Page 5 of Love in Design

NATE

The Beginning of February

Lily and Victoria have been talking nonstop about Laura. If I’m honest with myself, I haven’t stopped thinking about her since the first day of meeting her. My thoughts at night are of Laura in my bed. Waking up hard requires a shower to take care of business.

Should I ask Laura out? The question keeps flowing around my head until Victoria yells for me. Now I remember why I don’t date. She needs to have my full attention, especially now that my tattoo shop is open.

“What do you want for breakfast?” I pick her up as she clings to my neck. We have about an hour before she has to be at school.

“Pancakes!” she squeals in my ear.

We get busy making chocolate chip pancakes. Cupid’s Arrow has appointments all through Valentine’s Day. I couldn’t believe the success of it. It worried me because I thought it might be a little reserved, too Hallmarkish for my brand, but it’s a dream come true. I get to put Victoria to bed on weeknights except for Wednesdays and Fridays— those are my busiest nights.

Lily told me that Cupid’s Cove goes all out for Valentine’s Day. I mean, the town’s name is Cupid’s Cove. I’m still not sure what the plans are for the day, but I’m excited to learn about them. Victoria has been talking nonstop about the school’s Valentine’s Day celebration. Lily told me she’d help me out with getting all of it ready. I know that I’m a hopeless romantic.

“Daddy, are you ever going to get married?” Victoria steals a chocolate chip. She’s never mentioned marriage before, and I wonder why now?

“Why would I need to marry someone when I have you?” I tap her nose with my finger. Victoria rolls her eyes like a teenager. I’m in a lot of trouble as she’s only eight years old.

“I’ve thought Miss Laura is pretty. She likes me. So why not marry her?” Victoria shoves a big fork full of pancakes into her mouth. I choked on the sip of coffee that I had just taken. The thought has crossed my mind twice, but can I be a husband to someone else when I failed Catherine? Can I be a wonderful dad to Victoria while loving someone else and having children with that person? Will the bond that I have with my daughter change? These questions swirl in my head constantly. I get lonely, and it’d be nice to come home to someone, an adult, who understands my life better.

“Honey, when did you start thinking about a mommy? Are you not happy with just the two of us?” She looks away from me, not wanting to make eye contact. Before I can finish the conversation, the alarm on my phone goes off, letting me know it’s time to leave for school.

I make a quick note on my phone to talk to Lily about this new idea.

Does Victoria need something more than Bethani, Ryan, and me?

Chapter Six

LAURA

Valentine’s Day is always hard for me. I’m single and unsure if I can get a date for the big Cupid’s Cove Valentine’s Day shindigs. The first year I went to the dance was because my best friend Amy dragged me there. She found love and moved away. I was by myself the second year, and no one picked me for the secret Valentine, and no one danced with me. It was high school prom all over again. I made a promise to my mom I’d go. I need to keep an open mind and heart.

“Laura, I was wondering something.” One of my teachers breaks me from my thoughts. “What are we doing for Valentine’s Day here at the school?”

“The same thing we do every year. The Valentine’s Day party in the morning for the individual classrooms, then the dance in the gymnasium with pizza and snacks.” Being a small town, we usually celebrate every holiday big and being a child is like magic. There is always something new and exciting to do. I want to bring that excitement to school as well.

I won’t let a child not earn the activity. Some children work extra hard to get their grades up to have fun or oversee something. It builds character. Mister Roberts sighs. He hates how I handle things like parties. He thinks I don’t know what he has said about my inexperience in the past to the other teachers.

“I think that is too much for these kids. They need to be learning, not partying all the time,” he yells out. There are about four other teachers in the lounge with us.

“It might be, but it’s easier for the children and you as the educators to teach them something when they can experience some of the fun the adults get to have during the festivals. What harm is it doing, Stuart?”

“I agree with Laura. My kids are excited. They have started their list of activities already. We drew names for a Secret Valentine’s Day,” Maggie, one of my second-grade teachers, speaks up. “We went over what they can do, and it ties in with English for writing encouraging notes to others.”

“Oh, I love that idea. We can get all the different subjects for a special project too. Keep learning fun during this time.” The teachers in the room with me agree, except for Stuart. “I’m going to send out an email for a special meeting after school. Talk to everyone about it so we can start making ideas.”

“Art class can make the decorations for the dance and their own Valentine reveal on the fourteenth.” The ideas flow from the teachers, and the more they talk, the more Stuart seems interested now. I thank them after grabbing my coffee, and I head back to my office.

“You should smile more often. Brings out your beauty.” I shiver at the sound of Nate’s voice behind me. I slowly turn around to look into his eyes. The blush moves up my body.

“Good morning, Mister Sullivan,” I tease.

“Is Lily in today? I looked in the office and couldn’t find her.” Nate seems worried about something.

“No, she called off today. She wasn’t feeling well.”

“Fuck.” The word came out in a sharp whisper.

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