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“Have you seen the latest on the vodka ad?” I glanced up at him, seeing how excited he was.
“Not yet. Is it good?” I asked as he grinned.
“Sila came up with a great idea for it. I think the print ads are going to be amazing. Take a look.” I closed the email and went into the folders that were constantly filled with current images and found the one for his account.
“That looks great. It’s edgy.” I complimented him as he leaned back and smiled at me.
“You look… rested. What’s changed?” Mark asked as I weighed my answer.
“I have a full-time nanny now, so I can relax. I might have some stability for a change.” I replied as I kept looking at pictures.
“That’s great. Are you going to hit the bars with us after work again?” Mark asked as I frowned.
“I might here and there. I want to be home for Ella as much as I can, too. I didn’t hire someone to watch her so I could just leave all day.” In truth, I wanted to spend time with Ella and Riley.
“Of course. I know that it’s been hard on you the last several months. I just want to see you have some fun again.” Mark stood and began to leave before I called his name.
“Great campaign,” I told him as he grinned. Mark left, and I leaned back in my chair, thinking about Riley. She was enough to rush home to, but I told myself to slow down. I was likely vulnerable right now given my situation. I needed to take this one day at a time and focus on Ella. She was young, but she needed to know that she had a dad who loved her. There had to be some type of void from losing her mother that I wanted to fill. I got busy with projects throughout the morning, stopping in to visit with my teams and see how they were doing. I accepted a lunch offer from Brian and we left for the deli just after one. My phone chimed as we took our seats and I pulled it from my pocket to see a text from Riley. She sent a picture of Ella on the beach in front of a pile of sand and a huge smile on her face.
“That sure made you happy,” he observed from across the table as I glanced up at him.
“It’s a picture of my daughter. I have someone to watch her full-time now.” I kept the family talk light at the office. It was all business and apart from a few close friends there, no one needed to know anything about me.
Brian made some non-committal sound across the table and I glanced at him. I was aware that people talked about me, particularly after Brenda’s death. The look on his face showed me that he was thinking about that and not sure how to address it. I understood and sipped my tea, letting it go. We weren’t close yet, at least not enough for that topic.
We returned to business and ate, discussing a potential client that I was having dinner with in a couple of days. I reminded myself that I’d have to tell Riley and thought back to last night. It was impulsive to sleep with her, but I couldn’t stop myself once I started. I didn’t
want to risk anything involving her job and relationship with Ella but there was something about her that made it hard to stay away. She made me feel alive like no other woman had done in a while.
I forced myself to the present and caught back up to Brian. We finished lunch and headed back to the office, where I took a moment to thank Riley for the picture with a text. It took a few minutes, but she replied by telling me how much fun Ella was having. She reminded me how much she loved that I lived on the beach. It made me smile , and I held off on asking too much about the night before, sensing that it was a little awkward for Riley.
I got through the rest of the day and left with everyone else. They looked curiously at me, knowing that I stayed late nearly all the time. I just stayed in the back of the car and headed outside in the back of the group. I glanced around when I was outside, seeking a Thai place that was close since I wasn’t certain there was one. I grinned, seeing a bright sign across the street. I walked over there and entered, realizing that I wasn’t sure what she liked.
I sent a text asking, and she gave me her favorites. I ordered those and a few more to try since it smelled so good in here. The woman behind the counter asked if I’d like a drink, pushing some tea that she claimed was so popular. I added it and paid, watching her make it and add something to the cup.
Frowning, I took it from her and sipped it carefully. It was good; sweet and strong. There was something in the bottom that reminded me of tapioca and I swallowed one of the balls hesitantly. Not bad.
I waited for the food and carried the bags to the car, hopping in and starting the engine. I was looking forward to being home and eating, hopefully keeping the beach tradition going. Ella was already there once today, but she loved it. It seemed to help her to sleep hard, and I wanted that again.
I wanted Riley again.
I walked in after the half hour drive and Ella was clean and playing in the corner as Riley watched from the recliner. She squealed and hurried over to jump into my arms, her little body wriggling against me. I adored my daughter, closing my eyes to take in the moment. She smelled like a little girl and I wished for a moment that she would stay that way.
I let her get back to her toys and picked up the bags when I stood. I smiled at Riley as she moved to help me, glancing at Ella before she followed me. We unpacked the food, and she told me that I bought too much, laughing at the collection of containers in front of us. I told her that it smelled good and walked over to the cupboard to get Ella’s plate. I eyed the food and gave her spoonful’s of a few of the choices, adding some fruit as I did with every meal. I told Riley to get her plate and called Ella to the table as I set the food down. She came running, and I settled her in her seat and watched her taste the food with a bright smile on her face.
Riley came over with her plate and Ella’s milk, smiling as she set it in front of the little girl. I grinned a thank you at her and went to make my plate, asking if she wanted wine with dinner. She waited a bit before telling me yes and I took two glasses and poured some wine into each one. I noted that the kitchen was clean from the night before and shook my head gently, knowing that the service didn’t come until tomorrow.
I took the wine and then got my plate to sit down. I looked at Ella, enjoying her food as she shoved it into her mouth. Looking over my own heaping plate, I picked up a fork and stabbed a piece of chicken. It was fucking delicious.
I asked how their day went and Riley said it was great. She had an idea of when Ella took her nap and planned around it. I had already told her that Ella slept well in the car, so being out beforehand wasn’t an issue. She told me what they did, and her smile was wide the entire time. I could tell that Ella wore her out from the slight circles under her eyes, or maybe that was because I kept her up last night. I liked the last idea.
We finished dinner, and I looked outside.
“Do you think that she got too much of the beach today?” I asked as Riley smiled.
“I don’t think that could ever happen. She’s a natural down there.”
“Want to watch the sunset with me?”
