“Okay…that’s a start. I’ll come up with something.”
I adjusted my hard hat. “I think I love you, Dave.”
“Save it. I’m not popping your cherry.”
***
That night, after putting Henry to bed, I opened a beer and pulled up my DVR list to watch one of the several Pawn Stars episodes that had been piling up. I had just pressed play when a text from Davey came in.
Davey: I’ve got it.
Mitch: Got milk? Got herpes? Got what?
Davey: I’m just warning you. You’re gonna wanna blow me after this.
Mitch: This better be good after that visual.
Davey: You’ve got that flip your company is doing for the family down in Virginia Beach coming up in a few weeks, right?
Each year, my company donated its resources to help a family in need by rebuilding a house damaged in a storm or fire. This year, we were surprising a family down in Virginia Beach. The plan was to flip their house while they were staying with relatives on the other side of the state. A tropical storm wrecked their home, and they hadn’t been able to live in it for months. They also had two special needs kids, one in a wheelchair, so we’d be putting in a ramp. I had plans to meet my guys down there for five out of the last seven days. It would be the first time I’d be away from Henry, but my mother insisted I go when she found out what we were doing.
Mitch: What about it?
Davey: Hang on. I’m gonna call you.
The phone immediately rang.
“Yo.”
“You’re flipping the house, and then it has to be set up for them and shit, right?
“Yeah. We pay for all new furniture and decorate it.”
“You need an interior designer.”
“Actually, I’m not sure—”
“You need an interior designer.”
“Wait…you’re saying I should hire Skylar to do it?”
“You’re really smarter than I give you credit for. Of course, that’s what I’m saying! That’s her specialty, isn’t it?”
I scratched my chin and paced the floor. “This is fucking genius.”
“Thank you.”
“I don’t even know if we have it in the budget for a designer. I think we were just going to wing that, but I’ll pay for it myself if I have to just to make this happen. The real issue is, how am I going to get her to agree to go away with me? Don’t you think she’ll see right through this?”
“It’s all in how you present it. That’s your job. I can’t do everything for you. By the way, where are you staying?”
“I’m getting a hotel for myself and for the other guys, too.”
“Well, now you’re getting a house on the beach.”
“A house on the beach?”
“Yes.”
“She’s not gonna agree to stay in a beach rental with me. Are you fucking kidding?”
“You’re not staying in it. You’ll say the company booked it for her as part of the deal.”
“I’m not following you.”
“Trust me. Just don’t plan to sleep there. It’s too presumptuous. You get a hotel, and she sleeps at the beach house. She’ll invite you over at some point, and that will be your opportunity. It’ll be a nice, romantic setting away from all of the complications here. And she’ll actually get some work out of this trip to add to her resume. It’s a win-win.”
“I have to give you credit, Davey. This is a brilliant idea. I’m just not sure I can get her to do it.”
***
A week later, it was a Wednesday evening, and I had left work early to be home for Henry because my mother had a party to attend with my stepfather, Fred.
The Virginia trip would be coming up in a few weeks. If I was going to propose this job to Skylar, I needed to get in touch with her. I’d been anxiously waiting for tonight because according to my calendar, this was a week he would be away on business.
Henry was running back and forth on his toes across the carpeted playroom. Then, he grabbed his iPad and an automated voice said, “I want to go to McDonald’s.”
The teacher in his special ed preschool class had put an application on there where he could point to a picture, and it would sound out what he wanted in a full sentence. You could program any sentence to match the picture. He would point to a cookie, and it would say, “I want a cookie.” If he touched the picture of my mother’s house, it would say, “I want to go to Grammy’s house.” Tonight, he kept pressing the golden arches. “I want to go to McDonald’s.”
“Not tonight, Bud. Daddy’s got to make an important phone call, and Grammy made you some mac and cheese. It’s on the stove.”
He jumped up and down with his iPad, pressing the icon. “I want to go to McDonald’s.”
“Maybe tomorrow.”
He kept it up, pressing on the picture repeatedly. “I want to go to McDonalds. I want to go to McDonalds. I want to go to McDonald’s.”
I laughed at his persistence. “I get it! You want to go to McDonald’s.” I was such a sucker sometimes. “Okay, let me change your diaper, and we’ll go.” Even though Henry was four, he wasn’t able to be potty trained yet.
After I changed him and got him dressed, as I was zipping up his jacket, an idea crossed my mind. I took my phone out of my pocket and scrolled down to Skylar’s name.
She answered. “Hello?”
I closed my eyes at the sound of her sweet voice. “Hey.”
“Long time no speak,” she said.
“Yeah. I wasn’t sure if you wanted to hear from me after the way I left last time.”
She didn’t acknowledge my statement. “What’s going on?”
“I’m actually calling on business.”
“Business?”
“Yeah, believe it or not. My company tasked me with finding an interior designer for a project we have coming up. I wanted to see if you had some time right now to meet up for dinner and discuss it.”
