Just what in the ham sandwich has Roman the snitch been sharing with Juliette? She is like a dog with a bone today.
“Uh, no, he can’t. Just like I can’t help him with his business.”
“You have a new important client, right?”
Unbelievable.
“Did Roman tell you what I had for breakfast too?”
Juliette laughs. “Instant oatmeal with bananas?”
“Oh, my God! Since when have you two been best buds and having all these brief chats about me?”
“It’s not like we talk about you all the time. Just a few times.”
“All the time when?” I ask, totally confused.
“When he comes by for dinner.”
I swallow the lump in my throat.
“He comes for dinner a lot?”
My aunt shifts her feet uncomfortably because she clearly thought I knew.
“Well, he hasn’t been lately.”
Now I’m embarrassed that it’s obvious that I don’t know where Roman is half of the time. I thought perhaps he’d been at the club with the Kings since he recently returned to work, but now it seems as if he’s been going by to see Juliette and Joseph too. It almost seems like he wants to be anywhere but here.
“Elizabeth, understand, I’ve never seen Roman act like this about anyone ever. He only comes to talk to me out of concern. Loving you and Knox is very new for him, just like it is for you. He had you all to himself for a good while and now he has to share you. He just wants to protect and love you both the best way he knows how.”
The chasm between Roman and I is a little more complicated than what my aunt just described, but it’s not something I want to discuss with her. I have too much on my plate and with this possible university contract on the horizon; I need to keep my energy high and focused.
“Did Roman really make plans for tonight, because he’s going to be very disappointed if he can’t change them. I have an important meeting tonight and it’s probably going to run late because of the time difference with some participants.”
“He definitely had something planned, but I truly don’t know what it is. I’m just here to watch Knox while you two do whatever it is you end up doing. Those were my instructions when he came by for—”
My aunt stops mid-sentence.
“Came by for what?”
“Pot pie.”
Jerk.
He didn’t even bring me any leftovers.
“And Elizabeth,” Juliette continues, “before you two wander completely off course, I’d cut the man some slack and reconsider taking part in whatever he has planned. It seems to me like you both need it.”
My smart watch alarm dings just in the nick of time. I’m totally over this conversation. I guess I really had no idea that everyone in my life was going to have such strong opinions on how I mother my child, run my business, and manage my relationship. I’m through explaining myself to everyone in my life about why I do what I do, especially Roman. Not to mention that date night has always been Friday nights, not Thursdays.
Gah!
“Oh, crap, I forgot all about the call that I need to take before my meeting. It’s a good thing you’re here. The sitter isn’t coming until six.”
“Cancel the sitter. I’m here for the entire day and I can’t wait to have my little grandbaby bean all to myself.”
Knox calmly lays his head on Aunt Juliette’s breast and starts playing with one of her gold earrings. He looks utterly content and it makes me think my little boy has a thing for boobs with or without milk, just like his daddy.
“Aww, he’s so adorable,” she says as she rhythmically pats Knox’s back.
“Watch it,” I warn her. “He has an earring fetish and those look expensive.”
“It’s fine, isn’t it, Knox?” she asks in a hushed tone as she continues to pat him. “You will not do anything to Mimi’s anniversary hoops, will you?”
Knox sighs heavily and continues to play with her earlobe. He really is an easy baby once you give him what he needs. Food, a dry diaper, and affection. That’s all my little peanut needs. I don’t know why everyone’s so worried that I can’t take care of my boy without all this help they claim I need.
“You two look like you’re going to be just fine.”
“We will be.”
“Okay then, there’s a bottle in the fridge if Knox gets hungry and his favorite book is on the bedside table in his nursery. I’ll be in my office until I hear from Roman. Thanks for this, Auntie.”
“It’s my pleasure. That’s what grandparents are for.”
Even though it’s clear whose side Juliette is on, I feel a little more at ease that she’ll be here when Roman arrives home instead of the sitter. Maybe it’s because there’s always this low level of tension in the room when we’re together lately. Maybe it’s because I know that he will not be happy when I tell him that I cannot take part in whatever he has planned tonight. If he had just mentioned it earlier, I could have told him that today wasn’t a good day.
But he rarely asks.
He just decides, and they seem to always conflict with my own.
Not to mention that nothing I do is ever good enough for him these days. He wants me to sleep more. He wants me to work less. He wants me to fuck him more and breastfeed my son less. Everything he wants is at complete odds with what I want… except for making love.
That I would love to do.
But when I attempt to think about anything remotely sexy, it’s two o’clock in the morning, I haven’t showered, and my breast ducts are filled with milk. What the frack is sexy about that?
After my call with one of my app developers in Bangladesh, I quickly throw my hair up in a messy bun on top of my head, change into a clean shirt and shorts, and apply some lip gloss. This will be my third video chat with the president of Cabot University, and I’m finally allowing myself to become excited about this project.
A magna cum laude graduate of Yale, he’s the youngest president in Cabot’s history and is so open to innovative ideas. I really think I have a strong chance of making School Bucks bigger in the collegiate space with a man like him making decisions.
“Lovely to talk to you again, Miss Hill.”
“Same here, President Maxwell.”
“I’d prefer it if you called me Jacob. My father was a president of a bank and so he’s really President Maxwell.”
“Okay.” I giggle. “If we’re ditching formalities, then you should call me Elizabeth.”
“Perfect. So, Elizabeth, I wanted to see if we could talk dollars and cents.”
“Sure thing. What are your questions?”
“Well, in your estimation, what would it cost to integrate and promote School Bucks on our web platform? I want to give students the opportunity to apply for scholarships straight from their personal dashboards.”
I do my best not to smile too widely and give away the fact that I am elated that he wants to make a bigger commitment. My one goal from this meeting was to negotiate a live link to our website from their scholarship page, something that would have been a major win for us, but to have complete integration with their student backend? That would be amazing.
“Well, to be honest with you, I didn’t run figures for such a large roll out. I thought you’d only be referring the app to students not wanting a partnership with us.”