CHAPTER ONE
Maybe
it was the holidays or his son’s upcoming sixth birthday on Christmas Day that
had him re-evaluating his life. Lately, the what-ifs plagued him every time he
had custody of Tyler.
His
divorce from Robyn had been so ugly, mean-spirited, and anything but
Christ-like. It represented yet another vow they both had broken.
Their
antics in the courtroom had caused the judge to decree they communicate through
TalkingParents.com—a service designed to document their conversations—in case
they returned to court for more litigation.
According
to the parenting plan, the judge thought it best that they exchanged custody of
Tyler at either of his grandparents’ homes. Most of the time, Robyn’s mother’s
house was the drop off and pick-up spot.
“It’s not your
child that needs adult supervision, but the adults who are his parents,” Judge
Wilson had reprimanded them.
Sitting
behind his desk, he couldn’t keep his mind from drifting to that fateful day
when he kissed his marriage goodbye. As a quality improvement manager for a
Fortune 500 company in West St. Louis County, he had plenty of projects to keep
him busy, but he lacked concentration.
At
one time, he and Robyn had everything going for them; they were the epitome of
a Christian couple at their church, Holy Ghost Temple. People complimented them
as an attractive couple. They had the support of their respective in-laws who
welcomed them as one of their own, which explained why his mother, Lane, and
her mother, Sara, sat unified on the front row in court, giving both of them a
disapproving glare once his marriage was dissolved.
It
had been two years and he still had past regrets. Did Robyn?
“Stubborn
people are fools,” his mother stated on more than one occasion when he would
drop by with Tyler. Of course, she made sure her grandson was distracted before
she lit into Derek. “I know you still love Robyn or you would have moved on by
now. Talk to her before she moves on.
Don’t repeat the same mistakes your foolish daddy did. Now, he’s miserable with
that other woman. Hmphed,” she scolded him as if he
were eleven years old instead of thirty—almost thirty-one.
Somehow,
he made it through the day, operating on autopilot. Hours later, he hurried
home to change before picking up Tyler for his weekend visit. He was almost out
the door when he received an email alert from TalkingParents.com: I got Tyler from
kindergarten instead of Mom. You can pick him up from my house.
Her
house—formerly their house. Derek grunted. It had been months since they
crossed paths. Their greetings were nothing more than cordial. Would time
eventually heal the wounds between them so they could hold a civil conversation
and not play the blame game?
After
parking in front of the two-story, three-bedroom suburban house, he sat staring
at the starter home they had purchased. Neighboring houses were lit from the
porches to the trees. Not Robyn’s. Besides the massive holiday wreath on the
red door, the only other decorations were battery-operated candles that were
displayed in all six front windows.
Living in an apartment, his decorations were scarce too. Be nice, he prepped himself as he
stepped out the car, then strolled up the pathway and knocked.
“Daddy’s
here!” He heard Tyler scream from inside.
He
grinned. At least someone was glad to see him.
“Get
your hat and coat,” Robyn said as she opened the door.
Rocking
on his heels, Derek stayed rooted in place. The few times they had to alter the
arrangements for pickups, she never invited him inside, so he never crossed the
threshold—rain, shine, or blizzard.
She
didn’t make eye contact with him, but that didn’t stop Derek from noticing
everything about her. She was one pretty lady, which was what attracted him to
her in the first place. Robyn still maintained her beauty. Her goldish-brown
color hair shone under the hallway light and her skin glowed.
There
was something else he noticed while she multi-tasked, bundling up their son and
slipping her arm in the sleeve of her coat. She was fast, but not without him
catching a glimpse of a Red Lobster uniform. Robyn was an executive assistant,
so what was going on?
“You’re
working a second job? Why? I don’t mind adjusting my child support amount,” he
offered with a frown. Money had been the source of many arguments. His wife
loved to shop. He liked to save. But he wasn’t going to be accusatory, not this
time, not again. He had no say in her financial affairs unless it affected
their child. What else was going on that he didn’t know about?
