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“So, your dad is sick?” I ask, clearing my throat. I’m trying to segue into learning a little more about the tall, dark, and handsome man seated beside me. After all, we have an hour to ourselves, where he’s my captive audience.
“Yeah, my mom says it’s the flu.”
“In the summer?” I ask.
He nods. “That’s exactly what I said,” he replies, cocking an eyebrow and glancing over at me.
I know. I heard you earlier.It’s on the tip of my tongue to say that, but I don’t. I don’t want him to know I was eavesdropping.
“I hope he’s all right.”
“He will be. He’s never been one to let anything get him down.”
I study him—the strong bridge of his nose; his high forehead that melts into his thick, dark hair; and his pretty lips that dip down to a chin with a dimple in it. He’s almost too handsome to look at sometimes.
“Do you take after your mother or father?” I watch as his thumb drums on the steering wheel while silence descends over the car. But unlike earlier, where it was awkward, this silence is comfortable and calm. I just patiently wait for his answer.
Simon checks his mirrors before shifting lanes, and then he shrugs. “I would say, I’m a mix of both of them. My dad is a force of nature and always has goals, something that he’s wanting to finish or start. He’s never stationary. My mom always jokes that he’s got ants in his pants, never allowing him to sit down.”
“It must be hard for him to be sick then,” I say.
Simon chuckles. The sound brings a smile to my face and makes my belly flutter. It’s low and masculine and filled with promise. One that says we can overcome anything and last. Maybe it’s silly for me to think that, based on a chuckle. But the fact that he’s being open and talking about himself gives me so much hope, more than I had before.
“I’m sure he’s giving Mom a run for her money right now. My bet is, he doesn’t last more than an hour, resting by himself before he’s up and trying to get something done.”
“That does sound like you,” I muse.
Simon nods. “Yeah. My mom is the opposite. She’s not lazy, but she has a real love for calming things. She gardens and has a greenhouse, where she tries to grow hybrid plants. She even supplies some of the flower shops around town with her own special breeds of flora. She likes to read and has a big heart for the community. She’s why I started my foundation, Heartful. I want to give back like she does.”
“She sounds like an incredible woman,” I tell him. I’m leaning with my elbow on the console between us, my chin held in my hand as I watch him talk about his parents.
“She is,” he confirms.
“Ivy is incredibly lucky to have all of you as her role models.”
“I’m lucky to have her,” he replies in a soft voice.
If I hadn’t been so focused on listening to every little word he said, I might have missed it. He clears his throat and glances out his side window.
“Is she why you are so devoted to your work?”
He drums his thumb again. “In a sense, I guess. I’ve always gone after what I wanted and made it happen. And usually, it works out for me. Sometimes, it doesn’t.”
I want to push him on that last statement, but he starts talking again before I have a chance to. “But I want Ivy to have everything. Ivy and I have missed out on some things, and I don’t want her to miss out on anything else.”
“Do you think that what she wants is just you? That you don’t have to work yourself into the ground to make sure your daughter is happy?” For a moment, I cringe, thinking I might have pushed too hard, but it’s something that I’ve been wondering, and I want to know what he thinks about his workload while having a child.
“It’s something that’s been on my mind recently,” he says, and my eyebrows shoot up in surprise. I felt sure he might give me some pushback. “What about you? Tell me about your parents.”
I sit back, pulling my seat belt out from where it’s been cutting into my neck.
“My mom is my best friend,” I say with a smile while Simon continues to quietly drive, listening. It feels nice that he asked about my family, that he’s trying to get to know more about me. “My dad passed away about five years ago; it was a devastating loss. He and my mom were soul mates.”
“Soul mates?” Simon asks.
I raise one eyebrow. “You don’t believe in soul mates?”
“Maybe I did once upon a time, but I’m not sure that’s reality.”
