Road to Reality (5 page)

Who would have thought a little haircut could garner so much response.  It was downright embarrassing at this point. He had no less than three compliments by staff throughout the day yesterday, and now he received another from a teenage patient’s mother, no less. Then she followed it up with wanting to know where and who gave him the cut while she looked pointedly at her rebellious son’s long mop of straight hair hanging over his eyes.

Shaking his head over the ridiculousness of it all, he walked into his office for a quick lunch break, where he heard his cell phone vibrating on the desk.  Picking it up, he read the message in shock and confusion.

***

It was Friday morning. One week after Zoe’s follow-up appointment. Six days since the fan installation and two days since the haircut. Not that Beth was counting. 

She still hadn’t made the next move.  She had never made the next move with a guy, or the first move, or any move at all. Her one and only relationship—if it could even be called that now—ended horribly.

Since Zoe came along, Beth had steered clear of men altogether. She hadn’t even thought of being in a relationship for that matter, until recently.

But now all those childhood dreams of Prince Charming saving her from despair that had been crushed time and time again while growing up were rearing their pretty little heads, setting her up for frustration and disappointment. Only this time it wasn’t just herself that she had to think about—she had Zoe. And she would protect her little girl from anything that might hurt her, which was part of the reason she’d moved to Saratoga to begin with.

Now there was Mac. He was everything she’d dreamed of growing up—tall, dark and handsome.  He was sweet, but not overly sweet so that it came off cheesy, more like considerate. Plus he was great with kids. Who didn’t love a guy who was great with kids?

She really wanted to make the next move,
really
did. But she had no idea what to say, so she kept putting it off.  She needn’t have worried, because the next move when it came wasn’t from her or Mac.

Finishing up her last client of the morning, Beth took notice that Laurie was still in the salon working on a color, so she decided to run to the break room to eat her sandwich. The minute she walked in, she heard her phone chiming in her purse on the desk that she kept in the backroom.  Looking down at the screen, she frowned at the unrecognized number and read the message.
Beth? 4 and still counting...

What the heck did that mean? Glancing up further, she saw a previous message sent from her phone. Only she hadn’t sent it.
How many compliments have you gotten?
Huh? Realization dawned and she stomped back to Mitchell’s office, ready for murder.

“How could you, Mitchell?” she said, scowling in his direction, steam all but coming from her ears.

“What?” he said in feigned innocence.

“You know darn well what.  What is
wrong
with you? And that isn’t even something I would have said. How am I supposed to respond now?” she asked helplessly, though still annoyed.

“First off, I was sick of you beating yourself up over this, so I gave you the push. You can thank me later,” he said, smirking triumphantly. “Because I know you will, so store that in the back of your brain for now.  Second of all, what did he say?” He made a grab for her phone.

She pulled it out of his reach. “No way. No more messages from you.”

“Then tell me what it says.”

Sitting down in the chair across from him, she took a deep breath and relayed the message. “Now what?”

“That’s awesome. I told you that was a killer cut,” he said proudly. “OK, let’s think, what would I say?”

“No, not what
you
would say, what should
I
say?”

“Well, if I don’t help you, it will be days before you reply. So back to what
I
would say.” He tapped a finger on his chin while he looked at the ceiling.

She reached across and grabbed his diet soda despite his protests and took a large gulp. “Fine, give me some options.”

Rubbing his hands together in glee, he laughed mischievously. “Oh I’ve got some options all right.”

“Clean options. Options, that wouldn’t sound like they were coming from a single mother who’s trying to jump him.”

“But you are a single mother who is trying to jump him.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her snort.

“You know what I mean.  And any woman in her right mind would want to jump him. I’m not dead, or blind.”

“Fine, fine, how about you say
only 4
?”

“No, that sounds too cocky, it’s not me.” She shook her head. “Forget it. On second thought, I’ll do it on my own,” she said, standing up to leave the room.

Mitchell stood up, grabbed her arm and pulled her back. “No, do it now. I’m not letting you out of this room until you respond. I know you, and it will be days again.  Don’t let this one get away. Trust me on this, please.  Respond now.”

She sat back down, thought for a minute while Mitchell glared at her impatiently, and finally texted back.
Sorry, yes, it’s Beth. Glad everyone liked it.

“That is such a lame response.  My grandmother could have come up with something better than that.”

She didn’t have a chance to debate him since the phone rang in her hand. “Crap, what do I do?” she asked Mitchell helplessly, waving the phone around in front of her face as if it were on fire.

Chuckling, he told her, “Answer it.”

“Oh, yeah right,” she mumbled and touched the flashing screen on her phone.  “Hello.”
              “Hi,” Mac said in return, his voice chipper. “Am I bothering you?”

