Casey would wager the noise inside Fun City Play Place worked as a form of birth control for many people. Loud music with pulsing bass, squealing tires, raucous children, and a myriad of buzzers and sirens emanating from various games filled the enormous building.
Casey handed Leighton another napkin from the dispenser. It amused her to watch Leighton pat the oil from each pepperoni round before taking a bite of the pizza. “You’re not getting the full experience.” Casey winked. “All the flavor is in the oil.”
Leighton’s scowl and clenched jaw made her laugh.
Andy and Kalyssa played on the jungle gym with its maze of slides, bridges, and tubes. Kalyssa allowed Andy to lead but treated him like a hen incubating an egg. Every so often, Casey or Leighton would hear knocking. They’d find the kids waving to them from one of the bubble windows.
“It’s not as good as the pizza I had at your place.” Leighton dabbed the corner of her mouth with a napkin.
Casey loved how Leighton lifted the slice to take a bite and didn’t use a knife and fork. She was otherwise so elegant and well-mannered. Maybe her pizza-eating habits came from being a native New Yorker.
“We can order it again.” She hoped Leighton caught the implicit welcome.
“Hmm.” Leighton raised her eyebrows and appeared to mull it over. “Do you think we should?”
Leighton must be relaxed because that sounded suspiciously like flirting. “I do.” Casey met her gaze and didn’t look away. She wasn’t sure if they spoke of pizza or something more, but her answer remained the same. When Leighton paused to drink, Casey remembered why they were there. “I know he’s an asshole, and Maxine pays him to stay away, but what made you decide to leave your ex? That couldn’t have been easy.”
Leighton stilled for an instant and her eyes became unfocused, but she quickly regained her composure.
“I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that.” Casey brushed stray red pepper flakes from the checkered tabletop. “That was rude of me to ask.”
“You’ll miss out on opportunities if you apologize before you give someone a chance to answer.”
Leighton’s intensity made Casey shove her nervous hands beneath her legs.
“He was pleasant and charming at first, and I loved him.”
Casey squirmed hearing Leighton talk about being in love, even if it no longer existed.
“He was charming and showered me with attention. At the time, I was an up-and-coming artist. Some critics said I had the potential to be the next great living master.” Leighton looked away. “Then I got married.”
Knowing what she knew about the result of Leighton’s marriage, Casey’s chest ached at what was coming.
“Shortly after our honeymoon, he took over our household finances, arranged all our vacation plans, and made almost every other decision in our lives. I never had to worry about anything.” She folded her napkin. “At first, I was grateful. It gave me plenty of time to paint. Soon, I learned the problem with giving up control is that it’s almost impossible to get back. On top of that, he acted nothing like the man I’d married.”
Casey tried to imagine what it’d be like to lose her independence and decision-making ability. She wasn’t certain she could give complete control to someone, nor did she want to.
“His poor investments caught up with him. Instead of sharing the problem with me, he tried to drink it away. To compound it, his business losses added fuel to the fire. One glass of scotch at night turned into three or four. When I began asking questions about the low bank balances and high credit card debt, he became violent. I was in denial at first, and didn’t want to admit we had a problem. I hid the abuse from those around me, thinking things would get better if we could get past that rough patch. Then I saw that tiny heart beating during my ultrasound.”
“Oh, no.” Casey wasn’t sure she wanted to hear more.
Leighton surveyed the room, and so did she. As compelling as listening to Leighton was, she couldn’t let Andy, or Kalyssa for that matter, out of her sight. When she spotted the kids inside the highest tower, she returned her attention to Leighton, who’d also appeared to have been checking on them.
“The angry alcoholic that threatened and raged bore little resemblance to the man I loved.” Leighton shook her head, her eyes downcast. “It felt like a nightmare from which I couldn’t wake. I had a colossal problem for which I had no answer. My life had evolved into something I didn’t recognize. I was intelligent, educated, and respected. I never thought it’d happen to me.” She wrung her hands. “I decided I needed a plan.”
Casey closed her eyes. “Leighton, I know I asked, but if you don’t want to discuss this…”
When she opened them, Leighton looked at her with what appeared to be fondness. “I’m sharing this with you because I trust you.”
When Leighton looked at her like that, with eyes that seemed to see into every little corner of her soul, Casey’s heart raced.
“Before I could execute my plan, his threats turned to reality one November night.” Her eyes glazed over. After a brief pause, she spoke but didn’t look at her. “Hours later, after he passed out, I escaped with my black eye, bruises, and my unborn baby.” Leighton looked up with fire in her eyes. “He may have hit me, but I couldn’t allow him to hit my child.”
Leighton’s intensity made Casey wary, then again, if someone threatened or hurt Andy, she’d do everything she could to protect him. Her eyes burned with tears as her imagination filled in what must have happened that night.
