Unlucky In Love (4 page)

I took a sip of water, then set down the
glass. “I do. I run a book review website.” I was impressed that
one of the first things he asked about was what I did for a living.
That showed that he was interested in me anyway, right?

He laughed. “So, in a sense, you get paid to
sit around and read romances all day?”

Scratch that. Declan was as bad as Dick … or
was one. I didn’t plan to hang around long enough to find out
which.

I picked up my phone and stared at it as
though
it had
just buzzed. “Oh, it’s Eric. His
coach canceled football practice, so I need to run and get him.” I
looked between Paul and Angela. “Thanks for dinner, guys. It was
great.” I flashed an obligatory smile at Declan but couldn’t force
myself to say
nice to meet you
, since that would be a
lie.

Angela smiled apologetically. “No problem,
Jana. See you tomorrow.”

Paul and Angela moved to get up so I rested
my hands on their shoulders. “Don’t mind me. I know my way out the
door.”

***

The following day, I bounced Davey on my
knee as Angela darted around the kitchen preparing his lunch. “It’s
okay, baby,” I cooed to my two-year-old nephew. “I know exactly how
you feel. I get cranky when I haven’t eaten either. Maybe if Mommy
didn’t spend her time telling the entire county that I was looking
for a date, she’d be more prepared.”

I ducked as Angela threw a towel in my
direction, even though I knew it wouldn’t come close. Certainly she
wouldn’t take a chance at hitting her son.

I tickled Davey, trying to get him to pay
attention to me instead of wailing at his mother. “We’ll laugh when
she has to pick that up, won’t we, baby?”

Angela slid into the room with a PB&J
and a sippy cup of milk. Balancing on one foot, she picked up the
towel with her toes and then tossed it into the laundry room.

After she’d
set
the
plastic plate and cup on the table, she reached for Davey. “I
didn’t tell the entire county that you were looking for a date.
Paul mentioned one guy he thought you might like, and I agreed. Who
knew he’d turn out to be a male chauvinistic pig?”

I narrowed my eyes. “If you didn’t tell
anyone, how come I’ve been asked out three times in three days? I
actually looked in the mirror to see if someone had pinned a sign
stating ‘available’ on my back.”

Angela whooshed out a breath as she
collapsed into the chair across from me. “Really? Who?”

“Don’t laugh.”

My cousin made a point of locking her lips,
so I continued, even though I knew she’d laugh, whether she’d
locked her lips or not.

“Remember
Media Man
, that guy at the
library … the one who taught the blogging course?”

Angela bit down on her lip, but her cheeks
puffed out.

“Don’t suffocate yourself,” I growled. “It’s
not that funny.”

She spat out just a tiny laugh. “I was
laughing at your need to nickname everyone you meet. But, yeah …
he’s like twenty-something … and he’s so …”

“Geeky,” I finished her sentence.

“Geeky wouldn’t bother me. After all, I
married a geek. I was thinking creepy. I’m surprised he’s even
interested in dating.”

I sighed. “Yeah, I didn’t want to say that,
but I agree. And apparently he’s
very
interested. He’s taken
to stalking me while I’m there. He’s harmless, I’m sure, but I
can’t get a bit of work done.”

“Who else?” Angela asked. Clearly my news
had breathed life into her today. Davey banged his sippy cup on the
table, which I took as encouragement to continue.”

“Eric’s coach,” I whispered.

“No … Really? I thought he was married.”

“Apparently he’s been divorced for a couple
of years. Shows how much we keep up. I thought he’d been getting
crankier on the field.”

Angela swiped up a glob of jelly with her
ever-present burp cloth, then drilled her gaze at me expectantly.
“Did you accept?”

I scrunched up my face, making my nephew
giggle in response. “Of course not … Can you imagine if it didn’t
work out? How awkward would that be with Eric on the team? He seems
like a nice guy and all, a little old for me, but that wouldn’t be
such a bad thing. But I couldn’t possibly entertain dating anyone
that’s connected to Eric’s school or activities.”

Angela wiggled back and forth in her seat.
“So … you’re gonna start dating again, though? Who’s lucky number
three?”

