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But I wouldn’t let myself. I wouldn’t do that to myself or to my son. Even after I fell for a guy young and ended up pregnant. But Trip didn’t immediately turn tail and run. He stayed on to torment me for a little longer. Then turned into the poster boy for deadbeat dads. It didn’t matter. I’d keep pushing forward. I’d never stop trying. I wouldn’t be satisfied until I made it out of Ashford and found a better life.
And Deana was a huge part of that. Even though we were like ships passing in the night recently, I knew she was always there for me. I could call her in the middle of the night, and she would answer. I could tell her I needed her, and she would be there without question. And as soon as I got the job with the logging company and needed someone to watch Olly for me, she’d instantly stepped in.
The only other option was my mother, and that was a big no. There was no way I was letting that woman have a hand in raising my son. Not after the number she did on me. I wouldn’t let her expose Olly to any of the things that she’d gotten into throughout her life.
Deana didn’t hesitate. She scooped my son up like he was hers and never held it over me. She never acted like it was a big deal or like she was going out of her way for me. I’d never be able to thank her enough or show her how much she meant to me and to Olly. I could only hope she somehow knew just how valuable and special she really was.
And it didn’t stop with her being my best friend or taking care of Olly. She also worked remotely for a hospital and was absolutely amazing at her job. But that job meant logging in on her computer as soon as I picked Olly up each day. It was rare for us to have the same days off and for one or both of us to not have a million other things that needed to be done.
But it had finally happened. It seemed the stars had aligned, and we finally had the opportunity to just relax and spend some time together.
“That sounds really nice,” I said. “Want me to pick something up?”
“No, I’m cooking. Just come on over.”
“Olly is covered with sand,” I said.
“So, you can give him a bath, and we’ll tuck him into bed. Trust me, he probably has almost as much of a wardrobe at my house as he does at home.”
“Alright,” I said, taking a turn so I could change directions. “I’m on my way. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Yay!”
I laughed and shook my head as I reached to my phone where I’d set in the holder on the dash and put it on speaker, ending the call. When I got to Deana’s house, I walked into a delicious smell that made me let out an audible groan.
“If the smell of pizza is making you make that kind of noise, you really need to reconsider this no-man philosophy of yours,” she said as she came out of the kitchen.
“I still don’t need a man,” I said. “But I definitely need that pizza.”
She took Olly out of my arms and carried him into the bathroom. He woke up as I gave him his bath but was already back to sleep by the time he was in his pajamas and tucked into bed. I always felt bad when he fell asleep before having dinner on Saturdays, but he usually ate enough at our picnic to cover both meals, so it wasn’t too bad.
I kissed my son and went down to the kitchen. The homemade pizza smelled even better from there. Deana was an amazing cook. She was beautiful, funny, smart, and made a Thanksgiving dinner that was to die for. One day, she would make an awesome wife and mother. For now, I was happy to reap the benefits.
She went to the oven and pulled out two trays of pizza. One was heavily laden with vegetables, and the other had pepperoni and pineapple. She cut both into slices and handed me a plate so I could load it up with a sampling of each. As she poured sweet tea into glasses for us and perched up on the island counter beside me, we caught up with everything going on in our lives.
“Does it make me completely weird and petty to complain about my coworkers when I work remotely?” she asked as she worked her way through her second slice.
I shook my head and swallowed my bite of pepperoni and pineapple, following it with a gulp of tea.
“Not at all. You still have to interact with them. You still have to hear all their inane rambling and fix their mistakes. You can totally complain about them.”
