Life Unexpected Read online

  “Makes me think of Marlon Brando screaming, ‘Stella!’ in one of those old movies. I can’t remember which one, but I’ve seen clips of it,” Will said.

  “A Streetcar Named Desire,” Corey replied.

  “Yeah, that one,” Will said. “I never watched it ’cause I can’t stand movies in black and white.”

  “Me neither,” said Kathryn. “They’re so dull.”

  Both Dave and Corey looked at Will and Kathryn as if they were crazy. And just like that, the conversation picked back up, and the dinner catastrophe was averted.

  After a leisurely dinner, their group stood a bit awkwardly on the sidewalk outside Capo’s.

  “You girls want to go somewhere else now?” asked Will.

  “There’s a great band playing at the Lullwater Tavern tonight,” added Dave.

  Kathryn looked at Corey longingly.

  But Corey had done as much as she could for her first night out. She felt exhausted, and suddenly she wanted nothing more than a glass of wine and a long soak in her tub.

  “I’m going to have to call it a night, guys,” Corey apologized.

  “Oh come on, the night’s early,” Will said cajolingly.

  “Yeah, it is,” said Corey, deciding to bring the elephant that had been in the corner all night up to center stage. “But I have a brand-new babysitter, and I would rather not make it too late of a night for her my first time out.”

  Will turned to Kathryn. “What about you?”

  “I brought the babysitter from Norcross, so I’ve got to take her home.”

  “All right, I give up, we’ll call it a night.” Will bent over and gave Kathryn a quick kiss on the lips. “I’ll call you soon.”

  Corey decided to circumvent any awkwardness with Dave by leaning over and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for dinner. It was great, and I enjoyed meeting you.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Dave said smoothly. “Maybe we can get together again sometime?”

  “That’d be great,” Corey said, thinking that the odds of his calling her were pretty much slim to none. Still, she wrote her number on the piece of paper he handed her.

  “So what’d you think of Dave?” asked Kathryn as they walked back to Corey’s house.

  “Very nice, very smooth.”

  “And very cute, don’t you think? I bet you didn’t think about Tripp’s wedding one time tonight, did you?”

  Corey was startled to realize that Kathryn was right. How had that been possible?

  CHAPTER 18

  Diane called the next day to check on Corey and give her all the details of the wedding. It had been in Dothan so that Tripp’s father could be there. “It was very small and simple, really very sweet.”

  Corey thought it ironic that Diane described Tripp’s wedding with the same adjective—sweet—Tripp had used to describe Lucy. “What does Lucy look like?”

  “She’s blonde and tiny. Not nearly as beautiful as Martha Anne—but pretty in a simple way. I didn’t get a chance to really talk to her, so I can’t say what’s she’s like as a person.”

  “Does Tripp seem happy?”

  “Yeah, he does. He asked about you and Stella.”

  “That was nice.”

  “Oh, by the way, I put your name on our wedding gift. You owe me fifty dollars.”

  “Oh really. What did we give him?”

  “A leaf blower. I’ve got to go now.”

  Corey put the phone down. Life had certainly taken her on a strange ride. How had she reached this point, where she was giving a wedding present to the father of her child?

  Much to Corey’s surprise, Dave did call several days later to invite her to dinner. Luckily, she wasn’t able to get to her cell phone in time and got the invitation on her voice mail. She called Kathryn immediately.

  “That’s great!” Kathryn said excitedly.

  “Um . . . I don’t know, Kathryn. Millie can’t babysit at night, and I don’t know where to find a sitter. Annie was great, but driving out to Norcross to pick her up just isn’t feasible.”

  “Aren’t there any teenage girls around where you live?” asked Kathryn.

  “I’m surrounded by recently married couples; single, young, urban professionals; gay couples; and divorced or retired people. Where would these teenage girls come from?”

  “The retired people might be a possibility for the future. You need to start networking for babysitters at your next condo-association meeting; in the meantime, what about Romeo and Gary?”

  “I can’t ask them for any more favors. Romeo has already volunteered to cover me in the afternoons if Millie has to leave before I get home.”

