by Parker, Ali
I had no idea what had gotten into him. He was a different kid than he had been a month ago. “I don’t know.”
“You’re not getting any younger, Dad.”
I smirked. “Thanks, but I don’t think I’m over the hill just yet.”
“She wouldn’t want you to be sad for the rest of your life,” he said.
I nodded. “I know, but I’ve got you to think about. I can wait.”
“Wait for what?”
“For you to get older.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m sixteen. How much older do you want me to be.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Twenty, thirty.”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “I’m going to go away to college in a couple of years. You’ll be all alone. Don’t you want to have someone to spend your time with?”
“I suppose I do, but right now, I’m focusing on you. You’ve been through a lot and I want to make sure I’m there for you.”
“I’m okay. At least, I’m better than I was. You don’t have to stop living your life because of me. I know I had a rough patch, but I’m not going to do that again. I’ve changed.”
“You’re sixteen Olin. I know it feels like you’re on the cusp of adulthood and in many ways, you are, but I want you to enjoy your youth. I want to enjoy your youth alongside you. I want to be there when you get home from school and I want to be in the stands cheering for you in whatever sport you choose.”
“You can still do that even if you’re dating,” he pointed out.
I smiled. “I suppose I could. You’d really be okay with me dating?”
He shrugged. “I think I have to be. Don’t bring home girls my age though.”
I grimaced. “I had no intention of doing anything of the sort.”
“And no mean ladies either. I don’t need a new mom. I have a mom. You are looking for a girlfriend. Don’t look for a woman you think is going to make a good mom. I don’t want to cause problems, but I’m not interested in calling anyone stepmom.”
I nodded in understanding. “I got it. I think this is all very hypothetical. I’m not sure I’m ready to start down that road just yet. Things have changed in the last twenty years. Dating your mom was easy. I don’t think I can keep up with the women out there today.”
“I think you’ll catch on,” he said with a laugh. “Just remember to doublecheck every text message you send. You don’t want to send it to the wrong woman.”
“Are you telling me you’ve had that happen to you?”
He groaned. “More than once.”
“Why are you dating more than one girl at a time?” I asked.
He looked disgusted. “Because I’m young and I’m not looking to get married tomorrow.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about me running into that kind of a situation. I have no intention of dating multiple women at the same time. Hell, I’ll be lucky if I can handle one woman. I’ve not done a great job.”
He stopped. “What? You were dating someone?”
I shook my head, putting up my hand. “No, no, nothing like that. I had lunch with a woman. It was nothing. I thought possibly it could be something, but it wasn’t. It was over before it started.”
“Here or in Texas?”
“Texas.”
He looked thoughtful. “Are you going to see her again?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
He grinned. “That wasn’t a very definite no. Dad, don’t hold back because of me. I know things have been difficult. I know it’s going to be weird to see you with another woman, but I promise I will try not to be a total dick about it.”
“Thanks, I think.”
“Don’t wait. Call her. If you liked her, maybe you need to try again.”
“I appreciate the advice,” I said. I did, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to take it. “I’m going to change and get ready for dinner. You should do the same.”
He gathered up his gifts and headed for his room. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a trash bag. As I was walking out, my phone caught my eye. I stared at it, debated doing what he said, and then changed my mind. I picked up the shredded paper and hauled it outside to the trash.
Once again, the phone beckoned to me. I snatched it up and carried it upstairs with me. I sat down in the chair next to the window in my bedroom and held the phone in my hand. I had her phone number. She’d made it a point to send me a personal email about how well I had done on the test. She’d thanked me for the gift but hadn’t mentioned the personal note I included.
Her signature included her phone number. I knew that was standard, but it seemed like an invitation. At least, I wanted to believe it was an invitation. I had programmed her number in my phone, not sure that I would ever use it, but wanting it just in case.
I figured it couldn’t hurt. What was the worst that could happen? She couldn’t flunk me. She could ignore me. That would be nothing new.
I typed out the message, knowing it wasn’t cool to send long texts, but I really hated the three-word sentences and the abbreviations. A message was so much more than a few letters mashed together.
Merry Christmas. I hope you are having a good day. I wanted to reach out again and tell you how sorry I am for what happened. If you want to talk about it, I’m here. I know I rushed things. I had a great time hanging out with you and I really hope there is a way we can be friends. I promise to keep my hands and other parts to myself. Call or text anytime. I’m happy to talk about that or Aphrodite or anything else. Enjoy your break.
I sent the message, cringing when I saw just how long it looked on my little screen. I wanted to be light and friendly while telling her I hoped we could get together soon. It was tricky business. I held my phone in my hand, staring at the words, rereading the message and wishing I could change parts of it.
It was too late. It had been sent. She was probably reading it just then and groaning. She was probably thinking I was a stalker who wouldn’t leave her alone.
“Dammit,” I muttered, rubbing a hand over my beard. I should have just left well enough alone. Olin had told me to date, he hadn’t suggested I bug the one woman who wanted nothing to do with me.
