“Well, that makes sense. Anyhow, I’ll let you get back to it. Let JD and Johnny know that when I get back, they’re welcome to help if they get bored picking up nails and stuff.”
I grin because until I get the frame up, there’s not much else for the two boys to do besides pick up nails. “Will do.”
“I’ll leave the back door open in case y’all need the bathroom while I’m gone.”
“Appreciate that. I know they’re boys and that’s their thing at this age, but I’m trying to instill manners so that someday, maybe some woman will wanna marry them.”
Her giggles follow me outside and I stop in my tracks when Boz states, “Haven’t heard that from her that much. You might just be what ol’ Dr. Boz ordered.”
“Whatever. Let’s get to work.”
Addy
I’m bent over a shelf so I can grab the giant pail of flour when I hear, “Adelaide?”
Standing, I turn only to come face-to-face with my ex-husband, Branson, who has one of those baby carrying things strapped to his chest with a baby inside. Since I know he doesn’t have any nieces or nephews, I realize rather quickly that it’s likely his. Well, that explains a helluva lot, doesn’t it?
“Branson. What a surprise.”
“What...what are you doing here?” He’s looking around somewhat frantically, and it dawns on me that he’s here with her. My replacement. The baby mama.
“Grabbing things I need, of course.” Not like it’s his business what I do any longer. He lost that right, apparently a lot longer ago than when he asked for the damn divorce. “Oh, and you owe me a grand. I paid the contractor what you failed to take care of. You know the address.”
Before he can say anything, Marvie comes around the corner, lugging a huge bag of sugar. When she spies him, her eyes narrow and if she had the ability, he would be falling dead from the lasers shooting in his direction. “Got it, let’s get the rest and get out of here,” she states.
I nod and turn to walk away, but not before seeing a small redheaded woman come up next to him, her ring finger sparkling in the overhead lights.
We quickly gather everything else on my list and leave. Marvie, seeing that I’m not wholly with it, grabs my keys and shoos me toward the passenger side. Driving home, she keeps opening her mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. Finally, looking at me, she says, “I honest to God got nothing right now. It’s obvious that he was fucking around on you. The question is, for how long?”
“Probably the last two years, at least,” I mutter. That’s when he stopped reaching for me and whenever I’d mention it, he’d blow me off saying he was just tired from trying to get the restaurant up and running. Lies, all lies. I feel like my world has shattered all over again.
“Well, he’s a low down, mangy dog,” she states. I start giggling because she’s never at a loss for words and I expected something far harsher than what she says. “What? It’s the damn truth. He had one of the best women I know as his wife and partner and he threw it all away and wasn’t even honest about the reasons why!”
“I love you, Marvie. I think I’m more shocked that he cheated than anything. Never would’ve expected that from him.”
“I love you too. He obviously lost a few screws or something. Kids aren’t the be-all and end-all of everything and I know how much it kills you that you can’t have them, but there are other ways besides fucking around on your wife!”
And...there she is, my best friend, who calls ‘em like she sees ‘em. I reach over and squeeze her hand. “No worries. New life here in Barge Falls, remember?”
“Yeah, and with the hunky contractor who looks at you like you’re a roast beef and swiss on ciabatta, I’m sure he’ll soon have you forgetting old what’s his name!”
My giggles turn into full out laughter at her pronouncement. Yes, if I’m a tiny bit honest, I’m hurt, but at the end of the day, he did me a favor. I’ve only seen Hale a few times since meeting him and the feelings I have coursing through me supersede anything I’ve ever felt with Branson.
We pull in the driveway and get out. When she sees that Boz is still here, she calls out for him and soon, I’ve got two men and two eager little boys helping unload my SUV.
“Miss Addy! This is Johnny. Can we come help you?”
“Give her a minute, son, she just got home,” Hale says.
“It’s fine, Hale. If you two are done helping your dad and Boz, you can come in and get washed up and give me a hand. Are you hungry?” I ask the two little boys.
