“We could have a virtual date—just you and me. We could have dinner and I could give you pointers when you start acting weird.”
“You mean, if I start acting weird?” I laughed.
“Sure, we’ll go with that.” He flashed a smile. “So what do you say?”
“You’re serious?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Of course I am. Here, I’ll even ask you properly. Noella, will you please join me for dinner this evening? I think we would have a lovely time.” He looked into my eyes.
“This is silly.” I shook my head. “I can’t ask you to waste your time like that.”
“Talking with you is never a waste of time for me. Besides, I need the practice too. I haven’t exactly been getting a lot of action these days. Apparently, I can’t even get a virtual date.” He sighed.
“Okay. Honestly, it sounds great. I could pop in a pizza for the boys and settle them with a movie. They might not interrupt too much.”
“I won’t mind if they do. The best part is, I can’t get handsy.” He held his hands up so that I could see them. “And if you get annoyed with something I say or do, you can just hang up.”
“Hm, that does sound pretty good.” I laughed. “Why not? It sounds like a fun way to spend my evening.”
“Great. I’m looking forward to it. See you at seven?”
“I’ll be there.” I grinned. “Thanks, Wes.”
“No problem. Oh, and dinner’s on me.”
“What are we having?”
“You’ll see.” He hung up.
Chapter 27
Wes’s last words left me feeling a little confused. Was that supposed to be part of the joke? I had no idea, but for the first time in a long time I was just excited about something. No fear or nervousness—just excited.
The rest of the day went by in a blur, but it still didn’t feel fast enough. I was curious about how our virtual date would work and whether Wes would discover things about me that would help me during my date with Justin. I decided I would keep a notebook nearby to outline the changes I wanted to make.
Justin seemed like such a great guy and I hoped that our date would go smoothly. If things worked out, his son was only a year younger than my youngest. It seemed like a perfect situation. Of course, now I was getting ahead of myself—as usual. But this time, I couldn’t help it and I didn’t want to. What was wrong with a little imagination?
I closed my eyes and pictured Justin walking up to me with his gorgeous smile. In the next second, however, his face transformed into that of Wes, whose face was equally as handsome.
“Ugh, I’ve got to stop video chatting so much.” I rolled my eyes, then got back to work.
By that evening, I’d almost forgotten about the virtual date. Brady had played another prank and Tyler had scraped his knee on the playground. I managed to get a pizza going for them and as I slid it into the oven I remembered that I wasn’t supposed to eat. I was going to have a virtual date. The thought excited me a bit. It was something new and different, plus I always enjoyed time with Wes.
I settled the boys in the living room with their favorite movie. As I walked back to the kitchen to put something together for myself, my phone rang. I picked it up when I saw that it was Wes.
“Are you ready for our date?” He sounded far too pleased with himself.
“Sure, I’m just putting together something for me to eat.”
“Why? I told you I’d take care of that.”
“Uh, okay?” I laughed. “How do you plan to do that?”
“Answer your door.” He hung up the phone.
“What?”
There was a knock on the front door. For just a moment I thought Wes might be on the other side and the possibility made my head spin. What would I do? What would I say?
I opened the door and found a man in a China King uniform. He had a bag of food and a bouquet of flowers.
“It was a special order.” He grinned as he held them out to me.
“Oh wow, thank you. How much do I owe you?”
“Nothing. The man who ordered paid. Enjoy your night.” He waved as he walked down the driveway.
Stunned, I carried the flowers and food to the kitchen. I could already tell from the smell that it was my favorite dish. I dropped the flowers into a vase then placed them on the table where he would be able to see them. All of a sudden I felt the urge to do my make-up and wear something nicer.
“It’s a practice date, Noella. No need to gussy up.” I shook my head as I carried my computer to the table and set it up so that I would be able to see him well. Then I started a video chat.
When he appeared on the screen he had a big smile on his face.
“Wes! You’re incredible. You didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”
“I want to make sure that you know what a real date should be like—flowers, your favorite food, and of course me.” He grinned.
“Yes, you. How did you know my favorite meal?”
“Are you kidding me? How many late nights have we worked together, Noella. You always order from China King and it’s always sesame chicken.”
“I guess I never realized you noticed.” I laughed.
“I did.” He looked into my eyes. “By the way, I’m Wes. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“You too.” I grinned.
“You look beautiful.”
“I do not.” I laughed.
“Oops, that’s a point deducted. Self-deprecation is so unsexy.”
“A point? I didn’t know I was getting graded.”
“You are.” He met my eyes again. “So let me try that again. Noella, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
I blushed. I couldn’t help it. I knew he was just saying these things to tease me or to teach me how a man should treat me, but hearing those words from his lips stirred something.
“Thank you.”
“Great, that is the proper response.” He winked. “So tell me a little bit about yourself. I want to know everything.”
“Uh, I have two kids—”
“Nope, tell me something I don’t know.”
“Well, we just met, so—”
“No, I read your profile, remember? Tell me something real.”
