Tripped Up Love

by Farley, Julie

  Jenny called while Heather was making breakfast for Gracie and Henry. Heather gave her all the details but left out the kiss they shared before arriving at the restaurant.

  “Do you think you’ll go out with him again?”

  “Actually, he’s taking me to lunch tomorrow at 11:30.”

  “YOU ARE KIDDING ME!?!?” Heather knew that was just the reaction she would get from Jenny.

  “It’s just lunch. It’s not a big deal.” Heather told Jenny, while reminding herself at the same time.

  “A second date two days after the first. Slow down or you’ll be having sex by the weekend.”

  Heather blushed and was left speechless.

  Jenny ended the conversation, promising to call her later.

  The phone rang twenty minutes later. It was Donna, Hank’s mom.

  “Hi, sweetie. How are you?” asked Donna.

  Heather knew by her sweet tone she had not seen the picture on Facebook. “I’m fine, Donna. How about you?”

  “Good. How are the kids?”

  Heather gave a quick account of the entire goings on including her fall in the pothole and subsequent broken ankle.

  “Do you mind if I bring the little guys lunch tomorrow at school?”

  “They would be thrilled!” Heather knew Donna not only wanted to see the kids, but she also wanted to bring them a lunch filled with meat because she feared Heather was forcing her vegetarian ways on them. Heather let it slide. She had no intention of limiting their interaction with Hank’s parents. It was the only connection they had left to their dad. Heather knew how important that was to all of them. Heather had known Donna and Phil since she was 6. She could not imagine life without them in it. She also knew the right thing to do would be to tell Donna about her date, but she wasn’t ready yet. Instead, after they hung up, she got online and configured her privacy settings to block Donna, Phil and Lauren from seeing anything on her account. They would figure that out eventually. She just needed a few days to get herself together.

  Unfortunately, Heather changed her privacy settings too late.

  12:13 Lauren Meadows Hodges: Something you want to talk about?

  That was all it said. Heather took a deep breath and dialed Lauren’s number.

  “Hey. You saw the picture I’m guessing.”

  “I did. Saw it last night before I went to bed, but I can’t see it anymore. Know anything about that?”

  “Lauren, it’s a long story. I’m so confused. Last Monday, I fell when I was running. I broke my ankle. I fell in front of Peter Adamson’s car. He took care of me and took me to Ortho on Call. He stopped by to check on me on Friday and asked me to go out to dinner with him. I didn’t even realize who he was because I didn’t know his last name until Friday. I said yes. We went out last night. And you know how Richmond is…everyone knows your business within minutes. I didn’t tell you, the kids, your parents or my mom. Jenny was the only one who knew. I felt like I was cheating on my dead husband.”

  “Well, you can’t cheat on him, obviously. Only his memory.”

  Ouch, that stung. Heather wasn’t sure how to respond, so she took a deep breath. She had always been close to Lauren. Heather had known Lauren since Lauren was 4 years old. Heather was an only child. She considered Lauren a sister.

  “Sorry, that wasn’t fair of me to say. It’s not like you met him out trolling at a bar. It’s all kind of accidental due to your ability to be a klutz.”

  Heather started to get a little defensive. “Well, what if I had met him at a bar? Hank has been dead for a year and a half. Don’t you think it’s okay for me to be dating by now?”

  “Well, at some point I guess. It still seems so soon. Did you tell my mom?”

  “Not yet. She called earlier, but I chickened out. I will though.”

  “Are you going to see him again?”

  In this age of digital craziness, Heather knew she had to tell the truth. “Well, he’s taking me to lunch tomorrow.”

  “A second date already? You move fast, girl.”

  And Lauren was gone.

  That did not go as well as Heather had hoped. She knew she had better talk to Donna before Lauren did. She dialed her number.

  “Donna, It’s Heather.”

  “Everything ok, sweetie?”