“Starving! We’ve been working hard,” Johnny, a close carbon copy to JD, replies.
“Well, I think we can whip up some sandwiches,” Marvie declares. “Boz, Hale, would y’all like one?”
“If it’s not too much trouble, sure,” both men reply.
While the ‘muscle’ carries in the pails and sacks of flour and sugar, Marvie and I grab the smaller bags and soon, she and I are putting together sandwiches for the two men and the little boys who are helping them. When I pull out the pitcher of fresh lemonade, JD says, “See, I told you! She makes lemonade from scratch!”
“Well, today I did, yes, because I knew you guys would want something cold after working so hard,” I reply. “JD, since you know where the paper plates are, can you grab them for me?” He rushes off, Johnny behind him, and soon comes back with plates and napkins.
“I thought we might need these too,” JD says.
“Good idea. Marvie makes messy sandwiches,” I whisper, just loud enough for her to hear me.
“I heard that, woman! You want your bestie card revoked?”
“Ha, as if that’d ever happen. We’re bound by blood, remember?” And we are because when we were little girls, we saw some silly movie about friends who cut themselves then smashed the wounds together. Being tomboys, we thought nothing of it at all, until we both ended up getting rip-roaring infections that had her mom wanting to strangle us.
“True, true,” she replies. “Here you guys go, carry your dad’s and Boz’s out first, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the boys say in unison. She rolls her eyes at their backs for calling her ‘ma’am’ and I decide to call her out on it.
“They’re just being polite.”
“Yeah, I know but it makes me feel old.”
“Whatever. You’re no older than me. Well, a month, but still.”
“You’ve got jokes today. Glad to see that seeing him hasn’t ruined today for you.”
“How could it? I’ve got a cake to make for tomorrow and a little boy specifically requested cookies. Branson’s issues are his to own, not mine.”
The afternoon flies by, filled with little boy giggles as they ‘craft’ the cookies we’ll have for the fishing trip. Marvie works on the fried chicken while I make several salads and also frost the cake I made earlier in the day.
As everyone is leaving, Hale holds back until it’s just the two of us. “You’ve got a little flour here,” he says, reaching out and stroking my cheek. Totally not surprised because of all the activity in my kitchen. “You gonna be ready in the morning?”
“Absolutely, gonna finish cleaning up then head to bed.”
“Then we’ll see you around five.”
“Thanks, Hale.”
“Good night, Addy.”
5
Hale
Pulling up to Addy’s house the next morning, I’m not surprised to see her outside waiting on us, a picnic basket by her side. As I get out of the truck, I see what she’s wearing and break out into a grin. “Really? Where’d you find those?” I ask, pointing down at her boots. They’re bright green and covered with ladybugs.
“You can find anything online these days,” she replies, handing me the basket when I hold out my hand. “Be careful with that, it’s got a cake and the cookies the boys asked for.”
“I’ll protect it with my life,” I tease, putting it in the back of the truck. Once done, I help her inside, wishing we were dating so I could kiss her.
> “Morning, Miss Addy,” Johnny says from the back. JD is sleeping again. Not sure how he made it to the truck, because they stayed up most of the night watching movies.
“Good morning, Johnny. You ready to catch some fish?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Me, too,” she states. By now, I’m back in the truck, so I buckle up and then maneuver my truck out of her driveway and toward the lake.
“You hungry?” I ask her.
“A little bit, yeah. Kinda hard to eat this early but I know I won’t want fried chicken at eight in the morning either,” she replies.
I chuckle as I pull into a fast food restaurant. Both boys are now sleeping in the back, so I order for all of us, grabbing myself a large coffee and Addy a large diet drink. When she sighs after taking her first sip, I grin. “Good, huh?”
“I’m sure your reaction to coffee is the same as mine is to diet soda,” she replies.
“Probably so,” I admit.