“It doesn’t get much more real than childbirth.”
“Alright, that’s a five-point deduction. No one should bring up childbirth while eating Chinese food.”
I burst into laughter—so hard that I even snorted.
“Is that a deduction too?” I giggled as I covered my face.
“No, that’s a plus. Nothing cuter than a little snort.” He grinned.
“Seriously though, Wes, how is this going to help me?”
“Maybe it won’t. Maybe I just wanted to go on a date with you.” He shrugged.
“Sure.” I smiled as I took another bite of my Chinese food.
“Listen, you’re not doing anything wrong, Noella. You’re a wonderful woman that any man would be lucky to go on a date with. If anything, I’d say you just need to be a little more confident. Stop believing the lies that people have told you—or that you’ve told yourself—about yourself. Start knowing how wonderful you are.”
“I’m not sure I can do that.” I frowned as I took the last bite of my food.
“You can and you will.” He leaned close to the camera. “Now, how about a good night kiss?”
“Oh sure.” I pursed my lips.
“I’m serious.” He gazed into my eyes. “Not even a little peck?” He turned his cheek to the camera. “I get it, you want to take things slow.”
“Wes.” I laughed and leaned forward.
As I pretended to place a kiss on his cheek, he sighed with pleasure.
“I’m never washing this cheek again.”
“Wes, you’re amazing. I love you, you goof?” I grinned.
He stared at me for a moment, then smiled. “Goodnight, Noella.”
“Goodnight, Wes.”
Chapter 28
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The next day I decided to give Nicole a call. I wanted her to know that she had nothing to feel guilty about, that I was looking forward to a date with another guy from Forty and Free. But I thought about how I’d turned down her invitation for a visit. I knew she’d been excited about it.
Before calling her, I decided to take a chance on my ex. I trusted him with our sons. He just couldn’t seem to make time for them. Maybe if I asked—which I never did—he would be willing to take them for a few days. Maybe not for the whole four-day visit that Nicole suggested, but at least for part of it. I dialed his number and braced myself.
To my surprise, he answered right away.
“Noella, please don’t tell me the boys are sick or you need to cancel, because my mother will kill me.”
“No, they’re fine and excited about their visit with you. They miss you.”
“I know—don’t start on that again. I’m doing the best I can.”
“Right, sorry. Listen, is there any chance you could take them from Friday until Monday next weekend? You could pick them up at school on Friday afternoon and drop them off to school on Monday. I’ll make sure they have everything they need—”
“Are you kidding? No way. I’m busy Noella, you know that.”
“Okay, I just thought maybe this once—”
“You wanted full custody and you got it. I’ll pick them up after school tomorrow and drop them off on Thursday, but that’s it. Make sure they have extra clothes with them when you send them to school.”
“I will.” My voice stuck in my throat.
I wanted to tell him what I really thought of him, but I knew that would only create tension during the boys’ visit. It wasn’t much, but at least it was something. All of a sudden I wondered if maybe Brady was acting up because he knew he had this visit with his father looming.
“Duh, Noella.” I rolled my eyes. I needed to have a good talk with my son.
I decided to call Hanna and vent. Before she could get a few words out, I launched into a tirade about my ex and how he couldn’t give me one weekend to go visit my friend.
“Noella, why didn’t you tell me Nicole invited you? You know better than to rely on that jerk.”
“It doesn’t matter, I knew it wouldn’t happen. But at least I have my date with Justin to look forward to. I just hope the boys have a good time with their dad.”
“I’m sorry he’s not more involved. That has to be hard on all of you.”
“In some ways. Thanks for listening, Hanna.”
“Anytime, sis. Try not to worry, okay?”
“I’ll try.” I smiled as I hung up the phone. Getting things off my chest with Hanna always helped.
I made it through the rest of my day and by Wednesday morning, I was excited about the date—until I got to work.
Then I started to get anxious. I considered canceling. As I was perusing my e-mails I spotted one I’d overlooked from my boss, Kenny. The subject said Congratulations so I assumed at first that it was just a scam. When I saw it was actually from him, I clicked on it.
The e-mail detailed an incentive program that rewarded productivity with extra time off. He indicated that I had accrued two days off so far, to be used at any time, even as a call-out-of-work day. They were called mental health days and didn’t count against my sick time or vacation time.
“This is officially the best place to work.” I laughed and sent him back a thank you note.
It occurred to me that I could use those days to go see Nicole. But I still had no one to watch the boys, and I couldn’t take them with me, due to school and their sports activities. I considered doing it anyway, just for a second, but decided it wouldn’t be fair to them.
Still, just knowing I had the time off did put me in a better mood. I sent a text to Hanna to tell her about the good news and assure her that I was feeling more positive. We chatted a bit about my date that night, then I focused on work again.
At lunch, I tried to call Wes, but he didn’t answer. I wondered if he might be sick, as he usually always answered. I sent him a text to check on him.
