by Nella Tyler
Maybe Peyton was right, I thought. I keep waiting around for a guy to come to me. What would it hurt if I went to him? The worst he could say was no.
Chapter 9
Drew
Friday
I drove the long way to the school, needing the extra time to think. I’d tried and failed to come up with some acceptable options for women to ask to the Valentine’s Day lunch at Sophia’s school. There just weren’t many women I knew to choose from. I didn’t just want to pick a stranger off the street. Ideally, the woman would be someone Sophia already knew and liked.
My parents didn’t live close enough to justify asking my mother. She’d definitely come, but it was silly to expect her to fly all the way here for something so small. And, anyway, my mom wasn’t who Sophia wanted to be there.
I’d noticed off and on in the last year that Sophia was vocalizing more of a desire to have a female figure in her life. I’d hoped going to school would help…and it had, some. She loved her teacher, but that wasn’t enough. She needed more of a feminine influence at home. I was at a complete loss as to how to provide that for her. I didn’t want to start dating and risk meeting the wrong person or making Sophia feel like she wasn’t the most important person in my life anymore. No matter what I did, it seemed like the wrong thing. I was damned if I did, damned if I didn’t.
I pulled into my regular space at the school and stepped out of the truck at the sound of the bell. I’d get something figured out for Sophia. I’d promised her a new dress and a corsage on the day of the lunch. I wished that could be enough to get her excited about our Valentine’s Day plans and wipe away all of the lingering sadness over not having a mother to bring, but it wasn’t.
A long line of kids came out of the side doors, with a teacher at both ends. Abigail was at the end, wearing a dark blue coat that covered her from neck to knee. Her shock of red hair was pulled back away from her face into a high ponytail. I knew a lot more about how to style hair than I ever thought I’d learn, and I considered doing something similar the next morning for Sophia, whose hair was much darker than Abigail’s, but just as thick and lustrous. She had my hair, somehow. Her mom had been blonde.
The rest of the kids rushed to their parents’ vehicles and climbed inside while I watched. Usually, the minute Sophia saw me, she came running across the parking lot for a hug. But not today. Abigail was keeping hold of her hand and leaning over to talk to her. Sophia seemed rapt by whatever was being said. My heart sank into my chest. Was she upset again about that goddamned lunch? She was sensitive under normal conditions and this event hadn’t helped matters. Raising her without her mother was hard enough without these kids of needless challenges.
I felt myself getting pissed off again and tried to swallow it back. Sophia could tell when I was upset. Her ability to read people was a gift and a curse because when they were down, so was she.
After the rest of the kids had left with their parents and the other, older teacher had returned to the warmth of the school, Abigail began to lead Sophia across the parking lot by hand. Sophia was grinning from ear to ear, which made me feel better about whatever was going on. It meant she hadn’t spent the day crying her eyes out.
“Hi, Daddy!” Sophia called out in the high, singsong voice she used whenever she was extremely happy. That lifted my spirits, too. She must have had one hell of a great day.
“Hi, sweetheart.”
Abigail let go of her hand, and Sophia came running to me. I leaned over to absorb the power of her hug, picking up her tiny body and spinning her a few times as she laughed and clung to me. I set her down on her feet again and she stayed in close to my body, resting her head on my hip.
Abigail was watching us with a small smile on her pretty face. Her light green eyes looked almost clear in the bright sunshine, and her hair seemed like it was on fire it was so red. Her skin was petal white, without even a single freckle. She had on makeup, but not enough to cover freckles if she had them.
“Is everything okay?” I asked after she didn’t say anything. She didn’t make a habit of walking Sophia over to me. “Did something happen today?”
She blinked, her light eyelashes fluttering. They were auburn, like her hair and eyebrows. She folded her arms over her chest and smiled up at me, her eyes widening and suddenly becoming greener in the light. I’d never seen anyone with eyes like that. I could stare into them forever.
“Everything is great,” she replied. “I was just thinking about the Valentine’s Day lunch. And, Sophia mentioned that you might be trying to find a woman to go with. Is that true?”
Color exploded in both my cheeks and tingled hard. I cut my eyes down to Sophia, who wasn’t looking at me. How the hell had she known that? And she’d told Abigail all about it? Damn it.
I forced a smile and pressed on as though this was no big deal. “Sophia really wants to bring two people to this thing, but it looks like it’s just going to be me and her.”
Abigail’s smile shrank, but her eyes shone as though this news pleased her. I wasn’t sure what was going on right now, but I liked being close to her. She stirred up feelings inside of me that I thought had died when Chelsea did. It was exciting in a way, but it also gave me pause. I didn’t want to get into anything serious, especially not with someone who was so important to my daughter.
“Well, I wanted to talk to you about that lunch,” Abigail said. She hadn’t taken her green eyes from mine. I’d never seen anyone with such smooth skin. I had to hold myself back from reaching to touch her face to see how soft it was. “What would you think if I came with you and Sophia? I could sit at your table. Not as a replacement for her mom, but as a friend.”
