I picked up my phone to text Charlotte and then it hit me that I’d never seen her texting. Was her eyesight that bad that she couldn’t text? My phone vibrated as I was still musing over Charlotte’s vision problems.
I looked down and was surprised to see Charlotte’s name flashed across the screen. It reminded me of the time we had been married. We’d been so close that we had fallen into the habit of finishing each other’s sentences.
I swiped a finger across the screen to answer.
“Morning, I was just thinking about you.”
“Morning to you too.”
I could hear the smile in her voice. Charlotte was one of those people who was perpetually happy irrespective of time. She never had a bad day or woke up feeling down. The Charlotte I remembered viewed each day like a gift to be savored.
“What were you thinking?” she asked.
I could visualize her cradling the phone. Kayden’s voice sounded from the distance and I found myself smiling and wishing that I was home with them.
“I was thinking how nice it would be to go to the zoo with you and Kayden this afternoon.”
She sighed. “That’s actually what I was calling you about. Michael, the chef who is on duty today called to cancel. He has some sort of emergency so I have to go in.”
Chaz sounded so uncomfortable asking, I jumped in to save her the trouble. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
I could hear her sigh of relief over the phone.
“You’re a lifesaver. Thanks so much Alex. And yes, to the zoo date. Kayden and I would love to go. Tomorrow.”
I grinned like a fool. “Great. See you soon.”
I powered off my laptop and shut it. I took the fastest shower in the history of man and when I was done, I stared at my face critically. There was no time to shave and I wondered if my day-old stubble was too rough.
Kayden was fascinated by my slight moustache and liked to play with it when I was holding him. I hoped that my stubble would not hurt his fingers. I hurried out of the B&B, down to the parking lot.
One of the many advantages of living in a small town was the absence of traffic. Twenty minutes after Charlotte and I spoke, I was parking my car in front of her house.
“That was super fast,” she said smiling when she flung the door open.
My male senses perked up when I took in her appearance. She was dressed in a loose maxi dress that clung to her curves when a gust of wind blew.
“You look beautiful,” I said.
Her cheeks colored. “This old thing?”
“You’d look beautiful in a sack,” I said.
“Mama,” a voice said behind Charlotte and tiny hands rested on her legs and tried to shift her out of the way.
“Okay, okay Kayden, you’ll get your turn.” Charlotte laughingly moved out of the way.
I squatted and Kayden flew into my arms. His little hands went around my neck and for a few seconds, the world was perfect. There was something about children that melted my heart but with Kayden, it was more than that.
He’d stolen my heart and I couldn’t help but wish he was my son.
“I missed you, buddy,” I stood up and carried Kayden into the house with me.
“His lunch is in the fridge and snacks are in the usual place,” she said, picking up her bag from the couch. “Dinner is ready too but I’ll definitely be back by then.”
“Hey, relax,” I said. “We’re good.”
She inhaled deeply and smiled. “Okay. Thanks—”
I put a hand to my lips. If only she knew how much pleasure it gave me to make her life easier. As for Kayden, he was just a great kid. “Let’s walk Mommy outside and get some sun.”
Alex
My cell phone battery must have died at some point. After I laid Kayden down for his afternoon nap, I checked it and found it turned off. I left it charging and cleaned up the mess Kayden and I had made in the afternoon.
With the house back in order, I made a cup of coffee and settled on the couch to check my messages. Abigail had taken to calling and texting, demanding to know when I was coming back home.
I found five text messages from her, most of them ending with at least three question marks. I hit call. It was easier to call her.
She answered the phone on the second ring and went right into it. “I don’t understand what you’re doing in some town in the middle of nowhere. People are starting to suspect that you’ve gone off the rails again,” she said.
I went still. “Off the rails? Because I was devastated when my wife left me, I was classified as insane?”
She laughed nervously. “It was a joke.”
It wasn’t a joke. I hated the gossip that was rife in our circles.