“Yes, well, next time, stay with your group.” She had a feeling his new “friend” Sam had something to do with him climbing the ladder truck but didn’t want to bring it up.
Sam had shown up about a month ago and was now Calvin’s constant companion—imaginary companion. Sam’s full name was Samantha, and her parents had supposedly given permission for her to come live with Calvin. It was probably no coincidence that the main character in one of Calvin’s favorite books was also named Samantha but went by Sam.
The news of Sam’s arrival had driven Julia to the Internet to research why kids made up imaginary friends. It surprised her to discover how common they actually were. She assumed a dramatic life change was what brought Sam into their lives. Cal losing his dad would definitely fall into that category.
After learning there wasn’t much to do about Sam, she set out to make Calvin’s life as normal as possible and hoped that one day Sam would return home as quickly as she’d moved in.
Julia checked her phone for the millionth time that morning. An important, lucrative sponsor was supposed to let her know today whether they would partner with her social media channel. While she loved the flexibility of working for herself, the inconsistent paychecks made it brutal. She really, really needed this deal.
The phone rang, and she jumped to answer it, hoping it might be Fast and Fresh. It wasn’t. “Hey, Mom.”
“Have they called yet?”
“No,” Julia said. “Still waiting.”
“They will. Don’t you worry.” Her mom was her best friend and her biggest cheerleader.
“We just got back from the fire station. Calvin climbed to the top of a ladder truck and had to be rescued by a fireman.”
“DidSamhave anything to do with that?”
“Probably. But I’m not going to ask.” Julia feigned belief in Sam when Calvin mentioned her but wasn’t about to proactively pretend she existed. She would just count down the days until Calvin quit mentioning her. “Get this, the fireman is our neighbor. How crazy is that?”
“Is he cute?”
“Not the point I was making,” Julia said.
“Maybe you could put him on your list. I’m sure it’s still possible to meet a man the old-fashioned way.”
Julia had given up on the “old-fashioned” way and started Internet dating. It was a major time saver and helped weed out the crazies before wasting any effort on an actual date. As a single mom, time was important.
“Bars and grocery stores are obsolete, Mom,” she said. “Plus, the odds of finding what I’m looking for that way are practically nil.”
The “list” her mom referred to wasn’t actually a list. It was a carefully conceived vetting process which had only one objective—secure a dad for Calvin. Sean had died over a year ago, and after six months of grieving and simultaneously discovering he’d left her in a horrible financial bind, she’d decided it was time to get back out there. Cal was young and impressionable and needed a male influence. And, to be frank about it, she could use a second income.
“Still, he’s employed,” her mom said. “And the fact that you won’t say whether or not he’s cute leads me to assume heis.”
It was too early to put Alex on the list. She knew nothing about him, and it was possible she could go another year without seeing him.
“That’s a little premature. Plus, he seemed pretty irritated having to interact with children,” Julia said. “I’ve already got someone promising lined up for this weekend. He has a job, says he likes kids, is decent looking.”
“Sounds like he checks all your boxes,” her mom said. “You sure you don’t want to make ‘be in love’ one of the boxes?”
They’d had this conversation before—multiple times. Julia’s criteria for selecting a man were twofold. Her non-negotiables? Be a good dad, and be willing and able to pitch in with the bills. That was it. Sure, she had to like the guy, and being friends would be a nice bonus, but love was optional and definitely not a deal breaker. Rather than rehash all her reasons, which her mother already knew, she ignored the question.
“You’re good to babysit, right?”
“This weekend, yes. But we leave for our cruise next week, so you’ll be on your own for over a month.”
“I know. You guys are going to have a blast. Don’t worry about us.”
“I do worry about you,” she said. “Even before Sean died, I worried about you. Now, I just have all kinds of new, different things to worry about.”
“It’s your job as my mother. I get it. But we’re fine,” Julia said. “Or we will be once I nail down a husband.”
“Hm. Well, remember. Just because Sean wasn’t honest doesn’t mean there aren’t still trustworthy men out there.”
“Wasn’t honest?” Julia said, setting the oven to preheat. “That’s a bit of an understatement.” Sean had not only lied about having life insurance, he’d also left her drowning in a shit ton of business debt, which included a long list of overdue bills.