Sophia’s little body began to buzz against my legs. She was clinging to me, but jumping up and down at the same time. I looked down at her and could see how excited she was by the prospect. Unlike our receptionist, I already knew that she loved Abigail. Honestly, out of all the possible women in town, she would be the perfect choice.
“Are you serious?” I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. She wasn’t proposing a date. She was probably just doing this out of the love she felt for my daughter. But right now, I’d take whatever the hell I could get.
Abigail nodded. “I want Sophia to have a great time that day, and I’m happy to help her do that.”
I smiled, still a little dazed by the offer coming out of nowhere like this. “Okay. Well, maybe we should discuss the logistics and expectations more when little ears aren’t around.” I nodded in Sophia’s direction.
She laughed. “I agree. What do you suggest?”
I thought quickly. “We could meet up this weekend for dinner or something and iron out all of the details. If you’re free, that is.” It sounded like a date, and the way her expression instantly changed made me think she was about to say no. But, instead, she nodded.
“That sounds good.” She pulled a piece of folded paper from the pocket of her jacket and pressed it into my hand. She was wearing gloves, so there was no real contact, but I still felt a thrill at her hand touching mine. Goddamn, I was desperate these days. “There’s my number. Give me a call, and we’ll set up a time.”
“Thank you for this,” I said, and she smiled even wider, her teeth dazzlingly white in the sun.
“Of course. I’ll see you this weekend.” She looked down at Sophia, and her face changed. I could see the love in it. This woman cared a great deal about my daughter. “Goodbye, sweetheart. I’ll see you on Monday, okay?”
Sophia let go of me to give her teacher a hug. “Bye, Miss East.”
We climbed into the truck and got going in the direction of home.
“What do you think about all of that, Soph?”
She gave me a questioning glance, her big brown eyes wide.
“Would you be okay with Miss East coming with us to the Valentine’s Day lunch and sitting at our table?” My entire body tensed in the second it took her to answer. She’d been very insistent that she wanted her mother at t
he event. It had caused buckets of tears and many nights of holding her until she calmed down. I didn’t know that she’d accept another woman, though she didn’t really have many clear memories of Chelsea. I tried to keep her alive with stories and pictures of the three of us around the house, but it was tough. I wanted Sophia to be able to move on with her life and be happy, but I also wanted her to remember her mother and how much she had loved her. No matter what I did, it felt like I should be doing the opposite.
“I love Miss East! Can she really sit at our table?” Sophia’s pensive expression morphed into her widest grin, making those dark eyes shine. I had to remember to thank Abigail for this. I hadn’t seen Sophia this happy since we spent Christmas break at my parents’ house.
“We’ll see. Nothing is certain right at this moment, but Miss East and I are going to talk more about it this weekend. Are you okay with that?”
The pensive look came back again, just for a second, and then she smiled again. “Like a date? Like mommies and daddies do?”
I laughed nervously at how closely she was watching me all of a sudden. “No, honey. It’s more like when friends go out to talk.”
She nodded and, just like that, lost interest in carrying on the conversation, choosing instead to talk about the kind of dress she wanted for the lunch and how she wanted it to match the sparkly ballet slippers my mom had given her for Christmas.
I half listened to her going on about that while the other half was busy wondering why Abigail had made this offer in the first place. What was she going to get out of it? Was she interested in me? Or was she just doing this to help Sophia?
Either way was great, I supposed. Although, if she was interested in me, that added a layer of difficulty and excitement to the outing. It had been three years since I lost Chelsea, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to date yet. First things first, I needed to find out what her motivation was and then go from there.
At the next light, I turned right instead of going straight towards home. “What do you say we go for hot chocolate and cookies to celebrate, Soph?” I asked, looking over at her.
She cheered. “Yay! I want marshmallows and whipped cream on mine!” I normally made her choose between one or the other.
“Sounds like a plan.”
Chapter 10
Abigail
Saturday
I returned home from the gym and took a long, hot shower, massaging my sore muscles as the water beat down on my body. I washed my hair with my most sweet-smelling shampoo and conditioner and even went so far as to shave my legs, though I planned to wear a pair of tights with my sweater dress. Drew had called last night after Sophia was in bed to tell me the plan for today. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was a date, though I knew it really wasn’t. Still, there was no reason not to look my absolute best.
I blow dried my hair and got dressed, choosing the cream-colored sweater dress that made my hair look like it was on fire in the right light, paired with black tights and brown boots. We were meeting at a restaurant in the small artsy district downtown. I’d never been to the place before, but Drew swore it was casual and, more importantly, served excellent food.
I left for the restaurant shortly thereafter, not wanting to arrive late. My stomach was in knots for no good reason. I couldn’t deny how much I was attracted to Drew, but needed to remember that his was about Sophia. He might not even be interested in dating. And, even if he was, could I square that with my responsibilities as his daughter’s kindergarten teacher? I wondered. I wasn’t sure, and it was too early to even consider it until I knew what he was thinking.
