“He had no life insurance, which was crazy with a wife and three kids dependent on him. He could have had a car accident at any age. Neither of us had living parents, so I had no one to help me. I had to give up our apartment immediately, and move to the apartment you’ve seen. I share a bedroom with Arianna, which is sweet, but I’d love to have my own room again someday.” He hadn’t realized that when he saw the apartment, and he was impressed. “I had to find a job right away. I hadn’t worked in six years, and my salary as an editor wasn’t enough for us to live on, so I couldn’t go back to publishing.
“My husband knew Bob Benson, so I went to see him, and he offered me a job as an agent with a very reasonable salary, and I’ve loved working there. It’s actually much more fun and interesting than my old job. I was still pretty young then, in publishing, and didn’t get to edit any important writers. Bob took a big chance on me, and I’ve learned a lot. So things have turned out well. I could have a bigger apartment if I moved out of the city, but I wanted to stay in Manhattan. The kids love their school and I’m close to work. I know Francine commutes every day and that takes a chunk of time out of your day. I’d rather spend that time with my kids, and they need my help. I help with homework, and I’m around as soon as I finish work.
“But to answer your original question, were we happy? I think so. Were we ecstatic and madly in love? No, maybe not. But it worked, and I’m sure we’d still be married if he were alive, at least I think we would be. We made the adjustments and compromises we needed to make it work. We wanted to stop at two kids, which we could afford. Will came along as a surprise. That put a strain on us financially, but we managed. Or we would have. As it turned out, I had to make it work. Will was only a baby when Jim died. What would I do without Will now? He’s the happiest kid alive, and my joy. Everything’s always fine with him. He loves everyone and everything. Arianna and Bentley are both more sensitive, and need more attention and managing. It’s been hard for Bentley, not having a dad. I’m a poor substitute for a man in his life. I taught him how to play baseball. I try to be mother and father to them, as best I can.”
“I could take them out and play ball with them sometimes. I’d like to do that. Throwing a ball is something I’m good at,” he said with a smile. “I played football in college and Little League baseball growing up. Sports and writing were what kept me sane in my family environment as a kid.”
“They both play soccer,” Hailey said as she finished her soufflé. “I played on a women’s softball team in college. I have a pretty good pitching arm,” she said with a grin, and he laughed.
“I’ll have to check that out. You can show me,” he said. He had enjoyed the evening with her. He learned more about her every time they talked. Now that she was home, she was more open than she had been on the trip. She had been focused on making everything perfect for him, and doing a good job, although they’d had some nice conversations then too. He really admired her and how gracefully she handled everything she did, including motherhood. “Why don’t we go to the park together this weekend? We can throw a ball around, and I’ll give you the manuscript then. You don’t have to rush to read it. Just do it when you have time.”
“Don’t worry.” She smiled at him. “I have the time.” She almost added “for you,” but thought it sounded too bold. She was a gentle person, and she didn’t want to make assumptions. She had enjoyed the evening too. Going to the park with him and the kids sounded like a nice idea, and appropriately low-key. “I’ve had a wonderful evening,” she said as they finished their wine. They were in no hurry to leave. When they finally did, they walked for a few blocks, with her hand tucked into his arm. It was the first time she had been out with a man, for something resembling a date, if it was a date, in five years. That seemed like a very long time. Suddenly, she wasn’t just Mom, or a career person, she was a woman with a man. It was a warm, comfortable feeling with him.
“What were you thinking just then?” he asked her gently. She had been smiling a distant, mysterious, dreamy smile, and he thought she was beautiful.
“I was thinking that I haven’t done anything like this in a long time. Most of my clients are female writers, and I’ve never had dinner with any of the men. Lunch occasionally, but not often.”
“I didn’t take you out to dinner as my agent,” he said quietly, looking at her with a slow smile.
“You didn’t?”
“Just to be precise and clear about it, this was a date.” He was smiling as he said it.
“It was?” She blushed, but he couldn’t see it under the streetlights.
“The first of many, if I’m lucky,” he said with a look of determination. “And just for the record, I haven’t done this in a long time either. I don’t meet a lot of women I want to spend an evening with. In fact, I don’t meet many women. I’m at home writing most of the time, and I like to write at night.” She knew that about him, and she nodded.
“I actually haven’t been on any dates since Jim died. I’ve been too busy with work and kids.”
“Then I’m glad we got off to a good start tonight. This was a memorable first date. We’ll both remember it one day, I hope,” he said, and a few minutes later, he hailed a cab and took her home. He had the cab wait while he walked her upstairs to her apartment, to make sure she got home safely. He was thoughtful and considerate, and well mannered. He didn’t try to kiss her. He knew it would have been too soon. She reached up and kissed his cheek when she thanked him.
“I had a really lovely time.” She smiled at him, and then unlocked her front door with her key, and he went down the stairs with a grin and a wave.
“I’ll call you about this weekend in the park,” he said over his shoulder and then disappeared, and she floated into the apartment, feeling young again.
Allie and Eric went out to dinner that night too. They both wanted Chinese food, and went to Chinatown. They enjoyed everything they did together. They went to the gym together, watched movies, went rollerblading. They went away for weekends to cozy little inns. They rode on the Staten Island Ferry for the fun of it. They didn’t hide, and now and then people recognized him from his previous roles and he’d sign an autograph. They had nothing to be ashamed of, they were both single and their relationship was an honest one. Allie hadn’t been in a committed relationship in years, and hadn’t wanted to be. She had opted for her career in her twenties, and had no yearning to be married or have kids. Her parents’ marriage, however long it had lasted, didn’t inspire her to emulate them. She knew that they had both had affairs from time to time, which occasionally erupted in scandal, but they always forgave each other and kept on trucking. She had long since decided she would rather be free to be with whomever she wanted than to cheat on someone she no longer wanted to be with. But it was different with Eric. She liked what they had, and had no desire to move on. She supposed it would end eventually, as all of her relationships did, but she hoped it wouldn’t be for a long time. And he was crazy about her, and said so every chance he got.
There was an even more famous actor at the Chinese restaurant, with a well-known female movie star. Allie knew them both and introduced Eric to them. The woman was one of Allie’s clients, and they finished dinner at the same time and walked out of the restaurant together. Allie was startled when half a dozen paparazzi leapt at them, to catch the famous couple in a private moment. The male actor was in the midst of a nasty divorce, so it was a juicy photograph for them.