“Tonight?”
“Yeah…if you’re free.”
“I am.”
“Great. Would you want to meet me at the McDonald’s on Franklin, close to your house?”
“A business meeting at McDonald’s?”
“My mother’s not here, so I’ll have Henry. That’s where he likes to go. Theirs are the only fries he’ll eat.”
“Oh…of course you have Henry. I feel stupid now. That makes total sense.”
“Don’t feel stupid. You didn’t know.”
“Sure. I can meet you there.”
“Great. Wanna say a half hour?”
“Okay. See you then.”
***
Henry and I arrived about ten minutes early and got a booth in the farthest corner away from the action. In case he had a tantrum, I wanted to handle it with the least amount of rolling eyes and whispers. I squeezed him into one of the plastic, gray high chairs, clasping the belt to secure him. Even though he was too big for it, it was the easiest way to get him to sit still and eat, otherwise he’d be climbing all over the greasy booth or trying to crawl on the floor.
It was after the dinnertime rush, so there were only a few tables occupied.
I handed him his iPad while we waited for Skylar. He immediately began playing a Sesame Street matching game.
Five minutes later, the front door opened, and the sight of her nearly took my breath away. She was so cute as she looked around unaware that we were all the way in the back. I chuckled and raised my hand, waving it. The smile she flashed when she noticed us squeezed at my heart, which was beating faster with every step she took. Yeah, I was screwed.
She was wearing a little white dress with spaghetti straps, and her long, wavy hair was swaying as she moved. When she got to our table, her clean, delicate scent immediately hit me. It was like catnip. I wanted to rub my nose through her hair and sniff her all over.
Down, boy.
She sat down. “Sorry I’m a few minutes late. There was a ton of traffic.” She turned to Henry. “Hey, little gu
y.”
He continued to stare at his iPad and ignored her.
She turned to me. “How are you?”
I had been staring at her lips, and suddenly looked up. “I’m good.”
“So, I’m curious about this business proposition you mentioned.”
“Yeah. You know what? Let’s get food first. Do you mind sitting here with Henry while I order?”
“Of course, not.”
“What would you like?”
“I’ll have a fish sandwich, a small fry and a Diet Coke.”
I winked. “Okay. Be right back.”
While waiting in line, I looked over and noticed that Skylar had placed her hand out for Henry. He took it and started folding her fingers down, playing that same game he created the first time he met her. Focusing on her beautiful smile while she engaged with my son, I realized that everything that mattered to me in the world was in that booth.
When I returned with our food, Henry was back to looking at his iPad.
“We can start eating first,” I said. “His fries have to cool off. He won’t eat them if they’re even a tad hot.”
I placed a fruit smoothie in front of Henry. “Drink.” He took a small sip. After I bit into my burger, I said, “So, let’s get the job stuff out of the way while he’s occupied with that game.”
“Okay,” she said, dipping her fry into some ketchup and taking a bite.
Over the next several minutes, I explained what HM Construction would be doing down in Virginia Beach and why I needed her help.
“So, I would have complete control over the décor?”
“Yes. The family doesn’t even know we’re doing this. The idea is to have them walk into the place and be blown away. Some local newspapers and media will actually be there to capture it. We’d give you a budget to purchase the items you need down there. As each room is completed, you’ll have access to it to do your magic. We’d have you pick paint colors, too.”
“Why me?”
“Why not?”
“What’s the catch? Virginia Beach in the middle of summer? This sounds too good to be true.”
“There is no catch. I just wanted to throw this business your way if you’re interested.”
“Where would I stay?”
“The company would provide housing for you.”
“Are you going to be down there?”
“Yes. I’ll be overseeing it and helping my guys.”
“How will we get there?”
“I’ll get you a flight.”
“I have to be honest. This is really tempting. I haven’t had much luck getting new clients here in New Jersey.”
“HM Construction would be an excellent addition to your resume. This is a good thing. Trust me.”
Trust me.
“I really can’t see any reason not to say yes.”
I tried not to leap out of my seat. “So, you’re in?”
“Can I just have a few days to think about it? I’d have to talk it over with Kevin.”
Buzz kill.
“Of course.”
She took of a sip of her soda. “Thank you.”
I took a bite of one of Henry’s fries to make sure they had cooled. I handed him the container, and he immediately began to play with them.
“What is he doing?”
“He has some OCD tendencies. One of them is arranging things in a row. He does this to his fries all the time. He lines them up one by one, counts them and then eats them from left to right. Don’t worry. I wiped down the table earlier.”
“What would happen if I took one? How would he react?”
I grinned. “That’s a good question. Try it out.”
Skylar took a fry out of the line up. Henry immediately started yelling and reaching for it. It amazed me how aware of things he was when he wanted to be.
“Mine,” she said as she held the fry away from him toward her chest.
He looked down at his organized fries and back up at Skylar with a look of urgency.
He was looking at her.