I parked my car a few blocks away from the restaurant and hurried down the street. Peyton suggested I show up fashionably late, but, again, this wasn’t really a date. There was no reason to keep him waiting. Also, I just didn’t like playing that kind of game. This wasn’t high school or college. We were both adults with jobs and didn’t have time for that foolishness.
I stepped into the warmth of the restaurant and nearly ran right into Drew, who was standing just inside the entrance, talking to the hostess. He turned to me and a smile softened the hard, masculine edges of his expression. Goddamn, this man was breathtakingly handsome. It took a few prolonged seconds of staring up into his light brown eyes before I was even physically able to speak. I felt like I’d been transported back to middle school when the thought of talking to a cute boy was mortifying. I had to scurry to get my shit together enough to speak. Luckily, he went first.
“They’re ready to seat us,” he said. He looked relaxed and casual in a pair of jeans and sweater, his coat folded over his arm. He didn’t appear to be dazed by the power of my looks the way I was with his. That was certainly humbling. Or maybe he was just better at playing it cool than I was.
“Great,” I managed to choke out. My cheeks were hot and must have been cherry red. If he noticed, he didn’t make it obvious. I trailed behind him as the hostess led us to our table.
“Thanks for agreeing to meet and discuss some of this,” he said, smiling again warmly. He seemed completely at home in his skin and not nervous, at all. I tried to act like I felt the same. Peyton told me I had a great poker face, so I could only hope that it was serving me well tonight.
“Of course.” I giggled a little, expelling some of my nervous energy and causing him to lift his eyebrows questioningly. “I realized on the way over here that I don’t know that much about you, besides what Sophia has mentioned in class.” My smile dimmed some. “Where is she, by the way?” I’d half expected her to be here and half not.
“I left her with a good friend of mine. She loves him almost as much as she loves me.” His smile deepened, showing off a mouthful of straight white teeth. He rubbed a hand over the stubble on his cheeks and chin. Before I could reply, the waiter arrived at our table to take our drink orders. Once he’d left, we picked up where we left off.
“I’d never say this in front of the other parents and students — and I’ll deny it if you tell anyone — but Sophia is my favorite student. She is smart and really funny, though she only shows off that part of herself to the people she knows. She has been a joy to have in class. I hope you know how amazing she is.”
He smiled, but looked somewhat sad after hearing all of this. “She is a marvel,” was all he said.
“Well, you are clearly doing something right, because she is a dream to teach. She’s in the advanced reading group and about to test out of there, as well. She must devour books at home.”
“She does like reading. We’ve always sat down together and read at night before bedtime. Now that she can read on her own, she gets some quiet reading time before lights out, but we still read together, too — only now she’s the one reading to me instead of vice versa.” The pride shone on his attractive face, making his dark eyes dance. The love he felt for his daughter was almost palpable and made him even more devastatingly handsome than he already was.
We took a minute to look over the menu and were ready to order when the waiter returned with our drinks. I sipped my wine, relishing the taste as the rest of my senses were firing on all cylinders at the sight and smell of Drew Reid. I decided to give myself permission to enjoy this date — or whatever the hell it was — no matter what his intentions were. If he was just here for his daughter, that was fine. I could still enjoy the sight and smell of him, maybe I could even get a hug at the end of this. Yes, I was that desperate. I hadn’t dated anyone in months.
“I don’t know much about you either,” he said, returning to an earlier part of our conversation. His dark gaze was assessing me, but giving me absolutely no hint as to what he was thinking. Some guys you could read like a book. He wasn’t one of them. It was disappointing, but also alluring. I wanted to lean into the masculine smell of him and get a good, long look into those light brown eyes.
“What would you like to know?” I asked.
“How did you end up as a teacher?”
I smiled. That was an easy question.
“I love children,” I replied. “I always have. I used to make a killing babysitting in middle and high school because the kids all loved me. I was turning jobs down left and right because I just didn’t have enough time…until I convinced my mom to let me start watching the kids at our house. After that, I was routinely triple and quadruple booked every weekend and most nights of the week. I saved up thousands of dollars during high school.”
“That’s incredible,” he said, and he really looked impressed. “I was mowing lawns on the weekends and here you were running a business.”
I giggled, though that was exactly what I’d been doing. “It didn’t leave much time for a social life, but I did have a full academic scholarship to college and enough cash saved to not need to worry about working while I was there.” I actually still had a small chunk of that cash in a savings account right now, along with additional money I put aside from every paycheck. “What do you do for a living?”
He blinked, as though caught off guard, and it did me good to see his carefully casual façade slip a little. Knowing that we were both nervous made me feel a little less nervous.
“I’m the regional project manager at Orion Construction. I oversee all our projects in the southeast.”
“That sounds like hard work,” I replied.
He shrugged one big shoulder. “It can be. I have a great assistant manager working with me though, and we can handle just about anything together. He’s actually the one watching Sophia right now.”
“That’s great.”
We kept up with the small talk about our work and where we were from as our meals arrived. Drew ordered a steak, which looked amazing, and I ordered the roast chicken. I couldn’t wait to taste it. The skin was perfectly brown and crispy when I cut through it. The sight of it was only outdone by the taste.