Filed to story: Can’t Get Enough Of You
Nolan’s eyes, intense and deep, staring at mine, flashed before me once more.
I pushed the thought of him out of my mind. Thinking about him was no use. I just had to hope that one of those applications I’d sent in would make a difference, and things would start looking up for us.
I had to believe that was how it was going to work, because the alternative wasn’t something I was willing to accept.
When I woke up the next morning, Liam sat on my bed, staring at me.
His big brown eyes were filled with laughter, and his face had a mischievous expression.
“You’re awake, big boy,” I said, reaching for him.
“I’ve been awake forever,” he said.
“That’s an incredibly long time to be awake,” I said.
“I know.” He clambered over me and wriggled underneath the sheets. I pulled him tightly against me and cuddled him as long as he let me before he started squirming.
“What’s for breakfast, Mommy?” he asked.
I glanced at the time. I had a few hours before I had to be at the restaurant again.
“Let’s make pancakes,” I said.
“Yay! Pancakes!”
He jumped out of bed and ran out of the room. I laughed and got out of bed. I wrapped a robe around my shoulders and followed Liam to the cramped little kitchen where he was already rummaging for pans under the sink.
“Hey, one step at a time,” I said. “Do you remember what we need?”
“A pan,” Liam said gravely. “And the pancakes.”
I laughed. “You’re right. But let’s start with flour and eggs and sugar.”
Liam nodded and I told him where to get everything while I started putting our breakfast together.
Now that it was the light of a new day, I felt better about everything. My life was still complicated, I still had a lot of work-nothing had magically changed since last night. But a good night’s sleep and a bit of sunshine made everything seem more bearable. I didn’t know how yet, but we were going to be okay.
“Can I go to Noah’s house?” Liam asked.
“Noah?”
“Yeah, Mommy. From playgroup.” He rolled his eyes.
“Right.” Of course I knew his friend Noah. But my brain had been in a state of overwhelm for so long, sometimes it took me a moment to remember details.
I’d planned to take Liam to my mom’s place while I worked today. But if Charlene, Noah’s mom, was free for a playdate, maybe I could give Liam a good time and my mom a break all in one go.
“I’ll call Noah’s mom and let you know what she says, okay?”
Liam nodded, and we made pancakes together. He helped me mix the batter, and when I started cooking them on the stove, he built a fortress on the table out of the Legos my mom had gotten him for Christmas. When one of the pancakes was ready and cool enough to eat, I put it on a plate for him. He left his Legos alone long enough to gobble it up.
I nibbled the pancakes as well, eating as I cooked.
Our bellies were soon full, and it was time to get dressed.
We went through the motions and no matter what we did, Liam had me laughing and smiling. He was always in a good mood, always ready for a laugh, and he was inquisitive as hell. Whenever I spent time with him, I was reminded that this was what it was all for. And then it became more and more bearable.
After getting Liam in front of a kids’ TV show, I hopped into the shower, leaving the door open a crack so I could hear if he called me. I showered in record time, and when I was ready, I called Charlene.
She was more than happy to take Liam while I was at work, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew my mom needed to catch up on other things in her life for once.
I was on the way to Charlene’s to drop Liam off before my shift when I got a call.
“Is this Carey Lowden?”
I confirmed that I was.
“I’m calling in regard to a resume we received from you.” My ears started ringing. Liam sang something in the car-seat behind me, and I had to focus on the road. “Will you be able come in for an interview this afternoon?”
“Yes!” I cried out. I would figure something out with my work shift. I would take my lunch hour early, or late, or whenever, so that I could go. “I’ll be there. You just say when and I’m there.”
The voice on the other end of the line chuckled before giving me a time.
“I’ll see you then,” she said, and a moment later, the call ended.
“Oh, my gosh,” I breathed.
“Oh, my gosh,” Liam echoed.
I glanced at him in the rearview mirror. “If we’re lucky, baby, everything’s going to change.”
He carried on singing his song, and I carried on driving, almost too nervous to hope.
Nolan
“If we work on Chicago and Miami first, we’re going to hit the ground running,” Austin said.