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Now, I laid awake in a cold sweat worrying that I’d forgotten something and usually, it was that I’d forgotten something like diapers or baby wipes —and let me tell you, a baby without a diaper was a weapon of mass destruction. Yes, I learned that the hard way.
Going from zero to sixty in the parenting department was no easy task.
I looked to Victor. “So, no kids other than Victoria?”
“Um, no. Not that I’m aware. To be honest, since this afternoon, I’ve been second-guessing every sexual encounter I’ve ever had, wondering if I have more kids out there.”
I chuckled, finding the humor in the situation because what else could you do but laugh? “Yeah, all it takes is one little swimmer and bam, you’ve got a kid.”
“Well, I guess we’ll find out in 24 hours if I need to start planning a college fund.”
I understood that he needed the paper trail but I knew Victoria was his. If he couldn’t see that her little face was so similar to his own, he was freaking blind.
“Thanks for letting us stay,” I said.
“Yeah, no problem. It’s the least I can do under the circumstances.”
It was the appropriate answer but I hated polite small-talk. For one, I wasn’t any good at it; two, it always sounded so stilted and awkward to my ears.
Or maybe that was just me.
“What do you do for a living?” he asked, making conversation.
I wanted to groan but I answered dutifully, “I sell ceramics. I have my own shop in Berkeley. It does pretty good. Enough to pay my rent in the Bay Area so that’s something.”
He digested that information. I could almost see the wheels turning. I added, “And I love where I’m at. Berkeley will always be my home. It’s something about the vibe that works for me.”
Victor didn’t respond, just nodded, as if he knew what I was implying. I wasn’t about to relocate my life for his convenience. We’d have to figure something else out.
For the sake of getting Victoria down for her nap before she turned into a screaming little demon, we ran through a drive-through for the food and then drove across the San Diego-Coronado bridge onto the island.
The picturesque neighborhood was something out of a rom-com and a totally different vibe from my own neighborhood. For one, there was no graffiti —anywhere —and every house on the street was impeccably maintained. To be honest, I’d never felt my neighborhood was ugly or bad but it was definitely a dissimilar feeling from that of Coronado. I’m not even sure they had a tax bracket for someone like me.
However, I also knew that Jessica had wanted to eventually move into a nicer neighborhood for Victoria’s sake. While we might’ve enjoyed the urban vibe as single women, raising a kid in that environment hit different.
Kids changed every perspective, that was something I learned real quick.
We pulled up to the stylish, white-trimmed house with the deep, red contrasting exterior and I suffered a pang of inadequacy. How could I compete with this?
This house was easily three million in this area. Don’t get me wrong, Bay Area housing costs were ridiculous, too, but I knew just by looking at this place, it was worth some serious coin even though it was modestly-sized.
As if reading my mind, he said, “I never could’ve afforded this place without my parent’s help. When they died, I inherited enough money to put a sizable dent in the purchase price. It was the best investment for my inheritance and probably the smartest thing I’ve ever done.”
I relaxed a little, sharing, “Jessica was really good with money, too. She was the bean-counter between us. She helped me navigate the loan process for my shop.” I blinked back tears with a quick, “Sorry, it’s still hard to talk about her sometimes.”
“No need to apologize,” he said with an understanding smile. “I know how it feels to lose someone you love. When my parents died, I was lost for quite a while.”
It was only a flash but in that moment, I knew he remembered how special Jessica had been, even if he’d only known her for a short time and it helped to know that he’d recognized her value.
I wasn’t usually so emotional but I hadn’t felt myself since losing my best friend.
And I didn’t know if I ever would.
3
Isettled Briar and and the baby into their room, hoping they were pleased with the accommodations even though I wasn’t accustomed to playing the host to strangers.
Or anyone for that matter.