Soon we’re at the lake, getting set up to fish. Boz and Marvie haven’t arrived yet, so I set the boys to gathering twigs and branches for the fire pit. We’ve used this area for years and while I don’t have high expectations of catching that much seeing as the boys are with us, I’m still hoping that we can catch a few good-sized fish so I can fry them over the fire.
“You want any help?” Addy asks me as I set stuff out.
“I’m good right now. You gonna stand out in the water and fish or try from the dock over there?” I question, pointing to where the dock juts out onto the water.
“From the dock, I think. These boots are great and all, but not conducive to standing in hip-high water.”
“True. Okay, I’ll grab a few chairs for you and Marvie then. I’m pretty sure the boys will wanna go out into the lake since I bought them new waders.”
Addy
“Girl, I think you’ve got the right bait on your hook,” Marvie whispers, nudging me.
“What are you talking about?”
“He hasn’t taken his eyes off you all that much.”
“Marvie, you’re just seeing what you wanna see. He’s just making sure we’re okay is all,” I protest. I’ve noticed how he pops over to where we’re sitting on the dock frequently but am trying not to look too closely at why he would do it. Neither of us have caught anything but I think it has more to do with the boys whooping and hollering than our lack of fishing skills.
“Whatever. Anyhow, I say we put these up and get the food out. I’m getting hungry and I just know you’ve made my favorite cake in the world. I want my piece first.” Her comment makes me laugh as I stand and grab my pole. Everything I caught was a throwback so I’m able to put my stuff up quickly before I grab the water I brought and wash my hands.
As I go to grab the picnic basket, I feel a hand at my lower back before I hear him say, “Nope, I got this. You don’t need to be lifting this thing and if I’d known how heavy it was, I wouldn’t have let you carry it outside this morning.”
“It’s not that heavy, Hale,” I reply. Well, it is, but I’m not a weakling needing a man to lift every little thing for me.
“Addy, I think most men would have a hard time lifting this thing.”
“You don’t seem to have an issue.” Shit, am I flirting? Now I can feel my cheeks flushing and I hope he thinks it’s from the sun.
His grin tells me he caught my words. “Nope. Where do you want it?” Before I can answer, he carries it over to the picnic table, acting as if it’s no heavier than a damn hammer.
“That works, thank you,” I say when he sets it down. “Give us a few and y’all can come eat.”
“What kind of cake is that?” he asks as I pull out the cake carrier.
“A Coca-Cola cake. Marvie loves them and I figured I couldn’t go wrong with chocolate where the boys were concerned, so I made one.”
“Never had it but it looks delicious.”
He walks back toward where the boys are playing in the water. I can’t hear what he says to them but based on the way they come flying out to go over and wash their hands, I figure he’s told them that it’s almost time for lunch.
* * *
After lunch, which was pretty much decimated by the two little boys, as well as the two grown men, Marvie and I are cleaning up when she says, “Wouldn’t be surprised if he asks you out on a real date.”
“Well, then it likely won’t surprise you that if he does, I’ll probably say yes.”
Once we’ve got everything cleaned up, I notice that Boz and Hale have gathered the fishing poles and are putting them up. “We all done, Boz?” Marvie questions.
“Yeah, darling, nothing much is biting so we’re gonna call it a day,” he replies.
“Okay. We probably need a few hours of downtime before the craziness of a new week begins anyhow,” she says.
“With my full belly, I’m looking at a bit of shuteye while I listen to the race,” he claims, laughing.
Marvie gives me a hug and whispers, “Call me later if he does.” I nod and head toward Hale’s truck, where he’s helping two very sleepy looking boys into the back.
“They’re wiped out, huh?” I question, climbing up into the passenger side.
“Yeah, they’re trying to catch up on the Avengers’ movies so they can go see the new one and I think that, plus being up early, has done them in. I suspect it’ll be an early night for both of them once they’ve had their showers.”