  “Well, yes, but I wasn’t completely honest with you earlier. When I broke my ankle I met someone.”

  “You met someone? What do you mean?”

  Heather vomited the same information to Donna she just had to Lauren. But she ended it a little differently. “Lauren knows, and she’s mad about it. She told me it was too soon. Donna, what do you think? I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

  “Honey, we usually don’t plan these things. Whenever we try to, we never get the outcome we expect. If you are happy, I am happy. I just want to be a part of your life and the kids’ lives in anyway you will allow us. You are all we have left of Hank.”

  “Oh Donna, I would never take that away from you. We need you. I need you. I would never be with anyone who would want anything other than that. But there’s one more thing I need to tell you.”

  “Should I sit down?”

  “No, well, maybe. The guy is the famous author, Peter Adamson.”

  “You are kidding me?” Donna gave the same reaction Jenny did. Heather seemed to elicit that response a lot lately.

  “Nope. It’s the truth. He was kind enough to stop his car when he saw me lying in a pothole with a bag of dog crap.”

  “Phil loves him. I think he has all of his books. He’ll be excited.”

  Heather bubbled over with happiness at the response Donna had given. Donna was always fair and open-minded. Whenever Hank and Heather fought, Donna took Heather’s side. She was her advocate whenever she needed one. Lauren always had been too, and Heather could only hope she would come around. The only person left to tell was her mom. It would be awhile before she was comfortable having the kids meet Peter. Heather couldn’t bear another phone conversation, so she sent her mom an email. She got a quick reply back.

  I saw the picture on Facebook. How come I’m always the last to know? Love, Mom

  Peter got up the next morning and went for a run. He couldn’t get Heather out of his mind. Seeing her smile on their date last night made him want to make her smile a whole lot more. He hadn’t felt this way in a long time. He wasn’t even sure if he had ever really felt this way. A widow with three kids? That was more ‘baggage’ than he was used to. For some reason, he didn’t care. Maybe he was finally growing up.

  He got a text from Janie while he was running.

  8:38 Janie: I hear there is a picture of you on Facebook on a date with someone from the 1-1-3! WTF?

  He finished his run in order to think about his response. Janie would not want him messing with someone in her area. She was too self-conscious. She would worry he would mess things up for her. Janie took keeping up with the Joneses to a new level. If the neighbors trimmed their bushes in a round fashion, Janie trimmed her bushes in a round fashion. If the neighbors put candles in their windows at Christmas, Janie did too. If the other kids wore crazy lacrosse shorts, tall socks and Under Armour sweatshirts, Janie bought them for her baseball playing son, Michael. Janie found joy in sameness. Having a famous brother dating a mom from the elementary school made her different. She wouldn’t be happy.

  Peter called her as soon as he got home.

  “Hey. When were you going to tell me you were dating Heather Meadows?”

  “Wow, you already know her name?”

  “Because I have about five emails about it this morning!”

  Peter sighed and told her the whole story. “Last Monday, after I left your house, this woman tripped in a pothole on Robious Road. She fell in front of my car. I stopped and helped her. I could tell she was really hurt. I helped her out, took her to Ortho on Call and got her some lunch. I liked her, so I stopped by on Friday. I asked her to go out with me on Saturday. She did, and I’m taking her to lunch tom
orrow.”

  “You know she’s a widow with three kids, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “You also know if you screw her over you will be hurting Michael and Elizabeth, right?”

  “Well, I don’t intend to screw her over, but I hardly see how that would hurt them.”

  “Because you’ll be hurting their reputation.”

  “So, who I date affects Michael and Elizabeth?” asked Peter failing to see any logic in her statement.

  “It does. People will talk about you and about them. Kids might make fun of them at school. They might tease them on the bus. Maybe I shouldn’t even let them take the bus.”

  “Janie, I think you are getting ahead of yourself. I’m not going to hurt Heather. You know I would never do anything to hurt Michael and Elizabeth. Relax, it will be fine.” Relaxing was not one of Janie’s finer points.

