The last thing I needed was my boss thinking that he had done something right by hiring a consultant to help me. I was barely holding onto my job as it was; I didn’t need him thinking that there were other people more capable than I was.
By five o’clock, Brandon had called me twice, and I had sent him straight to voicemail both times. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to tell him what had happened or not. All I knew was I didn’t have the strength to deal with him at the moment. Whatever was going on in his life was something he needed to figure out, and I would just talk to him in a week or two.
My emotions were so raw about everything that was going on. I genuinely felt like Brandon was a good guy, and to think he was involved in something horrible meant I was pretty bad at judging people. After successfully avoiding any relationships since Spencer had passed away, this wasn’t exactly showing me I could make wise relationship decisions.
As I picked up Connor from school and made my way to his grandparents’ house, I saw a text message come through from Brandon. I couldn’t talk to him. I couldn’t deal with whatever was going on in his life. I had to tell him I needed a break.
Brandon: How’s your day?
Delilah: I’m going to take a break from us. Best of luck.
Brandon: What?
I didn’t respond. I really didn’t want to be one of those girls who cause more drama when drama was already going on in someone’s life. The best thing I could do was take a little time and space to figure things out before they got out of control. I already had feelings for this guy; I couldn’t risk getting deeper into those feelings if I wasn’t sure about who he was or the type of character he had.
“Delilah!” Mary greeted me with a hug as Connor and I approached the front door to her house.
Mary and Steve were the nicest people. If I couldn’t have my own family with me, I would have picked the two of them, for sure. They loved me and Connor through their own grief and put every bit of their energy into making sure we were happy.
“Hi, Mary, you look great. Have you been doing yoga again?”
“You know, I actually stopped eating sugar. I know that seems a little extreme, but I feel great and my arthritis is practically gone.”
“How’s Steve doing with this new diet?”
Mary was always on some sort of health kick and since she did most of the grocery shopping and cooking, her husband ended up going along for the ride. It was actually really adorable and gave me goals for my future. Their love also made me miss my husband terribly. We were young and just getting started in our marriage, but I’d sometimes pictured us getting old together and ending up like his parents – and that wasn’t a bad picture at all.
“I hate it,” Steve said as he snuck past Mary to grab Connor. “Can you imagine not eating another piece of candy?”
“Nope,” Connor said. “I think I would die.”
“Well, I don’t know if that will happen, but I really want some chocolate,” Steve said as he and Connor ran off to the play room.
“You know, Steve is a really good guy. I don’t think I could survive getting rid of sugar from my life,” I added as we sat down in the living room to talk.
“Delilah, sugar is the number one cause of cancer. You really should stop eating it all together. And, do you know how much sugar they add to cereal, bread, and our drinks? It’s everywhere. We are becoming sugar addicts without even knowing it.”
“No, I didn’t know all that. I’ll pay closer attention,” I offered, knowing that there was no arguing with Mary when she was on a new health kick. “Thanks for having us for dinner. I’ve had a long day, and I’m really glad I don’t have to cook.”
“You know you and Connor can come over for dinner any time. Or just drop Connor off if you want to go to dinner with your new boyfriend,” she said with a huge smile.
“Oh, no…” I started to say.
“It’s okay, you know. Steve and I are really excited to see that you are finally getting out there and dating. You’re a beautiful woman, Delilah, and you deserve more happiness in your life. I want you to know that we support you in this new dating thing.”
“I’m not dating that much. Just one guy I’ve gone on a couple of dates with. I really appreciate you guys taking Connor the last couple of weekends. It’s just easier when I get home late and don’t have to worry about him.”
I wasn’t about to admit that I’d been staying out all night with Brandon; that seemed like a little too much for my ex-mother-in-law to have to deal with. She was a loving and understanding woman, but my sex life wasn’t an area I wanted her to be part of.
“Whatever you need, we are here for you and Connor. So, tell me about this guy…”
“Well, he’s just a businessman from around here, nothing exciting.”
“What kind of business is he in?”
“Manufacturing or something like that. We haven’t really talked about it too much. You know how those first couple of dates are – really boring and awkward.”
I lied to her. I lied straight through my teeth to one of the kindest women I knew. Things between Brandon and I hadn’t been awkward, at all. In fact, from the moment we sat down together in the bagel shop until the last time I had been with him, I felt extremely comfortable with him.