I rolled my eyes. “You think you know me so
well.” I exhaled a deep breath, then laughed. She did know me well.
“Well, you know I’m not ready for anything serious, but that guy at
the bank … You know, the one you were giggling over when he started
…”

Angela’s eyes widened and she bit down on
her lip again. “Oh, yeah! He’s a cute one, and so sweet. He’s
always so friendly.”

I moved my head from side to side, as I
weighed the situation. “I haven’t said yes … yet. After all, he can
see my bank account. He didn’t ask me out on a date, he just asked
if I’d like to get a cup of coffee or something one day, and I said
I’d get back with him.”

“Whoa … look at you go, girlfriend. I like
the new Jana. Such confidence.”

“Not exactly … I’m just.” I struggled for
the right word. “Tired.”

“You’re tired?” Angela screeched. “Try
chasing a two-year-old around while you’re pregnant.”

“Duly noted,” I said. “But you know what I
mean. I don’t think I have the energy to start a new relationship.
What would you do if Paul pulled what Dick did? Would you want to
start over?” I hated even thinking about Paul hurting Angela, but
what
would
she do? She had a baby and one on the way.
Sometimes I wondered if she should stash away a little
mad
money.

Angela pursed her lips and rolled her head
in a gesture I could only describe as,
Oh no he better not go
there
. “If Paul screwed around on me while I’m pregnant and
raising a two-year-old, I’d kill
’im
, so that
would be the end of that
discussion
since I’d
probably end up in prison. Then you’d have to raise your nephew and
niece-to-be.”

Rearing young children was not something I
was ready to do over again, so I decided to lighten up the mood.
“Hey, I thought you weren’t willing to kill someone.”

Angela frowned, but
at
least
her skin color returned to her normal pale beige.
“Dick didn’t cheat on me. And Eric is nearly grown. Soon enough,
you won’t even have to drive
him
places.”

I dropped my head into my hands. “Don’t
remind me. I can’t imagine what it’ll be like in that big house all
by myself when he goes off to college in a few years. But I can’t
sell it. Not after I fought to get Dick to pay the mortgage for the
next ten years.”

Angela tapped her hand on the table to get
my attention. “Jana, why don’t you get a pet? You’ve wanted a dog
for Eric for years. A puppy would be a wonderful companion, not to
mention that even a small one would be a great security system.
Dick was the only one allergic, right?”

I rubbed my hand across my mouth. “Yeah,
you’re right. That’s exactly what I need. I’m sure I can find a
shelter pet that needs a home. So I’d be doing a good deed at the
same time, too.”

Angela nodded her agreement.

A puppy, though, I wasn’t sure if I was
ready for that type of commitment. Dogs were a lot of work. A cat,
on the other hand … Cats were
independent …
like I wanted to be. Maybe I could rescue a cat from her old life
and give her a new one. We’d start a new life
together
before I made any dating decisions. That way I
wouldn’t end up with a man who was against animals ever again.

“Angela,” I said as I stood, “I’m going to
go adopt myself a new roommate.”

***

For the first time in months, Eric had
sprawled his body out on the living room carpet. Typically when he
got home from school, if he didn’t have practice, he’d raid the
fridge, and then disappear into his bedroom for the rest of the
evening. He would come out for dinner, but all too soon, he’d scarf
down the food, and then jump up, insisting that he had
homework.

Not tonight, though.

Tonight, Eric had stationed himself on the
rug next to the couch, whispering softly to the new calico I’d
adopted today. “Here, baby kitty,” he whispered repeatedly, but our
new cat had decided that she would come out when she was ready. Of
course, she wasn’t really a kitty; she was about a year old. One of
the volunteers at the shelter had said that she was already
spayed
and that it was harder for an adult cat
– even one only a year old – to get adopted. “Everyone wants
kittens,” the woman had said with a scowl. And I’d wanted to rescue
a cat that nobody wanted. I understood exactly how the calico felt.
I wasn’t old, and yet, Dick had wanted to play with a new
kitty
. I didn’t need a kitten; I wanted a cat with
character. And this calico had shown more spunk and personality
than any of the cats — or kittens, for that matter. She was feisty
and independent. She’d be my role model.

“Eric,” I said softly, “why don’t you just
sit back
on
the sofa and ignore her for a
while? Maybe try the string again? But this time, act as though you
aren’t interested in her, just the string. I bet she’ll come
out.”

