What did you think I would say?”

  She shook her head in obvious bewilderment. “I thought you would say we were horrible people, that Ashley was a scandalous bitch for doing what she did. I can’t understand why you hired me or why you’re being so nice to Ashley. What’s wrong with you?” she asked with disgust.

  I threw my head back and laughed. “Did you actually think I would be pissed you told me about Jasper? Or pissed I had a son? I mean, yes, I was a little angry to find out I had a son that I didn’t know about, but I want to move forward. Maybe you should too,” I told her.

  “You’re crazy.”

  “No, Anna. It’s called growing up. You have to learn to forgive people. Move on and be happy. People can change. Ashley changed. I want a relationship with my son, and that means I need to get along with his mother. You really should try talking to her. She’s not so bad.”

  Her lip curled and her nose wrinkled as if she had just stepped in a fresh pile of dog poop. “No. Not going to happen.”

  “Your loss, Anna.”

  I went back to my office and got to work on the potential land deal with the developer. I had to sell it. This was not the kind of housing project this developer normally invested in, but I couldn’t let him destroy that gorgeous property with a series of high-rise condos. If he rejected the proposal, I would present it to another developer.

  I had stepped out for a few minutes, and when I came back into my office, I had missed a call on my cell. I listened to the voice mail and wasn’t surprised a bit. Ashley had decided to meet me in town at the diner. She claimed she had to run errands in town and wanted to save me a trip.

  Sure.

  I knew she wasn’t all that comfortable with me going out to the farm. Plus, if she decided she didn’t like the way things were going at dinner, she could get up and go. I got it. She didn’t need to make excuses.

  I pulled into the diner about five minutes early. She pulled in beside me within a couple minutes.

  “Hi,” I said.

  Jasper jumped out of the back seat and ran toward me. “Hi, Dad.”

  “Hey, buddy!”

  Ashley was standing at the front of Tanner’s truck, watching Jasper and me. She wasn’t the only one watching. The people in the diner’s window seats were getting a great show. I looked up and stared back at the busybodies who were watching us so intently.

  “You okay with this?” I asked her in a low voice.

  She shrugged her shoulders. “It has to happen eventually. No one can keep secrets around here.”

  “Okay. Maybe we can go somewhere else, though. Somewhere that isn’t quite so busy.”

  “This is fine. I’m going to have to deal with it at some point. I’d rather get it out in the open now before school starts. These people don’t want to see me defending my son from their na
sty rumors.”

  “Or me,” I growled, feeling fiercely defensive of Jasper.

  “Let’s go eat!” Ashley said with fake enthusiasm. She looked at me. “You’re buying.”

  Laughing, I agreed.

  Ashley took a deep breath, raised her chin, and threw her shoulders back. I felt a twinge of sympathy for her. She had run out all those years ago and then showed up in town six years later with a little boy. There would be no stopping the gossip, but I hoped with me in her corner, it would eliminate some of the embellished details that were sure to arise.

  We walked in and looked for a table out of the way. We found a booth toward the back of the diner, near the kitchen door. It would afford us some privacy. She and I sat on opposite sides of the table with Jasper tucked into the booth next to me.

  I could feel the stares as people put two and two together. I ignored the nosey diners and focused my attention on Ashley and Jasper. Ashley was obviously uncomfortable.

  “I bet you could really use a drink right now,” I said in a low voice.

  She chuckled. “Yeah, or five.”

  “I could drive you home.”

  She shook her head. “No way. I am not giving these people anything else to gossip about. I’m sure we’ll be the talk of the town for days.”

  “What’s gossip, Mom?” Jasper asked innocently.

  “It’s when people talk about things they have no business talking about,” I said in a loud, clear voice.

  I looked up and around the diner, making sure everyone heard me loud and clear. The old women who passed their days gossiping looked properly offended and guilty. I looked at Ashley, who was a pretty shade of pink.

  “Ignore them,” I whispered. “They don’t matter.”

  She jerked her head, pushed her hair out of her face, and smiled. “They don’t matter,” she repeated.

  “I’m getting the fried chicken dinner,” I announced. “What do you want, Jasper?”

  The boy picked up his paper menu. “I don’t know. Mom, what do I like?”

  Chapter 25

  Ashley

  It was impossible to enjoy my meal with everyone staring at me. This had to be what animals in a zoo felt like when people gawked at them, pointing, laughing, and taking pictures of them doing what they normally did. I had a new understanding and compassion for the animals that hid in their dens. I wanted to hide as well.

  I was thankful Jasper was oblivious to the stares and hushed voices around us. To me, it felt like we had been dropped in a bee hive and there was buzzing all around us. Some of these people were just as nasty as a horde of wasps. I wouldn’t put it past them to sting us if we got too close. Just like you were supposed to handle bees, I didn’t move. I didn’t pay attention to the horrible creatures threatening to sting me with their barbed words. I did my best and ignored them.

  Brock and I both did our best to pretend everything was normal and kept up a running dialogue. I had a feeling an older kid would have seen through our ruse, but Jasper was too happy to be eating dinner with his dad to care. I was uncomfortable, but I faked it as best as I could. I had a feeling Brock knew. He knew me too well.

  “You’re doing great,” he whispered.

  Nodding, I blinked back my tears of frustration, hurt, and anger that the gossip mongers were causing. I appreciated his support and was glad it was him in this mess with me. He was being a true hero. Sitting here with the woman who had unceremoniously dumped him was a kind act. His simple choice to do so proved he was confident and sure of himself in a way he’d not been before. It made him more attractive to me. He didn’t care what anyone else thought.

  “Thank you for sticking it out with me. I guess I forgot or didn’t realize the stir our eating dinner would cause. These people really need to get lives,” I said, shooting out a few glares to some of the worst oglers.

