5.
LYNN
“Mr. Serrano! Always a pleasure,” Katy, the caseworker who had been assigned to the girls since their very first case, said when I opened the door.
“Come on in. You made it just in time to help clean the kitchen.”
“Dang. I was hoping I’d make it in time for dessert,” Katy said. I shut the door behind her and motioned for her to go ahead of me, and it was easy for her to do since she’d been here often enough to know the layout of my home.
“Pop, I think this is the perfect occasion for second dessert,” Brinlee said as she appeared in the doorway that led into the kitchen.
“Is that a thing?” Katy asked.
“On the weekends, we have second breakfast,” Brinlee explained with a shrug.
“Maybe we should make it a thing.” The girls started cheering, and I had to yell to be heard over them when I said, “On special occasions!”
“I guess I did make it just in time,” Katy said with a grin before she hugged Brinlee. She walked across the kitchen and hugged Berklee before she asked, “How are you ladies this evening?”
“He made us eat vegetables again,” Berklee complained. “I think you should ding him for that on your final report.”
“I’m not sure which category that specific finding would fit under,” Katy said with a thoughtful look. She turned and winked at me before she said, “We may have to forgive him for that minor transgression.”
“It’s not really minor when he does it all the time,” Berklee argued.
“Two bites! That’s all I make you eat is two bites!”
“That’s two too many,” Brinlee said with a grin. “You’re in for it now, Pop. More classes for you!”
“This conversation proves how well adjusted they are,” Katy mumbled before she pulled a chair out and sat down at the table. I sat across from her and waited patiently as Brinlee passed out dessert plates and Berklee handed out forks before I portioned out slices of cake for everyone, and then sat back to enjoy my second piece of the evening.
“Pop is getting adjusted too. He has a date!”
“Oh, really?” Katy asked.
Brinlee nodded. “On Thursday. We’re going to stay over at Aunt Lanna’s.”
Katy glanced at me before she asked Berklee, “Have you met the woman Pop is going to take on a date?”
“No. He hasn’t even told us her name. We just heard him asking Aunt Lanna if we could come over. She was teasing him about finding her a new mommy.”
“She’s funny like that,” I said uncomfortably. “I don’t know her well enough to invite her over just yet.”
“We’ve still got some time before the case is officially closed, so . . .”
“I know. Before I make anything official, I have to get your approval, which Lanna appreciates because she thinks that you’ll be a harsh critic and weed out the dumb ones.”
Katy laughed before she said, “Intelligence isn’t really part of the criteria, but I can add another column to my spreadsheet for Lanna.”
“I just met her a few days ago and then ran into her at work yesterday.”
“With a piece of that machinery outside? Is she okay?” Katy asked sarcastically.
“I was contracted to do a job where she works,” I explained.
“Well, tell Lanna she passed the first test with flying colors. She has gainful employment.”
“I’ll make sure and give her the report,” I drawled before I took another bite. “Are you here to grill me about my barely existent love life or to make sure these monkeys are behaving themselves?”
“While I’m here, I suppose I should probably check in on that situation too.”
“They’ve had a big week, and I took a lot of pictures,” I said as I leaned forward and rested my arms on the table so I could scroll through the photos on my phone.
“He’s such a good Pop,” Berklee said happily as she squeezed under my arm so she could look at my phone.
“He is,” Katy agreed with a smile. “You are two very lucky girls.”
◆◆◆
“How are you doing, Lynn?”
I blew out a long breath and then shrugged before I admitted, “Some days I’m hanging on by a thread, and other days I’m on top of my shit and ready to conquer the world.”
Dr. Hamilton, the counselor who had been assigned to the girls’ case this time, laughed before she said, “You just described parenting in a single sentence.”
“You’d think that since I’ve done this before, I’d be a pro at it, but things are different now than they were when my daughters were kids. We’ve got tablets and game systems and brain rot from too much screen time. Part of me says to cut it all out and just get rid of the electronics, but half their homework is done on a tablet!” I scoffed before I asked, “What’s wrong with a pencil and paper?”
“Times have changed.”
“I know you said I’m not supposed to compare raising Leanne and Lanna to raising Berk and Brin, but it’s kind of hard not to.”
“I got the report that you finished all of your classes and their case is going to be closed soon.”
“We’re just waiting on the judge to make it official. Until then, we’re still under the microscope.”
“I know that bothers you.”
“Yeah, but what am I gonna do?”
