Chapter 5
The week following Will’s barbeque, Ella and I started talking a little more. We’d randomly run into each other at the food store or at the park while I was playing with Caleb. Caleb had a soft spot for ‘Miss Ella’ and loved when she’d spend just a little bit of time pushing him on the swing set or racing down a slide with him.
Tonight was different though. This wasn’t just a chance meeting. We made plans last week to have dinner together; more specifically I invited her over, hoping this might be the final step to win her over. It was just going to be a laidback kind of dinner, nothing fancy since Caleb would be joining us, but that didn’t keep me from getting nervous. I haven’t been out with a woman since Caleb was born.
I had taken the day off of work so that I could straighten up the house while Caleb was at school. Work has been much better. The interns were accepted full time into the business. Mr. Clint was working with me to get me more involved in the company and working with me on my attitude and patience. It was different working with adults then it was dealing with a small child. Patience was something that came easy when it came to Caleb, but if an adult gets under my skin, I usually ‘fly off the handle,’ Mr. Clint informed me.
The house was fairly clean after hours of removing toddler toys, crayons, coloring books, and dirty clothes, both mine and Caleb’s. Out of everything, the kitchen was by far the worst. I had grocery bags all over the granite counters, pots and pans covering the stove, and dirty dishes practically exploding out of the sink like a volcano. There were steaks in the broiler, homemade mashed potatoes on the stove cooking, and corn waiting to be cooked in the microwave. My black glass table was covered with a green table cloth and my only normal plates were set neatly on the table with a fork, knife, and spoon wrapped in a napkin on them. The plates were white, unlike the blue spaceship plates Caleb and I usually ate off of. In the center of the table was a bouquet of flowers that Caleb thought was pretty.
My nerves were skyrocketing again, even after all the cleaning and reading Caleb a few books. I fidgeted with my pale blue, button down shirt for a while and then ran my fingers through my curls. When I turned and started pacing towards the other end of the hallway, my eyes caught Caleb, with his hands tucked in his hair, pacing with me. He insisted on matching today so his little body was covered with dark blue jeans and a pale blue shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
A shrill bell made us both stop. Caleb looked up at me and waited. After the incident with the cookies, I told him to wait for me before going to the door. His eyes were bright with excitement and his little legs were bouncing. Opening the door to let Ella in took longer than it took for Caleb to be wrapped in her arms. It was strange to watch them. Caleb talks about Ella all the time and I knew he was starting to see her as a mom figure, but I worried he would end up hurt if this thing between Ella and I didn’t work out. Ella, well, she was a natural. She treated Caleb to ice cream on the days she’d drop him off for me instead of having me get him from school. She’d listen to him blabber his broken sentences. She held out a pie to me, which I took and placed in the refrigerator.
Granted, I really do like her, more than I’ve liked anyone, including Caleb’s mom. My heart squeezed with the realization and I felt my face warm with an emotion unknown to myself. I had been trying really hard to get over this insecurity that no woman would want a man with a kid, let alone with the kid having a mommy disorder, but even still, after two weeks of seeing each other almost daily, I doubted Ella would be interested in a happily ever after.
Ella’s breath sending goosebumps across my skin as she spoke. Caleb was sat on her hip while her hand rested on my bicep. Taking her delicate hand in mine, we navigated through the house. Once Caleb was settled into his seat, Ella hugged me quickly. Her body pressed firmly against my own, her perfume intoxicating me like a good brand of liquor. Her body was covered in skinny jeans and a form fitting, purple top. Once I put food on our plates and was about to settle down, Caleb let out a whine. He was tapping his fork on the plate, the loud clank ringing in my ears with each thunk of the fork.
