Chapter 23
BIG STEP
“You’re nervous,” Carly said the following Sunday.
“You think?”
“There is no reason to be. Jonah is excited. He’s been talking about it.”
“He has?”
Last Saturday, when he got out of work, he told Carly about Molly.
That he’d been dating someone for a few weeks. Counting the time he met her for the first time, it was more than a month.
And if anyone had told him six months ago that after a handful of dates he’d be introducing a woman to his son, he’d not only laugh them out of his bar, but he’d toss them out on their ass.
“He has. It helps that you’ve talked about her too.”
“I haven’t said much more than she’s a friend and her name.”
Carly laughed. “You brought home cookies from her on Monday. That already won him over.”
He laughed. “I was smart enough to not say she made those cupcakes. He didn’t like them at all.”
“I thought that was great. Really, Dean, I’m happy for you. What does she know about you? Besides about Jonah?”
Carly is the only person who knew all the details about his life.
And it took years for her to get it out of him.
When he’d hired her, he’d been honest and told her he owned the bar. That he had a lot of wealth and kept that private and expected her to also.
In his mind, he had to trust the woman with his son and that meant no secrets.
It took longer for Carly to get more out about his relationship with his family though.
And through it all, she was supportive and understanding
It made it easier for her to see when his parents and sister visited those few times.
How they didn’t make too many attempts to get to know Jonah either.
“She knows the truth about Jonah. I think the moment I shared that, I understood that this was more than I realized.”
“That is a good sign.”
“She knows nothing else. Nothing about my family, or even Willow’s visit. Just that it was a family emergency.”
Carly snorted. “Some emergency that was.”
“You get it but very few do.”
“Tell me more about Molly. Why do you think she’s the one you’re ready to introduce to Jonah.”
His son was in his loft playing.
“What do you want to know?”
“What you want to tell me. Maybe if you say all those good things about her out loud you won’t be so nervous.”
“And here everyone says I’m the smart one.”
Carly winked and pointed to her temple. “I’ve still got it.”
“She’s a food researcher, or food scientist. She loves to bake and is always testing funny ingredients in things. She makes her coworkers laugh. Me too.”
“Laughter is a great trait to have.”
“I think so. She’s kind of a chameleon. One day she looks one way, another a different. Her personality is always the same deep down, but I think she’s shy at times.”
“She can’t be too shy if she met you in a bar alone.”
He’d told Carly that part. How that all came about.
“Well. I think anger and hunger brought her there. Then we talked. We know I’m sweet to look at and she came back for more.
She didn’t have the best childhood. Not from her father, who died seven years ago, and her mother who is still alive but they aren’t close. ”
“If anyone can understand how hard it is to have parents you don’t get along with, it’s you.”
“Exactly.”
“So why haven’t you told her that part? Do you think she’d be after your money or something?”
He hadn’t thought that. “No. I just think it’s overload. I told her I went to Columbia and that my family thought I’d be a doctor. I just didn’t go into any other details. It’s early yet for that.”
“That’s still more than I thought you’d share.”
“See. But like I said, she’s sweet on the eyes also, but there is more to her than that. She just…makes me feel different. Good though.”
“That’s all that matters then.”
“Dad!” Jonah came running down the stairs. “Is she here yet?”
“No,” he said. And he was worried over that too. When she saw his house.
But since Ruby sold it to him, he was guessing she might know exactly where he lived in Paradise Place.
“When is she coming?”
“Soon,” he said. “She was stopping at her sister’s first. She lives in Paradise Place.”
“Do I know her? Does she have kids?” Jonah asked.
“Actually,” he said. “I don’t know if you remember from the picnic last year, but they’ve got a son named Caleb. Ruby sold me this house and that is Molly’s sister.”
“I know Caleb. We see him at the park, right, Jonah?”
He turned his head. “You do? I didn’t know that?”
“It’s not all the time. When we go to the park, he’s there at times with other kids. Jonah is outgoing and plays with them. Remember, I just found out about Molly too.”
