“Not gonna let my girl turn into the bad guy.” He gave her a grin. “We didn’t all have the greatest start. But one thing about that, it can’t get worse.”
Her eyes got wide with surprise and she let out a stifled giggle.
“It’s gonna be okay,” he said gently.
She nodded. “Okay, Mickey.”
“Now give me a hug and tell your mother what you want for breakfast.”
She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a quick squeeze. If I saw it correctly, he gave her a quick squeeze back. Then they separated and she looked to me.
“Cheesy eggs, Mom,” she ordered but added, “I’ll help.”
“Thanks, kiddo,” I replied, smiling at her, again walking on air wondering if anyone could see the cloud of love I had for the four people around me at my feet lifting me up. “Grab the eggs from the fridge.”
“You gotta stay for cheesy eggs, Mickey,” Auden invited. “They’re more cheese then eggs.”
“Sounds like somethin’ I can’t miss,” Mickey replied, glancing at his watch.
“If you’ve gotta go, honey, then I’ll make them some other time when you’re with us,” I offered.
He looked to me, sliding his eyes to Auden then to Pip, who was coming out of the fridge with eggs and milk, and finally back to me.
“Got time for eggs, Amy.”
He had to go.
But he was staying because my kids were worried that he didn’t like them and he wanted them to know it was all good.
I wanted to declare my love for him again right then and there.
I had to do it with a look.
Mickey gave me that look back.
“Mom, you want me to grate the cheese?” Pip asked.
I tore my attention from my guy and gave it to my daughter. “Yeah, Pippa.”
She dashed back to the fridge, and I was going to go for a bowl when I caught sight of Lawrie now studying Mickey who was sipping his coffee.
He didn’t look proud.
He looked like he approved.
As he would do.
Mickey was the greatest.
This still made me happy.
* * * * *
I sat at a table by the window at The Lobster Market.
Not the table I shared with Mickey, one closer to the front door.
I was sipping iced tea when Conrad, fifteen minutes late, walked in.
I watched his eyes move around the room until they found me and he came my way.
He was in work clothes, a very nice, very expensive suit that had not been tailored for him but made for him. His hair was trim and kept in place with minimal product. It was a style that suited him. He looked like a very successful businessman who used his money to take care of himself.
Or he looked like a talented neurosurgeon who did the same.
Studying him, it didn’t surprise me I no longer found him the least bit attractive. Harkening back, I tried to figure out how I ever did. This made me think about him coming outside during that ball.
The prince meeting his future princess, it had seemed to me at the time.
But he was a toad.
It just took me years of kissing him to find that out.
Continuing to regard him as he came to me, I didn’t take my eyes from him as he stopped at our table.
“Amelia,” he greeted.
“Conrad,” I replied.
He took his seat.
The Lobster Market was my idea. Not that I wanted to pollute my memory of being there with Mickey. Nothing would pollute that. But my ex-husband was not going to take me to some diner to have a chat, which was likely to be something I would not enjoy, and get away with an inexpensive diner bill.
He was going to buy me lobster.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” he muttered, his attention on putting his napkin on his lap. “Consultation ran long.”
I was used to that from our marriage. However, there was a high likelihood that many of those consultations running long were times he was fucking nurses.
I said nothing.
The waitress came with waters and Conrad ordered a coffee.
Before she went away, Conrad looked at me and stated, “You’ve been here before. Do you know what you want? Because I do.”
He wanted this to go fast.
I was in agreement.
I turned and ordered immediately, “Lobster and steak Oscar. Steak, medium rare. Salad rather than potatoes. But I’d like the roll.”
Her eyes got a little big because that was a lot for lunch but I just smiled because it was the most expensive thing on the menu.
“For you?” she asked Conrad.
“The lobster chowder. Bowl. Salad. No roll,” Conrad ordered.
Still healthy.
Quite boring.
Mine sounded tons better.
She slid away and Conrad looked to me. “You look well.”
God, he was going to try to be polite.
But I knew I looked well.
I looked better than that.
I looked amazing.
Alyssa still did my hair and it still looked marvelous. I got weekly manicures and bi-monthly pedicures. And right then I was wearing gray cords that had a silvery sheen, spike-heeled Jimmy Choo ankle booties with ink-blue suede at the front and black leather at the heel and a black loose-fitting cashmere sweater with a deep V that showed a hint of cleavage that I’d cinched at my waist with a magnificent draping belt.
He couldn’t see my bottom half, of course, but it didn’t matter. I knew it was there. I knew it was fabulous. And I knew he’d fucked up letting go of all the magnificence of me.
Even if he never understood that, which, frankly if he didn’t was even worse for him.
I didn’t return the compliment.
“I’m sure you don’t have a lot of time so perhaps we can begin?” I suggested.
“I had my secretary clear a few afternoon appointments,” he told me.
Perhaps he didn’t want this to go fast, which was surprising.
I still did.
“Okay then, I’ll say I don’t have a lot of time because Lawr is in town and I’d like to spend time with him while he is. So can we begin?”
His jaw went hard as he turned his head and looked out the window.
The waitress came with his coffee and he didn’t say thank you or even look her way.
I thanked her for him and was about to prompt him when his attention came back to me.
“I’ve thought about it and I’ve decided not to move to Austin.”
I was annoyed for me. Him in Texas would be a good thing.
I was happy for my kids. They’d get over being upset with him and they needed their dad close. They also needed lives where they weren’t getting on a plane and flying across country every three weeks.