I wait until he gets in and starts the truck before saying, “I really enjoyed today, Hale. Thank you for inviting me.” He turns and grins at me before reaching over and taking my hand in his, lacing our fingers together. The thrill I feel having my hand enclosed in his has me talking to myself. I’m trying not to compare everything he does with how Branson was, but it’s difficult because I only have my ex as the litmus test, so to speak. Only, Branson is quickly falling short and it has less to do with him being a cheating jerk and more with how the man beside me makes me feel.
“I did as well, Addy.” The rest of the drive is quiet save for the snores coming from the backseat. I look over my shoulder and see the two of them, buckled up but somehow huddled together like two puppies and can’t help giggling.
“They’re so full of energy that seeing them like this is almost surreal,” I whisper, not wanting to wake either of them up.
“They go ninety to nothing most days until they have pulled everything out of the day they possibly can, then collapse like two puppies,” he replies. “Believe me when I say that nothing short of a nuclear blast will wake them up until I get them home.”
“Is Johnny staying with you tonight as well?”
“Yeah, my sister and brother-in-law are taking a much-needed few days together. My niece, Rosie, Johnny’s little sister, is with John’s parents, and I have Johnny.”
“It’s good you’ve got family to rely on.”
“Couldn’t have survived without my sister and John, that’s for damn sure,” he admits, pulling into my driveway. I’m sad to see the day end because I’ve seen so much to like about him, but it has been a long day and I need a shower and a nap.
“I’m coming around, stay there,” he commands as he puts the truck in park and gets out. He grabs the now-empty picnic basket, save for the dirty dishes, before he comes around and opens my door, then helps me down.
Holding my hand the whole way to my front door, he waits for me to unlock it and then places the picnic basket inside. Turning to me, he takes my other hand in his and says, “I’m not big on games, Addy, so I’m going to put it out there. I like you and would like the chance to take you out on a no-kids date. If it’s too soon, please let me know.”
There’s so much I want to say, but now’s not the time with two little boys sleeping in his truck. So, I simply reply, “I don’t really know how to play those games, Hale. My ex was the only one I ever dated, and we were a couple from the time we were fifteen until just recently, but the marriage itself was apparently over long before he as
ked for a divorce. I don’t think it’s too soon if you don’t, I just ask that you be a bit patient. And yes, I’d love to go on a ‘no-kids’ date with you.”
His grin shows through his beard, which is a little fuller than it was on Friday. “Look forward to getting to know you better. I’ll check my schedule to see what JD’s got in the way of practices or games this week and we can talk tomorrow if that’s okay?”
“Works for me.” He’s still holding my hands and the butterflies have multiplied.
“See you tomorrow, Addy,” he murmurs before leaning in and kissing my cheek.
“See you then, Hale,” I reply, resisting the urge to pull my hand away and touch where his lips brushed across my cheek.
I wait on the porch until he’s back in the truck and has pulled out of my driveway before I head inside, locking up and grabbing the empty basket.
Once I have the remains from the picnic basket taken care of, I head to my room for a shower and a nap. I’ve got a few more cakes to make later for the upcoming week, but the early morning has caught up to me.
6
Hale
I catch myself whistling the next morning as I get ready for work. The fact that I’ll be around her all day has me wishing that time could speed up a bit, but I also want to savor getting to know her. I know that somehow, she’s gonna be a game-changer for me and that my life will never be the same. Slow down, Hale, she asked that you be patient, remember? I’ll be patient but that doesn’t mean I won’t pursue her with everything I’ve got in me.
“Dad, are you ready yet?” JD yells through my bedroom door. I’ve finished getting ready, so I pick up my wallet and phone and open the door.
“Inside voice, son,” I reply, ruffling his hair and heading to the kitchen. I thank God every day that I have a programmable coffee pot. The first cup goes down quickly, while I pour the rest into a giant to-go cup and grab one of the microwavable sandwiches I bought. Tossing it in, I set the timer and ask, “You got everything you’ll need for practice tonight?”
Hale’s Song: A single dad contemporary romance Page 4