“True.” He moved to the kitchen and opened the fridge. “I appreciate you putting together the dips and picking everything up.”
“Not a problem. I had the time for the dips yesterday.”
Nothing elaborate really. A crab dip, a spinach one, and ranch. Different crackers and veggies for them.
Things that he knew she’d eat and so would Jonah.
“You can stay for lunch,” he said.
“Nope. You want a buffer. You need to do this on your own. I’m just happy you thought of me to meet Molly.”
“Of course. You’re as close to family as I’ve got.”
Plus, he needed her input on how Jonah reacted to this when he wasn’t around.
“I feel the same way about you, Dean.”
“She’s here,” Jonah yelled when the doorbell went off.
“She is,” he said moving toward the front. His son was on his heels. He was glad he wasn’t the only one excited over this.
He opened the door and she was standing there with a container in her hand. “Hi,” she said. “I’m Molly and you must be Jonah.”
“Hi. Dad said you’re his girlfriend.”
His tongue slid between his teeth while he tried to figure out what to say.
He didn’t need to worry.
She covered well. “I guess I am. And this is for you.”
“What is it?” Jonah asked, jumping and trying to look at it.
“It’s a cake. Your dad told me you like cars. I’m not good at drawing, but I used a stencil.”
Jonah’s jaw dropped. “I love cake. What kind?”
“Chocolate. With cream cheese frosting and raspberry filling.”
“I love raspberries too,” Jonah said, reaching up but he held his son back to not knock it over. “Can I see it?”
“Sure, sugar up my kid.”
He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the lips. “Maybe I’m a little nervous he might not like me,” she whispered.
He had that fear too, but it didn’t seem like it’d be an issue.
“Come in. I want you to meet Carly.”
“Your house is enormous. I know they have big houses here, but I wasn’t sure where you lived until I got the address.”
The newer section but there were houses here much bigger than his.
He’d like to think he was in the middle but knew that was kind of a lie.
“It was available and met my needs.”
“I remember Ruby saying that.”
“And it’s nice to have the space for him to run.”
No reason to add that the house was a fraction of the one he grew up in.
She followed him through the formal living room and his office up front, then to the back where Carly was in the kitchen and getting all the dips and crackers laid out just right.
“Hi. I’m Carly, and I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“You have?” she asked.
“Dean has filled me in recently,” Carly said. “He wanted me to meet you but I’m not staying.”
“Oh, you can,” she said quickly, her eyes wide.
“See,” he said. “I’m not the only one wanting a buffer.”
“Figure it out,” Carly said, tapping his cheek. “Jonah, I’m leaving.”
“Bye, Carly. Can I come over later to visit?”
“No,” he said. “You know that. You don’t go to Carly’s house when she’s not working.”
Carly walked out the door off the hall in the kitchen. “Where does she live?” she asked. “I didn’t see a car in the driveway.”
“She lives in the garage,” Jonah said.
“Huh? She lives in your garage with your vehicle?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “There is an apartment behind the garage. One bedroom, living room, bathroom, kitchen.”
“Wow, talk about convenience for you. And her. Just a few steps home and to work.”
“Yeah. It’s a perfect setup.”
“Just like these dips. Did you make them or Carly?”
“Carly did last night. But I know how to cook. I’m doing it today.”
“Dad is great at grilling burgers. That’s what we are having. Marcus taught him how to make them so they don’t shrink.”
“I think your dad might get spoiled having a chef at work to teach him things.”
He put his arm around her and pulled her close. His eyes never left his son, who wasn’t all that interested and would rather dip crackers in ranch.
So much for the veggies he’d put out.
“I’ve got you too. You’re pretty good with food.”
She put her head on his shoulder quickly. “I am. My heart is racing,” she whispered.
“He’s fine. Trust me. I’d know by now. It’s good.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” he whispered.
This was a big step for him.
Maybe the biggest in his life.
Nothing had compared to standing up to his grandfather.
And just like then, he seemed to land in the right spot.