By the end of the day he hadn’t answered that either. I remembered giving him a kiss goodnight and smiled to myself as I got ready for my date. I was nervous about meeting Justin, but Wes’s practice date helped me to relax and encouraged me to be as confident as possible.
I arrived at the restaurant with butterflies in my stomach and my heart as wide open as I could force it.
Maybe, just maybe, this date would be amazing.
Chapter 29
I planned on being early for the date, so I’d have a few minutes to breathe before Justin arrived, but a last-minute issue with my stockings had wasted some time.
When I stepped inside the cafe, I spotted him at a table. My entire body tensed. This was it.
Be confident, Noella. I imagined Wes right there next to me. He would give me a little push—I knew it—along with that mischievous grin that he always had. Go get him, beautiful.
I took a deep breath, then headed toward the table. When he caught sight of me, he smiled and I noticed that it didn’t look forced.
“Noella, wow.” He stood up from the table, his eyes wide and his smile wider.
“Hi, Justin.” I offered a smile in return and didn’t have to force it either. He was even more handsome in person than he was in his picture. Even more interesting was that I instantly felt at ease as I took his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too.” He held my hand for a moment longer than he needed to, then blinked and pulled out my chair. “Please sit. I’m so looking forward to getting to know you.”
“Me too.” I settled in my chair.
We placed our orders and I noticed that he was very courteous. He made sure that I ordered first and encouraged me to get whatever I wanted, but also mentioned that he intended to pick up the bill.
It was nice to have that awkwardness out of the way.
As we waited for our food, he told me about how passionate he was about his work.
“Being a vet must be so rewarding. It’s amazing how much you care about animals.”
“I do. Do you have any animals of your own?”
“No.” I held back a laugh as I thought of Wes setting me up with Hancock because he had a dog. “Honestly, with my sons, I just feel like I already have my hands full.”
“Oh, I understand completely. Gerard is always into something. I try to keep track of him, but he manages to create a bigger mess than any puppy ever could.” He cleared his throat. “Oh, don’t get me wrong, he’s a great kid.”
“I’m sure he is. My boys can make a big mess too. I call it creativity.”
“That’s a great way to put it.” He grinned. “I know, I know, we’re not supposed to talk about our kids on a date. Sorry about that.”
“Don’t worry about it. I find it hard to talk about anything else sometimes. They are such a big part of my life.”
“That’s how I feel about Gerard. Since his mother left, it’s just been the two of us.” He cringed. “I just broke another dating rule, didn’t I?”
I reached across the table and took his hand, then looked into his eyes. “Forget the rules, Justin. It’s just us—no rules.”
“Thanks.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s so easy to get caught up in what we’re supposed to do and not supposed to do, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.” I drew my hand back, a little surprised that I’d been the first one to initiate contact. I knew why, though. I was comfortable with him. It didn’t feel as if I was meeting Justin for the first time. It seemed more like I’d known him for some time. I wondered if he felt the same way.
As we ate, our conversation was smooth. We talked more about the kids, the dating scene, and what we wanted in the future. I was impressed that he preferred to take things slow. He also confided that he was nervous to have anyone meet his son, which made sense to me as I was just as nervous when it came to my boys.
I kept e
xpecting something shocking or embarrassing to happen. But nothing did. He even ordered us a dessert to share and insisted that I pick it out. It was amusing to battle with him over the last bite of cake. He speared it with his fork, then held it up in the air for me to eat.
“You got it fair and square.” I grinned.
“Only because I wanted to give it to you.” He smiled as he looked into my eyes.
Just eat the cake, Noella. I closed my mouth around the fork. I had no idea if I looked sexy doing it, but I sure did try.
When he walked me out to my car, I braced myself. What would he expect? I was so nervous I could barely look at him.
“Noella.” He took my hand. “I had a wonderful time.”
“So did I.” I felt my cheeks grow warm as I glanced up at him.
He drew my hand to his lips and left a small peck on the back of it.
“Until next time?”
“Absolutely.” I smiled.
“I hope it can be soon. Maybe sometime this weekend?”
“Definitely. Let me know when you’re free.”
“I will. I’ll call you. I mean, I’d call you right now, but that would be a little weird, right?”
“Right.” I laughed.
On my drive home, I buzzed with excitement.
Justin seemed to be the perfect man, and the fact that I might get to see him again over the weekend made missing out on my visit with Nicole not as terrible.
Chapter 30
The next day I arrived at work a little early. I wanted to connect with Wes and tell him what an amazing time I’d had the night before. I knew he would be proud of me. Before I could connect with him, however, my phone rang. When I saw that it was Hanna I answered right away.
“Hi, sweetie, is everything okay?”
“Wonderful. I have a surprise for you.”
“What? Did they find another baby in there?”
“No!” She laughed. “Don’t even think that.”
“Sorry.” I grinned. “So what’s up?”
“You’re going to need to pack as soon as you get off work. Your flight leaves at six-twenty.”
“My flight? What are you talking about? Are you experiencing pregnancy brain?”
Free to Risk (Noella’s Life Unleashed Book 1) Page 9
