Chapter Three
Three
Pam
The art of living happily is to live in the present.
—Pythagoras
After Alistair and I hung up last night, I still struggled to fall asleep, staying up into the early morning hours.
He was just so dang charming.
Not to mention how easy it was to have a conversation with him.
He’d also made me laugh a time or two. A sense of humor was always something I’d admired in a partner, but it was something Don never had.
In all our years together, I could probably count on one hand the number of times he’d made me laugh.
And when he did make me laugh, it was at the expense of our children or other people. He just…hadn’t been a very nice person.
I guess that’s why I didn’t feel any guilt about my date with Alistair. Sure, I was nervous, but there was zero guilt there.
“Good morning,” I said to Remi as he emerged from beneath the covers next to me. “Big day today, buddy. Mama’s got a date.”
He gave me a look of displeasure, as if the fact that I wasn’t already up and preparing his breakfast personally offended him. To be fair, it probably did.
Cats.
I got out of bed at the behest of my wrinkled overlord, ready to indulge in coffee and contemplation before getting ready for my date. It was only six thirty, so I had plenty of time to get ready and dwell on the fact that for the first time in years, I was going on a date.
How early was too early to call Tegan?
I fed Remi and nursed my first cup of coffee while I typed out a text to Tegan.
Pam: Hey. I have a date this morning. Call me when you can.
My phone rang a couple of minutes later.
“Jeez. Someone is up early,” I said with a smile.
“Atlas got up early to go for a run, and I’ve been awake ever since,” she groaned.
My daughter was never much of a morning person, but she was mated to one of the most pleasant early risers I’d ever met. Opposites attract and all that, I guess.
“Well, that’s a shame, honey.”
“Yeah, yeah. Enough about me,” she said. “What’s this about a date? I thought I told you to text me if you got a match. How did you even get a match already?”
I gasped. “Excuse me. I believe that yesterday someone called me a babe.”
“Oh my gosh, stop. You know that isn’t what I meant. Tell me everything! Send me pics!”
“All right, all right.” I grabbed my glasses off the table and put Tegan on speakerphone. “His name is Alistair. He’s actually your friend’s father.”
“Which friend?” I could hear the anticipation in her voice.
“Chai?”
She let out a screeching sound that reminded me of a dying animal. “No way. You’re going on a date with Chai’s dad? Did you send me that picture yet?”
“I’m working on it!”
I gulped down some coffee and navigated to Alistair’s profile, screenshotting the picture of him on the mountainside and sending it over to her.
“Sent.”
I could hear her phone buzz with a notification.
“Damn, Mom! He is a hottie. Those horns and that chest hair.”
My lips curved up in a smile. “I think he is, too.”
Tegan let out another little squeal. “This is amazing. Since it’s Chai’s dad, I don’t have to worry about him being some sort of creep.”
“He definitely doesn’t seem like a creep. We talked on the phone for a little bit last night. We—”
She cut me off. “You talked to him on the phone last night? Who are you and what have you done with my mother?”
“We were both nervous about today!” I said with a laugh. “It doesn’t sound like he does much dating.”
“Well, it sounds like you made a good impression. What time are you meeting him?”
“I’m meeting him at the coffee shop down the street from the bakery at nine.”
“Aww,” she said with a dreamy sigh. “That’s a perfect first date.”
“I think so. It’s casual, though. He goes back to Colorado tomorrow.”
“Like, for a trip?”
“No, honey. He lives there. He was only here to look after Chai while she was sick.”
“Mom.” She sounded apprehensive. It was like our roles had reversed, with her as the mother and me as the child. “Are you sure this is a good idea? I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“There’s nothing to worry about. It’s not like I’m going to fall in love with him after one date.”
I’d been trapped in a loveless marriage and spent the last two years alone. I was no stranger to it being me, myself, and I. Well, and Remi.
“I just worry, that’s all. You’ve been through a lot over the past few years. I want you to meet someone, but I want it to be someone who’s going to stick around.”
She was sweet.
“It’s just coffee and conversation. One date, then we’ll go our separate ways.”
