Jackie

Leo was tense as we waited in the restaurant. I knew from the moment he asked me two weeks ago to come to this dinner that it was a big deal. Why ask so formally when we saw each other so much anyway? He claimed he wanted me to meet Charlotte, who was arriving for the summer. However, I was pretty sure that his tension had more to do with the newlyweds who were bringing her—his ex-wife, Sophie, and her new husband, Wes Graham.

Leo scarcely mentioned his ex-wife, and I was pretty curious to meet her. Dating Leo was odd, since he was so alone. We went out with Amanda and Chris, and he sometimes socialized with other hockey people. But he had no old friends or family here. He was from a family of six, but so far none of them had visited yet.

And of course, I was dying to meet the woman that Leo had chosen to marry. He was such a commitment-phobe now that it was tough to imagine him being all head-over-heels. I chose a pretty print shift dress and took extra care with my makeup. These days, I needed extra time to hide all the tiny imperfections. But sleeping better meant the dark circles under my eyes were gone. Sex, it’s good for your skin!

Leo fiddled with his phone and barely touched his beer. Since he was normally so confident and controlled, his nervousness was beginning to affect me too.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

He turned from watching the restaurant doorway to face me. “Yeah. Maybe I should have told you, but….” He paused and looked down at his phone again.

“Papa!”

A tiny blonde girl wrapped Leo in a tight hug. He squeezed his arms around her and hugged her back. His eyes were closed, and the expression on his face was one I had never seen before: utter, relaxed bliss. He was normally so guarded and that all fell away.

After the hug, he scooped Charlotte into his arms and stood up. I watched as Sophie and Wes walked towards us. Sophie was almost exactly what I expected: tall, slim, and completely gorgeous.

Perfect skin, check. Blue eyes, check. Blonde hair in a sleek asymmetrical bob, check. And elegance up the ying yang, like every French woman ever.

Her casual navy linen blouse and dark jeans made me regret the sateen shift dress. Damn, why didn’t I wear my usual shirt and dress pants? Now I looked like someone’s overdressed mom. I felt old and frumpy, and I tried to shake it off.

“Leo,” she said and they did that double cheek kiss thing. Was I going to have to do that too? Because I always messed up and bumped into the other person’s nose halfway. Also, she said his name differently: Lay-o. Great, I’d been pronouncing my boyfriend’s name wrong for months.

“Hi, I’m Wes.” My hand was grasped firmly, and for the first time I noticed the man with Sophie. He was very tall, muscular in a lanky way, and very tanned. His hair was naturally sun-bleached in that way that Wendy spent hundreds to achieve at the salon. Wes’s warm smile and relaxed manner made me feel better. I could do this. I pulled on my corporate wife persona.

“Hello, Wes. It’s lovely to meet you. I’m Jackie.”

Sophie leaned over and shook my hand with a dazzling smile. “Ahhh, Jackie. Enchantée.” She shook her head at Leo. “Why do you deny you have a girlfriend when she is so pretty?”

A scowl passed over his face. “Sophie, that was months ago. Jackie, this is Charlotte.”

“Hello,” I said. I felt unreasonably disappointed that Leo hadn’t told his ex about me. But it was a two-way street. I’d never said a word to Brent, and apparently the kids hadn’t either.

Charlotte looked up at me from under her long bangs. “Nice-to-meet-you,” she said in a polite rush, then leaned against her dad. I didn’t pressure her with any further questions.

We all sat down at the table. Charlotte stayed on her father’s lap. The waitress came and took our orders and then there was a brief silence.

Leo turned to his daughter. “How was the plane ride?”

“We had little TVs,” Charlotte replied. “I watched three movies!”

“Half of three movies,” Sophie corrected. “She doesn’t like the sad parts.”

Awww, Charlotte was very sensitive. Tristan had been like that as well. He hated any tension, and once the two of us had to leave a movie in the middle while Brent and Hannah stayed. And it was only one of those Air Bud movies. Now he was able to watch zombies and killer robots without any problem.

The drinks arrived, and I proposed a toast to the newlyweds. We clinked glasses.

“How did the wedding go?” I asked.

Wes grinned and reached for Sophie’s hand. “It was perfect.”

She shook her head. “Mais, le mauvais temps…rain, rain, rain. Just like Vancouver.”

He laughed easily. “Good thing we didn’t do an outdoor ceremony like I wanted. So what if a few people got wet on the way in? You looked like an angel, and the ceremony went great.”

Sophie looked up at him and smiled. The affection between the two of them was palpable, and I smiled too.

Once the food arrived, Sophie began updating Leo on people he knew who were at the wedding. She wove French and English together, and I couldn’t keep up. I turned to Wes.

“Do you speak French?”

“Not one word.” His teeth were extra white and shiny, possibly because he was so tanned. Wes had a rugged, outdoorsy look. “Looks like you’re in the same boat.”

I nodded. “I regret all the times I skipped French class. So, you’re from California?”

“Yup, born and bred. But I travel a lot for my job, so I can pretty much live anywhere. I’ve been staying in Montréal between projects, otherwise Soph and I would hardly get a chance to see each other.”

“What is it that you do?”

“I install monitoring systems on yachts.” At my completely blank look, he continued, “If you’re going on an extended cruise, you don’t want to get stuck in the middle of the ocean without the part that needs replacing. I go through the boat from stem to stern and record every piece of equipment, then input it into a database to calculate maintenance and replacement. That way the yacht owners can stay on top of their maintenance schedule. And now we’re beginning to install monitoring systems that actually inspect parts for unusual wear and tear. It’s like having a whole boat crew of your own!”

Wes was very enthusiastic about yachting, a subject I knew zero about, but it was a chance to get to know him. It was puzzling that Sophie had once married someone as intelligent and intense as Leo, and now was moving on to someone as relaxed and Zen as Wes.

