Page 9 of Shot to the Hart

“That would be because I’m not, Mom, and I hope you aren’t either. I don’t want anything to do with him.”

“I told him to leave you alone, too.” She beams with pride at her statement, the superhero in my story always. I let her have it, she has worked hard to feel that way, being that she raised me alone and did everything in her power to keep me happy.

“How's work been for you?” The waitress comes by and my mom orders a BLT with fries while I go with a classic burger, chocolate shake, no cherry and fries.

“Same old crap, new day,” She sighs, “I’m glad I get to see you today.”

“Me too, Mom.” I do miss my mom and I need to make a more conscious effort to spend time with her. “Anything else new to share?”

For the first time in my twenty-four years of life, my mom blushes, a genuine smile spread across her face. “I met a man, around my age, who runs a construction business, and he has a daughter a little younger than you. We haven’t been seeing each other long, but he’s been very respectful.”

“That’s great Mom! What’s his name? Do you think I’ll meet him? How did you meet?” I ask, genuinely curious if my mom gets her true shot at happiness and the man who might provide it to her.

“His name is Dale, and if things keep on this track, I think you might. Your Aunt Nancy, the matchmaker, had his company come and renovate her bathroom and then forced my number on him. He told me that he considered not calling, but Aunt Nancy kept telling him he wouldn’t regret it so he took a chance.”

“Ah, that’s so great! I’d love to meet him if it goes that way. Of course Aunt Nancy has to play matchmaker. I’m surprised shehasn’t been sending me portfolios of her friend's sons to get me back out there.” Our waitress drops our food and we dig in.

“Are you ready to date again?” My mom asks, plucking a fry and pointing it in my direction waiting on an answer.

“Not at all, he would have to be really special for me to be ready to date again,” I tell my mom. Mom tells me more about Dale as we finish our meals; he and his wife split after his daughter turned eighteen, and he just started dating again due to Aunt Nancy’s meddling. His daughter, Callie, attends school at the New York fashion institute and will be back to visit during her breaks.

With our checks paid, we exit the restaurant together. “Thanks for meeting me tonight, I miss you,” my mom says as she pulls me into another hug.

“I’ve missed you too. I’m sorry, I’ll check in with you more often. I love you, let me know once you're home.”

“I love you too, and you do the same.” My mom unwraps her arms from me, and I watch her walk to her car before taking off towards my own.

5

MAVERICK

ALWAYS HAS BEEN

“Check out this one. Linda Gregory, in her forties, has grandchildren, nannied while she was in college, has some early childhood development education, but ended up working in corporate America, weird. She’s willing to work whenever she needs to, so that’s a plus. Downside is she doesn’t want to live here, but we could probably make it work for the weeks where we would just need her during the day or for times you’re away.” Tatum slides over a resume across my dining room table as I take a peek over at my dad and Bella snuggled up, watching a movie in the living room.

“Hmm. . .sounds like she might be a good option, let’s put her in the interview pile.” I pick another resume from the pile, scanning it quickly. “Kodi Roscoe, twenty-four, six years with one family until they left, willing to travel and stay here. Not asking for too much pay. No education history, so that’d be something to follow up on. She listed a lot of the activities she would do with Bella’s age group, which I like. Take a look and then add her to the interview pile.”

“She’s young, do you think she can manage the lifestyle you lead with whatever she wants as a twenty-four year old?” Tate ponders aloud.

“Another question I’d have to ask her, but being young means she can probably keep up with the Tasmanian devil over there,” I gesture towards Bella who is standing in the middle of our living room spinning in circles, her small giggles filling the air. “Hey Bella, let's take a break baby. You’re moving so fast and that’s really cool, but I don’t want your tummy to hurt.” She complies, joining my dad back on the couch.

“You got it boss. Look at this one; Corrine King, twenty-six, preschool teacher looking to leave the field, babysits during summers, but has never nannied.” Tatum hands it over and I eye it giving him a nod of approval before passing it back. “You feeling better about this now?”

“Marginally better. I don’t think I’ll feel confident in my decision until the second part of the interviews where I let the top candidate interact with Bella to see if they are a good match too.”

“Doesn’t Bella like everyone though? Isn’t that normal for a toddler?” Tatums question makes him laugh, and I guess he does have a point.

“Seeing them interact will make me feel better though. If Bella really likes someone, that's a good sign.”

“Alright then, I’ll call these three pending their background checks and then let you know when they will come in. Nap time only.” He waves the resumes at me before sliding them into his briefcase and exiting the house.

6

KODI

LITTLE LATE

Checking my email for the tenth time in the past twenty-four hours as I walk to my shift atWake, Bake, Repeat, I still haven’t heard back from any of the jobs I’ve applied to.

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