Page 77 of Someone to Remember
“Summer before last, when they went fishing. I’m so freaking outraged that he’d put something like that on Jack. Imagine how worried he must’ve been about his daddy after Spence said that.”
“Yeah, that’s a lot for a little kid to process. Did he seem upset when he told you about it?”
“Not at all. He was sort of matter of fact about it, as if he’dhad a lot of time to process it and it wasn’t a big deal anymore. At least I hope that’s the case. I guess we’ll see.”
“I’m sorry Jack had to hear that, but it’s further proof of how sick Spencer must’ve been. He never would’ve said that under normal circumstances.”
“No, he wouldn’t have.” I pause before I decide to tell her about Brad. “In other news, something interesting happened tonight.”
“Do tell.”
“My widow friend Brad asked me out.”
Tracy’s eyes go wide with glee. “Please tell me you said yes.”
“I did.”
She lets out a whoop that scares Josh.
“Sorry, buddy,” Tracy says with a laugh as I resituate the baby. “Your mommy told me the best news.”
“Please don’t tell anyone, even Mike. I don’t want it to become headline news for everyone in my life.”
“I won’t tell anyone. I promise. But I’ll tell you how happy I am for you and how proud I am of how you’ve managed the unimaginable for yourself and your kids.”
“That’s nice of you to say. Most days, it feels like a sausage factory from the inside. No one should ever see what goes on here.”
“Your kids are clean, well-fed and well-loved. You’re slaying single motherhood.”
“Only because of the fundraiser that solved my most pressing problem. Brad is struggling financially and won’t let me give him some of the money.”
“Find a way to do it without him knowing where it came from.”
“He’d know it was me.”
“Lie and deny.”
I laugh at the way she says that, without an ounce of irony. “That ought to be on a bumper sticker.”
“If it gets the job done.”
“I’ll think about how I might pull that off.”
“And you need to think about what you’re going to wear on your date.”
“I’ll just wear jeans or something. I’m not getting all dressed up.”
“Put a little effort in.”
“He sees me all the time in mom mode. He knows what to expect.”
“Which is all the more reason to wow him a bit.”
“I’m not sure if I want to wow him.” Suddenly, my eyes are full of tears that I quickly brush away. “I don’t want you to think…”
“What, honey?”
“That I’ve forgotten Spence or moved on from him or what happened, because I haven’t. Not at all.”
