Page 215 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
“It’s just important to me that they like each other,” I explained. “I can’t date a woman that doesn’t like kids. It just won’t work.”
My mom nodded.
“I get that,” she said. “She knows about Austin, though, right? And Layla?”
“Yes,” I responded. “She knows about everything. She seemed fine with everything, too. Actually, I feel like telling her about Layla brought us even closer.”
My mom smiled. I could tell that she was happy that I was moving on. She had wanted me to be happy, but never pushed me to get into a relationship. She always told me that things would happen when they were meant to happen, and I believed her.
“It just feels weird,” I admitted. “I feel like I’m doing a disservice to Layla. I know she would be happy to see me moving on and to see Austin happy with a mom-figure, but I still feel guilty.”
My mom walked toward me and put her hand on my shoulder.
“I know it’s rough, Cayden, but she would want you to move on. You’re far too young to not fall in love again. You deserve to be happy.”
She was right. I was too young to call it quits on love. Layla would want me to be happy, but I would still always hold a place for her in my heart.
“Thanks, Mom,” I said.
“I can’t wait to meet her,” my mom said. “What’s she like?”
“Amazing,” I told her. “She really is. She is smart and driven and beautiful. She’s funny, too. She really is everything that I look for in a girl. I thought it would be weird dating a co-worker, but it actually makes it better because we have work in common.”
My mom nodded. I knew she understood, because her and my father had met at work a long time ago. They were the picture-perfect couple, something that I had aspired to be with Layla. Even in their sixties, they still held hands and went on dates. My dad always opened her door. It was rare for relationships to last that long.
“I hope she comes,” my mom said. “Will you let me know if we should expect her?”
I nodded. My mom was a planner. She liked to know everything in advance.
“I’ll ask her this morning at work,” I told my mom. “Don’t tell Austin until I know for sure.”
My mom shook her head.
“I won’t tell him,” she said. “I’ll let you do that.”
She was right. I needed to tell Austin. It was a conversation that I was both nervous and excited about. Truthfully, Austin probably wouldn’t even care. He was so consumed by Christmas thoughts that he wouldn’t care if I brought a “friend” to the Christmas lighting ceremony.
“I’ll see you in a couple of hours,” I told my mom. She gave me a kiss on the cheek as I left.
“Bye, buddy!” I called out, but he didn’t respond. I was sure he was engrossed in the television already. I left the house with a pep in my step. I was suddenly even more excited to see Tiffany. I would ask her to the tree lighting ceremony. It would be a great opportunity for Tiffany to meet Austin and the rest of the family. I wanted to see how Tiffany and Austin interacted, although I had a feeling it would go well.
I walked into work full of Christmas cheer. Holiday music filled the halls and some of my co-workers wore festive Christmas apparel.
“Meeting in two minutes!” I announced loudly. They had no idea that we would be leaving early. They would all be excited, but I had to make it clear that they needed to work hard to wrap things up before we left at noon. I noticed Tiffany down the hallway. She wasn’t dressed festively, but still looked great. She had on a black, form-fitting dress with black heels. I wanted to call out to her, but I didn’t want to make a scene. I would see her after the meeting.
I walked into the conference room and my co-workers followed in. They were buzzing with excitement, similar to how Austin had been. Everyone was in the Christmas mood. I had hoped that Tiffany was in a good mood, as well, despite her family issues. Tiffany finally walked in and took a seat. I made eye contact with her and smiled.
“Good morning,” I greeted the room. They quieted down as soon as I began to speak.
“I have some good news,” I told them. “We will be leaving here at noon today and will not be returning until next Monday.”
The room erupted into cheers. As expected, they were happy. I was, too. Even though I had spent the weekend relaxing with Austin, I was looking forward to having a week off work. I was excited about Christmas festivities and hopefully spending extra time with Tiffany. If her and Austin hit it off, it would be easier to see her. We could do things together with Austin, like go out to dinner.
“But, listen,” I told the group. “If you want to leave early, we all need to be super productive. We need to use these next few hours and wrap up articles, photoshoots, whatever. Let’s get this done and start celebrating!”
The group erupted into applause. I felt like I was on top of the world, until I looked across the room at Tiffany. While everyone else was excited and smiling, she had a blank stare on her face. Something was still bothering her, even though she told me it was nothing. I didn’t believe her, but I couldn’t ask her any more about it. I had to take her word for it, even though I knew something was off.
As the employees began to leave the room, I called out for Tiffany. She turned around and walked toward me.
