~ * ~
Bella looked across the table at Owen. He had an irresistible smile and his eyes lit up when he laughed. She hoped she wasn’t boring him with tales of the boys. She’d rambled on and on, she knew that. Okay, she admitted that Owen made her a bit nervous. She wiped her hands on her napkin and tucked a fly away piece of hair behind her ear. Again.
It was too bad Owen was just here for a few days on business. She had to admit, he was the first man she had even been remotely interested in since Rick left. Not that she’d ever admit that to Becky Lee and Jenny, they’d hound her to death. Owen was dressed more causally today in a knit shirt and slacks. She wondered if he even owned a pair of jeans. No, he was here on business, that’s probably why he was always dressed so nicely. She still wasn’t sure she could picture him in jeans. Or shorts. He just seemed like a dress nicely kind of man.
She glanced down at her years-old skirt and shoes that had seen better days. She just didn’t have the money now to buy things for herself, so she made do with what she had. She’d tied a bright scarf around her neck today, though, to brighten up the otherwise muted outfit. She was pretty sure the only semi-new things in her wardrobe were hand-me-downs from Jenny. And she was pretty sure that Jenny had only worn the items a time or two—if that— before giving them to her, saying she just didn’t like the way they fit. Jenny always made sure the things she gave to her friend were bright and cheerful.
To be honest, she didn’t mind not having much to spend on herself. The days of shopping for clothes that Rick approved of were long behind her. She shuddered when she thought of the closet full of dull, stuffy, prim and proper clothes she’d bought when they were married. They were the only kind of clothes that garnered Rick's begrudging approval. She’d given away almost every item of clothing to A Second Chance charity when Rick moved out. She’d only kept a few basics and the few things that had some color to them.
She was okay with things the way they were. She was proud of her store and making it on her own. After the divorce, Gil had given her half the value of their parents’ house. It hadn’t been much, the house wasn’t worth much money. But he’d insisted, since he’d moved into their house after their parents had died. She’d used the meager money, plus a small loan from Gil, to do minimal renovations and buy merchandise.
But all of this success from her hard work might change at any minute. The uncertainty was eating at her.
“So, do your boys go to their father’s often?” Owen’s question interrupted her thoughts.
“Every other weekend. Plus a few other days here and there. They’ll be with him Wednesday. We share or split holidays. Or we sometimes juggle the schedule based upon our workloads.” Mainly juggle based on Rick’s schedule, but she made it work for her.
“So you and your ex get along okay?”
Bella sighed. “Mostly. It was rough at first, but we basically get along okay now.” Because she was the peacemaker and rarely argued with Rick about the boys’ schedule. He changed the schedule to meet his whims, and she just went along with it and fit her schedule to his. It was just easier that way. He’d even decided—for her—that she wasn’t going to work while the boys were little. Well, at least until TheNewMrsHardy caught Rick’s eye. Then he’d been perfectly fine with Bella going to work and making her own way. Only he’d hated that she’d started her own business and told her repeatedly that she’d never make a go of it.
“I imagine it makes it easier on both you and the boys if you get along.”
“Well, it was a bit rocky at first, when Rick said he was leaving. I was so shocked. I had no idea he was even unhappy. But we got it sorted out.” Izzy was glad that the shock of separation and the legal hassles of the divorce were behind her now. She had a civil relationship with Rick, usually, as long as she let him have his say. In a weird way she was glad how things had worked out. She would have never opened her shop when they were married since Rick wanted her at home all the time. She realized now that it had always been his wishes and desires that were fulfilled in their marriage, though even that hadn’t kept him happy.
Oh, but how she liked making her own decisions now, no one telling her what to do. She was actually very happy with her life. Except for the whole lease thing.
She looked over at Owen, enjoying his cup of coffee. His strong hands wrapped around the mug instead of using the handle. He had on an expensive watch. No other jewelry. His brown hair was cut precisely in a businesslike haircut. It suited him.