Screw Love

Chapter Nine: Newcomer Part II

Yeah, I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a couple of months. A mixture of laziness and procrastination, to be honest. But here's the chapter :)

NICOLE

The second I saw him, I was shocked but angry at the same time. Literally, I could not say a word at that moment. He looked right back at me and that's when my mom came from the kitchen.

"Hi, Nicole! This is Daryl and he and I work together at the hotel," she said with a wide grin.

Was she serious? ANOTHER one? For a while, I actually believed that she had taken a little break. But I guess after that surprise when I woke up to a man leaving, I-

Wait a second! I looked at his hair, which was dark brown with hints of gray. That's when I remembered. He was the guy who my mom slept with that morning. He had the exact same hairstyle.

"Um, hi?" I croaked. I guess he thought that was funny since he laughed. Ugh.

"Hi, nice to meet you," he said. He gave me a very firm handshake and I slipped my hand away as soon as possible. "How old is she again, Teri?"

"Seventeen," I blurted out before my mother could give an answer.

"Oh, okay. You probably think I look old already but I'm forty-two if you wanna know," he informed.

"Yeah, good to know. Um mom-"

"Oh, sweetie! Did you dye your hair?" she asked giddily. I almost forgot about that after being distracted by Daryl on the couch. I patted my head and showed her the new hair color.

"It looks really nice on you. Lee did it for you?"

"Mhm. So, uh, Daryl, are you a waiter or something?" I asked awkwardly.

"Yeah, I've been workin' there for about nine years. Your mother was serving a table and I helped her after she dropped a plate and I helped her."

"Oh, so you became friends right after that?"

He nodded but I noticed he wasn't giving me eye contact. So maybe friends with benefits? Ew. At that moment, I was doing the interviewing. I was being "mother" right then.

"Have you ever been-"

"Married? Yeah, when I was twenty-three. I was being too fast, now that I look back at it."

I'm not gonna lie, he was technically good-looking for a man in his forties. My mom was only a few years younger than he was and she looked good so it wasn't impossible for her to date.

"Oh. Um, I'm gonna go to the bathroom and to my room, so..."

"Okay, sweetie," she said.

I hurried up the stairs to go to the bathroom and shut the door. I put my suitcase down and dialed my friend, Kimberly's, number on my phone. Four rings later, she answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kim," I said quickly.

"Hi, Nic. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing, just that there is a man in the house with my mom downstairs-"

"Woah, woah, woah, woah!" she stopped me. "What man?"

"From her job," I replied quietly enough for her to hear me.

"So she's dating again?"

"I don't know, they didn't say that."

"What did she say?"

"She said, 'This is Daryl, he works at the hotel with me.'"

"Yeah, they're dating. If by the off-chance they're not, then they're most definitely fucking."