“When I talked to Berklee earlier, she said you have a date tonight.” I nodded, and Emerald smiled at me before she said, “Dating as a single parent has its own stresses. Are you ready for that?”
“I’m not gonna be celibate forever.”
“I know that, but up until now, you haven’t mentioned any interest in dating. Is it because you’ve finally accepted that this is your new normal, or did you just run into Ms. Right and decide to take a leap?”
“I took a leap. I met her at the gym, and it was just a . . . Shit. This sounds so cheesy.”
“What does?”
“There’s just something about her.”
“Tell me. You met at the gym, and then what?”
“She took off before I could get her number, but I saw her again a few days later while I was working. I started a new irrigation and landscaping contract at a place just outside of town, and she actually works in the office there.”
“What place?”
“Let me think. It’s that new garden store out by the junkyard.” When Emerald raised her eyebrows, I said, “I don’t think she’s going to work in the store. At least she didn’t mention that, but I know that she works in the office because I tried to go see her, but she was in a meeting. I ran into her out in one of the garden areas, and we talked. Her friend - the same friend I saw with her at the gym - helped me out when Farrah seemed hesitant to go out with me.”
Emerald cleared her throat before she asked, “Do you know anything about her other than where she works?”
“Not besides where she works out.”
“Just a sec,” Emerald said as she started flipping through the papers in the folder she had on the desk in front of her. “Your daughter signed over her rights to you, correct?”
“Yes.”
“But the judge hasn’t granted you custody yet?”
“Right.”
“When do you go to court for that?” Emerald looked up from the papers and asked, “Have you told anyone other than me where this woman works?”
“No. Why?”
Emerald pulled her lips in between her teeth before she returned her attention to the papers and sighed. She finally shook her head and said, “As your doctor, I’d like to remind you that dating as a single parent brings on a whole other kind of stress. It’s not just about you anymore, there are your children to consider.”
I narrowed my eyes and asked, “What are you not telling me?”
“I think that I’ve come to know you pretty well over the past few months, Lynn. I know what your goals are and that you’ve worked very hard to meet them.”
“I have.”
“Right now, the main goal is to get through this final hearing and hold the paperwork releasing the girls from the care of DCFS into your permanent custody.”
“It is.”
Emerald leaned back in her chair before she said, “It’s not going to be very long before your final, and I want you to be very careful until then, okay?”
“Dr. Hamilton, I’m not sure what this is about, but . . .”
Emerald shook her head before she interrupted me. “That’s all I am going to say on the subject.”
◆◆◆
FARRAH
“I can’t believe you told him I’d go out with him!” I yelled loud enough for Moe to hear me through the door. “What the fuck, Moe?”
“It’s like ripping off a band-aid. You’re gonna go out with this guy and have a great night. No pressure.”
“Is that why you went all out and bought me a matching bra and panty set? Seriously?” I asked as I yanked the door open and glared at her. When she shrugged, I asked, “Who does that?”
“I guess I do. I shared a bedroom with you for months, Farrah. Believe me, nobody wants to see your white cotton granny panties.”
“They’re not granny panties.”
“Close enough. And those bras? They’re the opposite of sexy. They're like sex repellant. They’re the bug spray of underwear.”
“It doesn’t matter because no one is supposed to see them!”
“I saw them way too much. I had to make the madness stop. Ugh.”
“I want my underwear back.”
“No. I bought you several pairs that don't look like panties from the 50s. We’ve come a long way in the past few decades. We’ve got them in all sorts of colors and styles. Bras too! They still suck to wear, but at least they’re pretty.”
I stood there in my new bra and panty set, only because Moe had come into the bathroom while I was showering and stolen the underwear I planned to wear tonight, as well as all of my other underwear, and hidden it somewhere or thrown it away. I didn’t have a choice.
“I even used my fancy washer and dryer to launder them before I brought them over.”
“What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing. I’m living vicariously through you and actually went shopping to buy all that stuff you’re bitching about.” When I just stared at her, she said, “Only because it would have taken too long to get them here if I ordered them online.”
“Do you want a cookie?”
“You made cookies?”
“Ugh!” I screamed before I slammed the door again.
“I like the outfit you chose!” Moe said before she gently knocked on the door. “You’re gonna look really pretty.”
I gave my lashes another swipe of mascara and then ran my hands through my hair one last time before I opened the door again.
“This is as good as it gets.”
“You look hot. That color really looks great with your skin tone.”