“With everything I dealt with, I had to withdraw from the spotlight, and I became somewhat private out of necessity. Instead, I focused all my energy on raising Kalyssa and opening the atelier.”
Casey caressed Leighton’s hand resting on the table. “You’re so brave.” Anger rose inside her as she imagined Jeffrey hitting Leighton and the terror she must have felt.
Leighton shook her head. “No, I should’ve left sooner, plan or no plan. He could’ve injured her inside me or caused me to have a miscarriage.” Her nostrils flared. “Yes, I left him, but I was lucky nothing worse happened than what did.”
Casey scoffed. “I don’t consider bruises and a black eye to be minor.”
“No.” Leighton pulled her hand away to brush her hair from her face. “He also broke my heart. The bruises have faded, at least the physical ones.”
Casey didn’t know how to respond to that. “I’m guessing he didn’t let you walk away without causing trouble.”
Leighton shook her head. “Hours after I escaped, he showed up at Maxine’s home in the middle of the night looking for me, but of course, I wasn’t there. After I left the hospital, Maxine insisted on putting me up in a hotel. Jeffrey harassed and intimidated George and her doorman until the authorities arrived and arrested him. After he got released, his erratic behavior escalated, and a judge granted me a restraining order.” She grimaced. “I still lived in a hotel for another three months while I had renovations made to the loft, and Maxine and I installed as many security features as I could afford. It might seem like a bit much, but I couldn’t rely on a piece of paper to protect Kalyssa and me.”
“I don’t blame you.” Casey couldn’t believe Leighton had shared all this with her. “Do you feel safe there?”
Leighton rubbed the lower half of her face. “Most of the time. The same day the judge issued the order, Maxine purchased a wheeled measuring device and marked the sidewalks a hundred feet from Atelier Vaughn in all directions. I was so grateful, as I wasn’t yet comfortable being outdoors, especially that long.”
That saddened her, but Casey almost grinned as she visualized Maxine spray painting the sidewalks. She wished she could’ve been there to hear the words Maxine had uttered under her breath.
“Together, we adjusted the exterior cameras to cover the area between the school and the markings. If he stepped an inch over the demarcation line, I’d have video proof for the court.”
“I’m so glad you had the building.” Casey tried to imagine how difficult it would’ve been if Leighton had nowhere to go.
“The deed for the atelier is in my name, so he hadn’t been able to use the property to pay off his debts. My father passed away a few months after my divorce decree. While his death hit hard, I was grateful for his timing. If he’d died while I was married, Jeffrey probably would’ve received half my inheritance because New York is an equitable distribution state. In the end, I wasn’t whole, but I had my baby, my dream, my small inheritance, and my name.” Leighton smiled despite the seriousness of the topic. “You know, Maxine told me she asked him to brunch after our separation and tried to pay him to go away. He looked at the agreement her attorney had drawn up and laughed at her. That’s when I knew alcohol had diluted his usual logic and love of money. What he wanted was power. Control over the situation. Control over me.”
Casey watched her eyes go glassy, and she seemed to withdraw.
Then Leighton shook her head, as though sweeping away memories. “I’ve often wondered if he regretted it, since Maxine said he would have been better off taking her up on her offer. During the divorce proceedings, I wondered if she’d done something similar because Jeffrey never asked for joint custody. Sure, a lot of things worked against him with domestic violence, stalking, and public intoxication, but he didn’t even try for visitations, which surprised me. I’ve never asked her about it because I’m not sure I want to find out how much my daughter cost. Some things are better left unknown. I received sole custody, and that’s what matters.” She sighed. “I didn’t plan to raise a child alone, but so be it. My needs matters little as long as she’s healthy, happy, and safe.”
Casey didn’t like to hear Leighton dismiss herself with such ease or speak of not being whole. “I love Andy to pieces, but I want more from life besides motherhood, and I hope you do, too, even if Kalyssa is your priority.” In Casey’s opinion, it wasn’t an either/or situation. “You don’t see it now, but I hope you do some day.”
Leighton blinked a few times in rapid succession and her eyes looked watery. She licked her lips and glanced around like she’d rather focus on anything but Casey. “Yes, I suppose. Someday.”
They didn’t speak for a minute or two, and Casey absorbed all she’d been told. Leighton also seemed to need the time to compose herself.
“Thank you for sharing that with me.” She gave Leighton’s hand a quick squeeze. Despite the heaviness of the conversation, she’d enjoyed seeing Leighton smile whenever she spotted the kids.
“I wonder if they want to play on anything else.” Leighton strained her neck to see the bumper cars.
Casey took a drink of her soda and shook her head. “I doubt it when they weren’t even interested in pizza.” She tipped her head to the side. “Why? Do you want to go on the bumper cars?”
