Three Years Later
Life in Clearwater had turned out far better than I ever expected. There had been ups and downs but I had managed to have my own social team and my small bakery, Sweet Surprises. I was beginning to feel like I belonged there. Every morning, I would drop my son, Lucas, off at Daycare and head to the bakery. I had built my life from scratch and I was proud of it.
I saw a little bit of Damian in Lucas, their eyes were identical and sometimes when he smiled, it felt like I was looking in his father's face.
"You need to put yourself out there again," Emma, my assistant turned friend declared while we were preparing a chocolate cake for pick up on Valentine's Day.
"Emma, I have a baby. I have this bakery. From whence will I find time for a roll in the hay, oh wise one?" I joked and Emma laughed at my ridiculousness. "My idea of a satisfying night is a glass of wine, reading bedtime stories, and falling asleep with my mouth open," I replied, cleaning some icing off the cake box.
"When was the last time you had someone rip you apart. Trust me, when you get good D, you'll sleep with both your mouth and legs open,"
I smirked. "I handle that myself, thank you very much. Oh and what am I going to tell Lucas, some random guy is here to fuck your mama till she forgets you're in the next room?"
Emma rolled her eyes. "I'm serious, Harper. Don't regret not finding love… and a good D. You only live once. You can work out the kinks when you find someone and I am happy to watch Lucas for you on date nights,"
I sighed knowing I wouldn't win this argument. "Fine. The next guy I see who's interested in me, I will invite him into my room. How about that?"
Emma grinned. "I know you're kidding but I already have someone lined up for Valentine's night tomorrow. Perfect, isn't it?"
"Emma?!" I whined.
"Trust me on this, Anita. The dude is fine and I have it in good authority that he is got a good D,"
"If he is so great, why aren't you with him instead?"
"Well, I sort of am already fucking his friend, if not, I would have beat you to that ass,"
I sighed again wondering if having her babysit for me once in a while was a good idea. Her mouth had no filter.
*****
The next evening, I found myself sitting in front of my closet, Lucas helping me decide what to wear. A simple black dress or a fancy red one. Bored of looking at the same dresses, he went to rifle through my shoes, and in a minute, they were everywhere.
"This one, Mommy!" he exclaimed, holding up a sparkly stiletto. I laughed at his choice, he picked the same shoes every time. The glittering studs on them were enchanting, no lie.
"I can't wear this! It's just a simple dinner,"
"Emma says it's Valentine's Day," he said pouting.
"I know buddy. How about this? Since you are my valentine, when I get back home, I will wear these shoes for you,"
He gave me a wide grin, his teeth sparkling.
I settled on a black dress and black pumps and waited for Emma to arrive for babysitting duty. The moment she entered, Lucas ran into her arms and she made a show of tumbling to the floor. "You are getting stronger every day my little darling," Lucas laughed while she tickled him.
"Okay, Lucas, come give me a kiss," he hurried towards me as I bent low enough to get a peck on the cheek.
"Have fun!" Emma called as I headed out the door.
"Doubtful," I muttered knowing what kind of fun she meant.
The restaurant was one of Clearwater's nicest, and they were hosting a Valentine's Day live band. My date, Greg, Emma had said was already seated at the reserved table when I arrived.
"Anita right?" he said, standing to greet me.
"Yes, hi," I replied, shaking his hand. Emma wasn't lying, he was handsome but he seemed nervous. That might be a turn-off maybe because I was used to one confident authoritarian.
"Emma has told me quite a bit about you. I can't seem to tell how much is true and how much is exaggerated," he said as we sat down.
"Well, you can't trust anything she says. She is biased," Greg smiled.
"I was nervous about this, I haven't done this before. Emma can be a pain in the ass but I am glad I am here. You seem easy to talk to,"
I smiled back and nodded. The waiter took our orders and we got to know each other as we waited for the food. It tuned out we both liked Emma, and we bonded over that. I finally got someone else to admit the girl was crazy. We gossiped about how loud Emma could get during sex, he had to use his earplugs whenever she came around the apartment he shared with his friend. We exchanged gifts and laughs, I found out he was a banker in one of the few banks we had in Clearwater.
I had to admit, I had fun. After about two hours, he paid the bill and walked me out, and we stood by the curb waiting for a taxi to take me home.
"I must admit, I had a great time. You are quite easy to talk to," I said to him. He nodded, and put his hands in his pocket, looking nervous again. I flagged a taxi and looked back at Greg, causing me to smile. It might have been a turn-off at the beginning of the date but now, I found it cute. The red in his cheeks made him look like a teenager whose crush finally agreed to go to prom with him.
"If you could kiss me good night, I would know that you would like to do this again sometime," His eyes lit up in excitement as he comprehended what I meant. He leaned in for a kiss that I reciprocated. When we pulled apart to say good night, I caught a glimpse of a furious face behind him. Oh my God!
"Damian?"