“You’re
more than generous with your child support.” She dismissed him when she knelt
and opened her arms to receive a kiss and hug from their son. She stood again.
“You can drop him off at my mother’s.” She guided Tyler outside.
“Bye,
Mommy.” He waved before taking Derek’s hand. As they spun around to take the
steps, he glanced over his shoulder. Robyn slowly closed the door without
looking his way. He would give anything to earn her smile, a sparkle in her
eyes, or her alluring tone when she used to tease him. Instead, he got
nothing—no emotion.
Taking
a deep breath, he continued to his car. He wanted to cross the line, and break
the “don’t use the child as a pawn” rule to find out what Robyn was up to. He
didn’t.
As
promised, Derek took his son to the park for ice skating. While going around
the rink, he kept a grip on Tyler’s hand while his mind stayed on Robyn. She
had a liberal arts degree and could adapt to any working environment, but a
waitress? No doubt, she had to be the prettiest one on staff. She could flirt
without knowing it, and her shape…he groaned at the same time he almost fell,
trying to steady Tyler.
Once
they regained their rhythm, he thought about Robyn again. She was curvy and her
pants did nothing to camouflage her God-given assets.
Forty-five
minutes later, he hoped his son had worked up an appetite. “Hungry?” When Tyler
bobbed his head, Derek grinned. He had a plan. “How about we go see Mommy at
work?”
“Yeah.”
His eyes widened in excitement. “Are we going to see Granny Gibson too? Mommy
takes me there when she has to work.”
Hmm-mm.
That narrowed down the locations. “Not today. After we eat, you’re going back
home with me.”
It
was two weeks before Christmas and he had planned to take his son to pick out
his birthday present. That would have to wait until tomorrow. “Have you thought
about what you want for your birthday?” Last year, Derek bought him a LEGO
starter kit.
Since
Robyn had Tyler last Christmas, he had to wait until the following weekend to
play with him. That had to be the saddest Christmas of his life and he wouldn’t
wish that same loneliness on anyone, but this year, Robyn would experience it.
“I
want you to come live with us,” he stated matter-of-factly as he glanced out
the window.
It
was a good thing Tyler was strapped in, because Derek jammed on his brakes at
the same time the street light turned red. He eased his foot off and exhaled.
“Son,
what’s your second choice?” It would take a Christmas miracle for him and Robyn
to reconcile for that to even be a possibility.
***
It
wasn’t his business to know that her long-time position could be in jeopardy.
The hand writing was on the wall about possible layoffs and when no one
received Christmas bonuses, Robyn refused to cut back on her son’s gifts for
Christmas and his birthday. The job was seasonal and the day after Christmas,
she would quit so she could celebrate a delayed birthday and Christmas with her
son.
Until
then, she would endure the constant walking and juggling of dishes. So far, the
tips had been worth it.
Plus,
shopping was her favorite pastime. Once she married, Robyn sometimes felt
guilty about splurging. Then when Tyler was born, she and Derek practiced the
Christian celebration of Christmas, but that was before she and her ex began to
drift apart.
When
her marriage ended, Robyn’s faith faded. She went through the routine of being
a Christian, but she felt like a failure. Only being a mother kept her going
and distracted from pity parties.
Her
ex, Derek Tyler Washington, did make an exceptional father and a good provider,
never missing a child support payment or house note. Then last year, without
warning, he started sending monthly maintenance checks for her—a perk that
wasn’t part of the divorce decree. She didn’t call or text him, but logged on
the message board and asked him why.
Because
you’re the mother of my son.
After
graciously thanking him, she had cried that day—the first time in a long time.
She told her best friend, she didn’t know what to make of the gesture.
“Maybe
it’s his way of saying he’s sorry,” Erica Williams had suggested.
“Please.
‘Sorry’ is not in that man’s vocabulary. Maybe it’s guilt from being a terrible
husband.”
“Well,
count your blessings.”