  “Well, then, I’ll babysit for you. You need to go.”

  “I don’t want to impose on you.”

  “Why? It’s never held you back before.” Kathryn laughed. “Let me check my calendar and give you a couple of good dates for next week.”

  “Uh . . . I don’t know, Kathryn. I’m not sure I really want to go out with him anyway. I don’t know if he’s my type.”

  “Get a grip, Corey,” Kathryn said in exasperation. “We’re not talking about marriage here. We’re talking about a date—a fun night out with a good-looking adult of the opposite sex. You need to learn to relax and enjoy yourself a bit.”

  “Okay, okay, you’re right. I’ll go. Thanks.”

  Kathryn’s excitement about Corey’s date with Dave reminded Corey of how excited Kathryn had been about Corey’s dinner with Tripp. Unlike Kathryn, Corey felt no excitement about this date. As a matter of fact, she felt certain that Dave had only asked her out because he wanted to make up for his blunder at dinner. Corey became even more certain of this when she called him back and he said that their dinner would be at the Braves stadium during a baseball game. Since she knew the team was one of his clients, Corey figured this was probably related to his business and was also likely a free dinner for him. Still, she said nothing that would spoil it for Kathryn.

  On date night, Kathryn, who was one of Romeo and Gary’s favorite people, had been invited to bring Stella over for dinner at their place, which made Corey feel better about leaving Kathryn to babysit, and also a bit envious of the casual, relaxed dinner they would be having together. She gathered all of Stella’s necessities and then walked next door with Kathryn to help with the transfer. She was standing at their front door saying good-bye when Dave arrived to pick her up. Isn’t anybody ever late anymore?

  “Dave, you know Kathryn, she’s my babysitter tonight, and these are my neighbors and dear friends, Romeo and Gary.”

  Dave shook the guys’ hands as they clearly sized him up. “Where’s Stella?” Dave asked.

  Corey motioned for Dave to follow her into the guys’ condo where Stella sat snuggled up in her bouncy seat. “She’s so little,” he remarked.

  “Seven weeks old tomorrow,” Corey said.

  Dave turned from Stella to Corey. “You ready?”

  “Everybody okay?” Corey looked from Kathryn to Romeo to Gary.

  “Go have fun,” Kathryn said.

  Corey turned to Dave. “I’m ready.”

  As the night progressed, Corey found that going to dinner at a Braves game was a wonderful first date. They had a fabulous steak dinner on a plaza overlooking the baseball field. She wasn’t a huge baseball fan, but she liked sports in general and found herself enjoying hearing personal stories about some of the players they were watching. Although several people stopped by their table briefly for a chat, Corey never felt as if Dave was working. He seemed genuinely interested in the things she had to say, and not feeling nervous about where the date was going, Corey found it easy to be herself. At some point toward the end of the night, Dave mentioned that he loved to fish.

  Corey’s eyes lit up. “I think I went fishing before I could walk.”

  “Really? Freshwater or saltwater?” Dave asked, amazed.

  “Saltwater. My family has a beach house in Mexico Beach, Florida. I grew up practically living on the oc
ean.”

  “Have you ever been to Fripp Island, South Carolina?” Dave wanted to know.

  Corey shook her head no.

  “It’s a great place for fishing. I just bought a boat, a seventeen-footer, and I have a share in a townhome there.”

  “How often do you get a chance to go?”

  “I own a sixth in the townhome, so I get it every six weeks. It works out well with my work; I couldn’t go any more often than that anyway.”

  “That sounds wonderful.”

  On their way back to Corey’s condo, Dave brought up Fripp Island again. “My weekend to have the townhome is coming up in a couple of weeks. What about you going with me? Then, I could find out if you’re just bluffing about your fishing skills.”

  Corey was shocked by Dave’s invitation. She’d felt they were both having a good time at dinner, but an invitation to spend the weekend with him seemed a bit abrupt.

  “I would love to,” she began, “but I think you’ve forgotten about Stella. I don’t have a babysitter who could stay for the weekend. And even if I didn’t have babysitter issues, I go back to work full-time in another week, which is going to be a bit of a rough transition, I’m sure.”

