Chapter Sixteen
Serena
The day passes by slowly, not at all surprising since I find myself checking the clock every five minutes.
I am nervous about seeing Cade, but I am also terribly giddy about it. Despite my reservations, I remember him to be a sweet, charming, and kind man. It has been a long time since my last date, though, and I worry about embarrassing myself, especially with someone like Cade. Before it was easy because I had no idea who he was and I didn't notice the stares.
Now is different. Now I know he’s Cade Thomas, football superstar, and the looks cannot be missed. His love life has filled gossip sites in the time since our meeting, and I wonder how I could possibly measure up to the others he’s been seen with.
I try not to think about that too much and instead focus on the date itself. I haven’t been out on a date in so long since I didn’t date anyone once I found out I was pregnant. I met one guy early in my first trimester, but it just didn’t feel right, being with someone while being pregnant with another man’s kid. Instead, I focused on taking the best care of myself for the baby. Ashley was with me every step of the way, doing prenatal yoga, as my Lamaze coach, the works. She was amazing and has spoiled Alan since before he was born.
It’s been great having my sister to count on through it all, but around the time Alan turned one, I felt a bit like something was missing. I went out on a few dates, but each either ended in disaster or with the guy never calling again once I told him I had a child. My last date was around the time Alan was two, and he turned three last month. It’s a long time to be deliberately celibate, but no one has felt right. It’s been as if a piece was missing that I can’t quite place.
After my day of teaching ends, I hurry home to spend a little bit of time with Alan. Ashley arrives around four, and I hop in the shower to start getting ready. When I get out of the shower, I find my sister in my bedroom rooting through my closet.
“What are you doing?” I ask her.
“Trying to find you something to wear. I knew I should have brought something from my place.”
“I would never wear your clothes on a date.”
“Everything you own is so matronly, though.”
“My clothes are not matronly. Besides, I was going to just wear some nice jeans and boots with a cute top and a sweater.”
“Where is he taking you?”
I name a place I’m unfamiliar with and Ashley’s jaw drops. “Serena, that is one of the hardest restaurants to get into. There is no way you can wear jeans; you have to dress up.”
She disappears into my closet, and I hear her after a minute call out excitedly. “I found something! Oh my God, it’s perfect.” She thrusts the outfit at me. “Put it on!”
“I can’t wear this; it’ll be too tight.” This is a sleeveless black jumpsuit I bought six months ago with a keyhole detail at the neckline.
She waves away my concern. “It will look amazing. Get dressed while I pick out jewelry.”
She is back inside my closet before I can respond. I know that arguing with my sister is a futile cause, so instead, I set out to put on the outfit she has picked. When she emerges again, I am dressed, and she has a gold belt, black and nude patterned heels, gold hoop earrings, and gold and wood bangles in hand. She sets it all down on the bed and looks me over.
“How are you going to wear your hair?”
“Loose waves?”
She nods her approval. “I like it. Do you want me to do your makeup?”
“Yes, please.”
When she’s finished with my makeup, Ashley steps out to make Alan some dinner while I work on my hair. A little after six, I emerge from my bedroom and into the living room where Ashley and Alan are playing. When she looks up at me, Ashley whistles.
“You look hot, Sis.”
“It’s not too much?” I ask, self-consciously touching my hair.
“Mommy, you pretty,” Alan says.
“Thanks, baby.” I kiss the top of his head.
“It’s not too much. It’s gonna knock Cade to his ass.”
“Aunt Ashley say bad word, Mommy,” Alan says with wide eyes.
“Aunt Ashley owes a dollar to the swear jar, doesn’t she, bud?” He nods solemnly.
“Sorry, little guy,” Ashley tells him as she gets up, grabbing a bill from her purse and stuffing it in the jar. “I put in five in case I forget anymore tonight.”
“Call me if you need anything, okay?” I tell my sister.
“We’ll be fine, Serena. I’ve done this hundreds of times.”
“I know; I’m just nervous.”
“You have nothing to worry about. It’s gonna be great. I’ll be up waiting to hear all about it when you get home. Now get going or you’ll be late.”
“Okay, I’m going.” I squat down to my son’s level and kiss his cheek. “Be good for Aunt Ashley, okay?”
