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Finishing up tossing my stuff in the bag and feeling like I might actually be prepared for any and all possibilities, I tossed the bag at the door and went to change clothes. With a fresh set of clothes all the way around, I felt a million times better, spraying on deodorant and cologne and checking myself in the mirror. For a guy who was flipping burgers a half hour before, I thought I didn’t look too bad.
As I drove, I tried to go over different scenarios in my head. It was possible I would get there, and she would tell me the night before had been a mistake. That with a kid, and work and all that, she didn’t have time to date, or that she just wasn’t interested in me. Of course, there was also the fact that I hadn’t been looking to fall for anyone either, though I couldn’t help but be drawn to her like a moth to a flame.
She was insanely beautiful, smart, funny, and her kid was awesome. Despite never thinking about it before, I found myself not minding the idea of a kid being around. As a matter of fact, I thought it might inject some energy back into my day-to-day routine, which had gotten into a bit of a rut since I got out of school. Someone who always was on the search for adventure the way a little boy was had a reinvigorating effect on the brain. In just the little time I’d spent with him, he made me remember what it was like to be a kid myself.
I wanted to see where it all went. I made that decision for myself and hoped her thoughts aligned. I wanted to see where we could go with this, the three of us. If there was something there more than her one momentary attraction to me when she was vulnerable, then I’d be down for sticking it out and figuring out how to do it.
When I got to her place, I took a deep breath and left the bag in the car. I didn’t want to presume anything or have her think I was. I just wanted to present myself as ready for whatever she wanted to do. I knocked and heard her shuffling and hobbling to the door.
“Hey, come in,” she said.
“Thanks,” I said, following her as she hobbled back to the dining room, where Olly was coloring in a coloring book.
“Could you shut the door behind you?” she said over her shoulder. “I would, but…
“I got you,” I said, closing the door and following her into the dining room. “Have you guys had dinner yet?”
“No, actually.” She sat down heavily in a chair next to Olly. “I was about to microwave one of the meals you put in the fridge for me.”
“Oh, well, if that’s what you’d like, I can do it for you,” I said. “Or I can make you something else.”
“Rocky cheese!” Olly said from his chair.
I cocked an eyebrow at Wendy.
“Rocky cheese?” I asked.
“Macaroni and cheese,” she said. “It’s his favorite, but he had a hard time saying it. So, he says ‘rocky cheese.’”
“Ahh,” I said. “Well, does he like it with bacon?”
“I don’t think he’s ever had that,” she said. “I have to admit, I’m not really a cooking mom. I tend to rely on stuff that is ready out of the box or ordering out. I know, it’s terrible.”
“That’s not terrible,” I said, smiling and shaking my head. “If it weren’t for people who can’t or don’t want to cook, I wouldn’t be able to make a living doing it for them.”
“Well, I am absolutely a ‘can’t’ person. I would love to be able to. I just never learned. No one to teach me, I suppose.”
“I could teach you,” I said. “Seriously, I can help you with it if you want.”
“I might take you up on that,” she said.
A lot of people say that and don’t mean it, I thought. She did. There was something in the sparkle of her eye that said she would actually take me up on cooking lessons if she had the chance. Or was I just trying to see something there because I wanted it to be there?
“Well, the offer is there, whenever,” I said. “Does some homemade bacon mac and cheese sound good?”
“I don’t know,” she said, turning to Olly. “Olly, do you think you would like to try Mr. Finn’s special rocky cheese with bacon?”
“Yeah,” he said distractedly. “Look!”
He showed her a drawing he had been coloring of a superhero. I was impressed that the colors were all correct, even if they were in wildly different places than they were supposed to be. The kid seemed to at least understand the color palette, even if drawing within the lines was a way off.
