“Oh no. I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“It’s alright. She’s doing much better now. That’s actually why I’m heading back to Colorado. I stayed with her for a month while she recovered.” For dramatic effect, and to lighten the mood, I lowered my voice. “I think she can’t wait for me to leave.”
Pam broke out into laughter, making me grin. “I can only imagine if I had to stay with either of my kids for a month. They’d be the same way.”
“You have two?”
“Yes. My son, Reece, is thirty-five and my daughter, Tegan, is thirty.”
My mouth hung open. “You have a thirty-five-year-old?”
She laughed again. “Don’t sound so surprised! I started early! How old is your daughter?”
“She’s twenty-five. I was thirty when she was born. Her mom and I divorced a few years later.”
My ex-wife and I had our fair share of problems. Rather than continue on in a loveless marriage full of arguments, we decided to go our separate ways. It was a lot healthier for us to co-parent Chai instead of dragging out our relationship. Custody was split evenly between the two of us, so I never felt like I missed out on Chai’s childhood.
Pam hummed in understanding. “Sometimes that's for the best. My husband and I almost got to that point a few times, but we stuck it out for Reece and Tegan. I’m not sure it was the right thing to do, but the past is the past. There’s nothing I can do about it now.”
That’s right. She was a widow. Should I bring up her husband?
An awkward silence stretched between us before Pam finally spoke again. “Most people don’t know what to say when you lose your spouse. It’s been a little over two years since Don passed, and honestly, my life is a lot better without him.”
“It sounds like we were in similar situations.”
She sighed. “But you were smart enough to walk away.”
I didn’t like hearing her put herself down. “Hey. None of that. Relationships are complex, especially when there are kids involved. You did what you thought was best for them. It sounds like you’re a great mom.”
“I’d like to think so.” The so was stretched out by a yawn.
I smiled to myself. If she was this sweet in person, I was going to be in trouble. “I should probably get to bed. It’s getting late and I have a hot date in the morning.”
“That’s funny,” she murmured. “I have a hot date, too.”
“Well make sure you tell him how lucky he is to be out with you.”
“Will do. Goodnight, Alistair.”
“Goodnight, Pam.”
I hung up the phone and stared at the dark ceiling while thoughts of Pam Rollins swirled around in my head. I already suspected one coffee date might not be enough.
THREE
PAM
“The art of living happily is to live in the present.” - Pythagoras
After Alistair and I hung up last night, I still struggled to fall asleep, staying up into the early morning hours.
He was just so dang charming.
Not to mention how easy it was to have a conversation with him.
He’d also made me laugh a time or two. A sense of humor was always something I’d admired in a partner, but it was something Don never had. In all our years together, I could probably count the number of times he’d made me laugh on one hand. And when he did make me laugh, it was at the expense of our children or other people. He just—hadn’t been a very nice person.
I guess that’s why I didn’t feel any guilt about my date with Alistair. Sure, I was nervous, but there was zero guilt there.
