The Ex Next Door, page 12
Before she was Mommy, she was fun and carefree and loved a boy with her whole heart.
Amy:
You haven’t called me that in a spell.
Declan:
I’m bringing it back.
Amy:
It’s okay with me. Night.
Declan:
Good night. Thank you for the kissing.
Amy didn’t know how to respond to that, so she laid the phone down on her nightstand while she got ready for bed. She ought to be thanking him for the kissing. Since they’d last kissed, he’d apparently obtained a graduate degree in the sport.
And yes, she wondered, because she was the curious type, what else had improved with age and experience.
Chapter Fourteen
“Thanks for asking David over for a playdate,” Amy said. “Both kids miss the old neighborhood.”
“We miss y’all so much,” Bianca said. “The neighborhood isn’t the same without you.”
Naomi was visiting with her old next-door neighbor friend, Cathy, and Amy had brought David to play with Matthew.
A funny thing happened. When Amy had driven by their old house today, she hadn’t felt the raw lump of tears lodged in her esophagus. Instead, it seemed as though that house, that street, that was another life. And now, she’d taken with her the very best parts into a new world. She was growing in this new place, stretching and learning. Becoming someone new, or maybe just someone old. Someone she recognized.
The boys were throwing the ball back and forth in the yard, never seeming to tire. It was far better than their being holed up inside on a beautiful day playing video games, but Amy was grateful for the shade and the mist fans Bianca had arranged near their chaise lounge chairs. It was just the thing for a hot summer day. The iced tea was nice, too, because she always put the right amount of sugar in.
And then because she couldn’t stand it any longer, Amy changed the subject.
“Declan kissed me the other night.”
Bianca’s jaw dropped and she turned her knees, her entire body pivoted toward Amy.
“Um, what? When were you planning on telling me this?”
“When it came up. But it isn’t coming up.”
“This is something you bring up, girlfriend!” She pushed Amy’s shoulder. “For example, eggs are on sale at ALDI’s and Declan kissed me.”
Amy snorted. “Okay, noted. I’m glad I said something.”
“You haven’t said much!” She leaned forward. “Go on.”
“Well, there isn’t much else. We kissed and then we’ve been texting a lot since then. Just stuff about our day but we kind of flirt, too. A little bit, you know, sexy sometimes.”
“What are you doing? Where is this going? Have you thought this through?”
“What do you mean? Weren’t you the one to tell me to sign up with a dating app?”
“A dating app, not your old boyfriend.”
“Why not?”
“Oh, dear. I can see we need to have the ‘single mom’ talk.”
“What do you know about being a single mom?”
Bianca leaned back, and her neck swiveled chicken-style. “Amy, I read. A lot. I’ve started a blog.”
“That doesn’t mean you have experience.”
“No, but I know what’s going on out there in the trenches. I know people. And I know people who know people. You haven’t done enough thinking. The thing you need to do is really overthink this whole thing with Declan.”
“Overthink?”
“Girl, that’s half the fun!”
“Seriously?”
“Yes! You have to play hard to get, too. Don’t let him know you’re thinking about him. Don’t let him know if the kisses melt you. Maybe set up that profile on the apps anyway. Breed his insecurities. Really rev them up big-time.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Well, honey, until he puts a ring on it, you’re a free agent. Am I right?”
Amy coughed. “It’s a little soon to think about a ring, don’t you think?”
“Is it?” Bianca cocked her head.
“Yes! Look, I have a lot going on. I’m studying for my certifications, working at the bar and raising my children. How do I have time for all this nonsense?”
“That’s exactly what you tell him!” She pointed. “That will get you far.”
Oh, sigh, it was so much easier to be part of a couple. Amy didn’t know if she had it in her to traverse this new brave techy dating world. Had Declan been doing this all these years, and if so, how in the world did he stand it? She was a one-man woman, in one decade going from Declan to Rob with possibly one or two horrible dates in between with men she met at college.
“Is this what you do with Mark?” Amy asked.
“Yes, honey. Every once in a while, I act really disgusted with him, just fed up for no good reason. It’s to keep him on his toes. You ought to see how he grovels just to find out what he did wrong. Flowers, candy and fantastic makeup sex.”
Amy had no idea this went on with her friends. What happened behind closed doors… She wished she’d never asked.
“Does he ever find out what he did wrong?”
“I just make something up, like he left his socks a foot from the hamper.”
“Sorry, but that doesn’t sound healthy.”
“It works for us.”
And the casual understated note behind that statement was obvious. Amy was the one divorced, not Bianca. She and Mark usually couldn’t keep their hands off each other in public.
“Mom, can we go inside and play video games now?” Matthew asked.
Both boys had sweat pits under their arms and David wiped away a trickle running down his neck.
“Sure, let’s all go in. I’ll tell your daddy you did your workout today.”
Amy followed everyone inside, carrying the glove David had handed her. Bianca strolled to the kitchen and started pulling out snack food for the boys.