“Okay…What are you going to wear?”
Oh, she was definitely my daughter, changing the topic like that. It was a real Pam Rollins move, but I’d cut her a break and go with it.
“I was thinking about wearing a sweater, leggings, boots, and that nice coat you got for me.”
“That’ll be really cute. Send me pics before you head out, and promise you’ll call me as soon as you get home. I don’t anticipate Chai’s dad being a serial killer, but you never know.”
“That thought never even crossed my mind. Love you, honey.”
“Love you, too, Mom. Have fun!”
We hung up, and I drained what was left of my coffee.
I was glad Tegan shared in my excitement, and in a way, I was relieved that she didn’t bring up her father or ask if I was feeling any guilt over going on a date.
Reece had always been fairly detached from Don, but Tegan was a total daddy’s girl.
Growing up, he’d treated them differently, which always rubbed me the wrong way.
Whenever I tried to bring it up, I was told that it was “just how you raised boys.” Knowing what I know now, that was so wrong, and it did lasting damage that Reece was just now getting therapy for.
For a second, I contemplated how different things might have been if I’d had the courage to leave, but the thought passed quickly.
You can’t live in the past, only do what you can to improve upon the future.
I was determined to do just that.
—
I fluffed my hair in the mirror and did a little turn to check my outfit.
I looked good, but I wondered if leggings were too much of a millennial fashion trend for a woman my age. If Tegan had concerns, she would have mentioned them.
Choosing a sweater had proven to be the most difficult part of getting ready.
As an avid knitter, I had quite the collection.
But ultimately, I’d decided to go with the rust-colored sweater from my dating profile picture.
Yeah, it was a little weird, and maybe he’d think I didn’t own any other clothing, but it complemented my hair and eye color.
Remi jumped onto the bathroom counter and rubbed his hairless face against my hip.
“How do I look, bud?” I asked my kitty companion.
I pulled out my phone, snapped a few pictures of us, and sent them to Tegan.
Tegan: Hot mama! Have a great time!!
Shit.
The time stamp on the message read 8:45 a.m. I lived right down the street from the coffee shop and planned to walk and not worry about parking, but with the ice and snow on the sidewalks, I was cutting it close.
“All right, little man. I’ve gotta get going. Wish me luck.” I gave him an affectionate pat on the back before bustling out of the bathroom and heading downstairs.
I threw on my coat and wrapped my favorite knit scarf around my neck. I’d had it since Reece and Tegan were young. It was a gorgeous sage-colored yarn knit in a herringbone pattern.
The cold air stung my nose the second I stepped onto my front porch. I almost regretted walking, but the warmth of the morning sun on my cheeks made me change my mind.
Briar Glenn was such a beautiful town. With the mayor’s revitalization initiative, it had undergone a sort of renaissance. There were new businesses, new faces, and a renewed sense of community.
“Morning, Mrs. Rollins,” a familiar voice whistled as I neared my future son-in-law’s gym.
I glanced up to find Fallon, Atlas’s best friend and Cyrus’s former roommate, giving me a friendly flutter of his wing. He was a handsome griffin in his mid-thirties, with golden brown fur covering the lower lion portion of his body, and bright white feathers on his birdlike head and wings.
“Morning, Fallon! I’d love to chat, but I’m late for my date.” I gave him a polite smile and kept walking.
He whistled again as I passed him. “A date? He’s a lucky guy. Have a great time!”
That Fallon sure was a sweetheart, but from what I’d heard from Tegan, he was quite the player when it came to dating.
The sign for the coffee shop came into view, and I felt my stomach flip with anxiety.
“It’s fine. Everything is going to be fine,” I mumbled, walking through the front door.
The rich scent of coffee filled my nose the moment I walked inside. A warm laugh echoed through the shop, one I vaguely recognized and that brought a smile to my face.
There he was.
Alistair’s back was turned toward me as he chatted with Brian, the owner and head barista at the Busy Bean.
Holy shit, he is beefy. And tall, almost as tall as Atlas.
