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“And I’m not giving up on you,” he told me. “With your grandmother as your inspiration and your own personal drive, I have full confidence you’re going to make it.”
“I really do appreciate you telling me so,” I said. “And I’m eager to hear how I did on the exam, too.”
“I’ll get right down to grading it and get back to you in the next day or two,” Professor Hampton said. “Good luck.”
“Thanks,” I told him, slinging my purse higher onto my shoulder and heading for the door. I really did appreciate him taking the time to tell me that he saw potential in me and what I was doing. I just hoped that he was right.
I’d been feeling like I was spinning my tires without getting anywhere for so long, it was difficult for me to see the light at the end of the tunnel actually coming through for me.
But I wasn’t a quitter, and I wasn’t going to give up.
I just hoped things would start to get easier moving forward.
I wasn’t sure if I could do another semester like the last one. I didn’t see myself having the energy to keep up with the demands.
And then there was Alex.
I wanted to see where things were going with him, and I eagerly checked my phone to see if he had messaged me yet. Monday was three days away, and I was getting antsy without having seen him or talked to him all week.
But there still wasn’t anything from him on my phone.
What was going on?
Chapter Sixteen
Alex
Istared at the clock as I brushed my teeth.
It was nearly ten Saturday morning, and I could hear Jordan downstairs with Lucy. The TV was playing Saturday morning cartoons, and from the delicious scent wafting into the bedroom, I deduced Jordan was making breakfast.
Bacon and eggs, if I was detecting properly.
She had been staying in the guest room downstairs all week, but I was still beyond ready for her to move out again. I had dropped hints several times the day before, asking about her townhouse and who was keeping an eye on the place while she was with us, but the answer was always the same.
“What is there to watch? I can pop in when I drive by and make sure things are okay. It’s not like I have a pet or anything,”she’d said. “And as long as my neighbors see me coming and going, it’s not like they’re going to get worried, either.”
“But you’re not living there, and I’m pretty sure you should be,” I told her, as blunt as I dared to go with what I was trying to say.
“Come on, Alex,” she said with a giggle. “You know Lucy loves having me around. She’s been thrilled all week, and I haven’t heard you complaining about the things I’ve been doing around the place. Not to mention I’m sure I’m saving you money without you having to pawn our daughter off on the nanny.”
“She likes her nanny,” I said in Cassie’s defense. I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to defend Cassie. It wasn’t as though she had done anything to need defending. But then, with the way Jordan was, being a nanny wasn’t the sort of job that one was proud to have. It was likely something Jordan would turn her nose up over, and that pissed me off.
“I can tell. She asks about her daily,” Jordan said. “Cassie, right? But you know what? I’ve been taking her to the park and baking with her and doing all the things she’s been telling me she does with her nanny, so I’m sure she’s going to forget about Cassie soon enough.”
I had watched carefully to see any signs of jealousy that may be present, but to her credit, Jordan didn’t seem to be the least bit jealous about the fact our daughter had clearly formed a bond with another woman. She just spoke as though she had learned a lesson over the fact she had been gone and another woman had been here, and she’d moved on.
“Alex!” Jordan called out, causing me to cringe. “Are you out of bed yet? Breakfast is going to be ready in five minutes, and I don’t want yours to get cold.”
I spit the toothpaste into the sink.
“I’ll be down in a minute,” I called out. My mind briefly flashed to the day Cassie had caught me in nothing more than my towel,and as I looked down, I realized I didn’t want to have a repeat of that moment with my ex. Not that she hadn’t seen me naked plenty of times before, but with her encroaching back into my life in every other aspect, I didn’t want her to try anything.
My mind was already having a tough time wrapping itself around the way Jordan was behaving. All week, she had been the woman I thought I had married. She was doing the dishes and the laundry. She was going above and beyond with cleaning the place despite the fact I’d been having a cleaning service come in.
But, even more than that, she had been sweet and accommodating, taking care of Lucy like I had never seen her do before. I was blown away with the fact she had taken Lucy out for ice cream twice, and she took her out to the park daily. Lucy, for her own part, was having the time of her life, and I wasn’t sure what to do with the latest development.
I never would keep Lucy from her mother if it was a healthy relationship, but Jordan wasn’t trustworthy. I had no idea how long she was going to be here, or how long this latest turn of events would last. There was a part of me that wondered if Jordan was after something, but then, another part of me wanted to believe that she had a change of heart and was here because she didn’t want to miss out on raising Lucy.
