The Mommy Bride

The question was as jarring as the mishmash of rock tunes had been. “No. I don’t want a boyfriend.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’ve already been married. Once was enough for me.”

“He’s probably rich. Doctors always are.”

“It doesn’t matter if he’s rich or not. We’re joining him for dinner, not a future,” she attempted to explain as finally—finally—they pulled into the parking lot and parked. “There is a difference.”

“I know that. But, if you did date him, I wouldn’t care. Very much.”

What would he not care about? That she was dating? That it was Ty? That he was rich? “Thank you for that.”

The car was still running. Conscious of the price of gasoline, she turned off the engine but made no move to get out.

Claire had a feeling that Ty was looking out the window and wondering why they hadn’t just unbuckled and gone on in. But this was important. Hesitantly, she said, “Do you want to talk about things?”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

That almost made her laugh. As far as Claire was concerned, they had everything to talk about! “Everything changes, Wes. You’re growing up and becoming more independent. I’m working hard and learning to be independent, too. I guess it’s no longer just the two of us against the world.”

“When we were in the shelter—we had Tessa and Keaton.”

Thinking of Tessa, who’d helped her so much while she’d been in the hospital and Keaton Phillips, the cop her friend had married, Claire said softly, “We still have them. You stay with them one weekend a month still.”

“I like my visits with them.”

“Do you want to see them more often?” Claire’s heart broke, wondering if she was ever going to be good enough for her son.

“No.” His hand on the door, he turned to her. “I’m sorry I said all that about the radio.”

“I know. I’m sorry we don’t have a CD player.”

Twin splotches of color stained his cheeks. “I shouldn’t have said that, either.”

“It’s okay to want things, honey. I want things, too.”

“I’m saving for an iPod.”

“That’s good. I’m saving for a new couch. But while I’m looking forward to everything I want, I think I’m going to go enjoy a dinner out with a man who wants to be our friend. Sound like a plan?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, then. Let’s not keep him waiting any longer. He’ll think we stood him up.”

Wes’s eyes widened. Before Claire had even put the keys in her purse, he’d scrambled out of the car, hopped up on the sidewalk and run into the restaurant.

She followed at a much slower pace.

TY AND WES were already diligently reading menus when she arrived in the seating area after taking a quick trip to the ladies’ room to wash her hands. To her surprise, he stood up when she arrived at the table.

Wes narrowed his eyes. “What’d you do that for?”

“You stand up when a woman comes to the table,” Ty answered. “It’s good manners.”

“Oh.” After a moment, Wes said, “Where’d you learn that?”

“My coach in high school. He was a stickler for things like standing up and saying yes, ma’am.”

“Mom’s never made me say ma’am. She’s never made me stand up for her, either.”

With a wink in her direction, Ty said, “You don’t stand up because a lady asks you to. You stand up because it’s the right thing to do.” As he scooted back in his chair, he added, “Don’t worry, Wes. You’ll get the hang of it all and, if you don’t, more people will step in to tell you what to do. My wrestling coaches in college spent hours giving me advice about how to get along in life.”

Wes’s eyes widened with a new respect. “You wrestled in college? I didn’t know that.”

Claire hadn’t known that, either.

“Yep. I went to school on a wrestling scholarship. No one set up any college fund for me growing up.”

There was more than a trace of bitterness in Ty’s voice. Wes must have caught it, too, because he said, “Was college wrestling hard?”

“Yep. But, that was okay. Working hard has never been an issue for me. I had big dreams and I found a way to pay for them. That was lucky.”

Claire liked Ty’s spin on life. That he was lucky to be hardworking and goal-oriented. How many people looked at things from the complete opposite view point? Like they deserved more than they had?

Wes shifted in his seat, a sure sign that he was interested. “So that’s why you go to so many wrestling meets. Because you used to wrestle.”

“Partly,” Ty replied, sending a shuttered look her way.

Claire received that look with some trepidation. What was he really saying? That he came to the meets to see her?

That made her uncomfortable.

Oh, not because he found her attractive. No, what made her uncomfortable was that she liked his interest. She swallowed hard, hoping to calm the knot in her stomach.