Right. She didn’t trust
her ex’s motives. When those blessings arrived like clockwork, she put them in
a savings account for Tyler. Her mistake was to mention the money to her
mother. Sara Gibson had sung his praises. “I think you two got married too soon
and divorced even sooner.”
It
was an argument she would never win with her mother, who was the die-hard
captain of her ex-husband’s fan club. She was just as vocal about Robyn’s
absences from church. “Why punish God for your mistakes? Jesus is our best
friend. Proverbs 21:24 says, “He’ll stick closer than any brother.”
She
once prided herself on her relationship with God and had sought Him for wisdom
in choosing a mate. It took a while not to be angry with the Lord for her
decision. Finally, she admitted marrying Derek had been a bad decision. They
weren’t as compatible as she was led to believe.
Despite
the disappointment, she was willing to give love a second chance in the future.
There had to be a man out there who believed in death do they part and would
accept her son as his own. She was definitely keeping her options open for the
right one. Enough musings, she had tables to serve.
“Rob…”
Doris, the head hostess, said, catching her strolling out of the ladies room.
She
hated that nickname. There was nothing masculine about her. She wasn’t even a
tomboy growing up, but she wasn’t going to be petty.
“I
just seated two in a booth in section four. One is a cutie pie. The other is
hot. Sizzlin’,” she practically hissed. “Whew!”
Right.
As long as they left a big tip that was all she cared about. With sixteen
shopping days before Christmas, the crowd was taking advantage of the weather
that hadn’t delivered any ice or snow yet. She had three more hours to stand on
her feet. Despite the top of the line walking shoes, her back was aching.
Straightening her shoulders, Robyn took a deep breath and made a beeline to the
booth. She almost stumbled when she looked at the patrons.
“Hi,
Mommy.” Tyler grinned and waved.
Recovering
from the surprise, Robyn gave her son a warm smile before squinting at her ex.
“Derek, why are you here?”
“To
get something to eat.” He smirked.
Oooh. She didn’t have
time for his sarcasm. Showing up at their places of employment was off limits
per their divorce, so why was he crossing the line?
“May
we have our menus Miss…Miss…?” His eyes sparkled with mirth. At one time, she
fell in love with his playful nature. As their marriage deteriorated, his
teasing just annoyed her.
“Humph,
it’s Miss for now.” She slapped his menu in front of him and gently placed the
other one in front of her son and turned to the kids menu. “Here, sweetie.”
Derek
leaned forward and whispered, “Careful, you don’t want to mess up your tip.”
Why
was she letting this man bait her? Lifting her chin, she put on a happy face
and rambled off the specials as if he was an unknown patron. “Hi, my name is
Robyn. Welcome to Red Lobster. Can I start you off with a fruit smoothie,
raspberry lemonade, or Boston Iced Tea?” If left up to her son, he would order
tea—he wasn’t going to get it. “How about I get you started with our seaside
sampler?” The spiel was protocol, but there was no way she was going to let her
son eat that much fish this late.
“Mommy,
can I have popcorn shrimp and macaroni and cheese.”
She
gave Tyler a stern look.
“Please.”
He was a carbon copy of his father when he grinned.
“Sure,
sweetheart.” She faced Derek. “And you, sir?”
Tyler
giggled. “He’s Daddy, Mommy.”
“Hmm-mm.
I’ll get your drinks and come back for your order.”
“Hey,”
Derek said. “You don’t know what I want.”
“Trust
me, I do.” Robyn twisted her mouth and turned around. As she walked away, she
heard Derek say, “You have a pretty mommy.”
“Uh-huh.
You should marry Mommy.”
“I
already did.”
Her
heart dropped. Why couldn’t they have made it? Her parents had married for
life. She thought she and Derek would follow in their footsteps, but after the
first year of bliss, they couldn’t agree on anything. Small disagreements
turned into major arguments. She shook off the memories as she walked to the
drink station.
