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“Who is Milton?”
“The man who is doing my bathroom tile.”
“Oh, okay. Is he cute?”
I laughed. “Lauren, why would you care if he is cute?”
“I don’t.” She grinned mischievously at me. “But maybe you do.”
“Well, Milton is a nice man, but not my type.”
“Okay, fine,” Lauren said dramatically.
“I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.”
“You know, Mom, someday you are going to find a man you like.”
I laughed. “That is not something that I am interested in right now, Lauren. I have to go. I love you, and I will talk to you tomorrow.”
“Love you, too.”
I hung up and inhaled deeply before releasing it. When I turned around, I found Brad standing in the doorway.
“Is that really something that you are not interested in?”
Chapter Sixteen
Bradley
Ididn’t normally eavesdrop, but I was interested in her relationship with her girls. As I stood there, I realized that she didn’t speak much about them. In fact, I don’t think I even knew their names.
I knew them now, but only because I had come to check on her when I heard her raise her voice. The conversation that I overheard confused me, and I wondered why a child would get so upset because someone had cleaned their room. Both of my kids would have been ecstatic if I had cleaned theirs.
What really caught my attention was the last thing she said about not wanting to find someone. Was that true?
I pushed the door the rest of the way open and stepped inside. “Is that really something that you are not interested in?”
She pursed her lips like she wasn’t happy I was there. I guess she had a right to be. Finally, she slipped her phone into her pocket and crossed her arms over her chest. “How long were you listening?”
“I came to check on you when I heard your voice getting louder. It sounded like you were upset.”
“I was, but it is none of your business.”
“I’m sorry. I was just making sure you were alright.”
“I’m fine. Just a small issue at home. I need to get back to Milton.” She began to approach, and I stepped aside to let her pass.
She was much different today than she had been last week. Maybe she was just tired, but perhaps there was something else bothering her. As I followed her back to her bathroom, I pondered how I could get her to open up.
She was quiet as she worked with Milton, and I could tell her heart wasn’t into what she was doing. She waffled over three different tiles, and finally, Milton suggested she think it over and let him know the next day. I thought that was a great idea.
Obviously, she was exhausted and stressed, and I stepped away from them for a few moments to make a phone call. When I came back, they were finishing up, and I studied her profile. She had circles under her eyes and tiny lines on her forehead that weren’t normally there.
After we walked Milton out, she turned to me, and I saw it coming, but I wasn’t going to let her back out. “Get your purse, and let’s go eat.”
“Brad, I’m tired. Like suddenly exhausted.”
I cupped her cheek. “I know you are. That’s why I already ordered dinner, and we will pick it up and go back to my place. After you eat, you can rest.”
