Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Mia
“ H ere you go,” Angus says, as soon as my seat belt is on. There’s no hiding the surprise on my face when he hands me a warm cup of coffee with a peppermint candy sitting on top of the lid.
“Ooh, you went to Becks. Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.” I take a sip, thinking it’s just a black coffee, and am surprised to find it’s my exact order. Cue the teenage giddiness doing cartwheels in my belly.
“No biggie, I was stopping for myself anyway.”
He holds up his cup.
“How in the world did you know my order?”
“Goof, you’ve been drinking nonfat white chocolate mochas since high school.” He taps his temple. “Besides, you know this is a steel trap.”
Goof. That’s all it takes to send the butterflies that had come to life from his kind gesture, back into the winter hibernation I’ve relegated them to since my trip to his loft. I don’t have the space in my life for unrequited love.
“Did you already eat your mint?”
“Nope, that’s just for you. You’re the only person I know who loves coffee but hates the smell of it. Didn’t want you stressing about coffee breath during your interview.”
Who in the world is this man and when did he become so observant? Attentive? He’s always been thoughtful and kind, but this is different. It’s not generic thoughtfulness he dishes out to everyone. Things seem more personal than before. Or maybe I’m imagining the change.
I’m sure it’s my lack of sleep causing delusions. I’m feeling more than I’m sure he intended me to?
He isn’t doing anything for me he wouldn’t for his sister.
I will forever be Goof to him.
Nothing more.
“Gus, Gus!” Sawyer squeals from the back seat.
“Hey buddy, you ready to hang out with me while your mommy kicks some interview butt?”
“Gus, Gus!” my sweet boy yells again, his legs kicking in his seat.
Hey, I get it. There was a time when I used to get just as excited in the back of his truck as a teen. Only I had to bottle it up and keep it all to myself, not wanting Daisy, who was always sitting right next to me, to catch on.
Holy crap. Until today, I’ve never been in a truck with Angus when his sister wasn’t in it, too.
“Thanks again for doing this. I really appreciate it.”
“Not a problem. You know I love the little guy. We’ll go throw some snowballs at the park and if it gets too cold, we’ll warm up inside the truck.”
“Hopefully, I won’t be gone long enough for him to need a diaper change, but should something happen, everything you need is in the bag. There are snacks and a sippy cup and...”
“We’ll be fine, Mom. Right now, you need to focus on getting yourself into interview mode. You feeling ready?”
“It’s not like you spend a lot of time with two-year-olds.”
“Yes, but Sawyer and I have a gentlemen's agreement.”
“Really? And what kind of agreement would that be?”
“That is between the two of us gentlemen, but rest assured, it is one of trust and understanding. That is all you need to know. Isn’t that right, buddy?”
“Gus, Gus!”
Well, would you look at that? My own son is Team McKinnon. Typical.
“So, that’s the clinic.”
“It’s fantastic.”
“Thanks, we’re pretty happy with it,” Dr. Gibbons says as we head back to her office.
My interview went well. So well, that as she gave me the tour of the facility, she spoke as if me getting the job was a forgone conclusion. So far, so good.
“Have a seat.” She gestures to the tan leather chair I sat in while she and her colleagues interviewed me. I’d stumbled over two of the typical questions—more from nerves than anything—but recovered quickly. I think I did well, but who really knows?
And just like during my interview, I can’t help but turn my granny's ring round and round my finger. It’s a simple silver band with small gemstones embedded into the polished silver. I never leave the house without it. It’s how I keep her close. When my nerves get the best of me, I tend to move it from hand to hand or spin it around my finger. It’s basically my own version of a fidget spinner.
Something catches her attention out the window behind me and her face beams with a smile. “Your husband and son are adorable together.”
“Excuse me?” I asked, confused.
Husband?
“I saw them drop you off, and it looks like they’re entertaining themselves rather well.”
Turning to see what in the world she is talking about, my heart melts when I take in the sight.
In the park that butts up to the new medical building, Angus has Sawyer on his shoulders, and they’re both laughing hysterically. Sawyer yells something and Angus jogs a few paces and when Sawyer yells what looks like, “Stop!” Angus freezes in place. My baby boy is beside himself with laughter. By all appearances, the two of them are having the time of their lives.
“They’re clearly close. It’s so nice to see the family bond between them.”
Her eyes flash to the ring that I only now realize is on that finger, and my heart drops.
"Oh--”
“It was so sweet to see them send you off with well wishes when you got here.”
“Yes, they are sweet, but--”
“Family is one of our core values here,” she interrupts me again. “It’s why we plan to have day care on-site. Children shouldn’t be away from their parents and parents are more productive if they know their children are nearby and well taken care of. You should feel as comfortable at work with your little boy in our care as you do with him playing in the snow with your husband.”