She
poured milk for her son, then a glass of water with a slice of lemon for his
father. Derek’s eating habits were predictable—or they used to be. He didn’t
like soda or juices. Health conscious, he preferred water. Returning to the
table, she placed their glasses on it, then pulled straws out of her apron
pocket.
“Mommy,
I wanted a sodie.” He twisted his mouth and scratched his head.
“Milk
will help you grow up to be strong and handsome.”
“Like
my daddy?” His hopeful expression was amusing.
Anchoring
his elbow on the table, Derek rested his chin on his hands. He seemed to be
anxious for her to answer.
“Like
my daddy—your grandpa.” She patted her chest, then turned to him with a smirk
of her own. “So, have you decided, sir?”
When
he toyed with the silky strands on his mustache, she knew he was stalling. She
excused herself to check on her other customers. Spending too much time at one
table could compromise her tips, so once again, she chose for him, and placed
their orders.
With
two demanding tables, Robyn hustled to please the patrons. In her peripheral
vision, she saw the cook going in the direction of her son’s table.
This
was the most she had seen of her ex in one day, and it unnerved her.
***
“Yes,”
she said professionally with a blank expression. “Would you like a to-go box,”
she stated in a tone that wasn’t meant to be a question.
“Actually,
I would like to see a dessert menu.” He grinned, hoping it would soften her
heart like it used to. It didn’t.
“It’s
in front of you.” She lifted an eyebrow.
“Mommy,
can I have a brownie?” Tyler’s eyes drooped.
She
leaned forward. “You can have some pudding. It’s too late for chocolate. Okay?”
“O-okay.”
He pouted. Clearly, his son wasn’t happy with his mother’s decision. Neither
was he.
Derek
had to get his son to bed, otherwise, he would have stayed until closing. He
signaled for Robyn.
Flustered
she returned to his table. “Yes, sir?”
He
handed over his credit card. She didn’t even look at him and within minutes,
returned. “I hope you enjoyed dining with us at Red Lobster.”
Enjoy? How could he,
knowing the mother of his child was working two jobs as if he wasn’t giving her
enough to survive? Plus, she earned a good salary, if she was managing her
money, she wouldn’t need this gig.
“Daddy,
I’m sweepy,” Tyler whined and rubbed his eyes.
“Okay,
buddy, let’s go home.” He stood and heaved his son over his shoulder. Then, he
reached in his pocket and pulled out a fifty dollar bill. Instead of laying it
on the table, he went in search of Robyn.
She
was at the table where four men were flirting shamelessly as they placed their
orders. “Excuse me, you were a great
waitress.” He placed the bill in her hand and his son waved.
“Bye,
Mommy.”
Thanks, son, for
the backup.
He smirked. Yeah, let them know that she didn’t need any more men in her life.
She
kissed Tyler’s cheek then faced her customers who seemed stunned. Turning on
his heels, Derek walked away with more pep in his step. Checkmate, gentlemen.
.....want more, then join us at our Sweet Romance Reads's release party for Sweet Christmas Kisses 3------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pat Simmons is an multi-published author of more than a dozen Christian titles and is a three-time recipient of the Emma Rodgers Award for Best Inspirational Romance. The Confession is the latest winner. She has been a featured speaker and workshop presenter at various venues across the country.
As a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth, Pat is passionate about researching her ancestors and then casting them in starring roles in her novels. She describes the evidence of the gift of the Holy Ghost as an amazing, unforgettable, life-altering experience. God is the Author who advances the stories she writes.
Pat is currently overseeing the media publicity for the annual RT Booklovers Conventions. She has a B.S. in mass communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts.
Pat converted her sofa-strapped, sports fanatic husband into an amateur travel agent, untrained bodyguard, GPS-guided chauffeur, and administrative assistant who is constantly on probation. They have a son and a daughter.
Read more about Pat and her books by visiting www.patsimmons.net or on social media.
I love this excerpt, Pat. Looking forward to reading the rest.
ReplyDelete