Then Victoria looks up from hugging her daughter, and her eyes find mine across the pickup lane, and I feel the full weight of her attention land on me like a spotlight.
I take another steadying breath. This is Chloe’s mother. She’s going to be part of Theo’s life forever, which means she’s going to be part of my life too, if things go the way I hope they will. And I want them to. I want to be in Theo and Chloe’s lives for as long as they’ll have me, which means it’s important to start this relationship on the right foot.
She walks toward me with Chloe’s hand in hers, her heelsclicking against the pavement with each step. She’s beautiful in that carefully maintained way that takes time and money and dedicated effort, the kind of beauty that’s really a full-time job.
“You must be Miss Hayes,” she says, and her voice is warm. “Chloe talks about her favorite teacher constantly. I feel like I already know you from everything she’s told me.”
Chloe beams at me, practically vibrating with excitement, bouncing on her toes. “This is my mom!” she announces, like she’s presenting a trophy she won at a competition.
My heart twists at the pure joy on Chloe’s face, the way she’s looking between me and her mother like she wants us both to share in her happiness. She’s so thrilled, so genuinely excited to have her mom here, and I want to honor that. I want this to go well for Chloe’s sake, if nothing else.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I say, and I’m grateful that my voice comes out steady and professional, not betraying any of the anxiety churning in my stomach. “I’m Emma Hayes.”
“Victoria Caldwell,” she says, extending her hand with a smile. “I wanted to surprise my girl, sweep her away for a special afternoon together. I’ve been missing her so much, and I thought, why wait until the scheduled time when I could see her right now?” She looks down at Chloe. “How does that sound, sweetheart? A mommy-daughter date, just the two of us. We can do whatever you want. Ice cream, shopping, the park. You name it.”
“Yes!” Chloe shouts. “Oh my gosh, this is the best day ever! Can we get ice cream at that place on Main Street? The one with the cookie dough flavor? And can we go to the bookstore after? And?—“
“We can do all of it,” Victoria says, laughing at Chloe’s enthusiasm. “Whatever you want, sweetheart. This is your special day.”
She looks back up at me and there’s something in her gaze that makes the hair on the back of my neck prickle, somethingassessing and sharp beneath the friendly surface. An evaluation. A sizing-up.
“Well, I’m so glad I finally got to put a face to the name,” she says. “You know, teaching first grade must be absolutely exhausting. All those little ones needing constant attention. I don’t know how you do it day after day.”
A bit rude, I think. But be the bigger person, Emma.
“It can be tiring,” I admit, because there’s no point in pretending otherwise. “But it’s so rewarding that it makes it more than worth it.”
“I could never do what you do,” she says, shaking her head like she’s marveling at my dedication. “I absolutely don’t have the patience for it. But I suppose when you’re asyoungas yourself, you have that zest for life, that endless energy that fades once you have real responsibilities to juggle.”
I feel as though I’ve just been slapped with a velvet glove. Oh she’s definitely not happy about me and Theo. Great. I keep my expression pleasant and professional. I’m not going to give her the satisfaction of knowing that she got under my skin.
“Energy definitely helps,” I say lightly, meeting her eyes with a smile that’s just as warm and just as fake as hers. “But I think it’s more about passion than age, honestly. I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I was six years old, sitting in a classroom just like the one Chloe’s in now. Some people are just called to certain things, you know? This is what I was meant to do.”
Something flickers in Victoria’s eyes, surprise, maybe, that I didn’t fold under her subtle attack. Maybe she thought I’d blush and stammer and confirm all her assumptions about the naive young girl her ex-husband is dating.
“Well, you’re doing a wonderful job, really,” she says, recovering smoothly. “Theo and I are always talking about what a special girl we createdtogether, and we’re both so happy to see her doing well in school this year.”
What. The. Hell.
Did she just slip in a sex reference to her and Theo?Createdtogether.Like I needed the reminder of how babies are made. A reminder that she and Theo share something I’ll never be part of, a bond that existed long before I came along and will exist long after. A child. A history. A family, even if it’s fractured now. No matter how serious things get between me and Theo, she’ll always have a claim on him that I never will.
I keep my smile firmly in place. “Chloe’s a wonderful kid,” I say. “You should both be very proud of her.”
“Mom, can we go?” Chloe tugs on Victoria’s hand, completely oblivious to the undercurrents flowing between the two adults above her head. “I really want ice cream, and the bookstore closes at six, and I have so much stuff I want to show you.”
“Of course, sweetheart,” Victoria says, her attention shifting back to her daughter, the sharp edge in her voice softening instantly. She looks back at me one more time. “It was lovely to meet you, Miss Hayes. Thank you so much for taking such good care of my daughter.”
They walk away together, Chloe chattering excitedly and Victoria’s hand resting possessively on her shoulder, and I’m left standing on the sidewalk feeling like I just lost a battle I didn’t even know I was fighting.
I let myself into Theo’s house, dropping my bag by the front door. I kick off my shoes and wander in, following the smell of garlic and herbs to the kitchen, where I find Theo at the stove stirring something in a large pot.
The moment he sees my face, he abandons whatever he’s making and crosses the room in three long strides.
“Come here,” he says, and then I’m in his arms, pressed against his chest, his hand cradling the back of my head. “I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking sorry, Emma.”
I’d texted him while sitting in my car after school, lettinghim know that I’d gone to work that day after all and giving him the quick version of the pickup incident with Victoria.
I let him hold me for a moment, breathing in his familiar scent, feeling some of the tension I’ve been carrying since the pickup line start to loosen its grip on my shoulders. The house is quiet around us, just the two of us and the soft bubble of whatever’s simmering on the stove.
