CHAPTER THREE
Stephen
I finished my day a bit later than usual but still had time for the gym. Hell yes. I needed to get on the treadmill and work out some of the endless stress that seemed to be in my life. I cleared it with Danielle and decided to spend an hour in there before going home to Brandon.
I talked to my brother, Kevin, before I clocked off for the night. He had tickets to a baseball game on Sunday and asked me to come along. He told me that he was bringing his wife, Terry. I knew there would be a few beers in it for me in that case if I wanted them.
Terry was the one that set me up with Lacy all those years ago. She thought that we’d be good together and have some fun. I wouldn’t say that she was wrong. We did all of that, and then she ended up getting pregnant because I got drunk a couple of times and didn’t use anything. I tried to make a go of it with her, but after the first rough year with the baby, Lacy walked away.
I would never blame my brother and Terry for that. Lacy acted like a jerk just fine on her own and abandoned her son, and we all adored the little guy. He changed the whole family dynamic with all of us and made me a better man.
“Bring a date along,” Kevin suggested, and I laughed aloud.
“Who the hell am I going to ask?” I shot back at him as I leaned back in my chair. I hadn’t noticed a woman in years. I was too damn busy working and being a dad. “I’ll bring Brandon. You know how much he loves games.” Shit. He’d been sick the last few days and might not be better by Sunday afternoon. “Damn it. He’s been sick. I’ll have to see how he feels.”
“I know you love him, Stephen. I just want you to have a life beyond that. Go out with a girl. Laugh. Get laid. They’re not all like Lacy,” he said, the pain in his voice clear.
“When the hell do I have time to date? I’m at this office all day and then home with Brandon,” I replied irritated at his words.
“You know that you have help. All you need to do is ask. Brandon loves spending the night at our place or with Mom.” Kevin’s words were gentle, and I knew that he meant well.
“I’ll try to figure something out, Kev. I am going to go to the gym and head home, see how the little man is doing. He wanted to do something tomorrow, and I hate to break plans, but I’ll work on the game.” We ended the call, and I dressed for a workout before heading up to the gym.
Most of the employees went after work, and tonight was no different. I nodded at Paul on a treadmill and walked over to join him, rolling my eyes at his antics. He was hitting on every fucking girl in the room. I just shook my head.
“How about drinks after this, Nadine? I know that you’re working up a thirst over there,” he called to the blonde as she shot a dark look our way.
“You’re such an asshole,” I muttered as I turned on the machine to a steady jog.
“I’ve managed to get more pussy than you,” he told me in a low voice as I shot him an incredulous look. Did Paul even realize how different our lives were? “Do you know many girls in the office want your dick, Stephen?”
“Enough,” I said, wanting him to stop before anyone heard his stupid babble. “I have more important things going on in my life.” I glanced up, looking across the gym to see a redhead in front of the bulletin board with some flyers in her hand. I frowned as I looked at her and then over at Paul. “Who’s that girl?”
“New girl. You met her the day she was interviewed. Martin was giving her a quick tour, and she met a lot of us. She’s hot, right? Single too!” Paul said as I tried to think what day he was talking about. Oh yeah. It was a couple of weeks back, and my boss showed a few people around before the main part of the interview. I’d been sharing a cold with Brandon and was tired that day. Hell, I was beyond tired. I took in her dark auburn hair and sweet curves and realized that I’d have to be dead not to take an extra look at her.
Wait a second. I hadn’t looked at a woman since Lacy bailed on me. I never looked at work to start something, because it only caused problems in the end. But something about being a single father took away all my spontaneity. The woman was fine, though, and as she leaned up to pin something to the large board, I felt something inside me that I had thought was dead.
I felt alive. Attraction. I felt the urge to get to know someone again.
Paul noticed me looking her way for a beat longer than I normally would and tilted his head at me. “Is Stephen actually noticing a girl that works with us? Are you feeling sick?”
“Fuck off,” I told him in a low voice as I stared forward again. I was a man, and I had needs, even if they’d been lying dormant for years. Kevin’s words about having help played through my mind as I kept running and took a deep breath. Maybe he was right, but Brandon already had a mother that walked out on him. He needed me, and I had no clue how to have a son and a relationship.
I looked over to see the girl walking to the board closer to us. She was putting up a flyer about a tennis camp at the YMCA for kids. It reminded me that I’d been looking for something to do with Brandon that would keep us active, get us out of the house. That might do the trick, since he’d taken to watching the sport on television as of late.
I stopped the treadmill and Paul stared at me as if I was insane. Maybe I was. I wrapped the towel around my neck and walked over to where she was finishing, reading about the weekend camp that ran for a few weeks.
Saturday. I checked, and it started tomorrow, just in time for the beginning of summer. That might be fun for both of us. I knew that Brandon missed me because I worked so much, but it was difficult to explain to a young kid how hard it was to be an adult. It was even harder to be a parent and an adult. I could only hope that he’d understand someday.
I looked at the girl. She was a few inches shorter than I was. I was caught off guard by her light, bright green eyes that had specks of emerald green in the irises. She smiled shyly at me, looking a little scared as our eyes locked. “Hi there. I’m Stephen James. I hear that it’s your first day.” I offered her my hand, and the woman stared at it for a moment, acting like it might bite.
Fuck, she was gorgeous. She wasn’t dressed for a workout, but her dress hinted at full breasts and a toned body underneath. I’d already looked at her ass, and that was spectacular.
“Yeah, I’m new. I met you at the interview, but…yeah. Anyway, my name is Mandy Miles.” She offered me a sweet, genuine smile and shook my hand, looking into my face. “It’s nice to meet you. I’ll be helping you out with the financial end of the business with you, I’m told.”
“Great,” I said as I felt the sparks between us. Mandy’s eyes widened, and she jerked her hand away to stare at it in shock. I felt my cock stiffen in my pants and shuffled on my feet. I hope that she didn’t notice. I hadn’t been affected by a woman like that ever, thinking back to all the casual hookups in my life.
I felt doubt wash through me for a moment before I smiled crookedly at Mandy. “Tell me more about this tennis camp. I think it’s something that my son might enjoy. Is it too late to register?”