“Say mine,” she said.
Henry reached his hand out.
She repeated in a sing-songy voice, “Mine…mine…mine.”
Henry opened his mouth. “Mm…mi…”
Holy shit. He was trying to say it.
She happily stomped her feet. “Good boy. Mine. Mine! Here you go.” She handed him back the French fry. “Wow. Mitch…it’s really all in there. He just needs the motivation.”
Proud could not begin to describe how I was feeling. “Well, up until this moment, the only thing he’s ever tried to say was, ‘hi.’ You have a way about you that brings out the best in people.”
“I think he would have done that for anyone that messed with his order, but it was cool to see him interact a little. I guess we’re all capable of anything if we really want something.”
Mine.
I could certainly relate to desperately needing something you can’t have and wanting to beg for it.
As Henry started eating his fries from left to right, Skylar looked at me and appeared hesitant to say something.
I moved our tray out of the way. “You have something on your mind.”
“I was just thinking about something your mother said.”
“Okay…”
“She mentioned that you were arrested around the time I moved away. What happened?”
Shit. My mother had a big mouth. I really hadn’t wanted Skylar to find out about that.
I breathed in and out slowly. “I beat the shit out of someone.”
“What?”
“Yeah. He had it coming.”
“Who?”
I hesitated, reluctant to start the conversation this would inevitably lead to. “It was Chad.”
“Charisma’s cousin…Chad?”
“Yes. He took advantage of you. Then, he had the gall to come to the hospital when Henry was born. The second he introduced himself, I knew exactly who he was. So, I asked him to help me carry some stuff out to the car. When we got outside, I punched his lights out and knocked out one of his teeth.”
“Oh my God...”
“You have to understand how angry I was at that time. I hated him probably more than anyone but not more than myself for indirectly bringing him into your life through Charisma. I was in so much pain and couldn’t see past it. I wanted to kill him and was sorry I hadn’t put him in the hospital. Do you think less of me for saying that?”
“No. I understand that kind of anger. I have recurring dreams about doing the same kind of thing…to her. But a dream is one thing. You were actually put in jail?”
“Briefly. Then, she somehow convinced him to drop the charges.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry you felt like you had to do that because of me.”
“I’d do anything for you.”
I’d die for you.
I needed to change the subject before diarrhea of the mouth developed. I couldn’t risk saying something that would make her decide not to come to Virginia Beach. “Stay right here with him, okay?”
I went up to the counter and returned with two M&M McFlurries. She always used to make me stop here when we were teenagers because that was her favorite kind of ice cream.
She smiled. “You remembered.”
“I haven’t forgotten a thing.”
It would be easier if I could.
She took a spoonful and moaned. “Mmm. There’s nothing like this.”
I watched as she closed her eyes. No, there isn’t.
“It is really good,” I said, clearing my throat.
“There’s still no other ice cream I like better. Will Henry eat some?”
“He usually won’t touch ice cream.”
Skylar moved her plastic spoon toward Henry’s mouth, and he immediately turned his head away as if she were offering him poison. Then, he snatched the utensil from her.
She pretended to be upset. “Hey! That’s my spoon.?
??
He reached it into her cup. We both watched in anticipation, thinking maybe he was planning to eat some. Instead, he whipped the spoon toward Skylar, smacking her in the face with a huge dollop of ice cream.
She squealed in surprise.
“Shit! I’m sorry.” I jumped up and ran to get some napkins.
When I returned, she had fallen into a fit of hysterical laughter. To my amazement, Henry was giggling and kicking his legs.
“Again, I’m so sorry for that.”
“If it got him to laugh, it was worth it.”
I turned to him. “You think that was funny? You get away with murder.”
She was wiping the ice cream off her face. It had dripped down onto her chest.
I was not thinking about sopping it up with my tongue.
I handed her more napkins. “Do you need water?”
“No…I’m fine. I needed a good laugh.” She wiped the happy tears from her eyes. Beautiful almond eyes. “Gosh, that felt good.”
I lifted my brow. “Really?”
“Really.”
The customers seated diagonally across were smiling over at us. They must have thought we were a crazy family. How I wished that were real, that Skylar were my wife and Henry’s mother. We’d go home, put Henry to bed, and then I’d take her to our room and make love to her all night. Instead, she’d be sleeping in another man’s bed, and I’d be alone dreaming of her, replaying every moment of tonight.
When her amusement died down, our eyes locked.
I used the opportunity to bring up the last time we were together. “I’m sorry if I was out of line that night in my car.”
“You were just being honest with your feelings. I’ll never fault you for that.”
I paused, looking down at my melted ice cream, swirling it around the styrofoam cup. “Does he know about me?”
“He knows what happened after I left home. He knows everything, but he doesn’t know we’ve been back in touch.”
“How do you think he’d feel about that?”
“Honestly?
“Yeah.”
“He’d go ballistic.”
I nodded, pretending to get it while anger built inside me.