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Chapter 2
Thane
It’s been three days, and I still can’t shake Faye from my mind. I keep picturing her smile and how beautiful she was. For the first time in a long time, I felt a connection. There’s something about her that pulled me towards her, at how real and warm she was. It definitely has me wanting to know more about her.
“Mrs. Leeper said we would find out what table we are sitting at tonight, Daddy,” my son, Jack, says to me.
“Will it be for the whole year, buddy?”
“I don’t know. But I really hope I get the red table.”
“Yeah, why red?” I ask him as I pull into the parking lot of his school for back-to-school night.
“‘Cause it’s the color of a fire truck, and when I grow up, I’mma be a fighter fire.”
“It’s a firefighter, Jack.”
“That’s what I said.”
I put my SUV in park and open his rear door, helping his short little legs to the ground. “You sure you don’t want to be a pilot, like me?”
“No way, too boring. Plus, I want a Dalmatian.”
“I’ll get you a Dalmatian.”
“No, you won’t, Mommy’s allergic.”
I drop the subject, knowing he still struggles understanding that his mom and I are separated. As we walk into the school, Jack excitedly runs down the hallway. “Wait for me, buddy.”
But I’m too late. He disappears into his classroom, and I follow in behind him. There are only a few parents here, and they all look my way, the usual stares that I’ve grown to ignore. I’m not sure why people always gawk at me. Maybe it’s because of my height, or my confidence, either way, it always happens. The teacher keeps talking to a couple of parents but waves. Then I spot Jack in his chair at the red table. I can tell it’s the red one because hanging down from the ceiling is a big red laminated square.
Pulling a chair up to sit next to him, Jack is talking to another boy, and I recognize the other parent instantly. It’s Faye, the woman from the coffee shop. She is reading some papers that are on the kids’ table, and I have to give myself a moment to gather my thoughts.
She’s even more beautiful than I remembered.
Leaning over close to her ear, I whisper as I breathe her in, “Did you ever buy someone a cup of coffee?”
She jumps a little, clearly startled, and looks at me wide-eyed like I pulled her out of a deep daydream. But fuck she smells good. All the blood rushes to my balls, and shyly she shakes her head. “It’s Faye, right?” I ask her, playing like she isn’t all I’ve thought about for the better part of the last three days.
“Yeah.”
“You know…you could always buy me that coffee?” I tease her, and she grabs her purse digging through it before she pulls out a five-dollar bill and tries to hand it to me. “Here, let me just pay you back.”
Wow, that’s the last thing I expected her to do. Am I that appalling to her? “No way. That wasn’t part of the deal.”
“Please take it,” she says. There is a deep burden of pain etched within her eyes, that’s clear to me now. I didn’t notice it the other day. Something has happened to her, and it sends a spasm of guilt rocking through me. What could have been so terrible, to make her this way? Jesus, I shouldn’t have messed with her like that.
“I’m not taking it, plus your coffee was only two bucks.”
She’s still holding the five, and I push her hand back to her, noticing that her eyes have a hard time holding mine.
The classroom has since filled in with other parents, and Faye reluctantly places her five dollars back into her purse.
“Are you sure?” she asks, her voice so fucking sexy as she basically whispers.
“Yes!”
“Thank you all for coming tonight,” Mrs. Leeper says, and all of our attention is drawn to the front of the classroom. Checking my watch, it’s ten after the hour and Char is still not here. Of course, she’s late—the woman can’t make it to anything on time, ever. She was late to our own wedding and has been late to every meeting we’ve had regarding the divorce. I would bet my last dollar that she’s out shopping and lost track of time.
