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"You're being nice. I could pick some up from the bakery tomorrow and give them to you to take to the school."
"Decker, these cupcakes will be eaten by children under the age of six at a show that will look more like recess. Please don't worry about it. They're fine. And you did them with Leo, which is very sweet."
"It was fun. I did break the rule and have one before dinner."
"But you ate dinner, right?"
"No. I was waiting for you. I put everything in the fridge a while ago, so we'll have to heat it all up."
"I'll do that. You should sit down and relax."
"You should sit down and relax," he countered. "I'll put them in the oven. Or maybe the microwave would be faster."
She nodded. "Let's do the microwave because I'm starving."
Working together, they got dinner on the table in a matter of minutes.
"I hope Leo wasn't too much trouble," Chloe said as they sat down.
"He definitely talks a lot," he replied, as he dug into his enchiladas. "He's a very entertaining child. Goes from one topic to the next. It's an amazing stream of thought."
"He has a lot going on in his head and no filter. I try to encourage him to think before he speaks, but that idea is too complex for his little brain."
"He told me that his dad works a lot. But it's okay because he's a hero."
She frowned. "Maybe I'm wrong to put it that way. I don't want Leo to think his dad doesn't love him. Because Kevin does love him. He just feels like he has a higher calling."
"It's not wrong for you to make sure Leo has a good relationship with his father. I didn't have a relationship with my mother, and I missed that. Leo's dad sounds like a good guy and maybe one day he will have more time for his son."
"I hope so."
"But doesn't it ever bother you that you were left to shoulder everything?"
"Of course it does." She set down her fork. "I've felt every emotion about my failed marriage—everything. I think of all the things I might have done differently. I hate to fail."
"It takes two to fail a marriage."
"I've come to realize that. My friends all blame Kevin for choosing himself and his needs over everything else. And I have felt the same way. But I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me. I don't feel sorry for myself, not anymore. I may get tired and grumpy and irritated, like every other mom, and sometimes I would love for someone to share that. But if I had to do anything over, I wouldn't change a thing. I love my kid. I love my life."
Her words moved him; they were so utterly honest. And she was so sure of herself. He used to feel like that, like he was doing exactly what he wanted to do, living exactly the way he wanted to live, but it didn't feel like that anymore.
Going back to his single life in LA—with a few months there, a few months somewhere else—didn't appeal to him nearly as much as it had. Whisper Lake had changed him. Maybe that's why his father had left all those years ago. He'd felt the pull to a place that might have trapped him in a life he didn't want, so he'd run away.
Maybe he should run, too. He was getting caught up in the web of Chloe and Leo, and it would be difficult to get out.
"Let's talk about something else," Chloe said, obviously sensing his tension.
He gave her a brief smile. "Sure, tell me about your week."
As she launched into a funny story about her recent book club dinner, he felt less stressed. This was what he wanted, to just enjoy being with her. He liked talking to her. He also liked it when they didn’t talk.
But when they finished dinner, and she mentioned wanting him to go to Hannah's anniversary party in a few weeks, he tensed again. They were making plans for a few weeks out. People at Leo's school were talking about them. Leo wanted him to come to his show. Suddenly, there were a lot of people expecting a lot of things, and he was starting to feel like he couldn't breathe.
"You don't have to tell me now if you can go or not," Chloe said, giving him a funny look. "Are you okay, Decker?"
"The long day just caught up to me," he said, hoping that's all it was.
She frowned. "I'm sorry I turned you into a babysitter tonight. Let me make it up to you. We could go into the bedroom, and I could give you a massage. We could see where things go."
