Page 9 of Succeeding Love

“What’s the best part?” I felt a little more energized seeing her enthusiasm.

Jessie and her dad exchanged a look, both of them barely containing their grins.

“It’s in the high-rise close to the library. The building that is right next to the garage we would park in when we went to watch the Christmas parade. Skyland Heights,” Nick said proudly.

“The one overlooking the river by that pizza spot we like?” Preston sounded impressed.

“That’s the one,” Nick grinned.

I knew exactly what building he was talking about. I felt like a knife had just been stabbed through my heart. That was the building we had talked about buying a condo in for forever so that we would have a place to stay in the city after the kids grew up, and I didn’t need to be at home as much. It was a dream we talked about all the time, every time we went to the city, and even late nights in bed. It was a five-year goal we had, and we even talked about it the last Christmas that we were together.

He crushed that five-year goal along with all my other lifelong hopes and dreams when he told me he was leaving me, but I guess it didn’t have to be crushed for both of us.

“I’m happy for you,” I said softly, piling up my dishes to take to the sink. “I think you and Arlene will be thrilled there. It’s a beautiful building.”

I pushed myself up from the table, fighting to keep my smile in place. If I just smile, I can get through this. I can bottle this up to unpack later tonight when I’m all by myself.

I took a few deep breaths at the kitchen sink where no one could see me, and I regained my composure. It was stupid to get hurt by something as silly as real estate. Good for Nick for sticking with a dream. I thought it was ours, but that doesn’t mean he can’t keep that dream alive by himself, or even with Arlene. It has nothing to do with me.

I had thrown a store-bought chocolate pie to thaw out in the fridge since our simple dinner turned into entertaining a guest, too. I went to get it out but saw a cheesecake sitting on top of it. An entire cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory. I opened the top of the box and caught the delicious scent of lemons and tangy cream. It was lemon meringue cheesecake. My favorite.

“Jessie said you asked to skip your birthday this year, but I wanted you to at least have a cake,” Nick said from behind me. I didn’t even notice he had walked into the kitchen.

“Thank you,” I mumbled softly. I didn’t know how to feel about him giving me a cheesecake today of all days.

He came right behind me, so close that I felt the heat from his body coming off of him in waves. I moved to give him some room as he leaned into the fridge and gingerly lifted the cake, carrying it over to the counter.

“Do you want me to cut you the first piece?” he asked, looking hopeful.

“Um, sure.”

He grinned excitedly, but then a confused look came upon his face. He looked around the kitchen, spinning in a half circle until his eyes landed on the wooden block that holds all of my knives.

I stopped him before he could ruin the cake with my large butcher knife. “Here. Let me get the cake knife instead.”

I cut up pieces for everyone except Jessie, who wasn’t a fan of lemons and would rather have that chocolate pie. Nick stood back awkwardly, and I could tell he wanted to help, but showing him the right way to cut the cake would be more work than me just doing it. I just asked him to carry the slices to the kids instead.

The cheesecake was delicious, and there was plenty left over. I tried to wrap up half of it for Nick to take back home, along with some lasagna for Arlene, but he refused. He muttered something about her eating out with friends tonight.

“So, about the condo,” he said, leaning against the counter and watching me clear the dishes after everyone was done.

“I’m thrilled for you,” I smiled at him. “You’ve always liked that building.”

“So have you,” he said with a serious expression. “That’s why I was thinking, do you want to come with me tomorrow when I go to get the keys?”

I froze for a second, hoping I heard him wrong.

“You could come and see the inside of the place before any furniture goes in. There’s a huge gym, an indoor pool, a rooftop garden, and the condo is on the top floor, so you can see the entire city from up there.”

He’s seriously asking me to go see his new home he will share with Arlene? A condo which used to be our dream? He hasn’t always been this insensitive, has he?

“I really rather not, Nick. I’m happy for you, but I’m sorry. Going there and being happy for you are two different things.”

“But you’ve wanted one of those condos since Jessie was in diapers. I thought-”

“You thought I would want to go with you, my ex-husband, to see it under the harsh reality of you buying it with your partner after we divorced? No, Nick. I do not want to go see it. I’m disappointed you would ask me that.”

“I didn’t buy it to live with Arlene, Fay,” he took a step towards me. “I…. I bought it because I needed an actual home for the kids. Somewhere that is theirs. They don’t have that at her place.”

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