We hurry through our morning routine, and I barely get Ellie to school on time. It seems the morning after practice is tougher than the rest. My inbox is overflowing from only one day away from my office. Near eleven, I take a break and try Tess again. As the phone rings, I repeatedly remind myself not to get angry. Surprisingly, she answers.
“Hi, Tess.”
“Hi, Tommy.” Her voice sounds steady and calm. “I talked to my lawyer. You can take Ellie to the house to get whatever she needs for her game. I hope to be back soon.”
“Thank you, Tess. What’s soon?” I’m gathering information to share with Ellie.
“Hopefully, I’ll be home by the time school ends on Monday.”
“Okay. Could you return Ellie’s call tonight? She needs to hear from you.”
“I’ll do my best.”
I consider not asking this next question, but for Ellie, I do anyway. “I know it isn’t my place anymore, but are you okay?”
I’m greeted with silence.
“Tess?”
“I’m fine.” The signature female response that generally means anything but fine.
Yet we aren’t a couple anymore. Therefore, I don’t have the ability to read into her response.
“I realize you have Michael now, but if you need help, Tess, please reach out.”
I would almost swear I hear Tess choke back a sob. “Thank you. I’m fine.”
If I learned anything during our marriage, pushing Tess more would be a mistake. “You’re welcome. I’ll take Ellie after school today for her things. Bye, Tess.”
“Goodbye, Tommy.”
The call ends while I still have the phone against my ear. I have no idea what to make of Tess and her responses to my questions. She didn’t even mention the motion or its dismissal. Her behavior is unsettling. Tess is a lot of things, but insecure and unsure of her choices doesn’t fit well.
All I want right now is Frankie. It makes absolutely no sense. A call with my ex-wife ends with no definitive resolution of current issues, and I want to call the woman I’m dating. I’m drawn to her despite the turmoil in my life. She makes me happy being herself. Her effect on me is complete and rare. Before I overthink it, I call her.
“Hi. How is your morning?” Her voice is cheery and soothing.
“Hi. So-so. I missed seeing you this morning.”
“Me too. Do you want to talk about it?”
I shake my head even though she can’t see me. “Not really. I needed to hear your voice.”
Frankie is silent a bit too long.
“Sunshine?”
“I’m here.”
I can only imagine the thoughts going through her mind. What would make me need to talk to her but not actually talk to her? “I should get back to my work before I pick up Ellie. I’ll call you tonight.”
“Okay. Please say hi to Ellie for me.” Her reply sounds resigned and slightly dejected.
“I will. Bye.” For a moment, I felt better. Now I wonder if it was the right choice given how she sounded. I push my mixed feelings away for now and return to my office.
“Mr. Thornton, Linda would like to see you in her office,” my assistant informs me.
“Thanks.” I turn on my heel and walk to her office.
She waves me in before I can even knock. “Please have a seat.”
I take a seat, and she pushes a stack of papers in my direction. “The committee has made a decision regarding the Cooper project.”
I’m an idiot! She thinks it was about Cooper when it was about Tess.
“Could you give me one minute?”
“Sure.”
I whip out my phone and text Frankie.
Me: I’m sorry. I’m an idiot. My morning has nothing to do with you or Cooper. I talked to Tess. Actually talked.
Frankie: So you don’t have bad news for me?
Me: No, I don’t know the board’s choice yet.
Frankie: You’re forgiven and not an idiot. You have a lot on your plate.
Me: You amaze me, Sunshine.
Frankie: I could say the same for you. TTYL.
Me: TTYL.
I return my attention to Linda. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I don’t want details, but did you make progress yesterday at mediation?”
“Only to the extent I got her motion dismissed for now.”
Linda nods curtly. “I understand. I’ve been there. Let me know when you need more time off for court.”
I wasn’t aware Linda went through custody issues with her ex. Outwardly, everything seemed to be going smoothly. “I will. What can I do for you?”
“Ah, yes, here’s the final decision packet for the Cooper project. The committee narrowed it down to Sunshine Landscape and Design and Fister late Monday. Given your new relationship with Miss Cappelli, we excluded you purposely to avoid any indication of impropriety.”
I nod, and my entire body tenses when she mentions Frankie’s company.
“After an anonymous ballot, Sunshine Landscape has been awarded the Cooper project. We made the decision yesterday while you were out of the office.”
I’m so excited for her! “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. Please reach out to Miss Cappelli and let her know. We request a meeting with her final budget and timeline in two weeks. The plan is to open the flagship hotel for the spring. Once it’s complete, you’ll work with her on the plans for the remaining nine hotels in the northeast. The schedule is laid out in here.”
“Thank you.” I draw the plan closer.
“Once Omni is complete, your sole focus will be Cooper Hotels.”
“Of course.”
“It may require some travel. Will that be an issue?” She’s treading lightly here given my current custody issues.
“No, it won’t.” I’m sure one of my siblings or my parents will be able to handle Ellie for an overnight or two if Tess doesn’t refile the relocation motion.
