Page 121 of From Rivals to I Do

“I’ll email you all the information so you can get started ASAP.” I pause for a moment as we both stand up. “Your first task will be easy, don’t worry. Some woman spilled coffee all over my shirt, and I just need it dry-cleaned.”

She stares at me for a moment before laughing and nodding her head. I walk her out of the building and shake her hand as a goodbye. I can’t help but think about how cute she is, with her shoulder-length brown hair, blue eyes, and the tiny dimples on her cheeks when she laughs.

And she has no idea who I am.

Chapter seven

Chapter Seven

Mom takes Charlee and me out for dinner to celebrate after I tell her the news. I figure it is best to accept the position until I find something a bit closer. I

can’t rely on my mom to care for Charlee full-time; daycare in New York is expensive. So, first, I need an income.

We walk into Gino’s, an old Italian diner that’s been in the area for decades. I used to come here with my mom and Greg for dinner when I was in high

school, so there are a lot of memories in this place. We sat at a booth, and the server kindly brought Charlee a box of crayons and a little coloring book.

“I just can’t believe he hired me after the coffee incident,” I say to my mom after telling her every detail of the morning’s activities as she requested.

“But he seemed nice about it?” she asks me.

I shrug my shoulders and nod. He was genuinely nice. He joked about the whole thing.

Our food arrives, and I take the coloring book away from Charlee so she can eat. She throws a small fit, but I promise she can have it back when she

finishes her plate, and she quickly starts biting into her ravioli.

I sigh, watching her. Since coming here, she’s been extra defiant with me. I’ve had trouble getting her to go to sleep, bathe, and change clothes. You name

it. When we were in LA, she was fine. I can’t help but wonder if it’s because her dad isn’t here. I still haven’t told her why we had to leave. I just can’t figure out how to.

“She’ll be fine,” my mom quietly says to me over the table. It’s like she can sense what is happening around me, my nerves, and my frustration with everything that happened with Reece.

I shake my head before wiping some marinara sauce off Charlee’s face when she’s finished eating. She’s happy to have her coloring book back, and she

shows both of us some of the aquatic animals inside it. She has always been fascinated with the ocean. Her little blue octopus is to thank for that.

After I finish eating, I look through my phone to see if I’ve gotten the email from Mr. Kapino yet. I know he was joking about the dry-cleaning thing, but I still

don’t know when I’m supposed to start. I search through the dozens of spam emails I have and find his.

“Here it is. I start tomorrow,” I say to my mom while reading through the email. The bottom of the email mentions the benefits package and compensation. I

have to do a double-take when I read through it. The job is salaried and pays a good twenty thousand more than I thought it would.

I show it to Mom. “That can’t be right,” I say.

“If it were me, I’d keep my mouth shut and take the extra cash, but knowing you, you’ll negotiate for a lower salary,” she replies, and I roll my eyes.

If it is a typo, I need to check in with Mr. Kapino. It’s not like I couldn’t use the extra money. College is expensive, and Charlee’s an intelligent kid and I don’t

have a penny saved for her tuition. But I don’t want to take advantage of my boss like that.

We get home, and I help Charlee get ready for bed. Thankfully, my mom must have worn her out playing while I was gone because she was eager to go to

sleep. So I sit on the edge of her bed, tucking her in after reading her and Nellie a story, and she looks up at me for a moment.

“When is Daddy coming?” she asks me softly, tiredly.

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