Page 4 of Hello Handsome
It was older than me, and my mind did a little cartwheel at the idea of replacing it with something new. With Isabella’s college scholarship and Enzo joining the military, my pocketbook was about to get a little boost.
All this hard work was paying off.
“Mom, we’re gonna be late,” Enzo complained from behind me.
I looked over my shoulder at him, arching an eyebrow. “Nowyou care about the details?”
He rolled his eyes at me, and I set down the iron. The pants were perfect… from the knees down. I tossed them his way, and he caught them, slipping them on and then his dress shoes.
He started toward the front door, sneakers in hand, but I said, “Wait!”
When he turned back, there was a confused expression on his face, but my lips settled into a smile. I took his face in my hands.I swear just yesterday he was my squishy little baby with dimples in his cheeks and the prettiest almond-brown eyes.
Now he was well on his way to becoming a man. A high school graduate. “I’msoproud of you,” I said softly. “You did it.”
He smiled back, giving me a quick hug, and then we really had to leave.
When we reached the school, the parking lot was starting to fill up, as well as all the spaces lining the street. I dropped Enzo by the entrance and then circled for a bit until I could find an empty space. As I walked down the block, seeing all the guests heading toward the building, a twang of sadness hit my stomach.
All these moms walked with their husbands, getting to celebrate their child together. But I held my head high and walked into the building alone as I had done for over a decade. My eyes stung as I realized I’d done what my mom couldn’t. I’d gotten both my children across the graduation stage. It had been hard put my needs on the back burner while prioritizing their success, but I’d done it. Even though my feelings for my mom were complicated, I wished she could have been here to see it.
Thank goodness for tissues.I used multiple travel packs throughout the ceremony and a few more at the reception afterward while Enzo greeted people in the community. So many were celebrating him and handing him gifts. I stood off to the side, watching my boy get showered in love and congratulations. Even though I was a single mom, Enzo had a whole village that loved him. His sister had even made it to the ceremony despite having to turn right around to work her summer internship in Dallas.
“Big day,” a low voice said to my left, surprising me.
I glanced over to see my friend Gray smiling over at me, making his blue eyes crinkle around the corners. Instead of his usual uniform of blue jeans and T-shirts, he had on black denim pants, dress boots, and a striped button-down that accentuated his broad shoulders.
For the millionth time, I shoved down my attraction to him and smiled back. “You could have warned me I’d be crying this much. I thought I’d gotten all my tears out at Isa’s graduation.”
His chuckle rumbled, barely audible over the dull roar of voices in the gymnasium. “Nothing can prepare you for watching them leave the nest.” He’d know. All five of his children had graduated from this high school, his youngest just the year before.
I brushed the fresh tears away, hoping I didn’t have any mascara left on my cheeks. “Any tips for empty nesting?” I asked. The concept was strange to me... For the first time in my life, I’d be living alone.
“Find some good friends.” He winked at me, making my heart flutter faster.
I took a deep breath and placed a playful smile on my lips through the butterflies dancing in my stomach. Being a waitress for my whole adult life had taught me how to have the world’s best poker face. “Know where I would find one of those?” I teased.
Gray chuckled again. “I’ll let you know when I figure it out.”
I gently shoved his shoulder, laughing. We both knew where we stood. If I needed anything, Gray was just a call away. And I was always here to listen to his worries about his boys and give advice when I could. We’d brought each other gallons of chicken soup through all the flu seasons. He and his boys helped me move into my mom’s house after she passed. He even made sure my car got oil changes on time and the filters in my house got updated. We were just there for each other, simple as that.
Gray said, “Looks like there’s an opening. Better give E his gift.”
I nodded and watched him walk to my son, handing over a white envelope while having a conversation I couldn’t quite hear.
Now that Enzo was graduated and leaving soon, I couldn’t help but wonder if things would change between Gray and me. He was the most reliable man in my life, and didn’t all the romance movies say the best love stories were built on friendship?
I knew what wild, passionate, reckless love led to—it’s why I was a single mom to two. That’s why I wanted something steady. Something that would last like our friendship had.
2
GRAY
Jack and Deidreinvited me over for dinner that evening, so instead of driving home from Enzo’s graduation, I passed by the Madigan Ranch sign hanging over my driveway and went a little farther to the Griffen Farms sign.
Aggie’s pretty face was in the back of my mind as I drove—her eyes had been puffy and red from crying, but even with tear stains on her cheeks, she managed the brightest smile in the room. It hadn’t dimmed one bit in the years since I’d met her.
Back then, we were both newly single parents with young children just trying to keep our heads above water. Now, hundreds of meals and cups of coffee later, we were seasoned veterans on the other side of that chapter of our lives.
