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It’d been a fight that Noelle and he had for years. He wasn’t ready and neither was she early on in the marriage. But when he was promoted up and felt like he reached where he wanted to be, she said it was her turn to put her job first. To move up.
It seemed like they were never on the same page at the same time.
He’d made comments about her window closing in to have a child and she didn’t appreciate that. He was only speaking the truth.
“I did. I still do.”
“I’m not saying Jasmine is the one for you. Not at all. I’m just saying that men can have kids later in life with a younger woman.”
“I realize that. But I don’t want to be using a cane to go to my kid’s college graduation either.”
His mother laughed. “Trust me, I know. I thought I’d have a grandkid by now too.”
“We moved here to begin a new chapter,” he said.
“That sounds much better,” she said. “We can write the story how we want it. The question is what do you want?”
“Something I haven’t had before,” he said.
“Then get it,” his mother said. “Nothing has ever stopped you before going after what you wanted. I want to say do it for Noelle, but the truth is, I want you to do it for you.”
He was starting to realize he had to do it for him too.
“Thanks,” he said. “I’m still not going to give all the details so don’t think that, but it was nice to talk about this.”
She put her hands on the chair she’d been sitting in and stood up. “Then my work here is done.”
“How come you never looked again?” he asked. “Don’t tell me Dad soured you on men.”
“No,” she said. “Work came first. I am who I am. I can’t change that. You never were that way. Or you aren’t as bad as I am. You spend your time on your career for a goal and when you reach it, you settle in. Me, I’m always going for the next carrot.”
“Which is why you didn’t give up on Noelle’s lawsuit?”
“Yes. And I subjected you to way too much. The grief never ended. You were shown details and images you didn’t need to see. For years it was a job to me and I didn’t care either to see them. But when it’s someone you love, you realize how wrong you were.”
His mother left the room and he started to wonder if she was just as traumatized as he was when it was all over.
He picked his phone up and sent a text to Jasmine. He’d keep it simple.I had a great time last night. Thanks for listening and not judging.
That was more than what he wanted to write, but it was the truth. The truth was normally the best.
He tossed his phone on the desk and went back to work. He’d have to start walking around the marina soon. This weekend was the July Fourth holiday and he was going to be swamped.
Shit. What was he thinking asking her to go out on Friday?
No, he told himself. He wasn’t going to fall into that trap again. He had good staff to do what needed to be done. It’s not like he could do all that much other than work the desk or talk to people at that point. Which he’d been doing to just meet and greet lately.
When his phone went off, he glanced up to see who it was and saw it was Jasmine, then grabbed it fast like a kid would a candy bar before someone else snatched it away.
Me too. On everything. Listening and not judging. Can’t wait for Friday.
It made him feel good to hear that.
He wouldn’t text her back though. She was working. He was too.
He wasn’t clingy and had never been and didn’t think she’d like that.
She’d said before she liked to be in control and he’d let her have it now too with the last word.