“Excellent. Have a good weekend.”
“You too.”
I contain my glee a bit longer as I hurry back to my office. Behind closed doors, I place a call to Ellie’s school informing her I’ll pick her up today. Then I dial Frankie.
“Hey.”
“Hi. Where are you?”
“At my office.”
“Are you alone?”
“Yes. You’re freaking me out.”
I laugh lightly. “Not my intention. Please sit down and turn on your video.”
Moments later, I’m staring at the gorgeous face of my girlfriend. Girlfriend. I like it a lot.
“Hi, Sunshine. I just left my boss’s office. I’m going to be working exclusively with the landscape architect for the Cooper project on all the hotels.”
“Congratulations! Don’t you have another large project you’re working on?”
“Yes, Omni, but it wraps in a few weeks. Sunshine, it’s you. I’m going to be working with you on all the hotels.”
Joy, elation, and a bit of relief splash on her face. “Wait, what? Really?”
“Yes, really. Congratulations, you earned the contract.”
“Ohmigod! OMG! I’m so freaking excited and proud of myself!”
“You should be. I’m so proud of you too!”
Sheer glee is plastered on her face. “What happens now?”
“Right down to business. The work part of me likes it, but the boyfriend part thinks you should celebrate more.”
She wrinkles her nose. “Boyfriend, huh?”
A sliver of worry passes through me. “Too soon?”
“No, not for me. In fact, I like it a lot.”
“Me too. I’ll forward you the schedule. We need the finalized timeline and budget for Portsmouth in two weeks.”
She smiles. “No problem. Did you know you were handling the rest of the hotels before today?”
“No, I didn’t. I need to pick up Ellie. Do you want to come over after movie night? That sounds awful. I don’t want to take away—”
“Stop. I understand. You have an extra movie night with Ellie. It’s your time with her. I’ll see you both in the morning at soccer. Eleven, right?”
“Yes.”
“Also, are you and Ellie free on Sunday afternoon?”
“We’re free. She’ll go to Tess’s after school on Monday. Why?”
“Would you both join me at family dinner?”
“We would be honored. I’ll call you later. Congratulations, Sunshine!”
“Great! Thanks. You too. Have fun with Ellie.”
I end the call, pack up some paperwork, and head out. After parking, I walk to the designated area for dismissal.
“Hi, Dad. Is everything okay?”
I hate she’s worried again. “Yes, I’m going to take you to get your stuff for your game and whatever else you want.” We walk side by side to my car. I open the rear door and her door. She sets down her bag in the back and climbs into the passenger seat.
“Oh. Okay. Did you talk to her?”
I round the car and buckle up. The note of sadness in her voice upsets me deeply, especially since there’s nothing I can do to take it away. “I did. She gave me permission to go into the house with you. She didn’t say anything about the motion being dismissed.”
“Is she coming back?”
I turn to face my beautiful daughter. The fact Tess doesn’t see the damage she’s causing concerns me. “What do you want to hear, Ellie? The truth or would not knowing be better.”
“I want to know what she said even if I’ll be disappointed again.”
How heartbreaking. “She said she would try to call you tonight and plans to be back on Monday.”
She pushes out a harsh breath, settles herself, and says, “Okay. Let’s get this over with.”
Shortly thereafter, we pull into Tess’s driveway. I take the key from Ellie and unlock the front door. I have been inside probably two or three times since Tess married Michael. The living room has been thoroughly cleaned and sanitized as the strong cleanser scent suggests and, if memory serves, rearranged.
“Was the furniture like this last week?”
Ellie shakes her head. “No, it was trashed and not arranged this way. That isn’t the same couch.”
I nod. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“Yes, please.” She leads me upstairs to her room. I lean on the doorframe while she gathers her things. She’s moving quickly around her bedroom. She zips the bag and walks toward me in less than five minutes.
“All set?”
“Yes. Time for pizza and a movie. Is Frankie joining us?”
My daughter’s heart is as big as mine. “I wanted to keep movie night just us for now. Okay with you?”
She nods in agreement, and we leave Tess’s. I share about my date tomorrow, her evening with Remi and Eva, as well as family dinner.
“That’s cool. Emilia is super cute.”
Hours later, after the pizza has been consumed and the movie ends, Ellie turns in and I call Frankie.
“Hi, Sunshine. How are you?”
“I’m good. A bit tipsy but good.”
“Are you alone?”
She giggles. “No, Tal is here. How was the movie?”
“Good. I’m going to turn in to speed up seeing you in the morning.”
“Aww. You’re so sweet to me.”
“I could say the same to you.” She has no idea how much she means to me, but I’ll show her as long as she’ll let me. “Congrats again, Sunshine. Thank you for understanding the importance of movie night.”
“Thanks. You’re welcome. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Me too, Sunshine. Sweet dreams.” I sigh, lock up, and fall into my bed alone, wishing I wasn’t. After almost an hour of tossing and turning, I grab my keys and head to the workshop.