  “Oh come on, you’ve got two weeks; you can find a babysitter for Stella in two weeks. Plus, after starting back to work, you’re going to need a vacation.”

  Corey was surprised by his casualness. “I’m afraid you’ve got a lot to learn about parenthood. It’s not like Stella’s a dog and I can just board her anywhere. I didn’t have a babysitter for Stella tonight—that’s why my friends are keeping her.”

  “Who’s going to watch her while you work?”

  “I have a nanny during the day, but she can’t work nights or weekends.”

  “Bummer. Well, let me know if you ever think you can get away.”

  They were back at her condo. Corey opened her car door. “I really enjoyed the dinner and the game.” Dave started to get out too. She stopped halfway out of the car. “Don’t bother getting out. Thanks again.”

  Kathryn fussed at Corey after hearing her account of the date. “Well, I guess you’ve pretty much closed that door with Dave for any future dates.”

  “I don’t care. Right now, my life is complicated enough. I’d rather things not go any further with Dave if he doesn’t understand what it means for me to be a single mother.”

  Kathryn shook her head in amazement. “Corey, you’re setting yourself up for a difficult life.”

  “No,” Corey said vehemently, “I’m trying to keep my life from getting any more difficult than it already is.”

  CHAPTER 19

  On Stella’s two-month birthday, Corey was to return to work full-time, and she had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, she was excited about reconnecting with her old life. The thought of sitting in her office, being able to concentrate on only one thing at a time, was extremely appealing to her. On the other hand, however, she hated the thought of leaving Stella all day. The baby was changing by the minute, and Corey hated to miss even one second of her life. Also, Corey was nervous about how things were going to work out with Millie and Romeo. Corey hoped she could transition into doing more work from home. Until then, she was placing a lot of faith in the MARTA bus system to get Millie to work on time in the mornings, and in Romeo’s as-yet-unproven ability to handle Stella in the afternoons.

  Corey dressed in one of her power suits and was ready to walk out the door when Millie arrived. With no traffic problems, she actually found herself a bit ahead of schedule heading back to work. She felt oddly out of place walking into her office building after so many weeks away. She hadn’t felt so awkward since her early days with the firm. Even during that last year of Luke’s life, she hadn’t taken off more than a couple of weeks at any one time.

  Standing at the elevator, waiting to go up to her office as she had so many thousands of times before, Corey remembered the first time she’d stood at those elevator doors, waiting to start her work as a lawyer. She felt as though she’d lived a lifetime since that day. She’d gotten married, made a name for herself at the law firm, discovered that her husband was terminally ill, become a widow, and now she was a single mother. Corey thought, Why, I’ve lived more in the years between my first time in front of these elevator doors and today than some people do in a lifetime!

  “Excuse me,” said an older woman next to Corey as they walked into the elevator. “I thought you might want to know that you have throw-up down the back of your jacket.”

  Corey felt her face flush red. “Thanks so much.” She said a silent prayer of gratitude that it hadn’t been someone at the firm, like Tom Crane, who’d made that discovery. Yes, her life had certainly changed since that day she’d stood in front of those elevator doors for the very first time.

  On Stella’s first birthday, Corey marveled at how she held court like a princess in her high chair—blonde curls glinting in the sunlight. Her hair color reminded Corey more and more of how Tripp had looked when they were children. Corey hoped no one would stop to question how two dark-haired parents could produce a blonde child.

  Stella was delighted with the cupcake Millie had made for her, and also with all the attention she was receiving from the roomful of people. On one side of the high chair stood Romeo and Gary, eating birthday cake but obviously entranced with Stella’s every movement. Corey’s transition back to work hadn’t been seamless, but Romeo—and even occasionally Gary—had filled in admirably whenever Corey had needed them to do so.

  In return, Millie had taken it upon herself to thank the guys with some new confection every few days. One day she might make them a key lime pie; on another day it might be a caramel cake. She’d baked them so many goodies that Romeo’s stomach was beginning to protrude slightly over his waistband, and Gary had started joking that he’d leave him if it progressed much further.

