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“I guess …” Christie finally said, still not meeting my gaze. She shook her head. “Wow, I really don’t know.”
“What was your first thought?”
“Being successful. Work.” She scoffed. “But that sounded stupid.”
“It’s a start. You can prioritize work if you know not to get lost in it. Heck, I didn’t prioritize work, and apparently, I still got lost in it.” She looked up with a weak smile. “Find the job you want and ensure it’s the one you deserve. By the time you think you have things going for you, you will find something else.”
“I just hope it’s a good thing.”
I wanted to tell her that it would be, but who was I to know? Instead, I found myself wanting to ask her something, but I wasn’t sure how she’d respond.
“I always thought my family was my number one. I was making the money, so I put work first so they’d have it all. I never wanted to be in a bad place financially, you know? All those married couples fighting about money—I didn’t want that for us.”
She nodded.
“I just wanted us to be happy. But when we divorced, I found all these things I had been doing wrong. When we were married, those things were what I thought she wanted me to do.”
“Like starting the business?”
“Expanding it. We were fine with the two or three local crews I’d started up. Building up more kept me busy a lot, though, and that’s what she didn’t like. I get it now, but at the time, I thought I was doing what I was supposed to.”
“So what are your priorities now?” she asked, reminding me why I’d brought up the past at all.
“My son. He’s my main priority. The reason I do what I do.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
I shook my head quickly. “Hell no. I just wish I knew how to handle things now.”
“Just be there for him, Ryan. That’s all. Delegate your tasks, hire who you need to, just be there for your kid.”
“But it’s not that simple.”
Her brow furrowed in confusion, and I decided just to say it.
“I’m scared Darlene might try to take him from me.” This wasn’t a first-date conversation. It really wasn’t. In fact, it wasn’t even a second, third, or tenth date conversation. But I felt the connection I thought existed at the airport.
Looking up, I waited for that “I’m out” expression, that lost look that people had when they wondered what they got themselves into, but instead, I saw sympathy. Her soft expression warmed me to my core, and everything felt like it would be okay.
“I don’t think Darlene wants to take him from you, Ryan.”
For some reason, I almost believed her. That’s what I wanted to think. I wasn’t sure what it was about her words, but I felt she might be right. I wasn’t sure how ready I was to believe her entirely, but I at least wanted to share her optimism.
We talked more about it but not for long before we moved on to other things. I really did need to give Darlene and James my best to show them I was in the game. Christie had said misunderstandings were often two-sided, which was true since she and I had been on different ends of the spectrum. And we had connected so easily the first time.
I made fun of her for having such a nosy mom, and she demanded I tell her everything her mom said. It wasn’t something I’d tried hard to remember but teasing her about it was fun. Really, her mom had called a lot, but I’d ignored most of them after she’d asked for my first and last name and home address. She was protecting her girl, which was cool, but it didn’t mean I cared to be on her radar.
When we finally left the diner, I felt more alive than I had in a good while. I wanted to do everything I had planned. It took an effort to avoid asking Christie to look at houses with me. I didn’t need to leap forward ten more steps after already doing that with our conversation, but I didn’t really want her to leave, either.
I couldn’t remember when I’d felt like that around Darlene and wondered if things would be easier had I any ability to feel like this around her. It would probably make all this easier, and maybe it still could. Christie and Darlene weren’t the same people, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t adapt.
Chapter 15
Christie
“No, Mom, it wasn’t a date.”
“Oh, come on, Christie. Don’t try to tell me that. Was he a gentleman? Did he kiss you? Did y’all—”