She needed to get a grip on herself, pronto! There was nothing romantic between them. And there couldn’t be, ever.

After ordering sodas, cheese Coneys and 5-way spaghetti dinners all around, Wes saw a buddy of his. He bummed two dollars off Claire then joined his friend at the video arcade until the food arrived.

“Are you ever going to take off that coat?” Ty asked.

Quickly, she shrugged it off. “Sorry. I don’t know where my mind is tonight.” But she did. It was revolving around Ty, her attraction to him and the multitude of warning signals that were going off…reminding her that he was Mr. Unsuitable. Correction—Dr. Unsuitable. He was too young, too polished and too rich.

But he still had a great demeanor. He smiled, warming her insides. “Don’t apologize for a thing, Claire. I just hoped you’d get comfortable around me. That’s all.”

Their sodas came. Claire sipped her root beer gratefully as she tried to think of something to say. Finally, she settled on their jobs. “How does your schedule work? Are you in the hospital all week?”

“I’m with a private physician one day a week, then spend the rest of the time in the emergency room at the hospital.”

“And then you’ll be up at the high school, working with the kids?”

“When I can.” He shrugged off his crazy schedule like it was no big deal. “What about you?”

“Oh, I have pretty much the same schedule every day. On most days I work from eight to three. On Wednesdays I go in early and leave around noon.”

“Then you’re off to your other job, huh?”

He’d lost her. “What do you mean?”

“Being a mom?”

Glancing in her son’s direction, Claire couldn’t help but smile. “Yes. Lately, that’s been just as challenging.”

“If you handle motherhood like Deanna, I’d say you’re doing all right. I had a chance to visit with her after I got Taylor patched up. She’s a nice lady who really cares about her kids.”

“I agree.” Remembering Deanna and the tumble of emotions that the woman brought forth, Claire shook her head. “I hope they’ll be okay. I gave her the name of a shelter.”

“She mentioned that. If I had to guess, I’d say her luck was about to change.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I don’t know. Something tells me there’s more to her than meets the eye. Some people are kind of like my house, a little rundown, but inside, they’re in pretty good shape.”

Claire laughed at the analogy. “Your place is like that, doctor? And here I thought you’d have a manicured lawn and organized cupboards.”

“That’s not me at all. I have very little in my cupboards, which is a good thing, because Maisy would probably find a way to get into them and chew everything in sight.”

Wes joined them right at that minute. “Who’s Maisy?”

“My dog. She’s an old golden retriever.”

“I love dogs,” Wes said. Over his head, Claire shared a smile with Ty. Wes’s dream had always been to have a dog of his own.

“Maybe one day you’ll get a chance to meet her,” Ty said offhandedly. “If you two do get the chance to meet, I’m sure the feeling will be mutual. Maisy loves everyone.”

Their chili came. Claire picked at hers. She’d never been one to totally love the chili-spaghetti-cheese-and-onion combo that everyone else in the city seemed to crave. Of course, it didn’t really matter what was on her plate, anyway. The reason she was at Skyline was to make Wes happy.

With a lump in her throat, Claire realized Wes was having the time of his life. He really liked being around Ty. And Ty, for his part, seemed to know all the right things to say to her son.

She couldn’t help but notice how skillfully Ty guided the conversation with Wes, discussing dogs and wrestling and video games with an ease she never had.

After a half hour of conversation, the check came. She’d just pulled out a twenty when Ty stood up to go pay at the counter. “Put that away. This is my treat.”

“I can pay our way.”

“It’s just chili. You can pay next time.”

Claire was just about to fumble her way through—not being sure there was going to be a next time—when Wes spoke up. “Mom likes to cook.”

Ty’s blue eyes issued a challenge. “How about you invite me over for dinner someday?”

Claire didn’t trust herself to reply. She was afraid if she opened her mouth, she’d do something stupid, like actually offer an invitation. The next thing she knew, she’d be thinking about a real date with Ty. And that would be a huge mistake.

Unfortunately, her son had no such reservations. “How about next Saturday night?”

Claire’s stomach rolled as Ty grinned. “How about next Saturday night, Claire? Would you like to have dinner together then?”

