Chapter Nine
Nine
Pam
Nothing can disrupt my peace.
“Mom!”
Tegan’s all-too-familiar call pulled me out of sleep. I thought that when your kids moved out, these types of interruptions ended, but with mine, that didn’t seem to be the case.
Realization hit me, and I bolted upright.
Tegan was here. In my house. And I was still in bed after a one-night stand with her friend’s father.
Fuck.
I couldn’t remember if I’d cleaned up the house last night.
What if it smelled like sex in here?
Was that even a thing?
It had been so long that I wasn’t really sure. Al did have a pretty distinct scent to him.
And the sheets!
One thing was for sure, I didn’t want her in my bedroom.
“Just a second, honey,” I yelled and jumped out of bed. Well, jumped out of bed as fast as I could with the unfamiliar discomfort I had going on between my legs.
“Watch out, buddy. Mom’s gotta make the bed,” I told Remi, and shooed him away. He looked at me like I’d offended him before sprinting out of the bedroom to greet Tegan.
In a total state of panic, I threw the comforter over the mattress, giving it a hasty inspection to ensure there weren’t any visible stains on it.
I heard Tegan’s footsteps on the stairs, and right as I slipped on my robe and closed the bedroom door, she met me in the hallway.
“Good morning, kissing lady,” she said, flashing me a bright smile. “I need to hear all the juicy details!” She held up a paper bag and a drink carrier with two cups of coffee from the Busy Bean. “I brought breakfast!”
“Since when are you such a morning person?” I asked and slipped on my glasses. “You could have called first.”
“I did.” Tegan turned and walked down the stairs as I followed along behind her. “Three times, actually. I was a little concerned when you didn’t answer.”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket, and sure enough, three missed calls from Tegan but zero messages from Alistair. It was early in the day, but I still felt a pang of disappointment.
Following Tegan into the kitchen, I was pleasantly surprised to find it nice and tidy.
That’s right. Like the true gentleman he was, Alistair had helped me straighten up after our late lunch.
Tegan sat at the kitchen table, and I joined her, lowering myself into the chair with a wince.
Her green eyes narrowed. “Is everything all right, Mom?”
“Everything is fine,” I said with a wave of my hand. “I must have hurt myself yesterday when we fell on the ice.”
“Mother.” Tegan passed me a cup of liquid gold and a breakfast sandwich. “I’m tired of playing telephone here. I need the details. This was your first date since Dad. This is a big deal.”
My body stiffened at the mention of Don. In one day, Alistair had made me feel things I’d never felt the entire time I’d been married, and now I had to sit here with our daughter and recount my date with another man. It was weird, but she’d been the one encouraging me to do this…
“Well, it was amazing.” I sipped my coffee as she stared expectantly, waiting for me to elaborate.
“We talked for a long time in the coffee shop. He told me about the camping trips he takes in his RV and about his job. We went to the bookstore, and he bought me a few things. I convinced him to get that book—you know, the series I love with the blue aliens?”
Tegan leaned forward in her chair, her eyes wide. “He’s seriously going to read about the cooties? I can’t even get Atlas to do that, Mom.”
Considering how obsessed with her Atlas was, it really said a lot.
“I think he will, too. He seems like a man of his word.” I smiled, recalling Alistair’s genuine interest in the book.
“After that, he drove us to the ice-skating rink. I was a little nervous when I saw that Javier was working, but he was really sweet to the two of us. He even played some music to set the mood. Al isn’t a very good skater, so I tried to help him as best I could.
He slipped and pulled me down with him, and it just sort of”—I waved my hands in front of me—“happened.”
Tegan smiled at me dreamily with her face resting on her fists. “That is so freaking cute, Mom. It sounds like something from a holiday movie.”
“I’d like to think it was less cheesy than a holiday movie,” I said with a laugh. “Javier ruined the moment by checking to see if we were okay. Did he tell your brother?”
She grimaced and nodded her head. “Yeahhh. He did.”
“And what did Reece have to say about it?” His relationship with Don had always been complicated. I wasn’t sure how my son would feel about me entering the dating pool again, let alone kissing someone.
“He was actually really cool about everything. We just want you to be happy, Mom.”
“Thank you, sweetie. It’s nice to have that confirmation.”
“So what happened after that?” she asked with her brows raised.
“After that, we came back here, ordered Chinese food, and watched a movie.”
“Did you guys make out on the couch?”
I could feel my cheeks growing red, so I looked away. It wasn’t exactly what happened, but she didn’t need to know the details.
“Oh my gosh!” she cackled. “You’re like me in my teenage years. So I take it he’s a good kisser?”
“An excellent kisser,” I mumbled against the lid of my coffee cup.
Tegan’s expression dropped slightly. “Doesn’t he go back to Colorado today?”
I gave her a slow nod, settling into the fact that this was over for now.
“And how do you feel about that, Mom?”
“I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t a little sad. I really like him,” I sighed. “He told me he would text me.”
“Has he?”
“Not yet.”
“See, this is what I was worried about,” she huffed. “I don’t want you to get your heart broken.”
“Honey, it was just one date and a few kisses. I knew going into this that it wasn’t going to be forever. Maybe the next time he visits, we’ll go out again.” My voice was hopeful, but I was trying to convince myself of that, not Tegan.
“Well,” she said, rising from the table, “I think you should stay on the dating app. Keep your options open. And someone was telling me about a speed-dating group in Rock Harbor.”
“No. No way,” I said firmly. “This little foray into dating is plenty.”
What I really meant was I liked Alistair and I wasn’t in a rush to meet anyone else.
“Riiight,” she hummed with a knowing smile and gathered up her trash. “I gotta get going, but let me know if he texts you, okay?”
“Will do, baby. Thank you for breakfast.”
She walked around to my side of the table and kissed my cheek. “And make sure you ice your hip or whatever. See the doctor if it keeps bothering you.”
I almost laughed, but I held it in. If she only knew the source of my discomfort was from getting plowed by a well-endowed minotaur…
“Hey, now. If I remember correctly, I’m the parent in this relationship,” I said, following her to the foyer.
“I’m allowed to worry, Mom. See you later!” Tegan put her coat on, gave me a little wave, and slipped out the front door.
Well, that wasn’t so bad, I thought to myself as I climbed the stairs. I didn’t have much on the agenda for today, but after last night, stripping the bed was an absolute must.
Tegan hadn’t pressed me as much as I thought she would, but I was sure I’d be hit with a barrage of questions the next time I saw Reece.
I checked my phone again, hoping for a message from Alistair, but still nothing. He was probably busy packing. Maybe he was spending time with his daughter before he left? Or maybe it was a casual “I’ll text you when I’m free” type of situation, and I’d read things wrong?
I was so out of my element with all of this.
Was there a Complete Idiot’s Guide to Dating After the Death of Your Spouse book?
I’d have to check during my next volunteer shift at the library.
As I finished tugging the fitted sheet off the mattress, my phone vibrated with a text message.
Alistair: Are you home?