If he only knew, she thought secretly. “No, I’m on my lunch break. You?” She shot daggers at Mitchell across from her when he rolled his eyes.

“Same here.  How’s Zoe?”

Her face lit up, how could it not? “She’s good.  Still chattering to her dolls over Dr. Mac and his ruby ring.”

He chuckled softly. “That’s good to know I rate well with three-year-olds.”

“Oh, I’m sure you rate well with all ages.” Crap, again that sounded worse than she meant, particularly when she saw Mitchell’s teeth gleam back at her with a thumbs up.

“I’ve got to get back to my patients,” he said, hedging. “But do you have any plans tomorrow? Or Sunday, if you do have plans tomorrow?”

“Ah, no, no plans,” she replied hesitantly. “Just chores around the house.” She waved an impatient hand at Mitchell, who was grimacing at her now.

“I was wondering if you could help me pick out some paint colors for my house. I liked the way your place looked, and I told you I was having some work done, right? They’re pressuring me to make some decisions and I can’t seem to decide.”

She frowned. Well, he did say he liked what she had done to her apartment, only she hadn’t really believed him. “Oh, sure, I can help you with that,” she said, trying to hide her disappointment. Maybe he wasn’t interested in her after all? “What time works for you?”

“How about midmorning? Then maybe we could take a boat ride on the lake? Do you think Zoe might like that?”

“I don’t know. I mean, sure, that sounds great, but I don’t know if she would like it. She’s never been on one before. But I’m sure she’ll enjoy it,” she said, ending her ramble, hoping she didn’t sound too much like an idiot.

“Great, I’ll text you my address in a bit. See you tomorrow. Bye.”

“Bye.” She disconnected the call and looked at Mitchell's curious face. “He asked me to help him pick out colors and such for his house that is being remodeled.” She watched Mitchell’s puckered brow and realized he felt the same disappointment as she did. “Then he asked if we wanted to go for a boat ride on the lake afterward,” she said grinning like a fool, feeling like a kid on Christmas morning.

“Woohoo, you go, girl!” He raised his hand and she slapped his palm.

“Dr. Mac,” Zoe said, squealing from the backseat when Beth pulled her aging compact Honda behind Mac’s BMW.

Beth’s first shock came from the house. Remodeling my butt, she thought, looking at the new structure being added to the right side of the house, more than doubling the size of the current cedar-sided home.

“In a minute, Zoe. Let me get out of the car first.”

“Out, out, out.” Her little legs were kicking the car seat as she tried to unhook the straps holding her in.

“No,” Beth said, scolding. “You don’t let yourself out, not until Mommy tells you.  Do you want to see Dr. Mac?” she asked with a sharp mother’s eye.

“Yes,” Zoe replied happily, her excitement bubbling over.

“Then you need to be a good girl.”

Zoe held her finger up showcasing the ruby ring. “I’m a good girl.”

“Yes, you’re a good girl.” Beth opened the back door, reached in and unhooked Zoe, then set her tiny feet on the driveway.  Before she could even shut the door Zoe was off on a full-fledged run.

“Dr. Mac.” Zoe was screeching while her little legs pumped in an effort to reach him with her arms up in the air.

He picked her up and settled her on his hip.

Beth got her second shock. Mac hadn’t shaved.  She hoped she wasn’t drooling because she was pretty sure her mouth was hanging wide open. When he raised an eyebrow at her and grinned that knowing look of his, she knew she had been caught.

Grabbing her oversized purse from the passenger seat, she turned to see Zoe running her hands on Mac’s face and felt a jolt of jealousy over her little girl.

“Soft,” Zoe stated and giggled.

“I bet it is,” Beth mumbled to herself, and made her way toward Mac.

“Need a hand?” he asked, obviously noticing the two bags over her shoulder.

“No, I’m fine, but thanks,” she answered nervously.  What was she doing here?  She couldn’t stop wondering that in her mind.

He led her up the two steps of his front porch, which was barren of any furniture, then through the front door centered in the middle of the house.

A few steps past the foyer he pointed to a door on right. “Half bath, in case someone decides they need to go at the last minute,” he said, nodding his head at Zoe, who was content to remain in Mac’s arms.  A few more steps in and they were in a wide-open living area.  To the left, a recently remodeled kitchen took up the entire half of the house from front to back. Well, almost. There was a small breakfast nook, but that was also bare at the moment.

Mahogany cabinets lined three walls, stainless steel appliances, off-white quartz countertops and cream and mahogany-colored subway tile made up the backsplash.  A massive four-stool island was in the center. It was a chef’s dream kitchen, and Beth was afraid she might be salivating once again.  Too bad the walls were off-white. It really needed some color.