I put my phone down and quickly pulled on a pair of slacks and a dark blue shirt. Carlie had always insisted we dress nice for Christmas dinner. I didn’t even have to ask Olin to do it. I knew he would. I brushed my hair and moved to go back downstairs when I remembered my phone on the dresser.
I went back for it, checking the screen and going perfectly still when I saw the bubbles pop up.
“Oh shit,” I breathed.
She was replying to my message.
Chapter 24
Christopher
I stared at the bubbles for several minutes. How long did it take to type out a damn message? I was all thumbs and I managed to text relatively quickly. I stared at the screen so long my eyes began to water from lack of blinking as I made my way downstairs.
“Come on, come on,” I whispered.
The bubbles disappeared. I waited, thinking maybe there was a minor delay. Nothing.
“No!”
“What’s wrong?” Olin asked coming down the stairs.
I shook my head. “Nothing.”
“Does this mean dinner isn’t coming?” he asked, straightening his tie.
“It should be here any minute,” I answered. “You look nice.”
He scoffed. “I hate wearing ties.”
“Wait until you get a job that requires ties,” I said with a laugh.
“Nope. I’m not going to get that kind of a job.”
“You planning on going into construction?”
He grimaced. “No.”
“Then get used to ties.”
The doorbell rang, bringing a halt to the conversation. I walked to the door, opening it for the small parade of caterers. The smell of the roast turkey filled the house. It wasn’t just turkey I smelled. The aroma of rolls and pies was just as strong.
My stomach growled a
s I watched them unpack the serving dishes. “Thank you,” I said, handing each of them a twenty. “Have a good Christmas.”
“Enjoy your meal,” one of them said. They shuffled out the door, on their way to make another delivery.
“Damn,” Olin said, pulling the lid off one of the pans.
The smell of yeast overwhelmed me. “Those smell amazing. Let’s set the table and dig in.”
He reached for one of the rolls. I slapped his hand away. “Plates. We’re not animals.”
“Speak for yourself. We should have done this every year.”
I chuckled, grabbing the plates and silverware and carrying them into the formal dining room. It was the fastest table setting in history. Two minutes after the food arrived, we were seated at the table, piling up the many offerings onto our plates.
“Blessing?” he muttered.
“Yes,” I said, not wanting to skip over traditions. I quickly said our usual blessing before picking up my fork and digging in.
We ate in silence for several minutes. “Mom’s was better,” he finally said.
I nodded. “I agree. It sure did look good though.”
“Too much seasoning on that turkey.”
“Potatoes aren’t creamy,” I added.
“The rolls are doughy.”
I smiled. The meal was actually very good, but it felt like a betrayal of sorts. Carlie’s cooking was fantastic. It always tasted better because it was made with love.
“I was thinking we could head to the square and check out the festivities.”
“Like we used to,” he said softly.
I nodded. “Like we used to. She’d want us to keep going. She loved the caroling and the plays.”
“Okay,” he agreed.
I was surprised he was on board with it. We hadn’t gone last year. Neither of us were up for celebrating the holiday. The year before, Olin had put up a fuss about how dumb it was, and he’d rather stay home and play his new video game. Carlie and I had dragged him out anyway and he had made his disgruntlement very clear.
“I think we can break the rules and change into our casual clothes,” I said.
He grinned. “Thank god. I don’t want to show up looking like a chump.”
“A chump?”
“Yeah, you know—a dork. Dumbass.”
“I got it. I’m stuffed. I’m going to put the leftovers away and change. Be ready to go in about an hour.”
He snatched another roll and headed upstairs. I stuffed the refrigerator with leftovers, realizing I had ordered way too much, which wasn’t a bad thing by any means. I loved leftovers. We would be in town a few more days and would hopefully eat the rest of it.
Both of us changed into jeans and warm sweaters, grabbing our hats, gloves and coats and heading out into the snow. I missed stepping out in a pair of jeans and a light jacket. I stomped my booted feet on the ground before getting into the SUV I had left in the garage for return trips.
I drove through town, heading to the town square. We parked a few blocks away, making our way along the sidewalk with large groups of other locals. My cheeks burned with the cold. I had only been gone a few weeks, but I had grown acclimated to the milder climate of Texas.
“Hey, there’s Caleb,” Olin said excitedly.
I looked to where he was pointing and spotted the young man in the crowd. Olin waved, gaining Caleb’s attention. Caleb started making his way towards us, a blonde woman right behind him.
“Are you back?” Caleb blurted out.
Olin shook his head. “Just a visit.”
“Hello there, I’m Gina, Caleb’s mom,” the woman said extending her hand.
I realized she wanted to shake my hand. I reached mine out, gently shaking her hand. Her long, red-painted nails scraped over my skin. I pulled my hand back after she held it a little too long.
“Nice to meet you,” I said feeling anything but pleased by the introduction. Something about the woman turned me off.
“Are you boys here alone?” she cooed.
“Just me and my dad,” Olin answered.
Everyone in the city knew about my wife. The accident had made the top news for a week. My job and my money had made it a big story. I hated the attention. I hated the constant looks of pity from total strangers.