“We’re so excited about Matt. He’s really good, the coach said so. Got a heck of an arm, he said. He wants to work with Matt on pitching. Even Mr. Sheridan said Matt has potential.”
“Really? That’s amazing! I’m so happy for y’all.”
“Thanks. You know how it is. Strapped for cash. House rich, cash poor. Mark said we need Matt to get a scholarship because that would really help the family coffers. And now here we have the chance. We’re going to enroll him in Little League in the fall and also pay for a private coach. Mr. Sheridan already talked to us about it.”
Amy sincerely hoped that Rob didn’t hear about any of this from Mark or he’d want an athletic scholarship for David, too. Amy was all for financial assistance but she thought David had such good grades that if he continued, he’d probably get an academic one anyway.
“It seemed to work for Declan.”
“That’s exactly what we want for Matt. Do you think you could talk to him for us, get us some advice, now that you have such an in, so to speak?” Bianca arranged the Goldfish crackers on a plate with slices of apple and peanut butter for dipping.
“I’m not sure I have an ‘in’ any more than I already did, but sure, I’ll talk to him for you.”
“You have an ‘in.’ You were the ex, now you’re the potential new girlfriend. As long as you don’t scare him off by being too needy.” She put up a hand like a stop sign. “Don’t be too needy.”
“I’m not too needy, so that will be easy.”
“Oh, maybe we could all four go out to dinner one night, like a double date!” Bianca said this with the enthusiasm usually reserved for life-changing announcements.
“Um, sure. I’ll ask him.”
But they were very new. They hadn’t really talked about dating. They’d just kissed that one time, and then for a little while more the next night when she’d asked him to fix that squeak in Naomi’s door. She’d followed him next door afterward with some lame excuse to the kids and spent fifteen minutes in heaven. That was the extent of their dating life.
Her phone buzzed with an incoming message from Declan:
Carpool to work tonight?
She responded with a happy face.
Declan:
What are you wearing right now?
She smiled. Last night they’d texted for an hour, each one getting sillier than the last. Until they got racy.
She responded:
I took the kids to a playdate so what do you think I’m wearing?
Declan:
Pants for sure.
Amy:
Cargo shorts and a T-shirt with sandals.
Declan:
No underwear??????
Amy laughed so hard that Bianca looked up from the snack tray.
Amy:
What are you wearing?
Declan:
A hat.
Amy:
You’re so much better at this than I am.
“Is that Declan you’re smile-texting?” Bianca asked, looking over Amy’s shoulder. Then before Amy could stop her, she grabbed her cell.
“What are you doing? Give that back to me!”
Bianca was reading and thumb texting at warp speed. “You’ll thank me later.”
“No, I won’t!”
Bianca handed the cell back to Amy. “You just don’t know how to sext yet. But you’ll get there.”
The text message was so racy and blue that Amy blushed a thousand shades of pink. She wondered if he’d figure out this wasn’t her and was about to text him the truth when he responded.
Declan:
All right, who are you and how do you have Amy’s phone? State your business.
“Ha! He knows it’s not me.”
“Well, that’s a problem. You need to work on your skills.”
He knows it’s not me.
The knowledge spiked a warm thrum of pleasure through her. He did know her, in some ways even better than Rob ever had.
Amy:
It was Bianca. She grabbed my phone. How did you know it wasn’t me?
Declan:
I know you, Tinks. You’ve always been shy.
Amy:
I’m going to be less of that now and a little racier.
Declan:
Don’t you dare. I like you just the way you are.
“Either way, I put the picture in his head. And I got him all revved up for you,” Bianca said. “You are welcome.”
“Thank you,” Amy said. “You’re right. His reaction is exactly what I wanted to know.”
It wasn’t what Bianca assumed, however. Amy wanted to know whether Declan still remembered her.
And he did.
* * *
Late that afternoon, Mom and Lou arrived to babysit.
“Grandma!” Both kids ran to greet them.
“I brought a movie!” Lou held up a DVD.
“Oh,” Amy said. “I don’t have a player. But I bet you can get that movie on the streaming network.”
“I tried to tell you,” Mom said.
“What are we supposed to do with all these movies,” Lou said. “Nobody wants them.”
“Donate them to the library,” Amy said.
She strolled into the bathroom to fix her hair and makeup when her cell phone rang. It was Rob.
“Can I have the kids this weekend? I know it’s not my weekend but since I had to cut our week short, I thought maybe you’d be okay with it.”
Normally this might upset Amy, because Rob always expected her to rearrange everything to suit his schedule. Since separating, he frequently reminded her that he worked so they would have to adjust to his schedule. Her plans, then, weren’t as important because they were easily rearranged. It was disrespectful of her time as if because she didn’t earn a wage it meant she didn’t do anything significant. But on the other hand, if she wanted to encourage him to show up on time and have a relationship with the kids, she should work with him when possible. This was one of the many items they’d gone over with the mediator.
“You may not love each other anymore,” the mediator had said, “but you both love the same two children. Take yourself out of the equation. If it’s good for the child, be big enough to allow it. Children’s needs are first, make yours second whenever possible.”