In the short time I’d seen Leo and his ex together, it was clear to me that splitting up was her idea. Knowing how much he doted on his daughter, it was hard to believe that he would do anything to jeopardize their relationship. Not that there was anything wrong with Wes, he was the ultimate California dude: good-looking, laid-back, and super friendly. Maybe that was better. From what I’d seen, both Sophie and Leo were stubborn and strong-willed. A marriage of two strong-willed people could be brutal.

“So, tell me about your honeymoon,” I said.

“Well, we’re flying to Hawaii first. Soph’s got some hotel thing lined up there, and we’ll stay a few days. Then a buddy of mine wants to sail his forty-footer from Maui to San Diego, so we’re joining him and his crew. It’ll take a month, but it’s going to be incredible.”

“Wow, that will be a huge adventure. Is Sophie an experienced sailor?”

We both looked over at her. In her chic, accessorized outfit, she hardly looked like someone who could swab the deck or whatever it was that you did on a boat.

“No, the only boat she’s been on is the cruise ship where we met. But my girl’s a good sport. She’s willing to try anything.”

“Cheri, are you talking about me?” Sophie reached over and squeezed Wes’s hand. She was so beautiful, and against all my best instincts, I felt a flutter of jealousy. I really needed to work on my higher self.

“Always,” he replied. Then they exchanged a look so sugary that I gained two hundred calories just being in the crossfire.

She turned to me and smiled. Caught in the golden gaze of her attention, I felt half-seduced too. No wonder every man at this table wanted to put a ring on her. She was a queen.

“Tell me about yourself, Jackie. What is your profession?”

“I have a few jobs,” I replied. Unfortunately none of those jobs really had an impressive title. Bargain shopper? Stay-at-home-most-of-the-time Mom? Aspiring artist? Art store clerk? “Uh, mainly in arts and design. What do you do, Sophie?”

“I work for Group Germaine, the hotel chain. I am in corporate marketing.”

“Wow, that sounds impressive.”

She laughed. “Well, it was certainly hard to get so much time off. Certainement, this voyage, with Wes, it’s once in a lifetime.”

“It sounds incredible. I can’t even imagine what it would like to be a boat trip that long.”

Wes answered, “Being on the ocean gives man insight into his soul.”

“Is that a quote?” I asked. Wes didn’t strike me as a literary type.

“Nah, I just made it up.” He laughed, and Sophie smiled.

She turned back to me. “You have children?”

“Yes, two.”

“What are their ages?”

“Hannah is twelve and Tristan is ten.”

Sophie smiled. “Bon. Charlotte, you will have built-in playmates here.”

Charlotte didn’t look exactly pleased at that idea. In fact, she looked worried.

“Well, that will be up to Charlotte to decide,” I said.

“But it is unavoidable, is it not?” Sophie asked.

I looked at her, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“Are you not looking after Charlotte when Leo is working?”

“No, of course not. What gave you that idea?”

Leo interrupted. “I’ve hired a nanny. Her name is Noelle Nowak.”

Was this something we should be talking about now? I could see that Charlotte was listening very intently.

“Ahh, I see,” Sophie said. She turned to Leo. “Noelle, c’est la femme qui va s’occuper de ma fille cet été. Peut-être que c’est Noelle que tu devrais inviter à diner au lieu de cette femme-ci.”

Leo’s face was completely unreadable, but the pulse on his temple was throbbing. “Don’t, Sophie.”

I had no idea what she said, but Noelle’s name was mentioned. I rushed in to reassure her that she would do a good job. “Noelle has worked as a camp counsellor and a soccer coach. She’s very experienced with kids. She was recommended to me by two different people.”

“C’est pas grave.” Sophie shook her head. “You must excuse me. I’m spoiled because both Leo’s mother and mine have always been able to babysit Charlotte. We’ve never had to leave her with a total stranger.”

“I understand, but Noelle’s a lovely girl. And I’m here as back-up if there any problems.”

Sophie smiled. “How kind of you, Jackie.”

Wes changed the subject back to their upcoming ocean voyage, and Leo jumped in with some logistical questions. I tried to figure out why there was so much tension after Leo mentioned Noelle.

The three-hour time difference was hitting Charlotte; she began to nod off, slumped against her father.

“Maybe it’s time to get Charlotte off to bed,” I suggested.

Leo nodded. “Yes. I’ll take you guys back to your hotel and pick up Charlotte’s bags.”

“What about Jackie?” Wes asked, as we rose from the table.

“I have my own car,” I said.

Leo carried Charlotte out, with Wes right behind him. Sophie and I were the last ones out, and I put a hand on her arm.

“Sophie, I’m sure it must be stressful for you to have to leave your daughter for so long. I know I’d be going crazy. But please don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on her, and I’m here if Leo needs help.”

Her blue eyes fixed upon me. “He will need help. Did he tell you he has never once looked after her by himself? I almost changed my mind when I found out that he would not be in Montréal for the summer.”

“Leo adores Charlotte. He has been planning for her visit for months. He wants everything to go perfectly.”

Sophie laughed harshly. “But things never go perfectly when it comes to children. All women know that.”

I nodded. “I can’t disagree. But that’s what back-up plans are for.”

“Bien sûr. Leo always has back-up plans.” She stared at me hard, like she was trying to read my mind. “Good thing that he’s dating someone who is a mother. Thank you for your concern, Jackie. I am trusting my greatest treasure to you. Be good to her.”

“I will be.”

It wasn’t a hard promise to make. Charlotte’s shy sweetness made me want to know her better. But I could see that it would have to be on the little girl’s own terms. We had all of July to get to know each other better.