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I pull the covers over Monica and I’m almost at the door when she calls out to me.
“Mommy?”
I turn with my hand on her doorknob. “Yeah, kiddo?”
“Will I get to see Jimmy again tomorrow?” Even in the dim room, lit only by her nightlight, her hopeful expression shines.
“Do you want to see him tomorrow?”
She nods.
I smile. “You’ll be happy to know that he’s going to watch you tomorrow instead of Eileen then.”
“Yay!”
“All right, kiddo. Time to get to sleep.” My hand rests on the doorknob.
“Okay, Mommy. Love you.”
“Love you too, baby.”
I leave the room and softly close the door before heading back out to the porch. I sit in the rocking chair beside Jimmy. Is he so deep in thought that he doesn’t notice?
“That went well, I think.” It’s the only thing I can think of to say to him.
I hate how stilted and awkward our conversations are. After dinner, we did that stupid dance where all we want to do is pass the other but we kept going the same way. Never did I think this would be the two of us.
“Yeah, it did.” He leans forward, his elbows on his knees, and pushes both hands into his hair until he’s staring at the floor of my porch. He’s still transparent when something’s on his mind.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“Fine.”
I nod. I have to remember his thoughts aren't my business. “You staying at the motel in town again?”
Before he can answer, my phone rings inside the house and I rush to answer before it wakes Monica.
“Hello,” I say breathlessly and step back out onto the porch.
“Hey, it’s Parker. How are you, stranger?”
Shit. With everything going on, I never reached out to him. “Hey, Parker. I’m good. I’m sorry I didn’t text you. Things have been a little crazy around here.”
Parker and I went on a few dates before Jimmy popped back up. He’s a nice guy who doesn’t seem like he’s in any rush to move things forward, which suits me fine. In fact, he’s the first man I’ve dated since Monica was born.
“No need to explain. I get it. Though I was wondering if I could twist your arm and get you to come out with me tomorrow night?”
I hate to turn him down, because he is a nice man and there’s the potential for us to be something down the road, but this weekend isn’t the time. I need to deal with Jimmy first. “I can’t this weekend, I’m afraid. But how about the weekend after next? Would that work?”
It's a ways away, but by then, Monica will probably be comfortable around Jimmy by herself. She already acts as if he hangs the moon and stars. Maybe Jimmy can watch her while I’m out, or I could always ask Eileen to do it. I'm sure he would welcome any extra time with his daughter though. And it would be a good show of my trust in him.
“We could do that,” he says. “How about dinner and line dancing?”
There's a cute country bar one town over. I haven’t been there, but some of the girls at work rave about it.
“Yeah, sure. That sounds good. Let’s touch base before then and we can work out the details.” I glance at Jimmy leaning against the railing.
“Perfect. I’ll call you next week to confirm.”
