Chapter 20
Chapter
Twenty
Serena
I wake up early Monday morning after two wonderful nights’ sleep. West’s bed is incredible—not too hard, not too soft—and has a vibrating massage option, along with heat. I’ve never slept so well.
I made Joey sleep with me last night since Lindy has school today and she mentioned that he kicks a lot in his sleep.
Jayne and I made the executive decision that sleepovers, as the kids call them, will only happen on weekends.
Joey wasn’t too happy at first but I read him a few extra stories and he fell right to sleep.
Leaving him sleeping on West’s massive bed, I slip into the bathroom and take a quick shower. I’m getting spoiled here. His bedroom is spacious, the bathroom is my favorite room in the house, though I also love the kitchen, and driving his SUV reminds me of the days when I had money.
When I was acting, I always had work. Nothing that would make me a star but steady work that brought in good paychecks and paid for culinary school.
Getting the role on Dusty Peaks was the first step in what I hoped would be a long, successful career.
I leased the Lexus, had a fantastic apartment in Buckhead, and was living the dream.
Until it all crashed down on me.
I love Joey more than anything but I do miss the life I thought I was going to have.
And sometimes I miss acting so much I want to cry.
I loved everything about losing myself in a character and sharing that character with the world.
Being with West has made a lot of suppressed memories resurface and sometimes it’s hard not to be resentful.
Not of Joey, but of his father, who put me in an untenable position and destroyed both of my dreams—culinary school and acting.
He should be paying child support.
He shouldn’t have threatened to take my child.
And I shouldn’t have panicked.
But I did so now all I can do is move forward.
By the time I’m dressed and have my makeup on, I’m in a better mood and Joey’s awake. I help him get dressed and brush his teeth, and then he bounds down the stairs looking for Lindy. She’s at the island in the kitchen eating waffles and Joey whirls to me.
“Where’s mine?” he demands.
“Easy, tiger, we just got downstairs. You want waffles?”
“Here, I made extra just in case,” Jayne says with a grin. She proffers a plate and Joey sits down excitedly.
“Thank you,” I tell her.
“No biggie. They were frozen and I put them in the toaster.”
“I’ll teach you how to make Belgian waffles from scratch,” I tell her.
“I don’t cook beyond the basics,” she admits, leaning against the counter.
“But I’m trying to learn. West has started teaching me but between work and taking care of Lindy…
” Her voice trails but I understand what she’s trying to say.
“Taking care of a child, especially one that technically isn’t yours and has been through recent trauma, is a lot. ”
“Totally.”
“You graduate in May, right?”
She nods.
“Well, if I’m still around, I can teach you this summer.”
Jayne cocks her head. “Why wouldn’t you be around?”
Heat floods my cheeks. “You know, if things don’t work out with West.”
“I’d like to think we can stay friends even if that happens.”
I’m momentarily flustered. “Yes, of course. I’m sorry. Things are just so new.”
“Of course.”
“What time do you work until?” I ask her.
“Five. I’ll be home by five-thirty.”
“If you like, I can keep Lindy with me so you don’t have to leave to pick her up?”
“Oh, that would be amazing.”
“I’ll take her to school with me too. There’s no reason for you to make the extra trip when I’m literally going there.”
“You don’t have to do that!” she says.
“Again, I’m literally going to her school. Why not?”
“You’re leaving now, though, right?”
“Fifteen minutes.”
“Lindy, finish your breakfast so you can get ready to go.”
“Okay.” Lindy seems amenable to the idea.
“I’m going to stop at the grocery store on my way home,” I say to Jayne. “What do you want for dinner?”
Her eyes widen playfully. “I have options?”
I laugh. “Well, limited options, but yes, of course.”
“We have a grocery budget here at the house,” she says. “West collects money from us for joint meals and then we’re on our own when he’s not here. So let me give you money—and before you protest, if you’re doing the cooking, I should at least pay half of the groceries.”
Since I really can’t afford to be overly generous, I agree without hesitation. “Okay.”
She digs a few twenties out of her purse and hands them to me.
“Now, what are my options for dinner?”
“Meatloaf, pan-fried chicken with honey drizzle, or my version of a chicken fried rice.”