“Okay, Mommy.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, Mommy.”
I stand with a smile as Alan turns his attention back to his cars. I grab the waist-length leather jacket Ashley bought me for my birthday from the closet and throw it on before I pick up my purse and move a few necessities over to the clutch I’m planning to carry.
In my car, I put the address to the restaurant in my GPS and follow the directions until I am across town and pulling up to a valet stand. I turn my car over to the young man who opens my door and turn for the door.
Cade steps out from the shadows, and my mouth goes dry. He is as gorgeous as I remember, and even better, wearing an immaculately tailored navy suit and white dress shirt with no tie, the first couple of buttons undone. He drinks me in and a thrill shoots through me at the way his eyes roam over me.
“Hi,” I say shyly.
He smiles. “You look beautiful.”
I blush. “Thank you.”
“Shall we?”
I nod and let him hold the door so I can enter first. He places a hand on the small of my back to guide me and gives his name to the hostess, who trips over herself when she realizes who is standing in front of her. I ignore her as Cade is nothing but polite, his hand steady as we are led to a table. He pulls my chair out, and I sit and the hostess leaves, promising a waiter will be over shortly.
“Ashley says this place is nearly impossible to get into,” I say when we are alone. “You must be pretty special to have pulled this off.”
He chuckles. “The owner owed me a favor.”
I nod. “Well, it is very nice. I’m just glad Ash told me because I was going to wear jeans.”
“I’m sure you’d look just as beautiful in jeans.”
Our waiter appears and Cade orders a bottle of wine. While he is gone, we both take a moment to look over our menus. When he returns, he pours us each a glass before taking our orders. After he leaves, Cade asks me about exoplanet surveys. I am impressed that he remembers my telling him that I was involved in a research group back when we first met. I try to explain it to him as best I can how we search the skies beyond our solar system for other planets that orbit stars. While he doesn't understand the details nuances of what I do, he does get the basics and is versed enough to keep up with the conversation. It is a nice change of pace, being on a date with someone who is interested in what I do, and not just asking for the show of it.
I ask him about what he’s doing since he retired, and he tells me about his commentary show. I can tell it makes him happy, which is nice to see because I remember how lost he seemed when we met. The conversation flows very naturally between us as our meals arrive.
“Can I ask you something?” Cade asks as we start to eat.
“Of course.”
“After that night, when did you figure out who I was?”
“It was when you announced your retirement a few weeks later. It’s all anyone was talking about, and you were on the front of the paper and every news channel. Was that hard, making the decision to retire?”
“I thought it would be, but it ended up being a pretty easy decision to make. It made me feel like a weight had been taken off my shoulders; I felt free.”
“I imagine being you can be hard.”
“It has its moments. I got to do something I loved for a very long time and make a nice living out of it, so I really can’t complain.” She nods. “Can I ask you something else?”
“Go ahead.”
“Why didn’t you seek me out after you figured out who I was?”
“Honestly, I just wasn’t looking for a relationship then. I’m still not sure if I am. Just because you were you didn’t change the fact that it wasn’t what I wanted. Plus, to be fair, you are you and I’m just...me. What would a superstar athlete need with a nerdy astrophysicist, anyway?”
It is a truth I don’t want to face, and there is so much unspoken in my words that even I’m not willing to face my own fears and demons.
“What about your son? Does he love science like his mom?”
“He likes when I do the fun experiments with him. His favorite is when we make fake snot.”
Cade laughs. “Fake snot?”
“It’s gelatin and corn syrup. It’s like the sugar and protein mucus is made of, and you can see how it gets to be sticky and capable of stretching. And of course, he likes when I mix baking soda and vinegar together.”
“How old is he?” Cade asks.
“He’s three.”
“He sounds like a smart kid. I hope I get to meet him sometime.”
I panic a little inside at the thought and make a noncommittal noise. “Tell me more about your football career. I only know what the internet says.”
We settle back into safe topics and away from any mention of Alan. Cade laughs when I tell him science jokes, and I realize that I haven’t had this much with anyone, let alone on a date with a man in years. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this date, but Cade has been a gentleman all evening, and I’m impressed. More than that, I find myself looking forward to when I might see him next.