Page 80 of Single Mom's Guide to Love

“Really? It’s working?” Maeve asks. “The headlines I’ve seen have been mixed.”

Kat shrugs. “You’re always going to have some bad. And that’s because you’re an unknown, Maeve, and gossip columns want scandal. And unfortunately, they can only call you a cougar so many times before it gets old. What they’re doing now is trying to create things out of thin air. Luckily for you, there aren’t any skeletons in the closet. Wait…are there?”

Maeve shakes her head. “No scandals. Never even had a speeding ticket.”

“Love to hear that,” Kat says. “Now, be warned: They might try and create some drama, which is probably why they were on your tail those first few days. They need to stir the pot.”

I tense up at the mention of that. “They’re not following Maeve and Jayce to school anymore, right?”

Kat shakes her head. “No. I shut that shit down real quick. I told them to come after you all they want. But the second that they start involving Jayce, Auntie Kat is going to make their lives fucking miserable.”

We only noticed cameras the first day of Maeve and Jayce living here, but that was one day too long. He’s a kid, and more than that, him being followed by paparazzi is something Josh could use against Maeve, which would defeat the purpose of all of this.

“Thank you so much for that,” Maeve says. “I really owe you.”

“You don’t owe me anything,” Kat says. “Though now I have to come in with the next bit of news.”

Maeve and I share a glance. “What news?”

“The news that you two need to make next week.”

Maeve and I share a confused look. “What are you talking about?”

“Next week is your trip back to Los Angeles,” Kat says to me. “And the newlyweds should be there together.”

“No,” Maeve says immediately. “Josh’s biggest strike against me is how much I travel. I can’t be jet setting off to LA with my new husband and leaving my child days after he filed.”

Yesterday was the day that Josh officially served Maeve papers, saying that he wants to renegotiate Jayce’s custody. Luckily, Jayce was at school so Maeve could say every curse word in twenty different languages about it.

“She’s right,” I say. “She shouldn’t go.”

Even though I’d love her to…

I’ve always dreaded red carpets when I was with whatever woman I was set up with. But Maeve? I’d be honored to have her on my arm.

I bet she’d look bloody stunning in a formal gown.

“She doesn’t need to be there the entire time,” Kat says. “You have meetings Wednesday through Friday. Friday night is nothing. Saturday is the big night. It’s the Tech for Tots gala that would be the place to be seen together.”

She’s right. On my side of this, having Maeve on my arm would do wonders. A now family man showing up with his wife for a gala benefiting educational toys for underprivileged children? The good headlines write themselves.

But in my opinion, the bad outweighs the good, which means Maeve needs to stay here.

“If you can’t make it, I understand,” I say. “If anyone asks me, I’ll tell them that you’re at home with your son, make it all about you and Jayce, and that maybe next time we can make a family trip together.”

Maeve shakes her head. “If it’s Saturday, then I can make it. Maybe Friday, too—I haven’t firmed with Josh what the plan is for the weekend. With the holidays, our normal schedule with Jayce is all over the place. If it works that he’s taking him all weekend, I wouldn’t have to worry about neglecting my child.”

I hear the sarcastic bite in that last part.

“Are you sure? Don’t do anything for me that would jeopardize you and give that man ammunition.”

She shakes her head. “I won’t. I promise. Let me make sure everything lines up.”

Kat nods, and Maeve and I share a look. I mouth a “thank you” to her, giving her hand a squeeze for good measure.

“One more thing,” Kat says. “Our charity party that we’re hosting is in the final stages. Maeve, since you’re here, I figuredwe’d get a status update on the setup and everything else you’ve been doing.”

And just like that, Maeve is sitting up straight, her shoulders back, and clearly in her element as she talks about what stage of progress the house is in. Every day she amazes me with how much gets transformed and seeing her vision come to life has been beautiful to watch.

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