Page 38 of When the Storm Breaks
“Are you married to Jude now?”
She smiled. “Yeah. He came back two years ago. It wasn’t easy but we forgave each other.”
“That must have been so hard. For both of you.”
“So hard. But Jude is my one true love. Nobody could ever take his place.”
“That’s really amazing to find your one true love so young.”
“It is but it wasn’t all smooth sailing. It took twenty years for us to get our acts together.” She laughed a little and shook her head.
“And now you get to live happily ever after.”
“Well, most days. We love each other but neither of us has changed much. He still thinks he knows everything, and I still fight him every step of the way.” Her eyes sparkled. “Keeps him on his toes.”
I laughed and wiped my hands on a paper napkin. “God, I’m so full.”
She groaned and rubbed her flat stomach. “Me too.”
We tossed the empty containers in the bag and Lila stuffed them in the garbage can while I rinsed the plates and stacked the dishwasher.
“What do you think of Brody?”
“I think Brody ...” I couldn’t even put it into words. He was so many things. “Is pretty special.”
She nodded, a small smile on her lips. “He’s so special. Brody is a good man. But he’ll try his best to convince you otherwise. The reason I mentioned Noah is because Brody has never introduced his son to any woman. Noah thought it was a pretty big deal that he got to meet you.” The way she said it made it sound like a big deal.
“Just for the record, I showed up at his house uninvited. I needed to borrow his blender.”
“But he didn’t kick you out.”
“If Noah hadn’t been there, he probably would have.”
Lila tapped her finger against her lips, a sly smile on her face. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”
We both looked over at Levi who was kicking his legs and waving his arms, making gurgling noises. By the time Lila took him out of the car seat, he was howling.
“Can I help?” I asked as she laid him on top of a plastic mat she pulled out of her diaper bag then deftly changed his diaper, undeterred that he was red-faced, kicking and crying.
“I’ve got it. But thanks.”
Minutes later, peace was restored. Levi was greedily sucking on a bottle of formula while Lila held him in the crook of her arm. We’d moved to the back porch and were sitting on the Adirondack chairs facing the lake. Like two old friends instead of strangers who had just met a short while ago.
“What I wouldn’t give to dive into that water right now,” she said with a sigh.
“Go ahead. I’ll look after Levi.”
“Tempting. But I have to get going. I have a few errands to run before I pick up Noah from school. Sundays and Mondays are my only days off, so I always try to cram it all in.”
“What do you do for a living?”
“My friend Christy and I opened a floral design studio right after we graduated from college. We mainly do weddings and special events.”
“That sounds like a cool job.”
“It is. I love it. But it’s not as cool as your job. Ugh, if I could sing like you... I can’t even imagine. I’m not just saying this, but your voice is incredible. Your vocal range... how do you hit those notes and hold them like that? I’d be gasping for breath.”
I laughed. “I didn’t used to be able to hold them that long. Before I released my solo album, I worked with a vocal coach. It made a huge difference. Before that, I didn’t even realize I wasn’t breathing properly. It also helped that I gave up smoking.”
