Page 57 of The Ex Next Door
Thank goodness for curtain calls and second chances.
* * *
The week went by swiftly between baseball practice for David and shifts at the bar. Before long, the weekend arrived. Amy had already explained to the kids they had a choice to spend it with Rob since he’d had to cut their visit short last time. She’d followed Rob’s lead, and simply explained they would be meeting “Daddy’s friend” this weekend.
“How old is she?” Naomi had asked as if gauging whether or not she should bring her Barbies.
“Um, twenty-five?” Amy said, zipping up Naomi’s backpack.
“That’s old.”
“Excuse me, young lady?I’mthirty-one.”
She was almost thirty-two, but never mind.
“Mommy, you’re not old! You’re amommy.” Naomi gave her a hug. “I love you.”
“Nice save. I love you, too, my special girl.”
David was quiet, which worried Amy. He didn’t ask any questions about Daddy’s friend and simply packed all his baseball gear because he planned on practicing with Rob all weekend. His dedication lately to the sport had been inspiring. She’d heard him the other night on the phone with Rob.
“Dec says I’m good. I’m just as good as him at nine, which means I’m going to be really,reallygood if I stick with it. Did you know Dec went to college on a scholarship and got recruited to the major leagues?”
Gee, hopefully Rob wasn’t getting tired of hearing about Amy’s ex-boyfriend the jock. Snort.
Even if Declan hadn’t inspired such confidence in her son, Amy would still be grateful for him. Not just for the lawn mowing, but he’d finally oiled those hinges on Naomi’s door. He’d also unclogged her kitchen sink once—David had put an apple core in the disposal—and come over when the Wi-Fi went out to troubleshoot. It was like having a husband that went home to his own place every night. She did, however, miss the other perks of marriage but hoped that might change this weekend.
Declan had officially asked her out on a date. He said it was a surprise but would involve water, so she assumed theboardwalk, a place she hadn’t enjoyed in years without her children.
As planned, Rob showed up to pick up the kids without his girlfriend.
“Where’s your friend?” Naomi asked.
“You’ll meet her at the park,” Rob said, taking her backpack and stuffing it in the car.
“I hope I like her,” Naomi said, giving Amy one last hug.
David said nothing, just hopped in the car and buckled in. “I brought my glove, and it’s pretty seasoned now.”
Rob chuckled. “Seasoned? Okay, you’re trying to sound like a pro.”
“I’m reallygood,” David said, and Amy thought he sounded a little defensive.
She sincerely hoped David wouldn’t compare himself with Matthew, who seemed to have more of a natural-born ability for athletics. But Declan, God bless him, refused to admit it. At least not to Amy and certainly not to David.
Rob shut the passenger door. “So, Declan, huh? Spending a lot of time with him.”
“Yes.” She was not going to discuss her love life with Rob in any detail.
At this point, even she didn’t know where they were going with this. She didn’t know if Declan was serious or just having a little fun with an old flame.
“Convenient the kids have already met him,” he said with narrowed eyes.
“He’s our neighbor.”
Amy refused to say more. Too bad if she had an edge because the kids lived with her the majority of the time. She wouldn’t talk to Rob about Declan for many reasons, not the least of which she’d already had told him about Declan once. When they’d first met, Declan was that ex she’d talked about.The one who broke her heart. The one Rob should properly hate. Rob had one of those exes, too, of course. Everyone seemed to in college. It was a relief to unload on someone, but if Rob remembered half the stuff she’d said, when she’d painted Declan as the only reason for the failure of their relationship, he wouldn’t have a fair and accurate picture.
Declan hadn’t wanted to get married at seventeen and hindsight being twenty-twenty, she’d had no business getting married so young. It would have never worked. Declan would have gone away to college and later been recruited to the majors with or without her. In another scenario, she would have somehow been to blame for his leaving baseball. Instead, it was a choice Declan made that had nothing to do with her.
