Page 61 of Don’t Open Your Eyes

“I’m serious. I have plenty of room, and I like having you here.”

“I don’t know, James. You’ve already done so much for me. I feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”

“I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t mean it. Come on. I’m hardly ever here with my schedule at the hospital. You’d practically have the place to yourself. You just started your job and you don’t need the added stress of finding a new place. Plus, your stuff’s already here.” He smiled.

“But what about after the baby comes? You don’t need an infant waking you up at all hours of the night. Sometimes I can’t help but wish I could turn back the clock and prevent this from ever happening.”

James gave her a long look. “The baby is as welcome as you are. It’s not an imposition, really.”

“What if you start dating someone? How’re they going to feel that you have a single mom living here with you?”

“This imaginary girlfriend will have to understand. Any other objections?”

She bit her lip. “I guess not, if you’re sure. But I want to pay you rent then.”

“That’s not necess—”

“I insist. I’d be paying somewhere else.”

He nodded. “Okay. Welcome home.”

“Thank you!” She heaved a sigh of relief. James made her feel safe and taken care of—a feeling she hadn’t felt since before her mother got sick. He was right; the last thing she needed was to be trying to find a new place to live on top of everything else. She appraised him objectively. He was nice-looking in a quiet way. The dark glasses gave him a studious look, but she’d noticed how pretty his eyes were the few times she’d seen him take them off. He didn’t have the startlingly good looks that Randy had, but she could tell he was one of those men who would get better looking with age. Tall and fit, with a strong jawline, he’d engender crushes in his patients. Doctors had a certain cachet, and that would add to his appeal. This wasn’t the first time that she wondered if his feelings for her were deeper than friendship, but it was the first time she’d wondered if hers could be.

The Wife

I took the day off work today and am sitting outside his office building, waiting for him to leave. When he does, I go inside carrying lunch for him and tell his assistant I came to surprise him. She apologizes and says he’s not in. I ask if I can leave it for him in his office and she says yes, although she looks at me a bit suspiciously and tells me she doesn’t know when he’ll be coming back. I rarely come to the office, and I’ve never brought him lunch. But I’m getting desperate for answers, and this was the only plan I could come up with to see if he’s hiding anything here. I shut the door and go straight for his laptop. I quickly scan his email, but it all looks like business emails. He is a stickler for cleaning out his inbox, so there aren’t too many. Next, I open some folders on his desktop here and there, one eye on the door, hoping she doesn’t come barging in to see what’s taking me so long. I open his browser and search the history. I scroll down and stop when I see the link for the marketing firm. I click it, and the company address comes up. I write it down. I go down the rest of the list, and my hand freezes. He’s been searching legal statutes for custody. If he thinks he’s going to take our son away from me, he’s crazy.

Annabelle

“Hey there, wake up.” James’s voice roused Annabelle, and she opened her eyes.

“Morning,” she said, pushing herself to a sitting position. “What time is it?”

“Six-thirty. What are you doing down here?”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I came down to watch TV.”

“You know that’s not good. You don’t want to develop insomnia. Studies have shown that screens are bad—”

She turned away so he didn’t see her roll her eyes. “James, it’s way too early for a lecture. Please.” She got up, pushed past him, and climbed the stairs. Why couldn’t he just chill for once? As she got dressed, the dream came back to her in full sequence. She could hear James’s shower still going in his bathroom. She was grateful that the previous owners had had the foresight to attach separate bathrooms to the main bedroom. She loved having her own space, and not having to chat with someone when she was first up. Besides, James was meticulous and had to have everything in its exact place. Annabelle had a tendency to let things pile up.

When she was dressed, she went downstairs and pulled out the ingredients to make pancakes. Both girls loved them, and she wanted to do something special since she’d been away all weekend. By the time they came downstairs, the delectable aroma filled the kitchen, and a plate was piled high with chocolate chip pancakes.

“Yummy!” Olivia shouted. “Thanks, Mommy!” She walked over to Annabelle and helped her set everything up on the table.

“Thanks, doll. Where’s your sister?”

Olivia sighed dramatically. “On her phone, where else?”

Annabelle laughed. “Do me a favor and let her know breakfast is ready.”

“Okay,” Olivia said as she skipped off to call her sister.

“Something smells good,” James said, smiling at her. “Wish I had time to stay.” His text tone sounded and he grabbed the phone from the counter and put it in his pocket without checking it.

“Listen, sorry for snapping earlier. You know how I am before I have my coffee,” Annabelle said.

“No worries. I should know better by now. But in the future, if you can’t sleep, try to read, or meditate. I’ve seen too many patients with sleep disorders that start out innocently enough.”