“Something you want to talk about?” she asked.
“Come on in and close the door,” I said, leaning back in my chair.
She did as I asked and sat in the chair across from my desk. “This sounds serious, now I’m worried,” she said.
“There’s nothing to be worried about,” I explained. “I asked Simone out on a date. I’m excited about it. I want to know what you think about it, though.”
She looked at me, her mouth open in shock. “Oh, wow. Okay. Um…” She paused for a minute, probably trying to figure out what to say or at least how to say it. “The two of you have been dancing around each other for months now, but I’m not going to lie, I’m a little nervous about you pursuing something with her.”
I wasn’t expecting her to say that. I thought she had worked everything out with Simone. Now I was worried that things weren’t as cool between them as it appeared. Although that didn’t make sense since they spent a lot of time together and she had taken Simone out for her birthday.
“Stop,” she said, shaking her head. “I can see the wheels turning in your head. I’m nervous, just not for the reason you’re probably thinking. I really like Simone. She and I have become very close friends in the last couple months, even though that may be weird to some people.” Addie paused. “I’m nervous for her. She isn’t just some girl you can sleep with and then walk away from. She was married to an asshole. Someone who didn’t treat her well at all. She’s opened up to me a little bit, despite the fact that Brad really fucked with her head and did some horrible things. I know you would never intentionally set out to hurt her, but she is vulnerable. She needs to be handled with care even if she doesn’t think so.”
I understood what Addie was saying. I knew how much damage Brad had done and I was also aware of how strong Simone had become. I could appreciate the fact that Addie wanted to protect Simone, but I was also a little disheartened she was unsure of whether I would be able to step into the role of boyfriend.
“Wait…” I said slowly. I stared hard at Addie. “What the hell did you mean by ‘Brad really fucked with her head and did some horrible things’? I know he was verbally abusive and cheated on her—”
“There’s more to it than that,” Addie interrupted.
“What do you mean ‘there’s more to it’? What else did he do?” I asked, feeling my anger rising. I thought I knew all there was to know about their relationship. I found the idea that she may have hidden an important detail of her relationship from me slightly frustrating. On a professional level, it may have been something important to take into consideration for her filing, but more importantly, on a personal level, I wanted her to open up to me.
“Look, it’s not my story to tell. I don’t want to ever break the trust Simone had when she shared with me. Just know there will be some hurdles the two of you will need to climb over together if you pursue this.”
“Okay, I get that. But I have to know… are you okay with me going out with her?”
She smiled. “I would love nothing more than to see both of you happy. If being together does that for you guys, then I’m totally fine with it.”
“Thanks, Addie, that means a lot. I would appreciate it, though, if you didn’t tell anybody about this. We’ve decided to keep it between us for now even though I just told you. I don’t think I’m ready to tell Trent yet and I know she’s not ready to tell anyone.”
Addie laughed. “Yeah, I’m not sure he’ll be as cool with it as I am. Ever since the divorce he has become super protective of both those girls. He would for sure kick your ass, especially if you hurt them.”
“He wishes he could kick my ass,” I said with a chuckle, even though her words made me consider his reaction to this possible news.
As my sister exited my office I realized how much her acceptance had meant to me.
*****
Two days had never moved so slowly, but it was finally Wednesday, which meant date night. I was able to leave the office at five, which was early for me. I went home to get ready, having told Simone I would pick her up at six-thirty. We had decided we would go out for dinner and then go to her apartment to watch a movie so she could put Stella to bed at eight.
It sounded like a perfect night, comfortable and relaxed. We were going to a family restaurant near her place since we had Stella with us. I dressed in a pair of dark-wash jeans and a black, long sleeve, button-down shirt. I rolled the sleeves up a little just to look a bit more casual. I grabbed the keys to my BMW and headed to Simone’s apartment.
I knocked on the door and waited for a couple minutes before a flustered Simone answered the door.
“I’m so sorry, but we’re running late. Stella took a late nap, I just got her dressed and I haven’t finished getting myself ready,” she said without taking a breath. She ushered me in and closed the door behind me.
I looked her up and down as she ran her hands through her long, damp hair. She was in tight-fitting jeans and loose-fitted top. She looked damn good. “Why don’t I watch Stella while you finish getting ready,” I offered. “I don’t mind.”
She stared at me and then smiled. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve been around Stella often enough, Simone. I can handle her just fine,” I returned, chuckling.
She grabbed my hand and dragged me into the living room. “Oh! I can put on a video for her,” she said.
“Hey, it’s all good,” I said, squeezing her hand. “Stella and I will find something to keep us occupied. You just go do what you need to.”
Stella was on the floor looking happy as she rolled around in her dress. Her dark hair was in a braid, which had a green bow at the end. When she looked up at me, she smiled big.
“Hi, baby girl,” I said softly. “Let’s go to find some toys while your mommy finishes getting dressed and then we can go get dinner. Does that sound good?”
Stella nodded her head affirmatively and grabbed ahold of my hand. I saw Simone just standing there, staring at us with a look of disbelief on her face. I smiled at her and she shook her head, coming out of whatever trance she was in, and headed toward her bedroom.