“Only if I can pretend my ex is driving the other ones.”
Casey laughed. “So, I’ll be keeping you away from that area. These poor kids would wonder how they wronged you.” When she looked up from her pizza, Leighton studied her. “What?”
“Well, if you won’t let me drive one, then you’ll have to entertain me.”
A glimmer in her eye made Casey wonder what she meant.
“Entertain you? That sounds ominous.” She squirmed on her seat. “I only know one card trick, I don’t have a deck of cards, and I’m terrible at remembering jokes. I used to do a one-handed cartwheel, but I haven’t tried in years.”
“Tell me about your family.” Leighton pushed her plate to the side.
“Oh, you’re serious.” She’d caught Casey unprepared, and Casey took a moment to consider what to share. “Well, I’m an only child, and my parents live near Rochester. They both work for a religious organization, or rather my mom still does, and my dad is retired.”
“Did he take early retirement?” Leighton seemed impressed.
“No, my parents are older.” She looked away. “They seemed ancient compared to my friends’ parents, and when they’d drop me off somewhere, I’d bolt from the car before anyone could see me with them. On my graduation day, more than one person commented about how nice my grandparents could make it.”
Leighton touched her hand. “I’m sorry. That must have been difficult for you.”
Casey shrugged. “They loved me, but I wanted parents like my friends had who played with them and took them to do fun stuff. My parents were never there for me because their work always came first. My upbringing is a large part of why I didn’t want to wait to have Andy.”
“What did they think about your decision?” Leighton leaned her chin on her hand.
Casey scanned the jungle gym until she spotted the kids and gave an uncomfortable laugh. “You don’t need to hear that sad story, so let’s talk about something else.”
Leighton studied her. “I want to know more about you, but if it upsets you, I won’t make you talk about it.”
Casey appreciated the consideration, since she rarely spoke of her family. She took a deep breath. “I had it all planned. Back then, my parents covered my tuition, as they’d always said they’d do. I’d done my research, talked to people, and knew what it would take. It wasn’t like me to decide something that monumental without a strategy. My two part-time jobs would’ve covered the necessities.” She sucked at her straw, desperate to take a moment to regroup.
Leighton swirled the contents of her cup and seemed unhurried as she waited for Casey to continue.
Casey cleared her throat. “They wanted me to work at the same place they did, but I wanted to be an artist. They’d never approved of my carefree, creative side. Art is a worthless enterprise in their eyes, but that wasn’t the biggest problem. They’re conservative, and when I came out, they acted like I’d committed a felony. My homosexual lifestyle, as they called it, strained our relationship. They wanted me to hide who I was and work for a religious organization when I wanted to be out of the closet and wasn’t sure I believed in God.” She grimaced. “So, when I told them I planned to have a baby, they cut me off. They severed their financial support and ceased all communication. Disowned me.” She twisted the napkin in her hands. “I didn’t even get a response when I emailed them photos of Andy when he was born.” Casey turned her head and pretended to search for the kids, not wanting to see pity in Leighton’s expression.
“Oh, Casey. How could they?” Leighton moved to her side of the table and squeezed her leg. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay.” She stared at her mauled napkin. “Well, to be honest, it’s not. It’s embarrassing to admit your family doesn’t want you.” Telling Leighton didn’t bother her as much as she thought it would. “But that’s what happened, and I suppose it was for the best.” Casey took a deep breath. “It’s amazing what years of guilt and shame did to my self-worth and confidence. Being on my own has allowed me to see myself in a new light.”
“Yes, look at you and what you’ve created.” Leighton rubbed her leg and pointed to where Andy waved at them from atop a spiral slide.
Casey smiled. “He’s pretty great, isn’t he?” So was the warmth on her thigh.
“He’s wonderful.” Leighton smiled and studied her for a bit too long. “He’s a little version of you.”
Casey wasn’t sure what that meant, but it sounded like a compliment. She couldn’t look away.
Andy and Kalyssa shot to the table, out of breath.
“We’re thirsty.” Kalyssa stood on her tiptoes and reached for her drink.
Leighton handed it to her. “Are you ready for some pizza?”
Kalyssa shook her head, still huffing.
Casey pulled Andy onto her lap. He sucked on his drink’s straw as she pulled up his socks. He squirmed until his feet hit the floor.
They tossed their cups on the table.
“C’mon, Andy.” Kalyssa pulled his hand, and they ran to the jungle gym.
“Where were we?” Leighton smiled at her.
Casey fidgeted. “I was telling you about my family.”
“Yes, and even though it was hard for you, I’m glad you told me. I enjoy listening to you.”
The way Leighton said it made her stomach do a little flip. Either that or the greasy pizza was coming back to haunt her.
“You mentioned Devin didn’t want a baby. May I ask what happened?”
