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“Thanks, Ray,” I said with a smile. When we walked back inside the house, I announced, “Kids, we’re going to lunch with Ray.”
“Cool!” Max shouted.
“Do we have to go?” Kyra pouted.
“Yes, you guys need to eat, and it’s only for an hour.”
Kyra rolled her eyes but said, “Fine. I’ll get dressed.”
We sat at a small round table near the entrance of the coffee shop. The kids sat in a booth in the corner where I could keep an eye on them. I sipped on my blended iced mocha and nibbled on my club sandwich. “So, tell me about yourself,” Ray urged before taking a sip of his black coffee.
“I’m not sure where to start. To be honest, it’s been a while since I went out on a date.”
“Well, don’t think of it as a date. Think of it as going for coffee, relaxing, and getting to know each other.”
I nodded, though it didn’t help. I didn’t know what I should or shouldn’t share with Ray.
He seemed to sense my uneasiness. “How about telling me more about what brought you here to Palm Hills?”
“Well, I thought about moving here after my divorce, and then my aunt passed. She left me the house. She knew I was only thinking about moving, but it gave me the ability to do it.” My throat grew a little tight from the pressure of holding back tears. My aunt Annie was a second mom to me. She was always there even though we were miles apart. We talked on the phone every day.
“She had a massive heart attack, right?” Ray asked softly.
I nodded.
“We responded to the emergency call.”
“Of course.” I nodded again and took another sip of my mocha. “I always knew it would be either diabetes or heart issues that would take her away from me. She was addicted to sugar.” I missed her. She had beautiful smooth dark skin and thick hair that she preferred to wear in an Afro. “When I stayed with her during the summers, I had to give her insulin shots,” I reflected out loud. I shook my head.
Ray seemed to want to change the subject, so he asked, “Where were you living before?”
“San Francisco. My ex-husband was a real estate agent there.”
Ray raised his eyebrows. “If you don’t mind my asking, why’d you
two get a divorce?”
I took a deep breath in and a slow breath out. Wow, he’s just jumping right in and getting the uncomfortable topics out the way. I took another bite of my sandwich. As I chewed, I contemplated how to answer. I decided on the truth. I swallowed, then admitted, “It was a surprise to me. One day after work, I picked up the kids from day care, and when I arrived home, there was a note on the kitchen table. He had been having an affair and had moved to Europe to be with the woman. He left details about who would be selling our house along with the name and phone number of his divorce attorney.”
“Wow.” Ray shook his head.
“Yep, wow. But…” I took another deep breath and said, “I told him early on, before we were married, that if he didn’t want to be with me, he should just tell me. I don’t want to stay somewhere I’m not really wanted. Never have, never will. Why would anyone want to stay where they aren’t truly loved? Right? So there you have it.”
Ray nodded.
“What about you? Ever been married? I know you have a grandson. Any other grandkids? Kids?”
He sipped his coffee and said, “My wife passed away about ten years ago. I have two boys. One, I haven’t talked to in about two years. I’m not quite ready to speak of that. My other son is engaged and is adopting his fiancé’s son, who you met at the rec center the other day.”
I smiled.
“Let me see. What else can I tell ya?” Ray rubbed his right cheek, then continued, “I’ve been with the Fire Department thirty plus years. I’ll probably stay until they force me to retire.”
I nodded.
“What do you do, Cass?”
“I’m a techy dork for a benefits administration company. I test their system when any new changes need to be implemented and try to break it, then let the other techs know what I found. Then they fix it. Just glad I can work from home so I can be there for the kids, you know?”
