Page 50 of Power Play

“See you.”

I end the call and push my phone back into my purse. Who is this girl? Obviously, I don’t keep tabs on Clay, but I’m certain Ava or Angie never mentioned anyone named Dylan being close to the hockey team. Where did he meet her?

My mood changes so drastically that I don’t know what to do with myself. All the questions I have and all the answers I probably don’t want to hear running around in my head. Clay is single. He’s so fucking handsome, I get stars in my eyes every time I look at him. He’s hot, kind, and successful. Any girl in their right mind would want a guy like him. So why am I surprised he has a friend I don’t know about?

Didn’t I say I wanted him to be happy?

Stepping into the living room, I pause in the doorframe, rocking back and forth on my heels. Unwelcome tears fill my eyes, and my vision becomes blurry.He is single, Layla, and you know better than anyone that you don’t deserve a second chance with him.I bite my bottom lip, trying to keep my tears at bay. Being overly negative is not healthy. It pummels my confidence into the ground, battering it so hard that I have a hard time calming down.

I press my palm to my chest, breathing in and out. In and out, trying to gain control of my dark thoughts. My poor heart thrashes in my chest like a little bird born in the wild and now trapped in a cage.

Everything’s going to be all right. It doesn’t matter if I stay single forever because I have Maya and my family and my friends. I don’t need a partner to feel beautiful or sexy or confident. I am enough.

Repeating all that over and over, I feel my breathing go back to normal, and my heart finds its steady rhythm again. It helps me to think clearly, and the situation doesn’t seem so gloomy anymore. I’ve made an assumption without even seeingthis Dylan girl, without asking her how she knows Clay, without knowing anything about her connection to him. But also, I realize that I’ve been letting him get close to me, and more importantly to Maya, without thinking about the consequences if things go wrong.

It’s no longer about me; it hasn’t been since I became a mom. I don’t want to let anyone into Maya’s and my life and risk them abandoning us. Not even Clay. This should be top of my mind next time I’m deciding whether or not to see him. She’s drawn to him, and the last thing I want is for her to get hurt if things between us go downhill.

I fish out my phone, check the text he sent me last night, and close the app without replying and hide it back in my purse. I have better things to do, considering all the bouquets and compositions I need to make, on top of cooking Maya’s favorite soup: chicken noodle. Wasting my time in doubts and fears isn’t what I’m supposed to be doing.

“Mommy,I want to go to Cooper.” Maya stands in front of me. Her plush toy is pressed to her chest.

I glance at my watch. It’s 5:15 p.m., and there’s no sign of this Dylan girl. The bouquet I made for her is on the table, drawing my attention no matter how hard I try not to focus on it, bringing back all the worries I’ve been ignoring for the better part of the day. It’s absolutely stunning. Pastel pink roses with lavender stock, white carnations and lavender alstroemeria accented with baby’s breath and greenery. And the smell is nice and airy. I’m proud of my work, of all the details and how I arranged them.

“Mommy?” Maya calls out to me again, yanking on the skirt of my apron.

“Sorry, baby, I zoned out for a moment.” I look around my small garage studio, checking all the bouquets and compositions I’ve made today. Most of them will be gone tomorrow morning, when a delivery service my client arranged is scheduled to come. Work has always been a cure-all for my bad mood, but today it proved it can also distract me from my fears.

But since I’m done, and since it’s time for this girl to finally show up, I start feeling anxious again.

“See this bouquet?”

Maya nods.

“Someone is going to be here soon to pick it up. I need to be home.”

“I want to go Coop.” Maya pouts, lowering her gaze to her feet. Goodness, she’s playing me so well.

“How about I take you to Coop’s house, then come back home and wait for this client to show up?”

“Yes!” Squealing, she turns around and dashes back into the house. I shake my head, watching her disappear from view.

I’ll take Maya to Drake and Angie’s and then call this Dylan. Sure, there’s nowhere I need to be, but her being late feels icky. And disrespectful, considering she didn’t call to warn me about it.

Me:

I’m gonna bring Maya over, if that’s okay. She wants to play with Coop

Angie:

Ofc it’s okay! Drake told me you might. I brought her favorite cupcakes

Me:

She can eat ONE cupcake, singular

Angie:

*fainting Anna gif*

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