“Does your face hurt?” he asked.

“Yes. ‘It was love at first sight. He’s my soulmate.’ Whatever!”

“It sounds to me like you’re a little jealous.”

“Who? Me?” I pointed to myself. “I’m not jealous at all. It’s just the way she said it.”

“Sure.” He chuckled.

“Now if you want to talk about someone being hot, check out that dad over there. It doesn’t look like he’s wearing a ring either. Hey, Hope.” I called to her.

“Yes, Mommy.”

“Who’s that man over there with that little boy?”

“That’s Jonathan’s dad. Jonathan was the boy I told you about last year whose mom died of cancer.”

“Oh yeah. Poor kid.” I bit down on my bottom lip.

“So are you going to go hit on the poor man who probably is still grieving over the death of his wife?” Jack asked with a smirk.

I smacked his arm and walked away.

We stopped at Jack’s penthouse first so he could change his clothes before going to my parents’ house. It didn’t make sense for him to drive us home, go home and change, and then come back to pick us up. I told him that we’d meet him there, but he insisted on driving us.

I had called my mom earlier to let her know that Jack would be coming over. She seemed thrilled because she wanted to thank him for taking care of Hope, plus she was dying to meet him.

As we sat at the table eating dinner, Nick and my mom talked to Jack as if they had known him for years. It was weird but nice to see at the same time. When dinner was over, Nick, Hope, and Jack went to the living room while my mom and I cleaned up the kitchen.

“He’s such a nice man. Nothing like you made him out to be.”

“As long as you don’t work for him, he is, I guess.”

“He adores Hope.”

“I know he does.”

“So there’s really nothing going on between the two of you?”

“No. There isn’t. Jack and I are just friends. In fact, I’ve joined a dating site.”

“What? I don’t think that’s safe, Lorelei.”

“Gotta get out there and start dating again, Mom, and it’s hard to meet someone when you just can’t randomly go out because you have a kid to take care of.”

“We can babysit if you want to go out. You know that.”

“I know, but I’d feel guilty just going out for the hell of it to try and meet a guy.”

Hope ran into the kitchen. “Come on, Mommy. It’s time to go trick or treating!” She smiled.

I put on my coat and the three of us headed out the door. As Hope was busy running up to people’s houses, Jack and I stood on the sidewalk and waited for her.

“Tell me why you told me you hated kids?” I blurted out.

He glanced over at me for a moment and then looked straight ahead.

“I don’t hate kids, Lorelei. I don’t know how to explain it. Growing up with Kit was difficult. She blamed us for everything, including the breakup of her first three marriages. When you’ve been told that so many times, you start to believe it. I remember sitting in my room one night and I heard her and Peter, her second husband, arguing. He told her that she should send Coco and me to boarding school because we’d just get in the way of their relationship and things would be better if we weren’t around.”

“That’s awful. She didn’t send you away, did she?”

“No. But she did send us to live with our grandmother for the entire summer after they were married. That was the compromise they made. I always felt like a burden to my mother and her relationships. Peter wasn’t very nice to us. In fact, he hit me a couple of times and told me that Coco and I were ruining their relationship and he wished we’d just leave. Let’s just say that him and alcohol were best friends.”

“Oh my God, Jack. How old were you?”

“I was twelve at the time. My mother blamed us for my dad leaving because she couldn’t accept the fact that he couldn’t handle her career. Nothing was ever her fault. So when Peter left her, of course she blamed us. She said we were disobedient and she should have listened to him and sent us away. I hated myself back then because she was my mother and I believed her.”

“You don’t believe that now, do you?” I asked.

“No. She was to blame for all of her failed marriages. But, in the back of my mind, every time I saw a child, I would think of my childhood and the things that were told to me.”

“Did you ever seek therapy?”

He chuckled. “No. But maybe I should have. What about you?”

“My father passed away when I was ten. My mom met Nick when I was fifteen and she married him when I was sixteen.”

“He seems like a great guy,” Jack said.

“He is and he’s done so much for us. It wasn’t until after Brett’s funeral that I told them I was pregnant. My mom sat in her rocking chair and cried for hours, but Nick was the voice of reason and told her that we were a family and we’d get through it.”

“I’m really sorry about Hope’s father. I want you to know that.”

“Thanks.” I briefly laid my head on his shoulder.

After walking around a few blocks, Hope told us she was tired and wanted to go home. Jack picked her up and carried her back to my parents’ house. Watching him with her was bittersweet. After checking all of Hope’s candy and eating a couple of pieces, we said goodbye to my parents and headed back to my apartment.

“Do you have any plans this weekend?” I asked him with the hope that he didn’t and maybe the three of us could do something.

“Actually, I have a date tomorrow night.”

“Oh.” My heart started to ache. “That’s good.”

“What about you?”

“No plans really. Just hanging out with Hope.”

He didn’t say a word and neither did I after hearing he was going on a date. Tony pulled up to my building and Jack carried Hope up to the apartment and laid her in bed.

“Thanks again for coming tonight. I know it meant a lot to Hope.”

“You’re welcome. Thank you for inviting me. Have a good weekend, Lorelei, and I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Good night, Jack.”

I shut the door and leaned against it. The thought of him going on a date tomorrow night made me sick and it made me angry. I should have been the one he was taking on a date, but I blew that chance.

Chapter Forty-Seven

Lorelei

It was Monday morning and the same routine started all over again. Walking into Jack’s office, I set down his coffee cup.

“Good morning, Lorelei. How was your weekend?”

“It was great. Hope and I did some shopping. We had a great time,” I lied. I wasn’t about to tell him that I stayed in all weekend and wallowed in self-pity.

“Good. I’m glad to hear it.”

“How was your date?”

“It was good. We had a great time.”

My blood was boiling because I was positive he slept with her. The thought of him with another woman made me want to crawl in a corner and hide. I couldn’t help the next words that flew out of my mouth.

“Do you need me to run to the store and buy you some more condoms?”

He chuckled. “No. That’s okay. I’m still set from when you bought me the ten boxes.”

“Should I send this woman some flowers from you?”

“No. Why would I send her flowers?”

“I don’t know. I was just asking. Usually, if a date goes great, the guy sends flowers.”

“He does?”

“Well, at least they do in the movies.”

He laughed. “I don’t need you to do any of those things, but when the stores open, I do need you to make a run to Banana Republic. I’ll make a list of the things I need you to pick up.”

“Okay. By the way, did your mother ever return from Paris?”

“She decided she was going to stay a couple of extra weeks. It seems she has met someone there.”

“Good for her.” I nodded my head and walked out of his office.

A couple of hours later, Stella called.

“Hello.”

“Hey, you. So don’t hate me.”

“What did you do?” I sighed.

“Promise me you won’t hate me first.”

“I won’t hate you, Stella.”