She glanced at Wes. Once again, she saw hope in his eyes. He liked Ty—he liked him a lot. And, well, she couldn’t buy him iPods or new furniture, but she could cook Ty dinner, right?

True desperation engulfed her, making her feel anxious and…excited? “Sure. Why not? Next Saturday night would be fine.”

Chapter Five

“Girl, you’ve got a date with a doc-tor,” Lynette sang to Claire when the waiting room was empty for the first time since they’d started their shift.

“He’s a resident.”

“Shoot, that counts! You just raised yourself a good two feet, in my estimation.” She paused, looking Claire over with her famous dark-as-night eyes. “Or just lowered yourself into my black book. Everyone knows doctors are egotistical jerks.”

Everyone who knew Lynette Brown knew that her “black book” was the opposite of the proverbial bachelor’s. Inside her book were lists of people she didn’t care to associate with.

Well, so she said.

“Yep, as soon as I get out my pen, I’m going to have to hover it over the Gs and once again weigh the pros and cons of your clearheaded thinking.” Pursing her lips, she added, “Or lack thereof.”

Claire didn’t know whether to burst out laughing or to hit Lynette with the file folder she was carrying. She settled for doing her best to maintain dignity. One of them had to do that, after all. “Stop.”

“No way! This is the most exciting thing I’ve heard about since Jobeth over in radiology announced she was having twins!”

Jobeth’s news had been good. This news was…strange. “Let’s just drop it, can we?”

“Not on your life.”

“Now I’m sorry I told you.”

“I’m not.” Waggling her freshly waxed eyebrows, Lynette whispered, “What else you got going in that top-secret life of yours? You inherit a bunch of money, too?”

“My life’s not top secret.”

“It feels that way. You never give me any news.”

That was because there wasn’t any news to tell. Usually, she liked it that way, too.

Claire couldn’t even joke about her situation. From the moment she’d said yes last Saturday night she’d felt like she was teetering on the edge of a cliff, just one more misstep and she’d fall through the air. It was only because Ty was coming over the following evening—tomorrow night!—that she’d broken her normal code of silence.

Which had not been a good idea. Lynette’s ribbing had been constant and full of mischief.

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Forget I even told you.”

“No way. This is the first time I’ve ever heard you knew people of the opposite sex. Most days, you never even notice when a man comes waltzing in our double doors.”

“I’m not that bad.”

“Pretty close.” Glancing toward the doors fondly, Lynette murmured, “Remember Hunk-O-Man?”

“Oh, for heaven’s sakes. Not Hunk-O-Man again.”

“Why not? He was the most gorgeous thing I’ve seen in this Petri dish of a waiting room. Blond, blue-eyed, tan. Tall. Cover-model worthy.”

Claire had to admit Hunk-O-Man had been memorable. Especially since he’d only come in with a jammed thumb—nothing infectious. And when they’d found out he’d hurt himself while climbing onto his neighbor’s roof to fix a broken shingle, he’d gone down in waiting-room history as Lynette’s model of the perfect man. Rugged and thoughtful.

Still talking, Lynette said, “I thought we were pretty close, but I’ve never, ever heard you talk about going on a date.”

“That’s because I don’t date. I’m a widow, remember?”

“Well, I’m just glad you’re doing something. Finally. And if it has to be with Dr. Ty I’m-handsome-as-sin Slattery, so be it.”

Claire was saved from a reply by the arrival of an elderly couple sick with the flu and a teenager who’d cut his knees in a bike accident. Dutifully, she escorted them to a semi-private cubicle and took down their vital information.

But in between, she kept thinking back to the heart of what Lynette had been saying. Why now? Why Ty?

Claire could come up with a million reasons she said yes, all having to do with Wes. Still feeling residual guilt for everything she’d put him through when they’d been living on the streets, Claire knew she’d do everything within her power to give Wes what he wanted.

Well, everything within reason.

Had she only said yes because the dinner invitation had been the first thing that sparked life into his eyes during his current grumpy phase?

Maybe.

Or maybe she, too, had a soft spot for Ty. And dinner was dinner…not romance and flowers.

“Ty’s nice,” she told Lynette when they were once again standing behind the counter.

As if sensing she’d teased enough, Lynette squeezed her hand. “I’m glad. Nice is good.”

