Dr. Neurotic(19)

I listened as the MC awarded the points to Lexi's team and then moved on  to the final question despite the impossibility of any outcome other  than a large margin of victory for Lexi and her comrades.

"For this final question, each team will select one player to move  forward to work the problem and answer. Assistance from the rest of the  team will not be allowed, so choose carefully."

Lexi and the two other little boys on her team huddled, albeit briefly,  before Lexi stepped out of the circle and up to the podium to represent  their team.

Winnie's smile was nearly audible, and it briefly pulled my attention  away from the stage and over to her and Wes. She was the best kind of  mother, always doing whatever it took to be what Lexi wanted and needed,  but now that she had Wes, it seemed as though she had what she herself  wanted and needed.

I couldn't have been happier for her. Even though our romantic  relationship hadn't been a thing for years, she would always be someone I  cared about. She was the mother of my daughter, and a damn good one at  that. Her happiness was directly linked to my daughter's happiness. And  there wasn't anything I wanted more than for Lexi to grow up to be a  happy, healthy human being.

I watched as Wes's fingers curled around Winnie's, and he pulled her hand over to rest on top of his thigh.

Just like it had dozens of times since I'd moved back, a litany reel of  what-ifs and questioned decisions ran through my mind. Only this time,  instead of focusing on the what-ifs of a nonexistent Winnie and me, it  focused on the what-ifs of what could be with someone like Charlotte.  Maybe I didn't have to be alone for the rest of my life to give Lexi the  father she deserved. Maybe I could have both.

When it came to Charlotte Hollis, I was completely mesmerized by her  presence alone. I'd never met a woman like her, and the more time I  spent with her, the stronger my craving for her grew. She made me want  more.

The MC's voice, crisp and smooth like a game show host, brought my  attention back to the stage as he read the final question. "A man walked  a total of sixty-five miles for five days. Every day he walked four  miles fewer than the day before. How many miles did the man walk the  last day?"

The other student, a shaking, towheaded little boy with glaring green  eyes scratched furiously at a piece of paper as he worked at the answer.

Lexi stood stalwart, forward-facing with an expression of calm  confidence as she worked through the problem in her head. It took about  five seconds for her to come up with an answer.

The buzzer rang out as she slammed her hand down on top of it to signal  her readiness and called out her answer. "Five. On the last day, the man  walked five miles."

"That is correct," the MC confirmed.

Lexi's smile shifted before my eyes, and I swear I heard Winnie, Wes,  and myself let out a collective happy sigh. She hadn't needed to answer  the question correctly to win. And truthfully, Lexi hadn't even done it  for the glory.

She'd done it because that was how her beautiful brain worked.

Parents clamored to standing all at once, and the room went from a two  to a fifteen on the scale of volume. Released from their hold, people  spoke freely and abundantly as the kids had their final team meetings  before dispersing.

Wes and Winnie turned to me, and I did my best not to waver under their scrutiny.

"Where are you headed from here, Nick?" Wes asked, wrapping an arm around Winnie's waist.

I slid my hands into the pockets of my jeans and gave a slight shrug. "I don't have any real plans."

Winnie looked to Wes, the corners of her eyes creasing as she lifted her eyebrows slightly, and Wes shrugged.

What the hell was that about?

Winnie finally turned back to me as Wes looked to the ground to hide his smirk. He was too late. I'd already seen it.         

     



 

"Would you like to go to dinner with us?" Winnie asked, and for a  second, I had a hard time speaking. Cold, stagnant air froze my lungs  with the unexpected question as I tried to learn how to speak again.  "Lexi's been talking about you a lot lately," Winnie went on. "I'm sure  she'd really like you to come."

It was a tiny bit awkward, but if by the grace of chance, I was being  offered more time with my daughter, I wasn't going to turn it down.

"Yeah. Uh," I stumbled. "That'd be great."

"Great," Winnie repeated, smiling in a way that made me feel a little like she was teasing me.

Emotionally, I wasn't sure what to make of it. It was almost like she  was trying to be my friend, and the woman I'd confronted with my move  and my desire to build a relationship with Lexi two years ago never  would have considered a friendship with me.

