Page 2 of Sunsets and Happy Ever Afters

Maya tried to think of excuses and couldn’t come up with any. “Okay, I suppose I need to bite the bullet one day.” She wrinkled her nose. She could at least hide behind the computer screen this way. And she could make time when the kids were in bed. “I’ll chat with Selina first.”

Emma beamed and glanced at her watch. “Oh, shit, we’d best get the kids.”

“Oh, yes.” Maya pulled on her coat and glanced out of the large café window across the park. The rain continued, making everything dark and miserable.

Tucked under Emma’s huge golfing umbrella, Emma and Maya walked as fast as possible up the hill towards the school, leaving the dismal seafront behind them.

They entered the school playground and stood waiting for the bell to ring and their younger children to emerge. The older children would join them — in their own time. There was a scattering of other parents waiting under umbrellas or huddled up to the school buildings to shelter from the rain.

Emma nudged Maya as a smartly dressed man walked past. “Isn’t that Chloe’s dad?” Emma asked quietly. “Now he’s your type of guy.” With the umbrella restricting her view, plus her hood pulled up over her head, Maya hadn’t caught sight of who it was, just his dark hair at the back of his head. He could have been anybody’s dad. “He’s talking to Candice’s mum,” Emma continued, coldly. “She’s always in full make-up and heels — just to do the school run! I know we don’t turn up in our pyjamas, but she always makes me feel like I’m slumming it.”

“I expect she comes straight from work,” Maya said.

“You can’t work in four-inch heels, even in an office — can you?”

Maya was certainly not interested in Chloe’s dad, even though Chloe was one of Amber’s best friends. She’d avoided him like the plague since the disastrous end to Amber’s birthday party. And fortunately, he’d done the same.

The man must have sensed that Emma and Maya were looking at him. He turned his head, caught Maya’s eye, and then with an expression of contempt, he returned his attention to Candice’s gorgeous mum.

“Anyway, you know how I feel about him.” Maya scowled.

“That was months ago. He might have mellowed.”

Emma couldn’t have noticed how he’d just turned his nose up at them.

“Well, I’m not sure I’d fancy dating a dad from school. Anyway, I thought you wanted me to go online?”

“Yes, I do. And who knows, you might find someone as gorgeous-looking as Chloe’s dad on there.”

Before they could continue the conversation, the bell rang and the kids streamed out of the classroom like sheep fleeing their pen. Maya and Emma had to adjust and retune their ears from adult talk to the babble and squealing of excited children.

PTA meetings were held once a month on a Monday evening, usually at The Golden Lion pub, a local for Maya, which meant, weather permitting, she could walk there. Emma loathed the thought of being involved, but sometimes she attended the meetings to get out of the house. Tonight, Maya knew why Emma had come along: to make sure she spoke to Selina.

As the assembled group of ten women discussed the success of the Christmas Fair, and planned the next fundraising events, Maya found it hard to concentrate as to her mortification she spied Chloe’s dad at a table in the opposite corner of the pub. He was seated next to a stunning woman, laughing and chatting with her and another couple sitting opposite them. She’d been caught watching them, that annoying sixth sense kicking in: Chloe’s dad made eye contact with her. His smile dropped instantly, and they each awkwardly broke their gaze. After that, Maya made a concerted effort to focus on the school meeting. She shouldn’t waste time overthinking his obnoxious rudeness. But it riled her that he continued to punish the girls; he still wouldn’t allow Chloe over for tea with Amber.

Once all the items on the agenda had been discussed, and some of the mums had sloped off home, Maya caught up with Selina, who still had wine left in her glass and hadn’t needed to dash off. Selina’s eldest son, Toby, was in the same class as Amber, so they knew each other fairly well.

“Hey, Selina, can I have a quick word before you go?” Egged on by Emma, Maya moved round the table to talk to her.

“Yes, sure.” Selina smiled.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but I’m looking for some advice about online dating. I was wondering how you’d got on,” Maya said as quietly as she could, not wanting everyone to hear.

“Hey, no problem. But it’s been a while since I’ve done online dating.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, I’ve met someone. I’ve been dating Kelvin for five months now. Seems to be going well.”

“I’m really happy for you.”

“Yeah, I might have found the one.” Selina crossed her fingers, looking happy. Maya hoped she would find that kind of connection again.

Selina named the dating site she’d used to meet Kelvin. “Might be worth dabbling with the free sites before thinking of signing up to a paid one.”

“So, is it safe?” Maya couldn’t help asking.

“Yes, but whenever I went on a date, I would tell a friend where I was going and who I was meeting.”

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