His craggy horns curved toward the ceiling, and a worn jacket stretched across his wide back.
It was the same one he wore in the mountainside picture, making me feel less awkward about my sweater.
Just below the hem of his jacket, his tail stuck out from a hole in his perfectly fitted jeans and swayed back and forth lazily.
His ears perked up when he heard the overhead bell of the door, and he turned to face me.
Sweet heavenly goddess.
He smiled down at me, a soft lopsided grin full of perfectly white flat teeth. Long lashes—the type you’d kill for—fanned out over his wide brown eyes. They were deep and expressive, gleaming with excitement and kindness.
He was even more handsome in person.
“Hi there,” he said in that gruff voice of his. “You must be Pam.”
“Y-yes. H-hi.” I needed to get it together. I could barely speak.
He laughed and extended his hefty hand out to me. “I’m Alistair, but you can call me Al.”
Al.
He watched me intently as my tongue darted out to wet my lips.
“I take it you’re my long-lost pal, then,” I said, shaking his hand.
Pam Rollins, what is wrong with you? A Paul Simon joke about his name?
Al stared at me for a second before he let out another genuine laugh. “Ha! That’s a good one. I love Paul Simon. That entire album is perfection.”
The knot in my stomach loosened slightly.
He didn’t think it was stupid; he thought it was funny!
“I think it’s perfection, too! I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”
Al ran a hand along his horns, ruffling his cream-colored curls. “Not long at all.” He gestured to Brian. “Brian here was just giving me the rundown of their seasonal specialties, and I think I’m all set. Do you know what you’d like to order?”
I peeked around Al and gave Brian a little wave. “The usual, please, Brian.”
I started digging around in my purse, searching for my wallet, but Al gently patted my arm.
“I’d like to treat if that’s okay? Have you eaten yet? What about a pastry or something?” He pointed to the blueberry muffins with the crumble topping inside the pastry case. “I’ve been eyeing those muffins.”
“Oh, they’re to die for.”
Al turned to Brian. “And a large Americano and two blueberry muffins, please.” He turned back to me and smiled. I couldn’t help but beam up at him. “Why don’t you find us a table?”
So. Freaking. Charming.
“Okay,” I said with a nod and headed to my favorite spot while Al paid for our order.
I took off my scarf and coat, then draped them over the back of my chair while I waited for Al.
He was such a gentleman. In all my years of marriage, I don’t think Don had ever had me take a seat while he grabbed our drinks and food. Sometimes it was the little things that made the biggest impression.
Brian passed Al a tray with our drinks and muffins on it, which he dutifully carried over to me, his hooves clicking along the tile floor as he approached.
“For you, madam,” he said, passing me a muffin and my latte.
“Thank you so much.”
“It’s my pleasure.” He sat across from me and took a sip of his Americano. “Ah, sweet caffeine.”
I let out a little laugh. “I managed to sneak in a cup before I got ready this morning. I needed it,” I said.
He set down his drink and smiled at me from across the table with that lopsided grin of his. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
“Thank you,” I said shyly, rubbing my hand over the back of my neck. “You look just as handsome as your pictures.”
“Well, thank you. I like your sweater.”
I stretched my arms out over the table, showing off one of my favorite pieces of knitwear and beaming with pride. “Thank you! I made it myself.”
“I remember from your profile. I’ve always been envious of people who can make things.”
“It isn’t too hard once you get the hang of it.”
He snorted, his wide pink nostrils flaring and the ring between them wiggling slightly. “If we had more time, I’d say that you could teach me.”
His words settled like a heavy weight between us. Yes, we’d just met, but I liked him already.
“Mm-hmm,” I hummed. “True. Are you excited to go home?”
“Well, I was.” He smiled kindly before leaning over the table and whispering, “I’m wishing I had a little more time right about now.”
Heat rushed up my chest, straight to the apples of my cheeks.
This was the first time in a long time that I’d felt chemistry like this with someone.
And before I knew it, he’d be returning to Colorado. But that didn’t mean we couldn’t enjoy it while it lasted.