Page 61 of The Coworker
Chapter 34
Today is my birthday.
Compared with last year, I have a lot more to celebrate this year. Last year, I was living in a one-bedroom apartment where my son slept on a cot in the living room, and the landlord had just hiked up the rent by two hundred bucks a month. I hadn’t been on a date in two years. Josh was coming home in tears every day because of the bullies at school. I had a babysitter who didn’t show up half the time and kept making me late to my urgent care shifts. And even though my parents were alive, we weren’t speaking for years.
This year, Josh is happy in school. We’ve got a big house to live in, and we each have our own room. And of course, there’s Tim, who I’ve only been dating for a month, but I’m starting to think I’m really falling for him.
I spend an extra-long time getting ready tonight. Tim is taking me out to dinner, just the two of us. I had been planning to include Josh, but when I mentioned it to Margie, she looked horrified.You need to have an adult night out,she insisted. That’s why she’ll be coming to watch Josh so Tim can take me to a nice restaurant.
When I look in the full-length mirror in my bedroom, I’m pleased with what I see. I’m wearing a little black dress that makes my boobs look big, paired with black kitten heels, and my dark hair is loose and silky around my shoulders. And when I come downstairs and Josh sees me, his eyes turn into saucers.
“Mom,” he says, “you look pretty.”
He means it as a compliment, but the fact that he sounds so shocked when he says it makes me wonder how he thinks I look the rest of the time.
“Thank you,” I say.
He puts down his Nintendo and looks at me expectantly. “Are we going out to dinner?”
I settle down next to Josh on the sofa, tugging on the hem of my dress. “Actually, Margie is coming. Just Tim and I are going out tonight.”
“Oh.” He looks confused. “So is Tim your boyfriend?”
I knew that question was coming eventually. Tim and I have been careful about how we act around each other when Josh is around so he won’t realize we’re a couple. Tim spent the night a couple of times, and he set the alarm on his phone for six in the morning so he could vacate the house before Josh woke up. But it was inevitable Josh would figure it out. And I owe him the truth.
“Yes, he is,” I say. “Are you okay with that?”
Josh hesitates, thinking it over. “Yeah, that’s okay. Tim is cool.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“Also, he’s the assistant principal of the school, so I could get away with stuff if he’s your boyfriend.”
I burst out laughing. Josh is like the best-behaved student ever, and I doubt there’s anything he would do in school worse than, I don’t know, reading a book under the table during movie time at school.
Unlike his father.
The doorbell rings, and I run to answer it. There was a fifty-fifty chance it might be Margie, but I’m glad to see Tim standing at the door. He’s wearing a dark gray jacket over a blue dress shirt and a tie. He looks achingly handsome, and all I can do is stare at him. I barely even notice he’s looking at me the same way until he lets out a low whistle.
“Damn,” he says. “You’re going to give me a heart attack, Brooke.”
He leans in to kiss me, but before he can, we hear Josh’s footsteps racing towards us. He pulls away just as Josh bounds into the foyer. Josh points a finger at Tim.
“You’re my mom’s boyfriend,” he announces.
Tim looks at me with his eyebrows raised, and I nod. “He asked,” I explain. Then I add, “He thinks you’re cool.”
“Wow, Josh, I’m honored.” He places a palm on his chest. “That might be the first time anyone has called me cool in my entire life.”
Josh giggles. Tim reaches over and takes my hand in his. I don’t know if we want to be super affectionate in front of Josh, but I think holding hands is okay.
“So,” Tim says, “I’ve got your birthday present in my pocket. Do you want it now or later?”
I wink at him. “Immediate gratification, please.”
“Some things never change.
Josh doesn’t seem interested in a present that isn’t for him, so he goes back to playing Nintendo while Tim and I head out to the kitchen table. I sit down next to him, and he reaches into his jacket pocket to pull out a blue rectangular box that is clearly jewelry.