“He couldn’t understand why it was important to me, why I wouldn’t let it go. He became upset and walked out. After a week, he showed up and said he’d reconsidered, but I didn’t want to have a child with someone who needed to be convinced. Besides, it was for the best. We weren’t great together, and it wouldn’t have worked out. I want Andy to have a wonderful life, a stable one, with consistent people around him whom he loves and who love him back.” Casey’s conviction on the matter trumped almost everything else.
“That’s all we ever want, isn’t it?” Leighton removed her hand. “Did you date someone after the two of you broke up? Is that how you came to have Andy?”
Casey laughed. “Dating? What’s that? Devin’s the last person I dated for any length of time.” Although tonight sort of felt like one, if people brought their children with them on dates to play places. “People my age aren’t interested in having a baby, or even seeing someone with a child. My generation is waiting until later in life to have kids. I went out with two people after Andy was born, but neither of them were interested in a package deal.” She waved at Kalyssa, who beamed at her. “All my friends still spend half their nights going to bars. My life is nothing like theirs. I’m okay with that, though. Perhaps I’m a product of my upbringing, but I’ve always been an old soul.”
“I see.” Leighton closed the pizza box.
“What about you?” Casey had wondered for too long.
Leighton frowned. “What about me?”
“You mentioned you had a standing date every week.”
“I do.” Leighton leaned her head close, put an arm around her, and pointed. “She’s the one in the green socks.”
Kalyssa chased Andy through the tunnels as he squealed with glee.
“Ah, that’s cute.” Casey attempted to conceal her relief at the news, but she couldn’t contain her smile. It dimmed a bit when Leighton moved away.
Andy tripped and fell, and Casey expected tears, but he popped up with Kalyssa’s help and kept going.
“I wanted to have a baby with a partner, but it didn’t seem likely, and I wasn’t waiting for the stars to align.” She faced Leighton. “I don’t have any regrets, not with him. Besides, I have an amazing support network, even if they’re not my biological family, and his one amazing grandparent more than makes up for not having more.”
Leighton said nothing.
Casey leaned against her. “Just ask. I know you’re curious.”
She shot her a sheepish look. “Who’s his father?”
“Mark.” Casey watched her reaction. “Mark’s his dad. Andy’s full name is Anders Marcus Norford.”
Leighton’s mouth hung open.
“Well, his biological dad. Mark doesn’t want children, although he and Andy get along great. He’s a supportive friend and roommate, and no, we didn’t have sex. That seems to be everyone’s second question.”
Leighton held up her hand like she didn’t need details.
Casey chuckled. “I’d talked about it for some time, and one day he offered. I had to consider it, of course. We discussed our expectations. He didn’t mind knowing the child, but he didn’t want any long-term responsibility. Don’t get me wrong, he adores Andy, but parenting is hard, and some people know it’s not for them. His uncle, Erica’s dad, is an attorney and helped us with the paperwork to make sure there were no gray areas now or in the future. It’s worked out well for us, I’d have to say.”
“Mark.” Leighton shook her head. “So, Mark likes Zorn.”
Casey laughed. “You remember me saying that? Yeah, Anders Zorn is his favorite artist. Erica said Mark used to have a print of his self-portrait on his wall when he was twelve. His mom said he fixated on how Zorn only used red, white, yellow, and black for many of his paintings. No blue. He’s a dork, but he gave me the greatest of gifts, and the least I could do was name my child in his honor.” She grinned. “Have you been trying to figure out who Andy’s dad is since then?”
“No, of course not.” Leighton scoffed. “Please, like I’d spend time doing that.” She shook her cup, and the ice rattled. “I let Stefan do the sleuthing.”
Casey’s laughter turned heads. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d enjoyed an evening so much her stomach ached. “You’ve heard me mention Aileen, right? The woman who watches Andy?”
“Mm-hmm. Aileen with the car seat.”
Casey nodded. “Yes, she’s Andy’s grandmother, Aileen Fitzgerald, Mark’s mom.”
“I had no idea. Andy is a wonderful boy. Your parents have missed out by not welcoming him into their lives. Mine is richer since having met him, since knowing both of you.” Leighton placed her hand on Casey’s leg again.
This time, the warmth shot somewhere else, so much so Casey couldn’t think.
She eased from under Leighton’s touch, slipped out of her shoes, and stood before her in stocking feet. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some children to chase. One benefit of having Andy while I’m young is being able to play with him.” She held out her hand. “Join me?”
Leighton studied her with what looked like amusement. “I think I’d rather watch.”
As Casey headed for the tubular opening to the jungle gym, she wondered if Leighton’s focus would be on the kids or her. She tied her shirttails in a knot just above her bellybutton, exposing a few inches of skin. Might as well not leave it up to chance.