“We’re just friends, you know. Ty knows Wes from wrestling. In fact, Wes is the one who invited him over.” Claire fought to maintain her look of innocence. Yep, that was Claire Grant, always putting her boy’s needs first.

Lynette’s lips twitched. “Well, I’m glad he did.”

Claire’s stomach was so jumpy, she couldn’t honestly say the same thing. In fact, as the hours to the big dinner marched closer, she was sure it all was a very bad idea.

Really bad.

Especially since they hadn’t discussed any details since their dinner at Skyline. She hadn’t seen Ty more than from a distance all week. He hadn’t called her, either. Maybe she’d just imagined they had dinner plans?

Then, just when she was sure she’d made too much out of We ought to have dinner together on Saturday night, there he was, waiting for her at the end of her shift. “Ty. Hi.”

He smiled right back. “Hi. Hey, Lynette.”

“Dr. Slattery.” Lynette pressed a palm behind Claire’s back and pushed her forward.

Claire moved out from behind the reception desk and a whole lot closer to Ty. “Is, uh, anything wrong?”

“No. I just thought I’d walk you out to your car. It’s dark out.”

Feeling like she was back in high school, Claire sneaked a peek at Lynette before walking to his side. Lynette gave a little wave in response.

Then he was taking her coat from her vise grip and helping her put it on. “Thanks.” Summoning up something to say, she said, “Listen, I’m so glad you’re here. We probably ought to talk about—”

He interrupted. “Hold on, let me make sure I heard that right. You’re glad to see me?”

She rolled her eyes. She was cooking him a meal for Wes. So he could have a man’s company. Not because she wanted to be around Ty. “I was going to say that I needed to give you directions to my house. And, uh, do you like pasta?”

He smiled. “I like everything.”

“I have a recipe for baked ziti. It’s nothing fancy, but—”

“I meant it when I said I like everything,” he said quietly. Slow, like she needed extra time to process his words. And maybe she did. Claire noticed she got suspiciously tongue-tied whenever he was nearby. “I’m sure whatever you make will be great.”

“All right, then.” Breathe deep, she cautioned herself. Don’t think of anything except right now. Unbidden, advice from a counselor flashed clear as day, like a photographer had just stepped into her life and carefully documented a moment in time. Concentrate on today.

Claire supposed Ty’s proximity was making her feel the same way that she used to—flustered. Uncertain. In fact, when he’d halted her dinner talk by resting one hand on her arm, she’d flinched—a knee-jerk reaction to a man’s touch.

He noticed. Just as quickly, he pulled his hand away, an expression crossing his face that Claire knew had everything to do with caution and care.

As the murky glow of the parking-lot light shone upon them and the topic of dinner and what to serve had been exhausted, Claire tried to cover up the burst of tension she felt whenever she was near him. “Looks like snow again.”

Very systematically, Ty placed both hands behind his back. Showing her that he wasn’t going to touch her again without her consent.

Making her realize he knew more about her than she’d thought.

“It sure does look like snow,” he murmured.

Frustrated with herself, with her body’s reaction to sudden touches—thanks to one randomly violent ex-husband—Claire deposited her tote bag on the hood of her car and hastily pulled out a pen and paper.

“My place is easy to get to from here,” she said, unable to bring herself to discussing her flinching. Of course, what could she say? That she was holding on to a bag of past experiences so tightly that it was a wonder she could ever loosen her grip? “Do you know Lane’s End very well?”

“Pretty well. I live here, too.”

Why didn’t she know that? She’d just assumed he lived farther into Cincinnati. In expensive Hyde Park or one of the more trendy places where up-and-coming singles lived.

“I’m in the Arrowlake Apartments.”

“Off Main?”

“Yep.”

She wrote down quick directions even as she said them out loud. “If you go in the second entrance, we’re the far back building…F. Wes and I are on the second floor. Apt. 210F.”

“What time?”

“Seven?”

“Seven’s just fine. I’ll see you and Wes tomorrow night at seven o’clock.”

Their fingers touched when the note was passed. For the first time, though, Ty didn’t look attentive, only troubled. “Would you like me to bring anything?”

“No, it’s my treat, remember?”

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.