No one worked harder than my mom—not even me.
“I, uh… Have been seeing someone.”
I froze, the fork suspended in midair only an inch away from my face. “You’ve been seeing someone?” I repeated slowly, as if it couldn’t possibly be true. I knew I was being an idiot about it, but the idea of my mom dating anyone left me feeling very protective of her.
She gave me a knowing look. “Yes. It’s actually pretty serious. I’ve been dating him for a few months now.”
At this my eyes widened. Okay… So she’d been hiding this guy, whoever he was, from me this whole time? I couldn’t help but feel betrayed. “Ma! How come you never told me? A few months? Were you guys meeting at the back of a bowling alley or something? I haven’t even seen anyone around.”
I knew I was giving her a hard time, especially by the way she glared at me.
“Don’t you dare take that tone with me, Jacob. I’m a grown woman and I make my own decisions. And I’m only just now telling you because I knew this was how you were going to react. Anyway… I thought it was actually funny that you met his daughter yesterday. That’s what made me think now was the perfect time to tell you.”
Her words trickled through like quiet drops of water, taking a moment before they really sunk into my brain. Met his… daughter? Oh. “You mean you’re… dating your boss?”
She took a small bite of her lasagna, not meeting my eyes. “You say it like it’s such a big thing. It’s really not, I assure you. We’ve been very professional about it. So yes, I’ve been dating Leonard. I really care about him. He’s just so… He treats me so well.” The sort of reverence in her tone left me feeling some kind of way. She’d never talked about a guy like this before, and she hadn’t dated anyone since I was a young teenager, just getting into high school. I was as opposed to it then as I was now.
“You don’t think he’s using you? I mean in his position of power and all that—”
But she held up her hand. “I’m not having this discussion with you. We are together, we’re staying together. It’s that simple. I wanted to let you know so that I was open and honest with you, and we can discuss it like rational adults. Can you do that with me?”
I took another bite of food, chewing it loudly and staring back at her. “I guess so,” I mumbled through the food in my mouth.
I wanted to be happy for her. I mean, somewhere inside I did. I could tell by the way she talked about him that she really did care for him like she said, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating for me. I thought about Gabi…
Oh hell, what about Gabi? It was the sort of situation I did not to be in the middle of. What would her dad think about his girlfriend’s son fucking his daughter? Not to mention the fact of what I did in my spare time?
What if I wanted things to go further with Gabi? Wouldn’t it be super awkward if I was dating his daughter and he was dating my mom?
There was no wouldn’t it—it definitely would. I wondered what Gabi thought of it. Surely she knew, right?
I made a mental note to text her later on and see if she wanted to meet up that weekend. Not only did I want to see her again, but I had to know what she thought of the whole thing.
“Are you just going to sit there and look at me as if I just told you I killed your dog?” Mom finally picked back up, sounding weary. I hated that she felt like she had to keep this from me though.
“You’re right, I’m sorry. I’m just shocked, that’s all. Just wasn’t expecting it, I guess. But I’m glad he makes you happy. That’s all that matters to me.”
Mom reached across the table, patting my hand and squeezing it. “And that’s all I ask.”
Lying in bed, I pulled out my phone and found Gabi’s number, pulling open a new text message. My fingers hovered over the keyboard on my phone, but I wasn’t sure what to say just yet. We’d exchanged numbers after the fun little interlude in the supply closets—Gabi’s idea actually. And what a fun little idea it was. Ever since, she’d been sending me pictures and texts t
hat were definitely only for my eyes. Every one of them was like a treasured gift to me, one that I worshipped in my bed at night.
I pulled out her most recent shot, one of her standing in front of her mirror, wearing only a pair of panties. It came with the message I hope you plan on buying me a new pair to replace the ones that you ruined. They were my favorite, by the way.
I had texted her back a cheesy face, because that was exactly what I did as soon as I saw it.
My fingers flew over the keyboard as an idea hit me.
What do you say we get together again? One might even dare call it a date.
7
Gabi
Anything in mind for our date tonight?
My phone buzzed on the table. It was Jacob.
There was no denying the smile that crept across my face every time I saw his name on my phone.
I might have a plan in mind. Maybe.
It was simple, really. I wanted to go out to dinner with him, because like I learned from having a parent into politics, you can find out a lot about a person just from dining with them. Not to mention all the other fun things we could get into after…
I’ll be there to pick you up at six. ??
In the back of my mind, I imagined Jacob sitting shirtless on a couch, possibly even playing with himself while he was texting me. I’d sent him a few photos to help him along in the process, just in case he was into that kind of thing. Turned out, I was right.
After setting up the reservation at Obriccio’s later on, I went upstairs to get ready. I usually wasn’t the type to run around worrying about what I looked like, as things just came together for me naturally, but it wasn’t the case when I knew Jacob would be coming over for our first somewhat official date. I must’ve fixed my hair a dozen different times, trying to get it just right.