His Curvy Surprise, page 5
Ricky held the door and looked over his shoulder at me. “Yeah. Jason did. He wrote it down, but got pulled into a job and it ended up covered up on the desk and the note slid to the floor. He feels real bad, boss.”
I exhaled a long breath. “I’m glad there was a reason.”
“I told him, and everyone, if anyone ever calls for you, immediately take you the message. No writing it down and leaving it there.”
“Thanks, Ricky. Hopefully this isn’t something that becomes a trend.”
Ricky chuckled and nodded with me.
The shop was running like it always did. I had great employees who didn’t hesitate to not only get their work done but help each other when something was going on that needed extra hands. I walked through their work, checking in with each of them to make sure all was good.
When I made it to Jason, he looked up and all the color drained from his pink cheeks.
“Boss, I’m so sorry. I understand if you need to fire me, but—”
“Did you do it on purpose?”
“No. Of course not, boss. But I know your kid is the most important person in the world to you. I was about to take you the message when—”
“Ricky told me. It’s all good, Jason. I know it won’t happen again, and I know you feel bad. And I’d never fire you over something like that. It wouldn’t be fair, and you don’t deserve it.”
“Thank you, but I would deserve it.”
“Nope. Not at all. How’s the project going? That’s why I came over here. Not to say anything about the message.”
Jason hesitated a beat, then told me about the work he was doing on the SUV. “It’s a nice vehicle, boss. For the age, it’s in great shape.”
“Good. I’m sure the owner will be happy to hear that.”
Jason nodded. I clapped him on the shoulder and moved on, hoping he let go of his guilt. He didn’t need to carry that.
I helped Mick find a tool on the shelf that wasn’t put back in the same place, then lifted a tire into place for Connor. It was always good to get my hands dirty and do some of the work. I didn’t have time to do that much since I took over.
But I wasn’t going to complain. The money was better, a lot better. The time and the stress offset that some, but it was part of it.
Back in my office, I returned a few calls from reps and customers who had my direct line, then went through messages and the schedule for the next few days to make sure we had all the parts we would need.
Before I knew it, the guys were heading out the door and the sun was sinking. It was past time for me to get the hell out of there.
I locked up the shop and walked around it to make sure nothing was left outside and none of the vehicles were unlocked. All was good, so I jumped in my truck and headed for home.
Jude was in the living room when I got inside. Mrs. Walsh was sitting next to him on the couch, listening to his stories about his morning with our next-door neighbor and her dog.
“Ms. Chelsea is a wonderful person,” Mrs. Walsh told Jude. “And Dozer is a sweet dog. Best behaved dog I’ve seen.”
“Have you seen the fence?” I asked her, feeling the familiar irritation mixed with the unwanted desire I felt for my neighbor. It was easy not to like her, but far too easy to want her.
“What’s wrong with your fence?” Ms. Walsh asked.
“The dog has been trying to knock it over since they moved in. He snapped a few boards. I keep reinforcing them, but I’m going to have to do something more permanent, eventually. Especially since Ms. Chelsea doesn’t seem too worried about repairing the fence. It’s driving me crazy.”
“Dozer is still young. And shelter dogs have a tendency to be a little more wild since they didn’t get the attention they needed before they were adopted.”
“He’s not my dog,” I said.
“He’s awesome, Dad. You’d really like him,” Jude declared.
I wasn’t sure I agreed with my son, but I wasn’t going to argue with him. Not when he was focused on yet another drawing of the dog that had been plaguing me.
“What do you want for dinner? Mrs. Walsh, want to join us?”
“Oh, no,” Mrs. Walsh said, pushing herself up from the couch. “It’s been a long day for me with the appointment earlier. I’m ready to sit and relax.”
“If this is too much—”
She waved her hand. “Nonsense. I’m sorry I wasn’t here this morning. I told Jude I’ll have to check the school calendar more carefully and make a note of these weird days so I don’t miss him again in the future.”
“I didn’t know about it either. It’s my fault, not yours.”
“I had fun with Ms. Chelsea and Dozer. Maybe I could go over there sometimes?” Jude suggested, avoiding my gaze.
I didn’t reply, and I knew he expected it when he didn’t push for an answer.
“I’m going to head out. I’ll see you tomorrow, Jude. Have a good night.”
“Good night,” Jude said, looking up from his picture to smile at Mrs. Walsh.
“Thanks again,” I told her. “Jude, I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
I walked Mrs. Walsh outside and stayed with her across the street to make sure she made it home. “Is everything okay?” I asked her.
“Of course. Why would you ask?”
“You had an appointment.”
“People have appointments all the time. Just a checkup.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded and patted my cheek. “You’re kind for worrying, but yes, all good. Have a good night. And give Ms. Chelsea a break. She’s a good person. Only wants to make a home in this neighborhood. Same as the rest of us.”
I nodded, knowing it wasn’t likely, but I wasn’t going to tell her that.
Mrs. Walsh went inside, and I went home, catching sight of my neighbor through one of her side windows. I stared for a few seconds, then pulled my gaze away and went into my own house. Getting too close to the neighbor was a bad idea. A very bad idea.