“That’s wonderful and one of the many reasons I would love to work here for you and your husband, but--”
“We still have a few more interviews to do and with it being the holiday season, we’ll make our decision just after the new year. If we hire you, when do you think you could start?”
“Well, I’d like to give my current employer two weeks' notice if possible?”
“Of course.” She stands from her chair on the other side of her desk and I follow her lead standing as well. “I really do think you and your family will be the perfect fit.”
I cannot let her hire me believing I’m married. There is a lot that comes with being a single mom. If Sawyer is sick, I’m the only one who can stay home with him. If he has doctor appointments, I’m the only person who can take him.
“Dr. Gibbons--”
“Oh, dear. You better get out there. Looks like your little one is upset,” she says just as she takes her hand in mine.
Sure enough, a glance out the window and I see tears streaming down Sawyer’s face. Fear grips my heart.
“Go, we’ll be in touch.”
I rush out of the room, down the hall and push out of the clinic without changing out of my heels and into my boots. The need to get to my son is all-consuming.
Just as I take my first step into the frigid foot-deep snow-covered park, I hear my favorite laugh in the entire world. The tension leaves my body, making me far too aware of my wet feet. The snow is now inside my heels and covering my pants.
“Mama!” the sweetest little voice yells when he sees me.
“Hey, buddy,” I yell, taking a step back onto the snow free concrete.
“Goof, what were you thinking? Your feet are getting soaked.”
“I know, but I saw him crying. I was rushing to see if he was okay. I wasn’t thinking.”
The smallest smile tugs at his lips. “He’s fine. We were playing and a bunch of snow fell off a branch and landed right on him. Went down his face and a little into his coat. It shocked him is all. He’s good now, aren’t ya, Sawyer?”
“Yer, all good, Mama,” he says, from atop Angus’s shoulders.
He can’t quite get his full name out, so Yer it is for now. We’re working on it.
“You didn’t leave your interview early, did you?”
“No, it was pretty much over, anyway.”
My body shakes from the cold as we walk toward the truck. He holds on to Sawyer’s legs with one hand and pulls his key fob out of his pocket with the other. He presses a button, and the truck comes to life.
“How’d it go?” he asks, opening the truck door. Reaching inside, he grabs my coat and holds it open for me while I slip it on. With Sawyer still beaming from his shoulders, Angus bends his knees and zips my coat up like it’s the most normal thing in the world.
“Uh, it went great.” I nearly forgot he had asked me about my interview after his chivalrous gesture.
“Told you it would. Now hop in and get warmed up. I’ll strap this little monster into his seat.”
Sawyer roars like a monster and we both laugh.
“Get in,” he whispers, opening the door. His face is relaxed. Happy. He hasn’t looked like this since we were kids. All it took was forty-five minutes with Sawyer.
Oh, my heart.
After hopping in the passenger seat, I turn around to see if he needs help with the car seat, but he’s a quick study, because he’s almost done, whereas I don’t even have my seat belt on yet.
Getting settled, I try to think of how to tell him what Dr. Gibbons assumed and how she hadn’t let me correct her. I feel so incredibly stupid. And a small, self-conscious part of me wonders if the doctor would have treated me differently if she knew I was a single mom. I need this job and I don’t want her to think less of me. But I don’t want to accept it under false pretenses, either. Besides, I have to come clean. What if she or my coworkers run into him in town or something? He is a business owner, it could happen.
He jumps into the driver’s seat and turns up the heat, rubbing his hands together and holding them in front of the heater vents.
“Thanks for hanging out with him. I owe you one.” I’m gonna owe him a lot when he finds out what just happened during my interview.
“You don’t owe me a thing. I had a blast.” He looks at me with a soft smile that reaches his eyes. “You’re a wonderful mom, Mia. He’s a great kid.”
My eyes instantly water. His compliment about my parenting hitting me right in the feels. There’s no way he’ll ever know how much his kind words mean to me.
“Thanks.” I glance over my shoulder and notice that Sawyer’s face is rosy from the cold, but he’s grinning and content as can be. “I did hit the lottery with him, didn’t I?”
“I’d say you both hit the jackpot. Now, tell me everything.”
“Well, it went great. After the interview, they showed me around and it’s beautiful. Everything is brand new and all the tools are the latest and greatest. It’s a phenomenal clinic. It would be a dream to work there.”
“And could you tell if they were into you?” He wags his eyebrows.
“Yes, I think so. I mean, she did say...” Mia, just rip the band-aid off! “That she thought my family would be a perfect fit.”
My cheeks burn with embarrassment.
“Your family?”
“This is so embarrassing, but she thought you were my husband and Sawyer’s dad.”