My son lifted his chin, then smiled. “You
mean, play hard-to-get, like all the girls in school?”

I laughed. “Exactly. You know … girls aren’t
the only ones who can play hard-to-get. Sometimes, if a guy just
does his thing, without worrying who’s watching … well,
often
, those are the most popular guys.” I thought about
the man at the library, Mr. Forgetful, how he’d been more
attractive in my eyes than any guy I’d met. Not because he was
attractive physically, but because he hadn’t come on to me in a
Yo-why-don’t-we-go-out-sometime
kind of way. I concentrated
on my son’s eyes. “Is there someone you’re interested in?”

Embarrassed or irritated with my probing
question, Eric dropped his head, shaking it lightly. “No,
Mom
.”

Too far
, I thought. I knew my son
loved me, but he didn’t like to talk about
guy stuff
with
me. Dick had been scarce, though, so I felt like I had to ask.
Thank goodness Dick had already had “The Talk” with him when Eric
was in junior high. Dick had insisted that telling him in eighth
grade wasn’t too early. That if we didn’t explain the “Birds and
the Bees,” someone else would.

Eric positioned himself upright against the
back of the couch as I’d suggested, and in a few seconds, he was
tapping on his iPhone, completely forgetting about the string he’d
been twisting in his fingers.

Nodding to the white paw poking out from
beneath the couch, I whispered, “Slowly.”

Eric gently pulled on the string, but then
the kitty pulled back her paw. He danced the twine above the crack
between the couch and the carpet, and the kitty curled her paw
upward, trying to reach it. Eric let her grab just enough to make
her feel as though she’d won, and then he’d slowly pull it
away.

Who would have thought that a cat and some
string could teach a fifteen-year-old boy how to be patient with a
girl? But I had a feeling it just might. And more importantly, I
had my son in the same room with me.

I blinked away tears as I realized how many
years Eric had missed having a pet, and how many months I missed
having Eric near me. Yeah, I had Angela, but I hadn’t really felt
the touch of my family for months. Growing up, I’d sworn to myself
that I’d have a lasting relationship, not a broken marriage, where
I made my son susceptible to unloving or callous stepparents, as my
father had repeatedly done.

After a few minutes, our new family member
ventured out from beneath the couch. Inch by inch, she explored her
new home, stopping and smelling everything, wincing every time
Eric’s phone chimed.

Without my asking him, he flicked his phone
to silent. He was growing up, and I just needed to sit back and be
willing to listen when he was ready to talk. Play hard-to-get, so
to speak, but be available as soon as he came looking.

“Why don’t you show her where her food is
again?” I suggested.

My nearly six-foot-tall son crawled on all
fours to the kitchen, looking back at the
kitty
to see if she was following him.

She was, and the sight nearly made me cry
again.

Eric pulled out a piece of kibble and set it
on the tile. “Here you are, kitty.” He peeked his head around the
counter. “What are we gonna call her?”

I shrugged. “What do you think?”

Eric bit down on his bottom lip. “I like the
name
Jane.”

“For a cat?” I laughed, but then covered my
mouth. “I do too, actually. Jane Austen is one of my favorite
authors.”

Eric sat up and scratched the kitty between
the ears. “I got it. How about J’Austen? That sounds cool.”

“J’Austen, it is!” I agreed.

I dropped my keys on the credenza by the
door and ran — quite literally — to the kitchen and poured myself a
glass of Merlot.

Even though she knew she wasn’t supposed to,
J’Austen jumped up on the counter to greet me. If I didn’t know any
better, I’d swear she did it whenever I was upset,
though,
so I couldn’t scold her too harshly.

I scooped her up and headed toward the
lanai. “You know you’re not allowed on the counter, baby kitty, but
I’ll forgive you since
you are
much better
company than a man.”

I sat down on the swing, setting J’Austen
beside me, and then picked up my Kindle to read the latest book an
author had sent me. The book description and cover had held great
promise, but just as Mak had warned me,
You couldn’t always
judge a book by its cover
. But I was determined to press on,
even if I didn’t like the first few chapters of the book. At least
the male protagonist was more interesting than my date had been.
After all, he’d come out of the mind of a woman. And most women
knew what other women wanted.