  “Easier said than done, Peter. Easier said than done.”

  Chapter 7

  Heather was determined to exercise. She was not going to let her broken ankle turn her muffin top into a seven-layer cake. After she put the kids on the bus, she got on her stationary bike. Her foot with the cast wouldn’t fit into the straps on the pedal, so instead, she rested it on top of the pedal. That was a great solution, for approximately 3 revolutions of the pedals. On the 4th revolution, her casted foot came crashing down on the floor causing Heather to mutter words she was glad the kids weren’t home to hear. Clearly, her exercise was going to be limited. She would be forced to limit her calories for the time being. But, Peter was coming to take her out to lunch and she would have to eat then. Even before that, she would have to shower. Not her favorite activity with a cast. One of her neighbors had brought a shower chair over for Heather. Her cast was waterproof, but she still wrapped a plastic bag around it just in case it wasn’t completely waterproof. While she was sitting in the shower, Heather contemplated her outfit options. Yoga pants, a dress or a skirt were her only choices. Yoga pants didn’t seem like date material. She went wild and put on a little cotton dress.

  Heather was too nervous to write or do anything other than surf the net. It was too early for a drink, not to mention it was a Monday morning. Heather browsed the Anthropologie website and drooled over clothes she couldn’t afford. She told the kids when she published her book she would get them a swimming pool and take them to Hawaii. It was the line/bribe she used when she needed them to give her a little peace and quiet to write. It satisfied them, but they discussed the pool and trip incessantly. Heather preferred to think of the outfits she would buy. Heather checked her email. There was an email from Lauren.

  Hey,

  Sorry about yesterday. It’s just really hard. I never thought about you with anyone other than Hank and it stinks he’s not here and you might end up with someone else. You and Hank were meant for each other.

  Lauren

  Ugh. Heather knew this wasn’t going to be easy. But Lauren was young. She had hoped Lauren might be able to picture dating if her husband died. She had expected Donna to have a harder time than Lauren. But Donna had accepted it so easily. She decided to write her back. Heather wasn’t good at letting things go.

  Lauren,

  I never pictured myself with anyone else either. I knew as long as Hank walked the earth, I would be with him. But, he died. None of us expected that. Since then I haven’t imagined myself with anybody else. Meeting Peter was an accident, or fate as some might say. I think your brother would want me to be happy. Please tell me you believe that.

  Heather

  Fortunately, Heather’s phone chimed with a text, and she temporarily forgot about the email.

  10:51 Jenny: U all set for today? Let me know if u need anything. I want to hear all about it when you get home. Xo

  10:52 Heather: I’m all set. I’ll call u before the bus.

  Heather put her head on her desk and cried. This was all much harder than she ever thought. If she lived in a bubble, it might be a little easier. But people were coming at her from every which way. Heather had always been sensitive. Hank used to tell her when she needed to shake things off or when she was reading too much into things. She didn’t have that voice to tell her she was crazy anymore or to tell her not to worry. She mostly had a constant barrage of naysayers. Hank had been Heather’s cheerleader. Even when they were on a break during high school, she heard from other people he was campaigning for her to be Class Treasurer. He always stood up for her in the cool, popular clique of kids he hung out with. Hank had wanted Heather to find her passion. He had never complained when he came home and the house was a mess or their bed wasn’t made. He hadn’t cared if she hadn’t made dinner for the fifth night in a row and they had to go out to eat. As long as Heather had been happy, Hank had been happy.

  Before she could get herself together, there was a knock at the door.

  Fuck, she thought, he’s early.

  Peter was at the door waiting for her. She hobbled to the door, knowing full well he would know she had been crying.

  “Hey. Sorry I need a minute to freshen up.”

