What woman could pass up a double discount on yummy, delicious chocolate ice-cream with a fudge sauce rippled through?
She found a pinstripe knee-length skirt, fortunately big enough to contain her ever-expanding waist line. So much for New Year resolutions. Hers were down the drain as if they never existed.
“I think you look pretty, mummy,” Harry, her four-year old son and the reason she continued on living, said to her.
“Baby, you are the loveliest man I know.” She kissed his cheek and carried him through their small apartment to the breakfast table. Harry was such a peaceful child. She placed him at the table and served him some cereal. It was a cheap supermarket brand, but the stuff that had some flavour, rather than the other kind which tasted like cardboard.
“The phone is ringing, mummy.”
Scarlet ran for the phone. What would she do without her observant little guy?
“Hello.”
“Is this Scarlet Hughes?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry to inform you that day-care won’t be available for you today.” A mother’s worst nightmare.
“But I’m at work. I need to keep this job,” she said, staring at her son.
“We’ll be open tomorrow, but maintenance has had to come out.” The woman continued on with a big long explanation. Scarlet listened with half an ear as she poured some milk for Harry.
“Okay, thank you for letting me know.”
Scarlet placed the phone back in the cradle and looked at her son. What was she going to do? The crèche at work would take him in, but they charged more than the day centre. His prescription would be due in a couple of weeks. Could she afford the extra expense?
She saw no choice other than taking him to work. The last few bits of food were eaten, and Scarlet got Harry ready. She carried her handbag, the bag for Harry with fresh clothes and toys, and allowed Harry to walk to the car. The bags ended up on the floor while she strapped him into his car seat.
Her hands were shaking by the time she got to work. What would people think when they saw her son?
She wasn’t ashamed of Harry, but she knew people had horrid thoughts about her being a single mother. Especially when they asked where the father is. The crèche was located on the floor where she worked. She parked her car and walked the short distance with Harry in her arms. At four he was getting to be a heavy bundle, and her arms ached.
Someone opened the door for her when she got to the entrance to the office building. A small blond haired girl. She looked like a teenager.
“Thank you,” Scarlet said.
“Opal, wait up.”
Scarlet tensed. The voice of her boss, Richard Shaw. Instead of turning round she smiled at the young girl and moved into the warm air of the reception.
Heads turned her way, and she blanked them out.
At the elevator she prayed for it to arrive quickly. Why did people stare at her because she had a child and no wedding band?
Wedlock was a thing of the past.
“I thought I noticed you. Hi. Opal, I want you to meet, Scar—” Richard stopped speaking, and she knew he’d finally noticed Harry.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Opal, Richard’s younger sister.” The helpful girl held out her hand. Scarlet tore her gaze away from her boss and held a hand out as best she could for the younger girl.
“I’m Scarlet Hughes.”
Opal had a firm grip and a smile that dazzled.
“Is that your son?”
Scarlet smiled. “My pride and joy, Harry.”
All four of them got on the elevator. Scarlet, aware of Richard’s staring, tried not to fidget. Had he not seen a child before? She didn’t want to even analyse the heat rising up in her body from his penetrating gaze. Richard was way older than she, successful, and way out of her league. A single mother could only dream of having a man like him interested in her. Not that she wanted any kind of attention. Look what happened the last time she gave into the temptation. Temptation had turned sour and had caused her to be in the worst circumstance of her life. She loved Harry, and she had thought she loved his father, way before Harry’d been born. The man had turned out to be a pig of the highest order.
“Why have you brought your son to work?” Richard asked after some time.
“The day care centre was closed. There’s a crèche on our floor, so I’ll have to leave him there for the day.”
“Hasn’t he got the cutest little hands?” Scarlet smiled down at the younger girl, wishing she was as oblivious of the tension between herself and Richard as Opal seemed to be.
“Will this be a regular occurrence?” he asked.
“No. I hope only for today.”
She licked her lips and was out of the lift as soon as the doors had opened wide enough. The red stain of her cheeks couldn’t be disguised as anything other than embarrassment.
“Come to my office when you’re done, Miss Hughes.” Scarlet tensed, glanced behind her, and nodded.
Would he fire her for being a single mother?
Once at the crèche, Harry settled in better than at the day care centre. She spoke briefly with Linda, the lady who cared for the kids.
“He’s a charmer,” Linda said.
“Yep.”
“Will this be a regular thing?”
“No, just for today.” Scarlet watched Harry for several minutes before she moved to her desk.
Richard stood in his doorway waiting for her. She followed behind him and carefully shut the door.
“I’m sorry about bringing Harry.” She stopped when he held a hand up.
“What about the father?”
“What?”
“Couldn’t his father care for him?” He folded his hands over his chest, observing her.
“His father didn’t want us.” Not the complete truth, but near enough and at least the best explanation her boss was going to get.Scarlet blocked out the rest of her thoughts. She couldn’t think of that man, time, or place.
“What about your parents?” he asked, interrupting her thoughts.
“No. They’re gone as well.”
“I’m sorry for the third degree,” he said.
“You’re asking a couple of questions about one of your employees. Not really the third degree,” she said.
“He won’t stop you doing your job?”
“I’m here, and I intend to work for my wages,” She buttoned her suit jacket up. The top button beneath her br**sts refused, and she left it.
Scarlet glanced up in time to see Richard staring at her br**sts.