After about ten minutes, Simone came out in a simple, fitted cotton dress that showed off her curves. It was navy blue with a pattern of tiny, white anchors and she had a white sweater over it. Even though she was covered up, she was still sexy. She’d kept her hair down and her makeup was light so her features naturally came out. She caught me staring at her and I grinned when she started fidgeting by smoothing out her dress. “Do I… look okay?”
I took a minute to take her in, trying to remind myself to breathe in then out. Dinner at the Thompsons’ last Saturday had been a trial, trying to not to be obvious in front of everyone. Sitting next to her for an hour and feeling her presence had made it difficult to keep up with the conversation. I wasn’t even going to think about how she’d looked at the club and what followed afterwards. I did not want embarrass myself in front of both Simone and Stella.
“You look stunning, Simone,” I said. She blushed, clearly liking my appraisal.
I got up from my spot next to Stella. I’d been reading her a Dr. Seuss book that she’d mostly poked at while telling me her own version of the story. I picked her up and we were all ready to go to dinner. Simone led us out of the apartment and I started to walk toward my car when she stopped me with a hand on my arm.
“We should probably take my car since Stella’s car seat is already installed in it,” she said, reminding me of the additional things kids needed.
“Ok,” I responded. Having her drive wasn’t my idea of taking her on a date, but it made sense. Truth be told, most of the girls I dated were excited to ride in my BMW. Simone was very different from those women.
We veered from my car and back to her parking space. Simone was much shorter than me and I had to remind myself to not take such long strides or she’d have to jog next to me. I didn’t think she’d appreciate that in three-inch heels and carrying a diaper bag that was almost
bigger than her. Meanwhile, Stella squirmed in my arms, her big brown eyes taking in the world around her. I think she liked seeing things from this vantage point.
We all piled into her late model Honda Civic and made our way to the restaurant. In the back, behind me, Stella chatted to both of us on the way. She seemed just as excited about this date as I was.
We were seated right away in a booth in the back of the dining room. Simone and I sat across from each other while Stella was in a high chair at the end of the table. After we ordered, and Stella was distracted by the crayons the hostess had given her, I asked Simone about work. I didn’t know how she managed to work such late nights waitressing, keep up with classes, and still take care of Stella during the day. I knew Jim and Marla helped out a lot, along with her friend Kayla, but Simone did as much as humanly possible on her own. I knew being able to do for herself and Stella was really important to her. It made me respect her even more.
I think some of it was a pride thing for her. I also think she was worried she was inconveniencing those who helped her. I wish she could see herself the way I did. She was an incredible woman who was dealt a shit hand in life. That being said, she was making the best of what she had. And she was doing a damn good job, from everything I could see.
“Work is going okay, but balancing it with my school work is proving to be difficult,” she shared with me.
“Have you thought about cutting back on your hours to focus on school?” I asked, knowing such a heavy workload had to be difficult.
She took a sip of her water. “I’m barely making ends meet as it is, and that’s with help from Jim and Marla. I can’t afford to lose any more hours.”
It pissed me off knowing that if Brad would actually pay his child support he would be able to lessen her burden.
“So how’s work going for you?” she asked, effectively changing topics.
I wanted her to feel relaxed and enjoy herself, so for tonight, I moved along to safer topics. “I’ve been pretty busy lately with lots of late nights at the office. But I enjoy my work so it’s not too bad.”
We continued to talk about her plans once she finished school. She couldn’t wait to be a teacher and I knew one day her dreams would come true. By the time we were leaving, I knew, without a doubt, I wanted to continue seeing Simone. She was beautiful, intelligent, ambitious, and more mature than most women her age. I was completely entranced by her.
We loaded up in Simone’s car and made our way back to her apartment. Stella fell asleep on the way home so I got her out of her car seat and carried her into the apartment. Instead of going directly into Stella’s room, Simone directed me to her room and told me to place Stella on her bed.
“It’s easier to change her on my bed when she is asleep,” she explained.
I sat next to the sleeping girl while Simone went to get a fresh diaper and pajamas. She came back and started to work on getting Stella ready for bed. As she did that, I took the time to glance around her small bedroom. The walls were freshly painted white. Her furniture was mismatched, probably pieces she found on sale somewhere, and her bedding was a very girly purple and pink flower pattern.
“I didn’t take you for the super girly type,” I teased, rubbing my hand across the top of the comforter.
She chuckled. “I’m usually not, but I needed a fresh start in my new room.”
“New room?” That had me confused. I knew this was the same apartment she’d lived in with Brad.
“Yeah, this is the second bedroom. The master is across the hall and is now Stella’s room. I scrubbed that room clean but still couldn’t stand to sleep in there knowing what had happened,” she told me, matter-of-factly. “I figured changing the rooms around would help me deal with everything. Truthfully, I like this room a lot more than the other one and I feel better knowing my room is the first one that is accessible from the hallway rather than Stella’s.”
She really was a pro at this mom stuff.
I watched as Simone picked up the still-sleeping Stella and carried her across the hall. I stood by the doorway and watched as she kissed her daughter and placed her in her crib.