I reached out to the middle school principal first thing the next morning. Jude hated going to afterschool care, but I didn’t love him ending up stranded outside. What if it was winter? What if Chelsea hadn’t found him?
How did she find him?
That question rattled around in my mind while I waited for the principal to answer my call. The woman who answered the phone said it would be a minute and put me on hold. I was willing to wait. My kid was too important not to.
“Good morning, Mr. Bailey. What can I do for you today?”
“My son was left on my porch yesterday, and I’m wondering why the school let him off the bus on a half day without making sure someone was home.”
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Bailey. Is your son okay?”
“He’s fine, but he shouldn’t have been left there.”
“Well, actually, sir, in the middle school, we don’t have rules about an adult being present when students get off the bus. This was mentioned during orientation for the students. I see Jude had been going to the community center after school for the first week, but he’s been going home since then.”
“Yes. A neighbor has been meeting him, but the half day yesterday—”
“Was on the school calendar since it was approved by the school board last spring.”
I sighed. The man had an answer for everything. And all of his answers added up to it wasn’t his fault that my kid was left alone. Even though I knew he was right and I knew they would let him off the bus and leave. I guess I hoped it wasn’t quite like that.
“Mr. Bailey, I understand the transition to middle school isn’t always easy. There are lots of parents who struggle with letting go. We communicate all the changes many times, but we know it’s still not easy.”
“So, what am I supposed to do?”
“Unfortunately, sir, your options are what you’ve already done. Jude can go back into the afterschool care program or he can continue to ride the bus home.”
“Where the bus driver lets him off the bus whether someone is there or not.”
“A lot of our students have keys so they don’t end up locked out of their homes.”
I let out a heavy sigh. Jude mentioned having a key before. He’d never had to keep up with something, and I worried he’d lose a key. I didn’t like it. It would have meant he wasn’t outside, but he would have been home alone for hours. “Basically, the school’s policy is the students are old enough to be on their own.”
“Yes, sir. It’s been the policy for decades. I understand not all sixth graders are the same, and as a parent, I do sympathize with your concerns. I had a hard time when my kids went through this.”
“Can I ask how you handled it?”
He chuckled. “My wife made all the decisions. But what she decided was to give my oldest a key when he started sixth grade. Even when she was home, she let him use his key so he got used to paying attention to where it was and being responsible.”
“That’s not a bad idea. I was thinking Jude would end up losing a key.”
“You could also leave one with a neighbor or hide a key somewhere he can get to instead of counting on him to keep up with it.”
I nodded. “Yeah. All good ideas. Thank you, Mr. Laurel.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Bailey. I hope it gives you some comfort to know you’re not alone.”
I chuckled. “Yes, it does. I’ll also feel better when we go through another unexpected day, and it’s a little smoother than yesterday.”
“The school calendar is posted online, and we send out reminders by email whenever there is something different, even if it’s not new. You should have gotten a reminder email last week about the half day.”
My inbox resembled the fallout from a nuclear reaction. Chaos would have been an improvement. “I’ll probably find it in a year or two.”
Mr. Laurel laughed. “The district also has an app and is on social media, if either of those would help.”
I snorted. “Probably not, but thank you. I have a few options to make things easier in the future. And Jude is going to love the freedom.”
“The kids always do. Good luck, Mr. Bailey. And please reach out if you have any other concerns.”
“Thank you. I will.” I hung up, not feeling much better but knowing I wasn’t the only parent struggling.
As always, I knew everything would have been easier if I had a partner.
I couldn’t remember the last time I heard from Jude’s mom. I fell hard for Sasha when we met. She was exciting and fun and gorgeous. I’d never known anyone like her, and when she set her sights on me, I felt like I’d won the lottery.
We went from strangers to inseparable in weeks. I never told her no. I was so in love with her that I never considered telling her no. Not when she decided we should move in together during college. Not when she asked me to stay in the area when I graduated two years before her. Not when she wanted a kid.
Sasha was a whirlwind. After she graduated, she convinced me to move to the area where she grew up. My parents were gone, and my sister was married, and Sasha was my family. We got married and settled down. Her friends became our friends. I met the husbands and wives and we built a life.
Then they all started having kids. Sasha didn’t want to be left out, but she was. The others grew closer because of their shared experiences, and Sasha felt like she was missing something.
She was almost thirty when she decided she was ready, and within months, she got pregnant. But from the day she found out she was pregnant, Sasha retreated. She lost her light, her spark. She stopped being the woman I loved and became someone I didn’t recognize.
During her pregnancy, everyone said it was hormones. Afterward, her doctors said it was postpartum depression. It was more than that. Her spirit died. She was trying to be someone she was never meant to be. She tried to be who everyone around her was, but it was never her dream.
When she told me she wanted to move, I said no to her for the first time. And the last because she left. She couldn’t stay in MacKellar Cove. She couldn’t be a mom. She couldn’t do any of it.
Jude wasn’t even two when Sasha left, and she’d only seen him a handful of times since. The last time she visited was when her mom died, and she came up for the funeral. That was almost three years ago.