“It’s black mascara.”
“I was talking about the underwear.”
◆◆◆
I saw the truck coming up the road and ran my hands over the front of my shirt to make sure there weren’t any wrinkles and then bent forward a little so I could see my whole outfit I’d put together after shopping at the thrift stores in town over the last few days.
My top was colorful and comfortable but still looked feminine and gave just a hint of cleavage. The silky material tapered in at my waist but wasn’t too tight - just enough to make it a little more form fitting. The army green cargo pants I’d found highlighted the leaves in the floral pattern of the shirt. The drawstrings at the ankles gave them a cute but casual vibe that went well with the suede ankle boots I had purchased at a garage sale a few weeks ago.
All in all, I thought I looked good. Not too casual, but not too dressy either - hopefully just right for a first date.
I watched as Lynn pulled into the parking lot and, instead of parking in one of the spaces, he made a big circle and stopped with the passenger door of his truck in front of the porch steps. As I started walking down, he hurried around to greet me before he opened the door.
“You look beautiful.”
“Thank you. You look very nice yourself.”
I watched Lynn walk around the front of the truck, trying very hard not to drool when I got another look at his biceps.
I must have managed to wipe the lust off my face in time because when he got into the truck, he said, “I hadn’t really set the bar very high before. The first time you saw me, I looked like a gym rat, and the second time, I was sweaty and covered in dirt. All I really needed to up my game was a shower.”
“You could say the same about me, but you clean up very well.”
“So do you. Since your friend was nice enough to give me an idea of what you like to eat, I thought we could try that new Italian restaurant over on Bell Street.”
“That sounds great.”
“And then I’ve got plans for us after dinner.”
I laughed quietly before I said, “Was it hard to come up with something that didn’t include a bar?”
“Not as hard as you’d think. I’m a pretty resourceful guy.”
We made the usual small talk while we drove across town, and soon we were seated at a table for two in a secluded alcove of a very nice restaurant. When the server asked what I’d like to drink, I ordered tea with lemon, and Lynn did the same.
We discussed some of the different entrees and decided to each order something we’d never had before and share it. I was happy to do that so I could experience two different dishes of my favorite type of food.
Once the waitress came back with our drinks, Lynn gave her our order and then there was a minute of uncomfortable silence before Lynn said, “This probably isn’t one of the usual first date questions, but I have to know. Is there a reason you don’t drink?”
“I’ve been sober for a little more than twelve years.”
“Good for you.” When I raised my eyebrows, he shrugged before he said, “Some people can’t seem to kick the habit, no matter how hard they seem to try. It says a lot about your character that you’ve stuck with it this long.”
I laughed before I said, “There were extenuating circumstances, and I had a lot of help.”
“My ex-wife is on and off the wagon pretty regularly, so I have some idea of what it takes to get sober and stay that way.”
“Maybe she’ll find her way someday.”
“This may be kind of personal, but did you ever . . . do you ever go to meetings?”
“Yes. As a matter of fact, I have one before work tomorrow.”
“That’s why your friend . . .”
“Moe,” I interrupted.
“That’s why Moe said you need to be home early.”
“That’s part of it, yes.”
“Do they help you?”
“They do.”
“My daughter is an alcoholic.” When I just nodded, he said, “But that’s a conversation for another time.”
“Do you have any other children?”
“I do. My daughter Lanna is pregnant with her third child, which will make my fifth grandchild.”
“Is the other daughter older or younger?”
“Leanne is older.”
“The other two children are Leanne’s?”
“Yes. Do you have any kids?”
“I have a son. He’s a police officer here in Rojo.”
“I bet you’re a proud mama!”
“I am very proud of him. He’s done well for himself.”
“No grandkids?”
“Not yet. As far as I know, he’s not dating anyone seriously right now, so there aren’t even any on the horizon.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve been on a first date, but I think we hit all the high points.”
“You forgot a big one.”
“What’s that?”
“Tell me about what you do for a living.”
“I did miss one!”
“I’ve been looking at all of that machinery out there and have figured out what some of the things do, but others are a complete mystery to me.”
I loved to listen to Lynn’s deep voice explain what his job entailed and how the machinery worked that he so adeptly maneuvered around. Really, though, it wouldn’t have mattered if he had been reading a cookbook to me. The timbre of his voice was so sexy that I couldn’t get enough of it.
And that was a good thing because as long as he was talking, I didn’t have to.