“It’s just me and Caleb,” Gina said. “My ex-husband couldn’t be bothered to come back from his skiing trip with his new snow bunny.”
“Mom,” Caleb groaned.
“Sorry,” she said rolling her eyes. “We’re not supposed to talk negatively about one another in front of you, but I find it difficult not to state facts. He couldn’t afford to buy me decent jewelry and now he’s suddenly found the money to take expensive vacations.”
“She’s paying for it,” Caleb muttered. “Dad doesn’t have money.”
“That’s for sure,” she snapped. “He was a lousy husband. A woman needs to be treated right. That man didn’t have two nickels to his name. I should have known better.”
“Let’s get a seat up front,” Caleb said, ignoring his mother.
Olin looked at me. “I’ll be up there.”
I wanted to beg him not to leave me alone with the barracuda leering at me. “I’ll sit with you,” I offered.
Olin gave me a look that said that was the last thing he wanted. “Dad, just text me when you’re ready.”
I nodded. I had to remember he was sixteen. I didn’t want to smother him. “All right, have fun. I’ll be close.”
“Well, I guess it’s just the two of us,” Gina said moving to stand a little too close to me.
I offered her a smile. “I’m going to grab a hot chocolate. It was nice to meet you.”
“Oh, I’ll go with you,” she volunteered.
I hid my grimace. “Great,” I said with a forced smile.
“How have you been doing?” she asked.
“Good. We’ve been enjoying the warmer weather.”
“I’ve always thought about heading south, especially for the winter. Did you buy a home there?”
I nodded. “I did.”
“Do you think you’ll be making it your permanent home?”
I shrugged. “I think so, but we’ll see. I’m not making any decision that hard and fast.”
“I think after what the two of you have been through, a change of scenery is a good choice. I think Caleb and I could use a change as well. Sometimes you just have to move on.”
“Can I get you a hot chocolate?” I asked, trying to be polite while pretending not to catch her thinly veiled requests for an invitation to visit Texas.
“Yes, please. Such a gentleman.”
I ordered the two cups, wishing like hell I had just stayed home for the night. I handed her the cup and turned to walk back towards the square where the activities were taking place. I somehow managed to find myself stuck with Gina for the next two hours.
Her commentary about her ex-husband and his lack of money grew old very quickly. Clearly, the woman was looking for a man that could take care of her. Not just take care of her, but spoil her. She wanted to be a pampered woman. I was not interested in a gold digger.
She was nice enough, but she was not a woman I could see myself spending my life with. Hell, I wasn’t sure I could spend another hour with her. When the crowd began to dissipate, I took my chance and quickly texted Olin to let him know I was ready to go and to meet me at the clock.
While we waited, Gina reached into her purse and grabbed a piece of paper. “Here,” she said and handed it to me.
“What’s this?” I asked, almost afraid to know.
“It’s my number,” she said with a flirty smile. “Why don’t you give me a call? We can have a drink and chat. After all, we’re both single parents and I’m sure we’ve got lots to talk about.”
Olin and Caleb had come up just as she was handing me the paper. “Thanks,” I said before looking at Olin. “Ready?”
Olin grinned. “Sure.”
We said our goodbyes and walk
ed towards the car. I shoved the paper in my pocket. “Did you have fun?” I asked him.
He chuckled. “Not as much as you.”
I groaned. “I don’t think so.”
“It’d be kind of cool if you dated Caleb’s mom. I know Caleb would be okay with it too.”
“No thanks.”
“She’s pretty, for an older woman.”
I shook my head. “She’s probably not even forty. She’s not exactly old.”
“She’s not exactly young either,” he shot back.
“You would really want someone like her hanging around the house?” I questioned.
He shrugged. “She’s cool. She lets Caleb do just about anything he wants.”
“That’s why you want me to date her? Are you picking out a stepmother?”
“No. God, no. I’m just saying she’s cool. She’s fun. I think she’d be good for you.”
I laughed. “Good for me? You make it sound like I’m a stick in the mud.”
“You haven’t gone out in a long time. Gina would drag you out dancing and stuff.”
I grimaced. “No thanks.”
“We’re going to be here a couple more days, why not take her out?”
“I’ll think about it, but like I told you earlier, I don’t know if I’m ready for that. I’m more concerned about you.”
“I told you, I’m fine,” he insisted.
I put my hand on his shoulder. “Okay. I don’t think I’m up for dating, definitely not dating Gina. She’s a little too much for me. I don’t think I can keep up with that woman. She seems very, uh, fast.”
Olin burst into laughter. “She’s spunky. Caleb said she had a boyfriend for a couple of months. He was only a little older than us.”
I groaned. “I’m definitely too old for her.”
We drove home. Olin immediately went to his room, leaving me alone once again. I turned the lights on the tree and poured myself a glass of scotch. I sat in the quiet living room, staring at the flickering lights and letting myself take a walk down memory lane.
Carlie and I used to spend Christmas Eve sitting up and enjoying a glass of wine, talking about the gifts we had purchased for Olin. It was the one night a year that I was completely off the clock and devoted to my family.