  I looked to my left and saw one of my old school teachers watching us. Back when I was in school, she had been in her first year of teaching. I knew she was jealous. Brock was quite a catch and the teacher hated that he was with me. At least I assumed that was why she hated me so badly. She had never been fond of me anyway, and clearly she hadn’t changed her opinion judging by the way she was sneering. I raised an eyebrow, challenging her to say something, daring her to show people her true colors.

  It was extremely frustrating and a little hurtful to be so openly judged by people who didn’t really know me or know what we had gone through. I felt a little guilty upon seeing people look at Brock with the same judgmental looks. I had made mistakes, no doubt, but not one of these people was perfect. I looked at Mrs. Johnson, a serial cheater. Everyone in town knew it, but she still pretended to be the perfect wife to her wealthy husband. If people wanted something to gossip about, all they needed to do was take a closer look at her life. How dare she look at me with such disdain? In my eyes, she was a much bigger sinner than me.

  “How long you think?” Brock asked in a voice so low I could barely hear him.

  “How long what?”

  He looked at Jasper. “How long until someone comes right out and says it? You think anyone will ask us, or will they just gossip behind our backs?”

  I laughed. I was glad he wasn’t taking this all too seriously. I knew the speculation over who Jasper was had to be running rampant. I didn’t do social media, but I had a feeling my son would be a star as people analyzed his features, trying to figure out who his daddy was.

  “I’d say by the time we get home tonight, the phones will be blowing up all over town with people guessing about the situation. I think I’ll be staying at the farm for the next few days. I don’t think I have enough money set aside to spare any for bail,” I whispered in a conspiratorial voice.

  Before Brock could respond, Jasper chimed in. “I like the farm. I want to stay there.”

  Brock and I laughed.

  “We are, hon, I promise,” I assured him.

  I did my best to block out the prying eyes. This dinner was about Brock and Jasper getting to know one another. It had nothing to do with anyone else. The people around here had a bad habit of asking questions about things they had no business sticking their noses in. It was one of the many reasons I had run from this place all those years ago.

  “Mom!” Jasper said nice and loud.

  I could practically hear the gasps and the jaws hitting the floor. It was actually very satisfying, and I secretly enjoyed it.

  “What do you need, Jasper?” I asked in a quiet voice.

  “Did you bring my rocks?”

  I reached for my purse and pulled out the small velvet pouch my dad had given him to store his favorite rocks. I handed it to him, and he greedily grabbed it before pulling it open.

  “Look!” he said, pulling out rocks.

  Brock smiled and leaned down with feigned enthusiasm to look at the rocks. Jasper filled Brock in on facts about the area. He had been pestering his poor grandpa for days. My dad humored him and had managed to get on the computer and use Google to search for answers. Jasper had committed it all to memory and was now doing the equivalent of a data dump on Brock. Even I was shocked by how much information he had retained. I had no idea if it was right, but he sure seemed to think so.

  Brock was nodding and smiling, stunned at all the bits of information.

  “You’re a really smart guy, Jasper,” Brock said. It was clear he meant every word.

  The diner patrons had been intently watching the exchange between father and son. They couldn’t know for sure, but I had a feeling most of the people scrutinizing us had a pretty good idea about the connection between us.

  “What’s your favorite food?” Brock asked Jasper.

  The little boy thought about it for a second. “I like a lot of food, but right now grilled cheese is my favorite.”

  Brock lit up. “That’s your mom’s favorite food, too.”

  “Uh, no, it isn’t. I graduated from grilled cheese a long time ago.”

  He looked a little disappointe
d. “Don’t tell me it’s sushi now,” he said with a grimace.

  I laughed. “No, but I do like sushi from time to time. I think right now my favorite food is pizza, but not like Dominos or frozen pizza. I like the real deal, made in a brick fireplace with tons of chunky veggies on top.”

  “Pizza is a good answer,” Brock said.

  “Thanks. I was really worried you wouldn’t approve.”

  We both laughed. It was nice hanging out with him and not fighting or arguing about custody or the farm.

  “How about we walk down to the ice cream parlor and get some dessert?” Brock said, then obviously realized it may not have been the best choice. He looked at me. “Oops. Is that okay?”

  “Yes. It’s fine. I’m not one of those moms. Jasper gets to have ice cream.”

  “Whew,” he said, standing. “I’ll pay the check. Why don’t you two wait outside for me?”

  I nodded, understanding he didn’t want to expose us to any more stares. I grabbed Jasper’s hand, threw my purse over my shoulder, and headed out with my head held high. Everyone seemed to be interested in their dinners as I passed by since I didn’t meet anyone’s eyes.

  We waited outside by Brock’s truck, and when he came out, he was shaking his head.

  “Did someone say something?”

  “It doesn’t matter. Who wants ice cream?”

  Jasper squealed with delight. He began to squirm, tugging his hand out of mine. I released it, assuming Brock and I could keep him reined in if needed.

  We strolled down the street with Jasper bouncing along, talking a mile a minute.

  “It’s nice out,” I commented.

  “It is. It’s a perfect night for ice cream, too,” he said with a big grin.

  Both of us were enjoying our time together. It was actually pleasant, and I wouldn’t mind doing it again. I hoped we could have many more nights like this. Jasper was in seventh heaven. The boy had been talking about Brock nonstop to anyone who would listen since the other day when I’d introduced him to his father.

  We stopped and got ice cream cones, then headed out to eat them while strolling along Main Street. Brock pointed out the new businesses and we shared stories about the old ones. Jasper was eating it all up. He couldn’t believe we were once his age and in this same town, visiting the same places. In his eyes, we had been born sometime when the dinosaurs roamed the earth.