“You’re an incredible mother. James is a lucky young man.”
She shook her head. “No, I’m lucky. That boy is the light of my life. I would do anything to see him healthy, happy, and whole. Even though I know that setting myself free was better for James’ well-being and my own, I still can’t shake the thought that maybe I could’ve found another way.”
“From your perspective, it doesn’t sound like your ex gave you any other choice.”
She rubbed her temple, trying to self-soothe the guilt that tried to swallow her whenever she thought about this situation.
“If that’s your politically correct way of saying my ex was a dick, you’re right. Marq was a petty, angry control freak back then. He’s spent the last two years in intensive therapy. It’s only now his behavior changed for the better, making it possible for the two ofus to co-parent effectively. But back then, I wanted to wring his damn neck.”
Adam laced his fingers through hers. It might have been an unconscious movement on his part, but it anchored her somehow, making this story easier to tell when she didn’t feel like she was going to drift off into that dark and angry space she’d dwelled in during her divorce.
“If he’s better now, and things between you are better, can’t he contribute to the fund to help you build it faster?”
“Could he? Yes. If I asked him, I’m sure he would. But despite his healthier outlook on life and relationships, after going through so much with him, I can never depend on him to do anything for me or my son. Marq does for his son, but I never want to be beholden to him because of it. If for any reason he can’t or won’t provide the funding, I won’t feel right until I know I can cover the cost completely on my own.”
He pulled her hands to his lips and placed a light kiss there, causing her to give him her attention. And when he gave her a satisfied smile, she knew that was exactly the reason he’d done it.
“It’s not about feeling right, Janae. It’s about feeling safe. Your ex made you feel like you couldn’t depend on him without there being some catastrophic event to follow. What you have is a trauma response, and considering what you went through, it’s completely understandable.”
He wasn’t wrong. The strife she experienced through her marriage and divorce had taught her she could only depend on herself.
“You are the bravest, strongest woman I know. Your persistence was always something I admired. I just never thought it would be the thing that saved your life.”
She couldn’t speak. Her heart was pounding, the connection between them growing right there before her very eyes. His acceptance of her, his understanding of why she’d had to make the choicesshe’d made in her life, it was acting like a bonding agent that made her want to be closer to him, closer than she’d been to anyone else.
Sensing her need to put the pieces of herself back together, he pulled out his phone, tapping the screen a few times before pointing to draw her attention to it.
“If we’re going to get through this proposal anytime soon, we should probably get back to work.”
“Yeah,” she replied weakly because work was exactly what she wanted to talk about right now.
“So, tell me about these events you were talking about.”
Eating their food and changing the subject was a perfect segue to get them focused on work again. Adam was so tied up in knots after hearing Janae’s account of her divorce that everything in him told him to gather her up in his arms and just keep her there. Strong woman that she was, he knew Janae would never allow it. She’d see it as pity, and nothing about her said she was the kind to accept anyone’s pity. She was too independent for that.
“As I said,” she interrupted his thoughts, drawing him back to the matter at hand. “the fall festival brings in a lot of money every year from the community. I was thinking of doing something similar with some fun community activities and possibly some exhibits of the skills the kids are learning in the arts program. The first would be a car wash to kick things off in a fun low-pressure way where people just come out to get their cars clean, possibly get some of the local shops to donate products that we could sell to maximize the proceeds.”
He stopped to catalogue her thoughts, taking a sip of his beer and nodding for her to continue.
“The next would be a visual art exhibit where the kids are putting their talents with their preferred mediums on display. Attendees could even purchase the artwork if they wanted to. Next would be afashion show where we get parents and teachers to model the clothing the kids are making. The last event would be a variety show were students, teachers, administrators, and community members could sign up, for a registration fee of course, where people would perform in front of audience members who paid to come see the show. At every event, all proceeds go to funding the program.”
“So, just to make sure I’m hearing you right, we’d charge registration fees for participants, and ticket and concession fees for the attendees.”
Janae stopped to eat and moaned deeply as she enjoyed her mouthful of food. The look of gratification painted into her smooth brown skin made his mind wander to places it probably shouldn’t go.
Who the hell was he kidding? He wanted to go to those forbidden places—forbidden by Janae, he might add. He would never in his right mind push pleasuring her off the table, not when the sight of her made his blood rush.
“Yes.” The garbled response was followed by another long moan that had him pulling his beer to his lips, hoping the cold sensation would cool down the sweltering need running through them.
He sat his beer back on the table and tried to speak. “Your, ah. Your…” His head blanked on what he was attempting to say because his mind just kept playing the glorious sound of her moaning on an irresistible loop.
He closed his eyes and cleared his throat, taking a deep breath before he continued.
“Your fundraising ideas are brilliant, and I’ll officially approve them and assign faculty support on Monday. As far as I’m concerned, that concludes our business.”
“Just like that?” There was slight confusion in her eyes as if she’d been expecting more of a fight.
“Come Monday, my assistant will contact you with all the follow-up details.” He placed his phone on the table, returning hisattention to her. “You’ve come up with a sound plan. Your idea to host these events that will bolster community support could be the thing that gets the district and the PTA what they both want. If we can find outside resources for the program and offer our kids a competitive chance at following their dreams and changing their futures, I’m all in.”