“That’s okay with me.”
“Thanks, Ames! You’re the best.” Rob’s voice lowered. “And I know we said we’d talk about this…um, when the time came. I wanted you to know that they’re going to meet someone this weekend.”
“M-meet someone?”
“Yeah, someone I’ve been dating for a while now. I think it’s time. Don’t worry, it’s just a few hours at a park and a picnic. Something low-key. She thought it might be best to introduce them that way.”
She thought it best. So, this other woman would be making decisions for her children, such as the best time for them to meet and how. In a way, this was her biggest nightmare. Someone else, someone she didn’t know or trust, having contact with her children. She trusted Rob. She didn’t trust the women he might date because she didn’t know them. This would be a third-party kind of trust. An extension by way of Rob.
“Amy?” Rob said. “You still there?”
“Yes.”
Amy swallowed hard, looking at her reflection in the mirror.
This was a woman who hadn’t planned on sharing her children with a possible future stepmother. This was a woman who had other plans.
“We knew it would come to this eventually,” Rob said softly. “It’s been almost a year since we first separated.”
She just didn’t think Rob would be first to want the kids to meet someone special. That should have been her. He was supposed to be in his happy bachelor era.
“And this is someone you’re dating exclusively?”
“Yeah. Not at first, but yeah…now we are.”
“Got to be honest, I thought you were going to date and have fun. Free and easy. I thought that’s why we broke up. You were tired of married life.”
He cleared his throat. “I guess I got it out of my system. At heart, I’m a one-woman man. You know that better than anyone.”
“Well, you don’t need my approval but thank you for letting me know,” Amy said. “I’ve got to go. I’m getting ready for work.”
“Ames, wait.” He paused. “You’ll meet her, too. I want you to get along. Who knows, maybe this will work out long term.”
“Like we did?” Amy couldn’t hold back the bite behind the words.
“I don’t know why we didn’t work. But I think you’ll like her because she’s a lot like you. A teacher, actually. Ironic, huh? I guess I have a type.”
“What’s her name? How old is she?”
“Her name is Shannon. She’s twenty-five. No kids of her own.”
But plenty of time to have them.
“I trust you, Rob. You are in charge of our children, not the woman you’re dating.”
“Got it.”
Amy hung up with Rob and got ready in a daze. Rob was right. She always knew it would come to this, but she thought she might have a little more time. So, Rob had someone new in his life. Funny how men just sort of plowed on through relationships, on to the next, without any fear of getting hurt.
And what about you?
Weren’t you just making out with your ex-boyfriend?
“Whoa,” Lou said, when Amy emerged. “Texas, lock up your sons!”
“You look pretty, Mommy.” Naomi smiled up from her book.
“I love those dangly earrings,” Moonbeam said.
David just stared at her and didn’t say a word, which she interpreted as tacit approval.
She kissed both David and Naomi. “Don’t wait up for me. It’s a late shift tonight, but I’ll see you in the morning and we’ll get doughnuts if you want.”
Outside, Declan leaned against his truck and waved through the opened screen door at them. “Ready?”
Amy walked over and climbed in the passenger side for the short drive to the boardwalk and pier. It was calm and cool, a light rain earlier having lowered the temps to make the summer night bearable.
She only noticed how quiet she’d been when Declan poked her.
“Hey. You okay?”
“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine.” A light breeze blew some of her hair out of its tight hold and she tucked it behind her ear.
“You don’t seem fine.”
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
“The kids are being introduced to someone new this weekend. Rob’s new girlfriend.”
Declan whistled. “The first time, huh? And are you okay with this?”
“It’s not like I’m jealous or anything.”
“Are you sure?”
She squeezed Declan’s bicep. “Yes, I’m sure.”
It didn’t seem to bother Declan, but it bothered her that he believed she might still have feelings for Rob and yet be kissing and fooling around with Declan the way she’d been. If she still loved Rob, she’d be heartbroken by the news. The truth was far more complicated. Love was gone, but they’d forever be linked as parents. She was going to have to be friendly with her ex’s girlfriend. Just another item in the long list on a single mom’s duties.
“Be honest with me. I can take it.”
“Declan, I wouldn’t be making out with you, flirting and sexting if I still loved someone else.”
“Good.” He reached for and squeezed her knee. “Because I wouldn’t be, either.”
Chapter Fifteen
When they split the tips later that night, Declan had the biggest loot for the third shift in a row. The waitstaff were always happy when he had a good night. And to be fair, tonight he’d worked it, smiling, chatting, lending customers a helpful ear. Good people tended to understand that service workers weren’t earning a livable wage based on their hourly rate. All they wanted was a friendly server who took their time.
“Declan wins it again.” Debbie slapped the bar. “Face it, he’s got a gift. We’re lucky he shares.”
“It must be so difficult for a six-foot-two former professional athlete to hustle for tips.” Amy winked at him.
“Yeah,” Debbie elbowed Amy. “Imagine the poor wretched woman who has to settle for this one.”
