“If I was a betting woman, I’d bet you I wouldn’t.”
“You won’t bet because you know I’m right!”
“Untrue, but I’m not arguing with you. How come you’re calling me so late?”
I get up from my couch and grab a bottle of water from the fridge before opening it and drinking some. “Well, I have some news.”
“Yeah, what?” she asks.
“I had dinner with Marc.”
She squeals, and I have to hold the phone away from my ear. When she calms down, I put it back. “Thanks for killing my eardrum.”
“Sorry, I’m just a tad excited.”
“A tad?” I tease.
“Come on, hurry up and tell me.”
“After work, I was about to walk home when he was outside my building, waiting for me.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“I wanted to talk somewhere else because I didn’t want them seeing me with their competitor. Plus, I didn’t want people from work to see and ask questions I didn’t have the answer to.”
“Yeah, so where did you go?”
“This lounge where we had a drink and a burger and fries.”
“Oh God, don’t say that! Now I really want McDonald’s.”
I laugh at her cravings before I continue. “We chatted, but obviously, I had to tell him I came to visit him and I saw a woman and child.”
“Ohhh…and?” she drawls.
“His ex and their child.”
“At least not his wife.”
“True, and they divorced twelve years ago, so that’s fine. I’m not bothered by that.”
“The kid?” she asks.
I sigh loudly. “Yeah, I don’t know if I’m ready to take on a thirteen-year-old.”
“Ouch. What do you want?”
“I dunno, that’s the thing. I didn’t think I wanted kids…you know, the past and all, but I’ve never indulged in thinking of being a wife and mother. Fuck, I’m only twenty-six, Ava.”
She giggles. “It’s not a big deal. Things happen when they are supposed to, so stop worrying about when and what. Just go with how you feel.”
“I did.”
“So, what did you decide?”
“I said I needed time to think about everything. I don’t want to rush and make a decision. So, we aren’t dating or anything.”
“Damn it. I was hoping this was going to work out.”