We walked back to the living room together and sat on the couch. It was obvious neither of us were quite ready for this evening to end.
Deciding I wanted to know where she stood with us continuing to see each other, I broached the subject gently. “So, I had a really great time tonight with you and Stella,” I said, meaningfully. “I’m hoping we can go out again soon.”
“I had a wonderful time, too,” she said with a slight blush crawling up her cheeks. That blush was super cute.
My intention was to take this slow, but I still leaned in to brush a soft kiss on her lips. As soon as our mouths met, the kiss became much more passionate than I had anticipated. I wasn’t complaining at all, Simone could kiss and I enjoyed the feel of her lips on mine.
I started to run my hands up her torso, and as soon as my thumbs brushed under her breasts, she pulled away from me. That was a bit unexpected, so I wasn’t going to push anything.
“I’m sorry,” she said, breathing heavy. “It just feels weird to be making out with someone while Stella is here. That sounds stupid, I’m sure.”
“Hey,” I said, lifting her face to meet my eyes. “There is no need to rush here so please don’t apologize. If you need to slow things down or set some boundaries, I’m totally fine with that. That’s not to say that I’m not anxiously waiting to get you back in bed. Once you are up for it, I definitely want a repeat,” I said, winking at her.
That made her laugh, which I was happy about. I didn’t want her feeling bad about stopping, but I also wanted her to know how much I desired her. We spent two more hours just talking. That was definitely the most I had ever talked to a female in one night.
It was just after ten, so I got up to say goodbye. “Are you doing anything this Saturday? I really want to go out again,” I told her.
“Saturday works for me. Trent actually asked if he could have Stella that day,” she said, following me to the door. “I don’t think he’s planning on keeping her overnight, but he’ll have her most of the day.”
“Why don’t you come over to my house and I can make you lunch?” I asked, thinking that was safe, and not too fast for her. Thank God Ian had found a place of his own and I had my house back to myself. “Then we could either take a walk along the beach or just hang out at the house.”
“That sounds perfect,” she said, sounding excited.
At the door I turned around and kissed her gently. As I pulled away I noticed the slight smile playing across her lips. I was happy to be the person to put that smile there.
“I had a great time with the two of you tonight.”
“Me too,” she said. After another kiss, she gently closed the door behind me. I waited to hear her turn the deadbolt and then I walked down to my car. I didn’t want to leave her tonight, but at least I had Saturday to look forward to.
Chapter 13
Simone
Why did time move so slow when you were looking forward to something? At least I had Stella, school, and work to keep me busy while I anticipated my first date alone with Kyle.
My evening shifts at the restaurant were finally producing decent tips again. I was happy about that because I was tired of struggling for money at every turn, and taking handouts. When my car had broken down, Kyle had made a good point about accepting help, although this wasn’t about me being ashamed that I needed help because I knew I did. It was about proving to myself that I had it in me to provide for my daughter. People treating me with kid gloves would only stop when I could show them that I wasn’t broken—because I wasn’t. I wasn’t where I needed to be yet, but I would get there someday, and that was the point.
Kyle was also motivating me. He was successful, driven, and had an incredible life. He could have any woman, be with any woman, but for some reason, he saw something in me. Our long conversations made me feel like he really wanted to kno
w me. No one had ever shown that kind of interest in the small details of my life. It was the difference in dating a man versus an immature boy. Like Brad, and all the other guys I’d dated in the past.
When Saturday finally rolled around, the anticipation I felt about a day alone with Kyle was both exciting and nerve-wracking. One would think the fact we’d already had sex would alleviate some of the butterflies I had swarming my stomach. Instead, the opposite was true. We could easily chalk that night up to getting wrapped up in the moment—a crazy night that became something that was never meant to be. Now that we had decided to start seeing each other, I felt like there was all sorts of pressure.
After Trent had picked up Stella, I spent the rest of the morning going through my closet, searching for just the perfect outfit. I wanted to look my best for Kyle since I felt like he was completely out of my league. I still didn’t understand what a young, attractive, successful lawyer would want with an uneducated, average-looking, divorced mom.
I told myself I needed to let those insecurities go and instead focus on having a good time. I really wanted to give him a chance and see where things would lead. Seeing him interact with Stella the other night made him even more attractive. He paid more attention to her during our date than Brad ever had when we were together as a family. Kyle was making it too easy to fall for him.
I knew it was crazy, and moving fast, but I felt strongly for Kyle. It had only been six months since I filed for divorce, but I’d known for a long time things weren’t right. A lot of good intentions had brought Brad and me together, but neither of us had brought any real emotion to our union. I didn’t think I had ever felt this way about a man before.
Searching through my closet one more time, I settled on a pair of dark skinny jeans with a cream-colored sweater and brown boots. I figured that was casual enough if we went for a walk on the pier and would keep me warm since it was overcast today. I decided to wear my new bra and panty set I had purchased for my birthday. I wasn’t necessarily planning on a repeat of last weekend, but it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared. Besides, they made me feel pretty and I could use the self-esteem boost.
Falling for the Unexpected (Life Unexpected Book 1) Page 20