“Oh, shit.” Jayne makes a face. “All three sound amazing. Surprise me. I just have one request.”
“Shoot.”
“Whatever you cook, you let me watch and help, so I can learn.”
“Absolutely. I’ll even write down some of it for you.”
“You’re the best.”
We exchange grins and then discuss logistics for the rest of the day.
Ten minutes later, I’m in West’s SUV heading for Joey’s daycare center.
I’ve just dropped off Joey when my phone rings and I see Holly’s name on the screen. Part of me doesn’t want to answer because I haven’t heard from her since Christmas, but I’ve missed her. So, I keep my voice neutral as I answer.
“Hey.”
“Hi! I’ve been meaning to call but Nathan and I were skiing in Wyoming.”
I mentally roll my eyes.
They’re always somewhere.
“Sounds fun,” I say.
“I realize I never heard from you after you sent me that text about some guy helping you when your car broke down, so I thought I’d check in.”
“Yeah, I could be chopped up in a million pieces and dumped in a field somewhere by now.”
There’s a beat of uncomfortable silence. She knows I’m annoyed so the question now is whether she’ll choose to address it. Of course, Lindy’s in the car, so I need to make sure things stay polite.
“I don’t have a lot of time,” I continue before she can say anything. “I’m taking my friend Lindy to school. And you’re on speaker.”
“Oh, you’re in the car?”
“I’m on my way to work.”
“Who’s Lindy?”
“I’m Jayne’s sister!” Lindy chirps.
I chuckle. “I have a new friend named Jayne, who has a seven-year-old sister that goes to Peachtree Academy. So, I’m bringing her with me today.”
“I see.” Holly must sense that I don’t want to discuss anything in front of Lindy so she goes with the flow. “Then I guess the damage to your car wasn’t too bad?”
“We still have no idea,” I admit. “It’s at a shop. I’m driving West’s car.”
“Who’s West?”
“Uh, my savior the night of the storm. We’ve gotten to be good…friends.”
“Oh. Wow. I guess we have a lot to catch up on.”
“We do. Are you in town?”
She hesitates. “Yes. Nathan is flying to Arizona next weekend for a golf thing, so I’m not going. You want to meet up for lunch or whatever?”
“Sure. That sounds nice.”
She pauses.
“I’m sorry I didn’t check in. I should have.”
I’m not going to say it’s okay because it’s not.
“Nathan keeps you distracted.”
“Things are…changing,” she says cryptically. “But we can talk about that when I see you.”
“Everything okay?” I really, really hope she says no, because I can’t stand him.
“I’m not sure yet. Like I said, we’ll talk more when we’re alone.”
“It’s okay, I’m used to grown-ups talking around me,” Lindy interjects. “I stopped listening a long time ago.”
Holly and I both laugh.
“How’s Joey?” Holly asks.
“He’s my little boyfriend,” Lindy responds before I can.
“You like younger men?” Holly asks, chuckling.
“He’s so cute,” Lindy gushes. “But I have a different boyfriend at school. I have to keep them separate, I guess.”
“You have a boyfriend?” I ask in surprise.
She nods. “Tucker. He’s nice. He wears glasses and knows a lot about science.”
“As long as he’s nice to you,” Holly says. “That’s important.”
“Yeah.” Lindy shrugs. “I don’t like people who aren’t nice to me.”
Another weird silence follows, but luckily, we’re pulling into the school’s parking lot.
“Holly, we just got to school, so I have to run. If you want to talk tonight, call me. Otherwise, let’s plan for this weekend.”
“Sounds good. Have a great day! And it was nice to meet you, Lindy.”
“Nice to meet you too!” Lindy grins, even though Holly can’t see it.
I can’t help but wonder what’s going on with my friend. Maybe she’s finally going to dump Nathan. That probably makes me a bad friend, but she changed once they got engaged, and it feels like I barely know her anymore.
All I can do is focus on myself for now. When and if she needs me, or if things in her life change, she can reach out. But I’m done making the first move.
Besides, I have a handsome hockey player keeping my thoughts—and other parts of me—busy.
I smile just thinking about him.
And I know exactly how I plan to be waiting for him when he gets home.