But I'd changed a lot. Maybe she could finally see that. Hell, maybe Wes  could too. He seemed to be encouraging her to extend the offer.

I couldn't figure it out, and part of me didn't want to. Smart men didn't look gift horses in their goddamn mouths.

Lexi came off the stage and ran right into Winnie's arms, Wes following  closely behind. I lingered back a little to let them have a moment and  surreptitiously pulled out my phone.



Me: We're going for dinner, and then I have to work early in the  morning. Why don't you meet me at my office for lunch tomorrow? I'll  text you with a time.



Charlotte: Work? Tomorrow? That's a SUNDAY.



Me: Yes. It's amazing how people never get the memo about Sunday being the day of Sabbath for brain injuries.



Charlotte: But you're, like, in charge, aren't you?



Me: Yes. Of fixing brain injuries.



Charlotte: Stop having a good argument for everything.



Me: My fellow surgeons also help me out so I don't work every other Sunday when I have Lexi.



Charlotte: I said STOP with the good explanations. Not give better ones. You should have taken the job in California.



Me: One flaw with that plan for yourself.



Charlotte: Yeah?



Me: You live in New York.



Charlotte: Stop being smart. It's like you're a brain surgeon or something. Jesus.



I grinned down at my phone and glanced up just in time to see Lexi-and  Wes and Winnie-coming toward me, so I slid my phone back into my pocket  without answering and welcomed Lexi's hug around my neck. "Dad! Mom said  you're coming to dinner with us! Is that true?"

"Yeah, of course. We have to celebrate your win, don't we?"

She rolled her eyes. "Those questions were easy, Dad."

I shook my head and gave her one last squeeze before setting her on the ground. "Nope. You're just smart."

Lexi pushed away and grabbed Wes's hand, ready to go. I laughed as she  prattled on with a million questions about where we were going, how many  minutes it would take to get there, and the anticipated wait time to  get our food.

I guessed that was why it caught me off guard when she stopped short and reached back for my hand with her free one.

Despite my surprise, I didn't hesitate to take it.

And, hand in hand, the four of us left together, like a big human chain of modern family.





Sundays were for lounging and doing absolutely nothing. It was a rule  designated by the Mayans or something, and on my normal weekend, it  wasn't a motto I argued. But as I scrolled through the cable stations  and found absolutely nothing to watch and the anticipation of my  upcoming lunch date with Nick started to make my self-diagnosed Restless  Leg Syndrome flare up, I decided to snag my phone off the coffee table  and bug him via text.

He was working while I was following Sunday's number one rule of be a  lazy motherfucker, but he'd been the one to plant the seed of a lunch  plan in my head. It was his fault I couldn't fully stagnate like normal,  and he should be the one to pay for it.



Me: How's work?



I watched as the text bubbles in our chat box moved, letting me know he was already formulating his response.



Nick: Pretty low-key. What are you doing?



Me: Cursing your inability to lounge naked as stated in rule 1A today.



Nick: No rest for the wicked, sweetheart.



Me: All work and no play make Nick a dull boy.



Nick: Haha. Jesus. Did you just put my name into a reference from The Shining?



Me: Uh-huh. ;) Scariest book and movie ever, btw.



Nick: It's not THAT scary, Char.



Pfffft. That was total baloney. I was convinced he'd seen a different  version of The Shining. I furiously typed out a three-word response and  hit send.
         

     



 


Me: YES, IT IS!



Nick: I'm curious, which version is scarier, the book or the movie?



Me: The book, obviously. No movie can ever live up to their book counterpart.



Nick: Ah, I see. Are you a book snob, Char?



Me: No. I'm a *bibliophile*. There's a difference.



Nick: Oh man. This I have to hear. What is the difference?



Me: A book snob thinks their reading preferences are better than  everyone else's. A bibliophile loves and respects all books and reading  preferences.



Nick: Even erotica?



Me: Yes, even erotica.



Nick: What about weird, obscure erotica about zombies or dinosaurs or a man with a microwave fetish?



Me: Yes, even that. Humans should be free to read and enjoy whatever  books tickle their fancy. Although, I gotta say, the microwave fetish  sounds a bit dangerous …