Jason
The warm air from the diner hit me in the face as soon as I opened the door. Samantha walked in, and I couldn’t help but to ogle her. She had on a huge, puffy coat that practically engulfed her, and boots that went up to her knees. Her long blond hair was tucked under a wool hat, and her pale cheeks were flushed from the cold.
I grabbed us a booth and motioned to Diana for two coffees. Samantha sat down across from me and removed her hat before unzipping her coat.
“Cold?” I asked.
“I don’t know how y’all handle this all season,” she replied. “It’s like seventy-five degrees at my house right now.” She ran her hands through her hair, and the sun from the front window reflected off the blond. Her sister had the same color hair, and so did the twins. It was clear they were related.
“It’s not so bad. You get used to it. The seasons are nice here. We get a little bit of everything throughout the year. You should come back in the spring when everything is green and flowering. You’d like it.”
“I’ve been to visit in the spring. You’re right; it is nice. But you can go to the beach almost all year-round in Florida, you know.” She smiled at me, a teasing grin.
“I’ll give you that. It does sound nice to go to the beach, especially since we have a couple more months of cold. But this weather makes it feel like Christmas, don’t you think?” I asked.
She hesitated. “I suppose that it does.” Then she changed the subject. “So, you said it’s just you and Emily?”
I didn’t talk much about Emily’s mom, but I wanted to be transparent with Samantha. Something about her made me feel comfortable, like I could just say anything I wanted. “Yeah, it’s always been just the two of us.”
“I’m sorry, you don’t have to explain anything to me,” she said.
I reached across the table and touched her hand gently. “No, no. It’s okay. Most people in this town know me and know my story, so I just haven’t told it in a long time. Emily’s mom left shortly after Emily was born. She didn’t want to be a mom. It wasn’t a planned event. She didn’t want to keep the baby, but I begged her to, and once Emily was born, she gave me full custody and left Friendship.”
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry.”
“Oh no, don’t be sorry. Besides, it was a long time ago. We were young, and I knew that she wouldn’t stick around. She never wanted to settle down in Friendship. We were high school sweethearts, but it was never meant to be. Emily is a gift, though, and my life wouldn’t be the same without her. I thank God for her every day. She keeps me on my toes.” I laughed thinking of the conversations we’ve had. Emily made me laugh constantly. She kept me young.
“So you don’t talk to her or anything?” Samantha seemed surprised.
“Nope. She’ll write once in a while. She travels a lot. That’s what she always wanted to do. But it’s not a thing, if that’s what you’re asking.” I answered honestly. I liked Samantha, and even though she wasn’t staying in Friendship—she was just visiting—being the real me was important.
“Well, that’s really amazing of you. There aren’t a lot of stories like that, where the dad is the full-time caregiver. Having an eight-year-old girl must be funny.”
“She’s a riot. She cracks me up every single day.” I wanted to talk about Samantha, not Emily, so I changed the subject. “So, what about you? What’s your story, Samantha from Florida?”
“My story? Gosh
, I don’t know. I’m not into winter. We established that already. I love coffee, long walks on the beach?” she joked.
“What do you do for a living?”
“I’m an editor. I read novels for a living. It’s a quiet life really, but filled with amazing stories. I love it. What about you?”
She was smart and beautiful. Of course. “I’m a mechanic, and I also have a small plane that I use for recreation and occasionally take passengers out and about. In fact, your sister booked a flight for this week, did she tell you?”
“She did not! That sounds wonderful.”
“Well, don’t tell her I ruined the surprise. I won’t tell you anything else about it, so you can pretend to be totally shocked.” I laughed.
“The secret is safe.” She smiled. She took a sip of her hot coffee, wrapping both hands around the mug. She was beautiful and charming, and as we continued chatting, I felt at ease with her, more so than with anyone in a long time. In fact, I had to remind myself several times it wasn’t a real date. She was just on vacation, and it was just coffee.
I hadn’t dated much after Emily’s mom left. Not that I was heartbroken or anything like that, but I was busy with a baby. We had broken up before the baby even came and just agreed to terms that worked for both of us, but the thought of dating was the furthest thing from my mind.
As time went on, I’d gone out with a couple of lovely women here and there, but I wasn’t looking to jump into a marriage, and the girls I’d gone to school with around here wanted to get married and have kids, and I already had one.
My parents helped with Emily until she was about five, when they retired north. They came down a lot, but before they left, we were a team of three raising my daughter. Anyway, the dating scene turned pretty dry over the years, and seeing someone seemed out of the realm of possibility without moving, which I just wasn’t going to do.
Samantha and I talked a bit more. She told me some of her favorite things that her family does for Christmas, and we realized we would be at many of the same events.