“For me, it was wonderful, but I can’t imagine life without my other half. We’re business partners and best friends, and we live about five minutes away from each other, which probably sounds a little weird and co-dependent.”
“Not at all. I wish all my siblings lived that close to me.” I waved out the window to folks as we cruised down the main street of town toward our destination. Ella, who ran The Mangy Marmot Bar and Grill, was walking down the street with a cup of coffee, probably purchased from The General Store where they sold the best, and only, takeout coffee in town. No matcha tea as far as I knew. My neighbor Cal was outside the store aptly called Feed & Grain, loading bags into the flatbed of his truck. No doubt they’d be asking Sam about the woman in my passenger seat. In a small town, few things escaped people’s notice, especially attractive new faces.
“I’m lucky,” she said. “Our younger brother Rocco lives uptown with his husband, Jamison. They’re estheticians with their own business up there.”
I could have pretended to know what she meant, but I was too curious. “What’s an esthetician?”
“A skincare professional. They offer services like facials, hair removal, microdermabrasion.”
“Oh.” She chuckled at my surprised expression. “Male and female clients?”
“They serve all genders. Why? Are you looking for a good waxer, Matthew?”
I laughed and scratched my chin. “Uh, no, not at the moment, but if I am, I’ll let you know.”
“They’re the best in Manhattan, so if you’re ever in town you should come visit me, and we’ll go there together and get facials.”
It felt like we were flirting a little, but it had been so long for me, I wasn’t quite sure.
“I’ve always said if I went back to New York City, the first thing would be to find a good esthetician.”
She laughed and patted my arm. “Sometimes dreams do come true.”
I felt a little guilty for flirting with a married woman, but she probably didn’t think of what we were doing as anything more than friendly banter. Asking more about her husband was definitely prying, but I couldn’t help myself.
“Is your husband off sailing his boats right now?” She didn’t answer for a few seconds, and I knew I’d pushed it too far. “I’m sorry, that’s none of my business.”
As I pulled up to the only stoplight in town, she looked down at her rings. “No, it’s fine. My marriage is a complicated situation, though, and I can’t really discuss it. I know it sounds like I’m being evasive...”
“That’s alright. No worries.” Damn. Complicated was never good.
“How about you? I assume that was your adorable daughter eating dinner with you last night. Are you married?”
“Divorced.” I wasn’t interested in discussing my failed marriage. Honestly, it almost felt like another lifetime, since we’d all moved on. “My daughter, Gigi, is spending the summer at the ranch with me. You’ll meet her when you’re down at the stables. She likes horses more than people. If she’s not riding or playing outside, she has her head stuck in a book.” That last part worried my ex-wife, but I argued that if Gigi was happy, there wasn’t a problem.
“She sounds delightful, and it’s lovely that you get her for the entire summer.”
“I know it. Gigi spends the school year with her mom and stepdad in Denver, so that’s hard on us. I get to see her on some holidays and long weekends, but summer is when I get to be part of her daily life. I wish we had more time together. She’s growing up too fast.”
“Tell me about it. It feels like yesterday my sons were toddlers I could carry on my hip. I can’t believe they’re adults and out on their own.”
“You seem very young to have children that age.”
She smiled at me. “And here I thought your brother was the sweet talker. I had my children when I was young. Julien, my first, was a surprise. We’d planned on waiting longer.”
“Gigi was a surprise, too. A honeymoon baby, but I got married later in life so I was glad to get started on fatherhood. I’m sure my ex would agree that our daughter is the best thing we ever made together.”
“She seems like a great kid.”
I never passed up a chance to be a proud dad. “I think so. She does well in school, and she helps out around the ranch. Everyone on staff adores her. I got really lucky.”
“I’m sure you’re a wonderful dad,” she said. “That makes a huge difference in a girl’s life.”
I couldn’t help wondering what kind of dad her husband was. She certainly hadn’t said anything complimentary about him.
“I try. I’m a little nervous about the teen years, but her mom and I co-parent pretty well, and hopefully we can navigate those waters when the time comes.”
“I have no doubt you’ll do just fine.” She looked up at the wooden sign on our local bar. “The Mangy Marmot. That’s an interesting name.”