But even knowing how much she hated being in MacKellar Cove, I wished she’d stayed. I wished I had another person to count on for the years ahead. The years where my son would be growing up and becoming his own man.
I hadn’t felt so alone since Sasha left. Facing being the single parent to a teenager, one who was being given freedoms I wasn’t ready for, was terrifying.
“Hey, boss?” Mick said, knocking on the door as he walked into my office.
“Yeah?” I pulled myself away from the turn my mind had taken and focused on work.
“Can I get an extra set of eyes on this vehicle? It’s for the mayor.”
I chuckled and stood. “Yeah, we don’t want to screw up something for Mayor Knight. Omar might not be too happy.”
Mick nodded and led the way, distracting me and pulling me out of my funk.
I spent the rest of the day in the shop, fighting off thoughts about Sasha and what life would have been like if I had someone to share the daily chores of raising a kid with.
It wasn’t in the cards. Not anymore. I missed my chance at forever, and I wasn’t looking for a second one.
6
Chelsea
I put the finishing touches on Emily’s cut and spun her around to face the mirror. I loved the look on client’s faces when they saw the results I produced for them. The joy and surprise that the idea that was only in their mind an hour ago became reality and looked that good on them with my touch.
“Wow,” Emily breathed. She scooted forward to get closer to the mirror and reached up to finger the edges of her new cut. It was a good look on her. Just enough off the ends to be different, but not so different that she looked like she was trying to be someone she wasn’t. She was very aware of her age and always extremely cautious about not trying to look too young, her words.
I thought she was stunning and people should dress and style themselves however the hell they wanted to feel like their best selves.
Emily definitely felt like that.
“Do you like it?” I asked.
“I love it. Holy shit, Chelsea, you’re a magician. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad I was able to bring your vision to life.”
“You always do.” She stood and winked at me. “Ricky is going to be very appreciative. We’re going out tonight.”
“Good for you. Did he tell you we spoke on the phone last week?”
“He did. He said you were there for Jude when no one else was. He adores that kid.”
I smiled. “He’s a great kid. Very sweet.” Unlike his father.
“He really is. Jude comes to the shop most weekends with his dad. Ricky has Jude help him out. Keeps him busy while Derek gets work done. I think Ricky’s biological grandfather clock is ticking louder than my grandmother clock.”
I laughed with her and led her to the front to pay. “No takers yet?”
Emily shook her head. Her wry smile said she wasn’t terribly upset by that. “I loved raising my kids, but I’m not really looking forward to raising another generation.”
“Do you think they’re going to ask you to help?”
“Absolutely. And with Ricky still working full time, I know I’ll be the one taking on the majority of the work. I love my kids, and I will love being a grandmother, but there’s still time. Ricky wants to be the fun grandpa like he was the fun dad.”
“And he’s practicing with Jude?” I asked.
Emily nodded. “Yep. But the kid doesn’t have anyone besides his dad, so Ricky happily fills in.”
“No mom?” I asked.
Emily smirked at me, her eyes twinkling with delight. “Mom hasn’t been around for years. Why? Are you interested in the position? Derek is a very attractive man.”
I groaned. “No. Definitely not.”
Emily’s brows pinched together. She looked at me carefully. “What’s the story there?”
I shook my head and pasted on a smile. Derek was someone she thought highly of. It didn’t matter that I adored Emily, I could not speak poorly about someone she liked. He was her husband’s boss. I was just the woman who cut her hair. “No story at all.” I told her the total and hoped she would move on.
Emily dug out a handful of cash. Far too much for her fee. “Ricky said to tip you double, so this is for you. And next time, you’re going to tell me why you don’t like Derek.”
“Derek, the neighbor?” Haley asked, joining us and looking between Emily and me.
“Oh!” Emily gasped. “That’s right. Dozer! How did I not put it all together before? Ricky said you’re their neighbor, but I didn’t connect it. I feel so dumb.”
“Wait, what are you talking about?” I asked.
“Derek has been coming in to the shop with stories about his neighbor for weeks, about the dog destroying the fence and the parties. When Ricky said you were with Jude, I didn’t process that you were the same neighbor.”
“Chelsea’s parties are not that loud. The first one was because a bunch of us were there after moving her in. After that, she’s been afraid to do anything because he leaves notes on her door,” Haley provided.
“No! Are you kidding me?” Emily asked with a laugh. “That’s so Derek. He doesn’t really like confrontation. And he probably thinks you’re hot.”
I rolled my eyes. “Not likely.”
Emily shook her head. “You are gorgeous, Chelsea. Derek would be a fool not to think you’re stunning.”
“Unless this is elementary school, he’s going about it all wrong. Is he going to knock on my door and pull my hair, too?” I asked with a scowl.
“Now you’re making me think you like him,” Emily said.
“She can’t stand him,” Haley answered for me. “She just wants to enjoy her house and get to know her neighbors. She hosted a party for the neighborhood a few weeks ago. He left a note on her door the next morning about it being too loud.”
