(Complete)Patrick Bennett promised his wife lots of things before she died. He lied when he agreed to look for love. Two years later, he is ready to start dating, but dating with three teenagers is not easy.
Tessa Simon has spent six years sweeping...
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Tessa Simon's eyes popped open. She looked at her clock. It was two minutes before her alarm. She quickly grabbed her phone and turned the alarm off. She didn't save herself from annoying beeping, but she didn't need to hear Walking On Sunshine for the fourth morning in a row.
She opened her calendar app to see what was on tap for the day. Her days were full, but not like her old life. Everything she did was centered on her two girls. Maya was eight and in second grade, and Chloe was not yet six.
She was scheduled to volunteer in Chloe's Kindergarten class at nine-thirty. Later she needed to shop for goody bags for Chloe's birthday party, then there was Brownies for Maya. Because she was the leader, she needed to finish planning the meeting. Meanwhile, she was meeting her friend Amy at Starbucks after she dropped the girls off at school. Amy liked lattes, so Starbucks was the best choice. Tessa preferred to drive over to The Point for coffee when she had the time. Everyone knew it was the best in town.
She climbed out of bed and into the shower. A long time ago she woke up early and dressed in a skirt or dress, but her new uniform was jeans. She pushed away thoughts of her professional days when she didn't wake up alone. It would do her no good to dwell on the past with a busy day ahead of her. She dressed in her favorite Walmart jeans and a warm sweater. It was the first of March and cold. The weather on her phone told her March would be in like a lion with rain and wind. She didn't mind rain, but mixed with the cold temperatures, she anticipated being chilled all day.
It had shocked everyone she knew when she gave up her career and moved from New York City to Maine, but she tried not to think about her past. Smiling, she pushed open her girl's door. It killed her to wake her daughter out of a dream, but school started early and they couldn't be tardy again.
"Wake up, princess." Why did she call her that? It was his pet name for her. Would she ever put down her invisible broom, which kept sweeping the past away before it caught up to her and destroyed the peace of mind she held onto so dearly? Sweep.
Glancing at Chloe's bed, her covers had fallen on the floor, but her bed was empty. If beds were to be made, it would have to be later. She just didn't have the time. Her first priority was a nutritious breakfast for her daughters. Pop Tarts were not good enough in her house. Chloe was in the living room watching the Disney Channel. If anyone told her ten years ago, that would be her future, she would have told them they had drank too many cosmos. She shut her eyes, sweep.
"Good morning, sunshine." Chloe woke up cheerful, but her sister was always a grump. Tessa couldn't afford to be grumpy, her job was to be a mother, which meant being happy all the time.
Maya appeared while Tessa was whisking eggs in a bowl. The eight-year-old made a face. "Eggs again?"
"They're healthy and warm. Be thankful I didn't choose oatmeal."
"Can't we eat cereal like my friends?"
Tessa sighed. She refused to be the kind of mother who let her kids eat a meal of sugar before school. Protein was good for brain cells and learning. Her girls were so smart. How could they not be with David as their father? Sweep.