“Did you have the kitchen done first?” she asked.

“What? Oh no, the previous owners gutted and remodeled the entire house last summer before they decided to sell it. I liked their style, but the house is a bit small for me, so I’m adding on.”

She nodded. The house seemed like a perfect size for her and Zoe. She wouldn’t have changed much either, other than a bit of decor.  She looked to the right and saw a living space with an oversized sectional and recliner. Of course there was a large flat screen TV mounted on the wall, every man’s requirement. Too bad there were more of the same plain off-white walls.

“They did a beautiful job. I love the floors,” she added, looking down at the rich chocolate hardwood running the length of the entire first floor. 

“Yes, everything is so new I can match the floors in the addition rather than having to rip out brand new flooring. The same floors run the entire length of the upstairs.”  Zoe was currently squirming to get down, so he gently put her feet on the floor, his gaze following her as she walked over to the large couch and climbed up. Her little form was almost swallowed by its sheer size. 

Once Beth saw that Zoe was settled, she turned to Mac. “So, what do you need my help for? It looks pretty perfect to me,” she asked, not wanting to insult him on the bland color choices since he said that he liked the style.

“It’s a little boring,” he said, almost reading her thoughts. “I don’t like flashy, but the white is blah to me. I wasn’t lying when I said I liked what you did with the colors in your house. I thought maybe you could give me some suggestions because I really want to get rid of all these white walls, but replacing it with a tan color isn’t much better, and that is what I keep gravitating toward.”

“Oh, OK, I can help with that. You have color samples, right?” She remembered he had them in his hand the day he saw her buying Zoe’s fan. “Can I ask what you’re doing with the addition? That might help with the color choices or suggestions.”

“Is she OK there?” Mac asked first, after looking at Zoe happily gazing around the room while she sat on the couch.

“Sure. Let me get her a doll. That will keep her entertained for hours.”

After Zoe had her favorite doll in her hand, they heard a faint little giggle and what sounded like, “Dr. Mac’s house.” 

He was already laying the house plans on the island, then added, “You can see her from here.”

She turned and looked at the first set of plans as he pointed to a dining room that was going to be placed between the kitchen and the new living room. An office in the front of the house, with the stairs remaining where they were, finished off the plans for the first floor. “I would have thought you’d want a nice view for your office.”

“No, actually if I give myself a bad view it will force me to spend less time in there,” he said devilishly.

She nodded in agreement. “I didn’t think of that.” 

After pointing out the large French doors that would be installed connecting the new living room to the deck, which was also being expanded, he pulled the second set of plans out of the pile.  “This is the upstairs.  Right now there are two good-sized bedrooms and a full bath, but I’m having a large master suite added with a balcony overlooking the lake, and a fourth bedroom.”

Shuffling the plans again, he pulled out the third and final set. “This is for the walkout basement. I’m putting a guest suite down there. I realized how nice it was to have when I was visiting my sister, Brooke, last summer.  Her husband has a guest suite in the basement and it gave everyone privacy.”

“It’s almost like you are building a whole new house. Why not buy land and start from scratch?” She couldn’t imagine the amount of money it would take to put this addition on an already existing house.

“There isn’t a lot of land available for sale on the lake, so I couldn’t be too choosy. And this lets me live here while the construction is going on. I know it’s going to get pretty crazy once they start cutting through the existing walls, which will be any day now. The contractor said he would try to get the new walls up fast so that the dust is blocked off. So far he’s been true to his word schedule-wise.  Everything is moving fast, and he’s even brought in a few extra crewmembers to get it done as quickly as possible.

After Mac finished up explaining the floor plans, she made some suggestions on colors that she felt would brighten each room up, but not be shocking either.  He was a man after all, so she made sure she kept that in mind when placing the samples around the blueprints. Of course, he didn’t have any samples that were too shocking, but surprisingly, he included several color choices she’d had her own eye on when painting her little apartment.

They talked a bit more about the house and her ideas and his plans before Zoe interrupted them.  “Mommy, I’m hungry.”

Beth looked at the clock, realizing they had been there almost an hour already and it was close to noon.  “OK, honey, let me get you a banana.” She turned to get one out of the bags she brought in. Pulling out the fruit and a sippy cup, she looked around trying to figure out where to have Zoe sit.

Mac seemed to understand her dilemma and offered, “You can put her on one of the chairs at the island. I know they’re high, but there are arms on them, and we can sit by her.  Matter of fact, why don’t we eat lunch? I’ve got the makings for sandwiches, a few different things, hopefully something she will like.”  He turned to Zoe. “What do you think, Zoe? Want to eat lunch?”

