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Sasha stepped in, dabbing her own tears and giving me a hug, too. Then they did what any good friends would do, which was to make me laugh during lunch and forget about any worry over my soon-to-be-ex-husband.
I didn’t see Mark until that evening when he knocked on my door. He appeared hesitant to come in when I opened it.
“Are you mad?” he asked right away.
Sighing, I appreciated that the question showed he was taking ownership of blabbing to Brian about Rob making bail. “Of course not. He would’ve found out by lunch anyways.”
Mark didn’t look relieved. “But what about the part with the PI?”
I quirked a brow but turned quickly when Tristan came running toward us.
He had eyes only for Mark. “Mark, Mark.”
The object of his affection lifted him up immediately onto his hip, thus ensuring I couldn’t show my annoyance regarding what he was about to tell me.
“I um, may have suggested it. And so you’re aware, if Brian hadn’t insisted on picking up the tab, then I would have.”
Tristan chose that moment to hug him tight as if to pledge his unwavering allegiance.
“That’s very generous, but wouldn’t everyone have wondered why you were paying for my PI?” I’m not sure why I lobbed my question out there, but I found myself curious to hear his answer. I was disappointed when it came.
“Yeah. I suppose I didn’t think of that.”
“Do you want to come in? I’m about to bathe Tristan.”
“Sure thing.” He turned toward my son. “What kind of toys do you have? Any rubber duckies?”
And just like that, Mark became an integral part of bath time.
* * *
On Wednesday nightHaylee came over for our usual dinner night. This time it was lasagna, which I showed her how to prepare. When we sat down, she took a bite and sighed with bliss.
“I’m definitely making this for Josh.”
“You’re definitely taking the rest of it home because you made this one.”
She shook her head, but I wasn’t having it.
“If you leave that pan with me, I won’t eat it. I’m trying to cut down on carbs.” Even in saying it, I was shoving garlic bread into my face. “You know, starting next Monday.”
She laughed. “Well, he’ll really enjoy it for Friday dinner, not to mention be shocked I made it.”
“You could come over tomorrow after class if you want to make dessert, too.”
“Thanks, but I have an appointment with Dr. Mac tomorrow.”
Simply the mention of the good doctor brought on guilt since I still hadn’t managed to call him.
As if reading my mind, she said, “I’m sorry if I make you feel uncomfortable by bringing him up. I promise I’m not pushing him on you.”
“No, no, I know that. I think it’s more about my guilt with recognizing I could probably use someone to talk to and have no excuse for not reaching out.” But if I ever wanted to get past my insecurities, maybe it was time. And though Rob was doing very little, according to Andy who’d been tailing him, the fact that he was out on bail put me on edge. It was as though I was waiting for something to happen but not knowing what form it would take.
“Whether you do choose to call him or not, I hope you know I’m always here if you want to talk.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“Oh, by the way, I have great news to tell you. I got accepted to Columbia in New York. I’ll start second semester. Josh was curbing his enthusiasm until I assured him it’s truly what I want. Now he couldn’t be happier. I have to say it feels as though a weight has been lifted. I swear, if I didn’t have you here during the week, I’d be going crazy. So I know transferring schools was the right decision.”