  On the other side of Stella’s high chair sat Kathryn and Will. Instead of losing Kathryn to Will, as so often happened when girlfriends got serious boyfriends, Corey had acquired a new friend. Both Kathryn and Will were willing to help Corey with Stella whenever she got herself into a pinch. And no one could make Stella laugh more than Will, who worked hard at coming up with new funny faces to entertain her. Corey never asked Will about Dave, whom she’d heard nothing more from since she’d dashed from his car that night after the Braves game. However, one time while she was out with Stella, Will, and Kathryn at the Piedmont Arts Festival, they’d all run into Dave holding hands with another girl. It really hadn’t mattered to Corey, as a romance was way down on her list of desires—somewhere after a bubble bath and eight hours of sleep.

  Stella’s aunt Diane stood in front of her, snapping pictures with her new digital camera. Corey appreciated that Diane, Jack, and Marcy had come for the big birthday party. But honestly, she would have been stunned if they hadn’t been there. After all, they’d driven to Atlanta to celebrate Stella’s first Thanksgiving and Christmas. Corey was extremely thankful for their love and support, which had gotten her through so much during the past year.

  Stella’s adoring Nana sat across from her, now glowing with happiness. Nancy took the Peachtree Wilden bus to Corey’s house every time it was headed in their direction. Luckily, Millie and Nancy got along well, and each seemed to enjoy the other’s company. Millie had learned more about Nancy in their year together than Corey had learned in the years she’d been married to Luke. Corey had almost stopped feeling any guilt over lying to Nancy. How could she feel guilty when Stella had probably saved Nancy’s life? And if Stella hadn’t saved Nancy’s life, Corey felt confident that her baby had added significant meaning to it over the past year.

  Then, of course, there was Millie, standing quietly in the background, happy to be there but not wanting to be the center of attention. Stella and Millie had such a mutual lovefest going on that Corey occasionally felt a hint of jealousy. Stella said the word Mimi for Millie just about the time she said Mama. But the happiness on Stella’
s face when Corey handed her off to Millie in the mornings always made Corey’s jealousy disappear. Yes, when Corey counted her blessings, Millie was always at the top of the list.

  Corey remembered the sheer panic she’d felt those first few weeks of Stella’s life as she realized she was completely responsible for another human being, as well as the doubt she’d felt about whether she could actually pull off this motherhood thing. Eventually, with Millie’s help, she began to feel more comfortable in her role as a mother. Yet, Corey equated herself with a recovering alcoholic. She prayed each day for the wisdom and the strength to just make it through that day or night successfully. So far, thankfully, she’d made it through 365 days and nights.

  Now Stella’s chubby little face creased in smiles more than tears, and she had conquered so many new experiences, from finding her toes to rolling over to eventually crawling. So far, Stella seemed determined to avoid the joys of walking as she continued to scoot across the glossy hardwood floors on her hands and knees. Millie and Diane, as well as Dr. Carrington, assured Corey that Stella would eventually walk whenever she wanted to badly enough.

  On the negative side, work continued to be a delicate balancing act. Corey often had to put in an hour or two of work at home, and she relied more on Erica, her assistant, to connect her with her office than she ever had before Stella’s birth. Sometimes she could sense frustration in her coworkers or her clients when she had to dash out of a meeting that was running late. Larry had talked to her a couple of times about how she was managing things. Overall, she felt reasonably confident that he was okay with her work schedule. Corey still believed she was doing a good job. Perhaps not quite as good as she had before Stella was born, but good nonetheless. She still believed she would be promoted soon.

  Yes, all in all, Corey had a lot to be thankful for. She was even looking forward to her first trip to Mexico Beach with Stella in a few weeks. For Millie, it would be a much-needed vacation. And for Corey, it was time to face her greatest fear—which, surprisingly, wasn’t the six-hour trip in a car alone with Stella. Corey knew that she would have to face Tripp in Mexico Beach, and that fear about when she would see him was always nagging at her somewhere in the back of her mind. She hoped that once she faced that fear, she could put it to rest forever.