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“What’s not to like? Say yes. You won’t regret it.”
She takes a second, but she’s looking into my eyes and I can see she’s being persuaded. “All right,” she says. “I’d love to meet Martin.”
Pretty soon after that, Clark and the clients wrap up their questions and the clients leave with Sarah in tow. As soon as they’re gone, Clark walks up to me with a satisfied look on his face.
“Jack, in case you didn’t hear, you’ve made us all very rich!” We laugh together about it for a minute. After he leaves, I linger in the room, feeling a little good about myself. After all the sleepless nights and bearing Clark’s constant pestering, the tedious work of balancing work life with being a single father is finally paying off.
For dinner, I’m preparing a roasted chicken with asparagus and some butter noodles on the side for Martin. While Martin does his homework at the table, I cook and hum to myself. A glorious day behind me and a glorious evening ahead of me.
“Daddy?” Martin asks me. “Are you happy?”
“As a matter of fact, I am,” I say. “Why do you ask?”
“You’re humming,” he says with a giggle.
“Am I?” I say. “Huh. I guess it’s because we’re having a guest over tonight.”
He nods and his mass of blonde hair falls into his eyes. “Daddy’s friend.”
“That’s right. Daddy’s friend. And I need you to be extra nice to her, okay? You think you can do that, buddy?”
Martin nods and I smile to myself. It was going to be a perfect night.
By the time dinner is about ready, Martin has finished his homework and Sarah is due to show up any second. I tell Martin to go wash his hands and get ready for dinner. Just as he leaves, the doorbell rings.
I open the door to Sarah and I smile. She looks really good tonight. She’s wearing a loose knit top and a long bohemian-style skirt. It looks like it might be formless on anyone else, but on her, it only enhances her curvy shape. She smiles at me and her eyes twinkle like stars.
“Come in,” I say and guide her into the living room. Martin comes walking out at the same time. He stops and looks up at Sarah with large eyes.
“Hey, buddy,” I say. “This is Daddy’s friend, Sarah. Sarah, meet Martin.”
He walks up to her and puts out his hand. “Hello there.”
Sarah kneels down to his level and shakes his hand. “Hello there. Nice to meet you.”
“It’s very nice to meet you, too,” he responds.
We head to the kitchen and as Martin and Sarah sit down, I bring the food to the table. Sarah is watching me with playful eyes.
“Oooh, this looks wonderful,” she says. “I didn’t know you were such a good cook.”
“You don’t know the half of it, sister,” I retort. I take my seat between them and say, “Let’s dig in.”
I fix Martin a plate and Sarah fixes her own. Once I’ve got my plate together, Sarah has already taken a bite of the chicken. “What do you think?” I ask her.
She nods, chewing. After a moment, she says, “It could use a little finesse, but it’s very good.”
“Daddy?” Martin pipes up. “Is Sarah your girlfriend?”
Both Sarah and I share an amused glance. I raise an eyebrow to get her reaction and she nods.
“Yes, I guess you can say that,” I tell him finally.
“Yes, your dad and I go way back,” Sarah tells Martin.
“What’s that mean?” he asks.
“It means we’ve known each other a long time,” I respond. “Since before you were born.”
