Page 82 of The Ex Next Door
Once they got home, Naomi quickly gave Fern a drink of water in the kitchen sink, then skipped to find a place for the flowerpot in her bedroom. David hunkered off to his room without another word. Amy started dinner because tonight she’d invited Declan over. She figured neighbors could have dinner together and the more exposure the children had to Declan, the more they’d get used to him being around.
“Dinner will be ready in about an hour,” Amy announced from the hallway between their rooms. “I’ve invited our neighbor, and I expect you to both be on your best behavior.”
“Which neighbor?” David, who’d been sitting in his beanbag chair, sat up straighter.
“Declan, of course. He’s coming over after his shift at work.”
Naomi clapped. “We never had a neighbor over fordinnerbefore!”
“Yes, well, we’re in our new house so we’re going to start doing that more often.”
“Whyhim?” David said.
“Why Declan? Because he mows our lawn—”
“But we never asked him to do that,” David interrupted.
“No, but it’s nice that he does because it saves me the time. Plus, he came over once and fixed the Wi-Fi, young man!” Amy pointed to David. “Not to mention that he’s helped you with baseball.”
“He’s nice,” Naomi said. “I like him.”
God bless Naomi, who would probably find something redeemable in Ted Bundy.
“Doyoulike him?” David addressed Amy.
“Me?” Amy touched her chest. “Sure, I do. We already told y’all we were best friends in high school.”
“Don’tyoulike him, David?” Naomi said, no small amount of surprise in her voice.
“I guess.” David shrugged. “He’s a good baseball player.”
So, “Dec” had now become nothing but a good baseball player. All right, so Davidknew. Well, he knew something, but Amy couldn’t be sure what he knew. Hesuspectedsomething going on between her and Declan, and coming off the experience of Shannon and Rob, he didn’t like it. That made sense. Amy would continue to keep it friendly and chaste with Declan in front of the kids. But for how long, exactly? Would Declan wait for months, weeks, years? More to the point, would thiseverbe okay with her son? Maybe not. And yet they couldn’t hide or be discreet forever.
She thought of how Bianca had referred to Declan as her “dirty little secret” and a slice of fear knifed through her. If any man ever kepthera secret, if any man thought of her in the sense she was someone who should remain hidden, she’d be gone. Done. Her parents taught her to first believe in her own self-worth. Her father had modeled that and so had her mother. She couldn’t expect Declan to forever be relegated to a little side action every other weekend. He wanted, expected anddeservedto be a part of her whole life.
All the literature she’d read about single parents dating said a child shouldn’t be introduced until the relationship was solid. She was already committed to Declan, sliding into their shared past easily and effortlessly. She loved him, and he loved her back. He defied all the written expectations ofdating after divorce. There was no chapter on “proper timelines to introduce the kids to your first love when he suddenly lives next door.”
So, Amy was going to wing it.
She cooked the lasagna noodles and browned the ground beef, adding the store-bought jar of marinara sauce. Amy brought out her colorful bowls and plates, and set the table, trying to give the children the message that Declan was their guest of honor. He would be in their lives, whether they liked it or not, because he was herperson. They’d get used to the idea. That was final. It was like eating their vegetables and limiting sugar. In this instance, she would play the Mom card.
“I’m going to put a flower at each setting. I’ll pick some from outside. Gramma taught me the best ones today.” Naomi went skipping outside.
“David, how are you going to help?” Amy asked.
He gazed at her from under hooded lids.
His body language said:I will help our guest to the door.
“I’ll go help Naomi,” he said. “Sometimes she can’t reach.”
Off went her growing boy, already two inches taller than his twin.
After layering the casserole and sticking it in the oven, Amy texted Declan with a warning:
I think David heard something about us or saw something. He’s not feeling too friendly about you today. It’s very out of character.
The bubbles of a response forming appeared and then seconds later, Declan’s response.