“Peanut butter,” she said with conviction.

“Ah, my favorite, too. Do you like jelly with it?” he asked, while Beth got her situated at the island. He started pulling out bread and a jar of peanut butter, looking completely comfortable to be making lunch for a three-year-old.

“No jelly.  Peanut butter, please.”

“You’ve got it.” He turned toward Beth. “Why don’t you grab some sandwich meats out of the fridge in the deli drawer, along with some cheese?” He pulled hard rolls out of the drawer and a bag of chips and then placed them next to the sliced bread from which he was currently making Zoe’s sandwich. “I’ve got this,” he said when she attempted to take over. “I’ve made my fair share of peanut butter sandwiches in my life.”

Somehow she doubted that but let him continue with Zoe’s sandwich while she cut up the banana she had pulled out of her bag and gave Zoe her Sippy cup now filled with water from the bottle she also produced from her bag.

“Do you have a mini store in there?” Mac asked, amused.

“No.  But I’m always prepared. Snacks, drinks, toys—all the things to keep a three-year-old happy and entertained,” she stated proudly.  Something her mother never considered doing.  She was lucky if there was an actual meal served once a day, and most of her meals had come from a box. No, she never went hungry as a child, but nutrition was not on her parents’ radar, which was probably why Beth ate so little growing up.  There were only so many bowls of cereal a kid could eat in a day.

“Do you want anything else?” Mac asked when they both finished making their sandwiches, his plate loaded with chips and a pickle, hers looking bare with a hard roll containing a few slices of ham and cheese.

“No, I’m good. This is more than I normally eat for lunch as it is.”

Zoe didn’t have a problem plowing through her entire sandwich and was now finishing off her sliced banana. “Can I have chips, please?” she asked her mother.

“Just a few,” Beth said in warning to Mac when he reached in the bag to place some on Zoe’s plate. “We don’t have a lot of junk food in the house.  I’m trying to teach good eating habits early on.”

Again, something Beth was never taught.  If she wasn’t eating cereal as a child, she was eating processed crackers and cheese from a can with a side of cookies. Most kids would have loved having that as a meal, but after a few times, it wore on you. She actually longed for fruits, or even some kind of meat.

Mac’s approval showed on his face, and she was slightly warmed by it. “As her pediatrician, I commend you.  As a guy, I say there is nothing wrong with a bag of chips.” He laughed this time, but amended. “If you don’t eat them all in one sitting.”

Since she saw he had a lot of healthy food, including fresh fruits and vegetables, in his refrigerator, so she didn’t think he was a junk food junky.

Zoe finished off her chips in record time and started to rub her eyes, a sure sign she was getting tired. “Naptime, Mommy.”

Mac looked on in amazement. “I’ve never heard of a child doing that before. If anything, most parents complain they can’t get their children to take a nap and have to lay them down kicking and screaming, or let them fall asleep with the TV on.”

“Oh,” Beth said, flustered as she turned to Mac. “I’m sorry. Sometimes she can skip a nap, but not often. I thought today might be the day, guess not. I should probably get her home.”

“Why? She can take a nap here, right? She can lie down either on the couch, or if that won’t work, then my bed.”

Beth froze at the thought of his bed. No, no way was she going into his bedroom. Not happening, especially with Zoe here, however innocent it may be. 

She looked over at the couch, which had a large footrest in one corner making it look like a small bed. Between the arm on one side and the rest of the couch on the other, Zoe would be safe enough.  “Well, if you don’t mind, the couch would be fine. But Zoe needs to go potty first,” she said, picking her up off the chair and carrying her to the little half bath. 

She was walking back down the hall with Zoe next to her when Mac came down the stairs with a small blanket in his hands. “The central air can get a bit cool so I grabbed a blanket for her too.”

“That was thoughtful. Thank you.”

Once Zoe was lying on the couch, tucked in nice and snug with one arm around her doll, Beth walked back to the kitchen and started to automatically clean up the remains of their lunch. “I’ve got it,” she assured him when Mac tried to help.  “Seriously, I appreciate you feeding us,” she said awkwardly.

While she finished cleaning up lunch, he put the rest of the color samples and blueprints away.  Thankfully, they were able to get all of that sorted before Zoe decided she was hungry. When everything was stored in its rightful place they walked over to the couch together, Beth suddenly realizing she didn’t have the first clue what to do with herself. 

Mac sensed her discomfort and suggested in a whisper, “Want to go for a walk by the water with me? It’s not far, and we can leave the door open and listen for her.”