Page 27 of Perfect Imperfections

“Have you ever thought of getting remarried?” she asked before she could stop herself. Ellie didn’t mean to poke a sore subject, but Sullivan seemed so great, and Charlotte was a doll. She couldn’t imagine why he hadn’t found someone else.

Sullivan frowned, his jaw hardening as the rough words escaped tight lips. “No. Charlotte was a baby when her mom left. She didn’t feel the…I couldn’t risk trying again with someone new and having it not work out. I won’t do that to my daughter.”

Stupid Ellie! Look what you did. You upset him with your invasive questioning. No wonder no one stays around after date number one. Why would anyone want someone as annoying as you?

She squeezed her eyes shut as the insidious voice whispered the dark thoughts into her head. She wasn’t being rude. They were just talking. If Sullivan hadn’t wanted to talk about his ex-wife, he would have said so. Besides, this wasn’t a date. There were no worries about him dumping her because they weren’t together. And probably never would be, according to his distaste for relationships. She got it. Hard to bounce back from heartbreak. Even harder when you had a kid whose well-being depended on you.

“For what it’s worth,” she said, giving him a soft smile. “You’re doing a great job on your own. Charlotte is wonderful.”

He glanced up at her words, a hesitant smile on his face. “Yeah?”

She nodded. “She really is.”

His lips curled into a full-fledged grin. “Yeah,” he said, handing her a mug. “She really is something. Thank you, Ellie. Thank you for saving my daughter and thank you for agreeing to come to her party.”

She blew across her mug to cool the tea. “My pleasure. I like hanging out with Charlotte. She’s very sweet. Such a special girl.”

Sharp green eyes focused on her, the intensity in them causing every nerve in her body to spark to life.

“You know what, Ellie?”

She shook her head, tongue too thick to form a single word as the intensity of his gaze captured her, refusing to let her look anywhere but deep into his eyes.

“I believe you’re something special, too.”

CHAPTER 10

“So, how was the date?”

Ellie glanced up from checking the bucket of fish for the penguin’s morning meal. Cam sat on the metal countertop, legs swinging in the air, a mischievous smile on her face. When had she come in?

“It wasn’t a date.” She went back to checking the food, the fishy smell of, well, fish, so common to her she barely noticed it anymore. “It was a thank you dinner with his daughter present.”

“How is Charlotte?”

“Great. She’s such a sweet kid. She really liked the stuffed elephant. Thanks for suggesting it.”

Cam snorted. “Of course she liked it. She’s a kid. Kids like stuff. I have seven nieces and nephews to prove it.”

Cam came from a large family. Being the baby of the bunch, she was the only one without kids, but unlike Ellie’s mother, Cam’s didn’t pressure her daughter to find a man and start popping out babies before her biological clocked ticked off. Whatever the hell that meant. She’d never heard a tick from any part of her body, especially the baby-making parts. Screams of agony once a month, sure, but no clock ticks.

“So, the date—excuse me, thank you dinner—was good then?”

Cam corrected herself at Ellie’s sharp look. Her friend smiled, sliding off the counter and walking over to the cabinet to grab the headset for the feeding hour show.

“Yeah, it was nice. Sullivan can cook, like, actually cook.”

“Most people can, Ellie. You’re the only person I know who can live off fast food and box pasta and still be that tiny.”

All the people in her family were tiny. They had small genes. Even her dad was barely over five foot eight. Plus, she ran. A lot. Early on in her therapy, Dr. Mitchell had suggested exercise in addition to her meds and therapy to help manage her OCD. Not a big fan of gyms, she’d tried out morning jogging and fell in love. Rising with the sun to hit the streets. Only her and the chirping sounds of the early birds.

There was a park by her apartment with a great running trail that weaved through a small, wooded area. No cars, busses, or morning commuters to harsh her vibe. Only the crunchy sounds of her feet hitting the dirt path. The cool crisp morning air filling her lungs as she pushed herself until her legs burned. She ran out her anxiety, and while it wasn’t a cure-all, it helped calm her mind.

“You could always come running with me.”

Cam’s mouth dropped in horror. “Bite your tongue. There’s not a sports bra in this world strong enough to keep me from getting a black eye the moment I even attempt a jog. The girls would knock me out for sure.” Her friend glance down at her generous chest and shook her head. “No, thank you. I’ll stick to my spin class.”

She understood. Actually, she didn’t since she was a member of the itty-bitty titty committee and her girls wouldn’t even bounce on a trampoline, but she realized everyone had their own body issues no matter what the shape or size. She liked to jog. Cam liked to cycle. Friends didn’t have to do everything together. She was just grateful she had a friend to do stuff with sometimes.

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