  Peter looked Heather over. He wanted to lift her up and carry her to her bedroom. She looked gorgeous with her hair loose and curly, a dress that showed off her ample chest and her skinny runner’s legs. But she looked helpless and defeated. Her mascara was running down her right cheek. Peter walked in, wrapped his arms around her and gave her one of those hugs she had told him she craved. It made her cry more. Heather felt like she must be on the fast path to ending this date with all of her tears.

  She was wrong. Peter couldn’t figure out why, but he was drawn to her. Of course, there was sexual energy between them. But he was also feeling so much more. He wanted to sit and talk with her for hours. Preferably naked, but still he wanted to be with her in any capacity he could.

  “Did something happen?”

  “Not really. I’m just catching a lot of grief about going on a date. Some people think it’s too soon.”

  “What do you think?” asked Peter.

  “I don’t know. I’ve googled and researched it. There isn’t a right answer. It’s not like I’ve been scoping guys out at all kinds of bars. I fell upon you. And it doesn’t mean I didn’t and don’t love Hank if I go out with you.”

  “I don’t think there’s a right answer. I think as long as it’s making you happy you aren’t doing anything wrong. Are you happy? Did you enjoy Saturday?”

  “Yes. I did enjoy it. That’s what’s making me feel so guilty.”

  “You shouldn’t feel guilty for having fun. Let’s try not to over think this. If it makes you feel any better, my sister yelled at me too.”

  “Oh, no! I’m sorry. Now I’m making your life difficult too!”

  Peter didn’t realize Heather would think of it that way. “You are not making my life difficult. My sister makes her own life difficult. She is being a bit ridiculous. I’m not worried about her. I’m worried about you.”

  “I’ll be fine. Holy cow. You have seen me cry more times than you could have ever imagined.”

  “Yes, you have cried quite a bit.”

  “I’m going to scare you away.”

  “It’s going to take a lot more than tears to get rid of me.”

  “Great, well when you meet my kids, especially Henry, I’m sure they will do plenty to scare you away.” Heather cracked a tiny smile thinking about it.

  “At least you’re smiling again. I’m not afraid of kids either. I hang out with my niece and nephew a lot. Let’s grab your stuff and head out of here.”

  Heather walked into the bathroom and wiped the mascara off her face. She grabbed a few tissues in case she started balling again at lunch. She grabbed her bag and walked to the front door. Peter helped her down the steps and into his car. They were off again. Heather had been so busy with the kids, she hadn’t thought about being kissed in his front seat since Saturday night. She knew crying wasn’t a hot look for her, so she guessed a kiss was a little ways off.

  “W
here are we going?”

  “Portico. It’s gorgeous out. We can sit on the patio and have a glass of wine.”

  Wine on a school day. Heather could imagine the Facebook comments about that. The patio was empty when they got there. The restaurant was too.

  “Are they closed today?”

  “No. The owner’s a friend. I asked him to open a little later so we wouldn’t have to worry about someone taking a picture and posting it on your Facebook wall.”

  “I am so sorry. I can’t believe you had to do that for me.”

  “I didn’t have to do anything. It really wasn’t a big deal. Mondays aren’t busy for him. He owes me a couple of favors anyway.”

  Peter and Heather helped themselves to a table on the patio as a waiter followed behind them.

  “Can we have two glasses of Pinot Grigio please?”

  “Sure, Mr. Adamson.”

  Heather wasn’t sure if she felt more or less self-conscious with the restaurant to themselves. The waiters were probably all laughing about them in the back. At least Facebook comments were public. Now, she was going to be a widow with three kids on a date drinking on a Monday just before noon. On second thought, it was ok no one else could see them. Heather perused the menu and settled on a salad. Peter took the liberty of picking an appetizer for them.

  Heather sat back and sipped her wine. It was a perfect autumn day. The sun was shining. There were very few clouds in the sky - only a couple of big fluffy white ones. The temperature hovered around 75. Her favorite type of day in Richmond. She was in a better mental place than she was 45 minutes ago.