By the time the weekend arrived, I was starting to feel better both physically and emotionally, completely at ease with my choice to start over again. I hadn’t yet found the courage to speak to the detective, but I decided to face the other dreaded task that had been weighing heavily on my mind—visiting the health clinic. If I was going to move forward with my new life, I wanted to do it with a clean bill of health. Even though my number one rule with all of my clients was the use of a condom, I still wanted to put my mind at ease that my years of safe sex hadn’t failed me.
I was happy when I received the call letting me know that I had succeeded. I had to admit I was a little bummed when Hannah’s weekend retreat trumped our Sunday book meeting. It had been such a busy week that I hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to her. I had so much to tell her, from standing up to Margo, to reconciling with my brother, and getting my new job. I couldn’t wait until she got back so I could confide all those things in her.
The disappointment I was feeling over missing my Sunday afternoon date with Hannah quickly faded when Simon called, inviting me to lunch to go over Jack’s schedule for the week ahead.
“Hey.” I smiled as I walked into the restaurant, finding him already seated and looking movie-star handsome as usual.
His return smile catapulted him from movie-star handsome into a whole new realm of gorgeousness.
“Where’s Jack?” I asked, taking a seat across from him.
“He’s at a birthday party.”
“Oh.” I nodded and opened the menu. “I’m starving!”
He chuckled, seeming to get some amusement over my hunger, setting a strong gaze upon me.
“What?” I asked, taking my eyes from my menu for a brief second.
He shook his head with the same complacent smile stretched across his face. “Nothing. You look much better.”
“Thanks. I feel a lot better, and not just physically.” I looked up at the waitress hovering over us to take our drink order.
“That’s good,” he remarked once we’d ordered our drinks and the waitress had walked away.
I let out a deep breath. “I talked to my brother the other day. I mean really talked. It was the best feeling in the world,” I opened up to him.
“Did you guys have a fight or something?”
“Not exactly. He didn’t approve of my choices, and he kind of went out of his way to avoid me, but it’s so good now.” I couldn’t hold back my smile just thinking about it. My present sense of contentment wasn’t just over my reconciliation with Paul. It was over my courage to leave the detrimental lifestyle I had been living most of my adult life, my newfound friendship with Hannah, and the man sitting across from me. I wasn’t sure how I’d classify my relationship with Simon, and I didn’t really care. All that mattered to me was that he was part of my life in some way.
“I’m happy for you, Bree. Most people wouldn’t have had the strength to pick themselves back up after what happened to you, but you’re doing just that and then some.”
I shrugged. “Maybe it took something that awful to make me realize I deserved better.”
“You deserve the best.”
Our eyes locked, only breaking when the waitress came and placed our drinks down. After ordering our food, I pulled out my notebook and pen from my bag. I had taken it upon myself to make up a checklist to prepare for my new adventure.
Simon shook his head and laughed. “What’s that?” he asked.
“It’s going to me by Jack manual.”
“Your what?” He laughed even harder.
“Everything I need to know about Jack to help me out while I’m watching him.”
“Bree, you don’t need—”
I put my hand up to stop him. “Simon, I take my work very seriously, and this is something I really want to make sure I get right. So humor me, okay?” I raised an eyebrow and cracked a smile.
“Fine,” he relented.
“Okay, let’s see. Does he have any food allergies?”
“None that I’m aware of…”
“No peanut allergies? No dairy allergies?”
“Nope and nope.” He shook his head.
“What about insects? Is he allergic to bees? Spiders?”
“No, and no.” He seemed bored with my inquisition.
“Medication?”
He leaned back in his chair and intertwined his hands behind his head, seeming entertained over the whole situation.
“Simon, come on, I’m being serious!”
He expelled the laughter he had been holding in. “No, Bree. He doesn’t have any allergies to anything, to the best of my knowledge.”
“To the best of your knowledge? What if there’s something you don’t know about, and I happen to be by myself with him, and what if I don’t know how to handle it?” I could feel my anxiety mounting.
“Bree, calm down. I have complete faith that you’ll be able to handle any emergency, should it arise.”
I shook my head, wishing I could have the same confidence in myself as he had in me. “I don’t know, Simon, this is all so new to me. I’m not used to dealing with children, and if anything were to happen to Jack, I’d never forgive myself.” My heart beat faster, and I struggled to breathe just thinking about it.
“Will you relax? I promise you everything will be fine.”
I reluctantly nodded. “I hope you’re right,” I mumbled.
“I am,” he reassured me.
We both looked up at the waitress as she placed our food down.
“So, I hate to throw you to the wolves on your first day,” Simon continued after the waitress walked away, “but tomorrow is going to be insanely busy for me.”
“No problem.” I grabbed my pen, readying myself to write everything he was about to say down in my notebook. “What?” I snapped when he began to chuckle. “I like to be efficient.” I tried my hardest to curtail my smile, but his enjoyment over the situation wouldn’t allow it. “What if I forget what you tell me?”
He shook his head and took a sip of his drink. “So, Jack needs to be at school by nine o’clock. Obviously you already know where he goes to school.”
“Nine o’clock. Saint Joseph’s School,” I repeated, writing it down in my notebook. “Got it! What else?” I asked, looking up to the same playful smile spread across his face.
“Clean my house from top to bottom.” He let out a loud, boisterous laugh when I began to write it down before catching on.
“Ha ha!” I teased. “Seriously, what do you need me to do while he’s in school?”
He shook his head and shrugged. “I don’t know—whatever you want.”
“Simon, you hired me to help you out, so let me do that. Did you need me to run any errands? I’m not much of a cook, but I can try to get dinner started for you guys. Please don’t be afraid to ask. The busier I am, the better.”
“Okay, I’ll take that under advisement for the future, but for tomorrow, just get used to Jack’s routine. I can assure you once he gets home from school, there will be plenty to keep you busy. I’m probably going to have a late night—I have clients flying in from Tokyo—so I may need you to stay a little later than usual.”
“Okay, that’s not a problem.”
“Which means Jack will need to have dinner and get prepared for school the next day.”
“Okay, I’ve got it all under control! I really do mean it when I say the more I can do, the better, so please don’t hesitate to bring it on.”
He brushed his fingertips over his five o’clock shadow, still seeming thoroughly amused by my enthusiasm. “Trust me, in a month or so, once the weather starts breaking, there will be plenty to keep you busy between playdates at the park and T-ball practice. You’re going to regret you ever offered.”
I overzealously shook my head. “Nope, not me. I live for a good challenge.” I took a spoonful of soup and dabbed my mouth with the napkin. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Go for it.”
“How do you manage all this on your own?”
He let out a deep breath. “I’m not going to say it’s easy, because it’s not, but what other choice do I have? I’m all Jack has left, and I’m not going to fail him. I’m not saying I don’t screw up sometimes, but I try to be the best that I can be for him. I basically go to work, come home, and take care of him. I occasionally have Annie’s sister help me out, and my in-laws take him one weekend a month. That’s when I try and meet up with friends and do my best to salvage some semblance of a social life. But the truth of the matter is, I gave up on that a long time ago. My first priority will always be Jack.”
I bit my bottom lip, unsure if I wanted to cry or smile. He was such a selfless man in everything he did. “Well, I think you’re a pretty awesome dad, and a pretty awesome human being.”
“Thanks,” he whispered.
“Here’s to new beginnings and hopefully making your life a lot easier.” I held up my glass, waiting for him to do the same.
“I have complete confidence that you will,” he said as we clinked our glasses together.
“I’m glad someone does,” I mumbled, watching his dimples deepening right before my eyes while feeling the contentment growing deep inside my heart.