Chapter 5 - Vivian

I needed some air, so I walked around Manhattan a little and sat down on a bench in Central Park. I sighed and dropped my head back as I played back the interview. I couldn’t believe that Carter wanted to hire me as his assistant. I had, even more, trouble believing that I was actually considering taking the job. It was more money than the other position and it would help us so much. I could offer Mason a good life here. With this salary and the paid benefits, we could live a happy life.

Could I work with Carter though?

I took the now less crowded subway and changed into leggings and a t-shirt when I got home. I set about cleaning the apartment to work off some of the nervous energy that was coursing through my veins. What were my options? I could turn the job down and look for other jobs of course. I wiped down the counter and thought about the salary. It made my heart hurt.

My phone rang and I looked at the screen to see that it was a mom. “Hi,” I said with a forced smile so it would come out in my voice.

“How did the interview go?” She sounded so expectant and I took a moment to think about my answer.

“It went well, Mom. It’s a fantastic job, a better one than I initially thought. There’s just one problem.” I waited for her answer.

“What’s wrong?” Mom asked as I walked to the worn couch and dropped onto it. I had about an hour before Mason got home and I needed to relax. I didn’t want him to see how tense I was and vowed to fake it if I had to.

“The job is to be Carter’s assistant.” I heard the silence at the other end of the phone as I waited for her response.

“Carter Carter?” she asked as I bit my lip. “Did you know?”

“I had an interview to assist another manager, Mom. I got there and they sent me to another floor, a higher floor. I knew that must be better but I didn’t know anything more until he walked into the room.” I ran a hand through my hair.

“Is it a good job?” she asked as I closed my eyes. “Maybe you could tell him about Mason, sweetie.”

“Mom, it’s been five years. I don’t know…he didn’t seem to want to stay with me before. I’m worried, Mom. I can’t throw off Mase’s world that way.” I felt tears in my eyes as I leaned forward. “We’ve done fine on our own.”

“If it’s a good job, please think this over,” she told me gently as I nodded. “I know that Mason will be home soon and that you need to get yourself together, but look at the whole picture. You two were good together once upon a time.”

“Oh, Mom. This isn’t a romance novel.”

“I’m just saying that you need to think this through. A good job would be great for both of you,” she said. “Listen, I have to go now honey, I’ll call you tomorrow.” I set my phone down and leaned back as I took a deep breath. She was right.

I called Lainie to ask if she could bring Mason to Discovery Club tomorrow after school. She was so excited about my new job and said she’d be more than happy to help out with Mason.

I was just cooking us up some homemade macaroni and cheese when Mason came home. I slipped it into the oven and walked out to meet him, hugging him tightly as I asked him how school was. He told me that it was great and we walked inside as he asked me how the job interview went. I answered him that it was good and that I wasn’t sure what was going to happen now. He nodded as he hung his stuff up and went to wash his hands.

I sliced up some peaches to go with his meal and pulled the dish out when the oven beeped. I heaped some into a bowl for him and set it on the table.

He had just started eating when I heard my phone ring from the living room. I walked over to look at the screen. I didn’t recognize the number and answered it softly, waiting for the person to answer me. “Vivian Smith?”

“Speaking,” I said as the woman continued to speak. She was calling from M&B Investments, offering me the job. I listened to her telling me to come down to the building to fill out some paperwork in the morning. After that, I could start right away.

“You do want the job?” she asked as I sat in silence for a long moment.

“I suppose I do,” I replied. My stomach twisted into a knot. I told her that I’d come in the morning and hung up, going to join Mason for dinner.

“Who was that, Mommy?” Mason asked as I looked at him.

“I got the job. I’ll be starting tomorrow. Lainie will pick you up at school and take you over to Discovery Club. That’ll be fun. Either Lainie or I will pick you up.” I looked at his sweet face. “This is going to be different, kiddo. We’re going to make it work.”

“Tell me about the job,” he said as I went on to describe the huge, glass building that I was going to be working in. I told him about all the big buildings around it and the cool places I’d get to go for lunch. About the fun trips that we were going to be able to take on the weekends. I loved the smile on his face as he gazed up at me.

“Can I come and see you at work?” Mason asked and I felt a shocking rush through my system.

“Maybe. Later. I need to work there for a little while and get trained first, okay?” I smiled and he nodded before taking another bite of his noodles. I heard my phone chime from the kitchen counter and went to get it, feeling a little annoyed, like my time with Mason was being compromised. I wasn’t the kind of girl to text and talk on the phone while spending time with my kid.

I unlocked the screen and gazed at the message.

Hello, Vivian. This is Carter. I wanted to congratulate you on accepting the job. Remember how I mentioned working some nights? There is a business dinner tomorrow night that I’d like you to attend. It will be a good learning experience for you. Can you make it after work?

He really wanted me to go somewhere the first night after work? I sighed. It wasn’t like he knew I was a mom and had obligations and I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him. I sent a quick text to Lainie explaining the situation and asked her if she could watch Mason for me tomorrow night. She agreed.

I can make the dinner. How formal is it? What should I wear?

A black dress would do, he replied.

OK, I had a black dress in my closet. Wouldn’t it be too sexy for a work dinner though?

Where are we going? I typed back.

Somewhere nice.

Somewhere nice. What was the hell going on? I set the phone down again to go back to Mason.

He took a bath and we played for a while before bed. I read to him and kissed him goodnight before going to my room to search through my closet. I pulled out the only black dress I had. It was timeless, fun, and flirty and I shook my head as I thought back to the night that I last wore it. The night Carter and I went to a hotel. The dress hadn’t seen a night out since he’d left Vermont. Was I going to wear it to work tomorrow?

I was headed down a dangerous path.

I cleaned up the kitchen before shutting off all the lights, but I couldn’t shake the thoughts from my head. What was happening here? I was pushing the boundaries by agreeing to this dinner. I could hardly say no, though. This was a business dinner and I was Carter’s new assistant.

I decided not to wear his shirt to bed, slipping on some shorts and a tank top before I found a steamy book on my Kindle. It reminded me of the times I had spent with Carter and I felt my skin warm as I came across a particularly steamy chapter.

There had been a hell of a lot of sexual tension between us during the interview. My feelings for Carter had never gone away and the fact that he was Mason’s father pulled at my heartstrings. I didn’t know how I was going to make any of this work unless we kept it completely professional. I probably should have turned the job down but it would help Mason out so much. I could be an adult about this. I could work and support Mason and keep things with Carter separate. I could do all of that. I sighed and turned over, trying to push back the memories of Carter. I finally fell asleep, dreaming about Carter as I tossed restlessly in my bed.

I was in a fog when I woke up. I got dressed, slipping a white sweater over the dress before I walked Mason out to his bus. Lainie was going to take care of him tonight and I knew that he’d be fine. I wasn’t sure about me though.