Seducing Simon(14)

And already her jeans were too snug. She’d taken to wearing loose fitting slacks and sweatpants, but soon she’d have to buy maternity clothes.

“Oh, before I forget,” Matt said, snapping his fingers. “Mike called for you awhile ago. I told him to call back this afternoon.” She frowned and leaned back against the sink. “What did he want?” The only Mike she knew was the Mike who worked for the fire department with Matt, A.J. and Simon.

“Dunno. He said he’d call back.”

She shrugged and set her glass in the sink. After washing her hands, she walked to the French doors leading out to the deck and slipped outside. The sun was setting over the horizon, spreading an array of pink and purple hues across the western sky.

Settling into a lawn chair, she leaned back to enjoy the view from the elevated deck. As a song once lauded, there was nothing like Southern nights. The evenings were cooler with the coming autumn, and the faint smell of burning leaves filtered through her nose.

In six months her life would change forever. She no longer had only herself to look out for. Though she’d come to terms with her pregnancy, the idea of parenthood still scared the hell out of her. A lot of women seemed to have an innate sense of how to care for a child, but she wasn’t one of them.

Her hand crept up to palm her abdomen. Only the slightest hint of a swell existed, and someone not familiar with her usually flat stomach would never be able to discern the gentle curvature.

A light breeze blew over her, lifting the strands of her hair and blowing them softly against her face. Maybe pregnancy was mellowing her, but she felt an inner peace she hadn’t felt in many weeks.

The sound of the door sliding open pulled her from her silent reverie.

“Telephone for you, Toni,” Matt said handing her the cordless phone.

She took the receiver and Matt backed into the house.

“Hello?”

“Hey Toni. This is Mike. How you doing?”

“I’m good. How about you?”

“Doing great. Enjoying my day off. Hey, listen. I was calling because I wondered if you wanted to go out this weekend. Maybe catch dinner at Drake’s.”

An awkward silence ensued as Toni struggled with her surprise. “I uh.” Shit. She didn’t want to get into the whys and wherefores over the phone. No one at the station knew she was pregnant yet. “Sure,” she finally said. “Sounds great.”

“Hey great. I’ll pick you up around six. That okay?”

“I’ll see you then,” Toni said. They said their goodbyes, and she punched the button, ending the call.

She leaned back in the chair and laid the phone in her lap. Her mind was whirling. Truthfully, she had no desire to go out with Mike, though he was a great guy. But on the other hand, it was high time she gave up her childish fantasies. Unrealistic dreams about a relationship with Simon and got on with her life. She had a child to consider, and despite the fact she couldn’t have the one man she wanted, she didn’t want to spend her life alone. Didn’t want to raise her child alone.

Mike might not be the one, but he was a start. The beginning to putting Simon and her disastrous night with him behind her.

Today’s appointment had been an exercise in bittersweet. Simon had gone with her, but his presence had been a painful reminder of what she would never have. Pretending was doing her no good. She felt like a dog being patted on the head, and it was getting harder to bear.

A few weeks ago such thoughts would have her in tears, but now she simply felt a deep seeded melancholy over the course, or non-course, her life was taking.

Well enough was enough. She swung her legs over the side of the chair and got up. She walked back inside to see Matt and A.J. sitting at the bar watching Simon cook dinner.

“What did Mike want?” Matt asked with ill-disguised curiosity.

“He asked me out,” she returned nonchalantly. She crossed to the bar and replaced the phone on the charger then slid into a seat next to A.J.

Three sets of eyes turned on her. “What?” It was hard to distinguish who’d asked the question since all three of their mouths were open.

Simon stood frozen, spatula in the air. “Mike as in Mike from the station?”

“That’s the one,” she replied.

“What the hell is he doing asking you out?” She pinned Simon with a frosty stare. “Could it be because he’s interested?”

A.J. chuckled. “You stepped in it this time, dude.”

“I didn’t mean to imply that he wasn’t interested,” Simon said calmly.

“I was surprised. I mean it came as kind of a shock.”

“Why?”

Matt grinned. “You better shut up while you still have teeth.”

Simon held his hands up in surrender. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it like it sounded. I just had no idea.”

“Nice to know Simon the Smooth has moments of stupidity,” A.J. said with obvious glee. “For once it isn’t me getting into trouble.”

“I’m glad you all find this so amusing,” she retorted. “Why is it hard for you to believe I have a date?” She turned and stalked to her room in disgust.

“Way to go,” A.J. said shooting an amused glance at Simon.

Simon watched Toni stomp away to her room. He was still reeling from the news that Mike had asked her out. What the hell was he doing asking her out?