Page 74 of The Hook Up
“Of course not,” Miriam said. “You know she keeps that stuff under lock and key.”
“I know,” Jason said. “And I’ve been trying to find the key.”
Ellie rolled her eyes and picked up her fork again. “Henry signed me up to speak during career week,” she said. “I had no idea he’d done it until his teacher left a voicemail this morning trying to nail down a date.”
“Yikes,” Jason said. “Is she expecting you to give a demo of the different kinds of lube?”
Ellie shook her head. “She has no idea what I do for a living. All she knows is that I’m in sales. I haven’t had the heart to call back and explain things.”
“Yeah, that seems like it would be better as an in- person conversation,” Miriam agreed. “Plus, you can offer her a free Happy Jammer couple’s vibe so she’ll be more understanding.”
Ellie gave a dry laugh. “That’s exactly what I need. A reputation as the mom who gives sex toys to her son’s teacher.”
“What are you going to do?” Jason asked.
Ellie shrugged and swirled her fork through a puddle of dressing. “Mrs. Colt asked me to meet with her Tuesday morning before class starts,” she said. “I’ll explain things then, I guess.”
Miriam nodded and dabbed her mouth with a napkin. The baby kicked again, jolting her whole body this time. She looked up at Ellie, eyes wide with excitement. “Did you see that?”
“I did,” Ellie said, remembering what it felt like to be eight months pregnant with Henry. Back then, Chuck had cupped her belly in his hands and given Henry a pep talk about not hitting and kicking.
Her throat tightened. Chuck might be an asshole for leaving her. He might be an even bigger asshole for trying to get out of paying child support.
But as Jason rubbed Miriam’s belly, cooing softly to the baby inside, it occurred to Ellie that she owed it to herself and to Henry to grab the asshole by the balls.
She threw down her napkin and glanced at her watch. “Do you guys mind hanging out here for just a second?”
Miriam looked up, her expression curious. “What’s up?”
“I need to make a phone call.”
Jason nodded then went back to rubbing Miriam’s belly. “No problem, El,” he said. “No matter what, we’ve got your back.”
“Thank you,” she said, hopeful for the first time all week. “I know you do.”
* * *
Ellie glancedat her watch as she stepped into the quiet hallway outside the café restroom. She pulled out her phone, grateful she had another thirty minutes until Henry finished swimming lessons. This wouldn’t take long, and even if it did, Jason and Miriam would look after her son.
Knowing that—and realizing that no matter what, she was a strong, single mom who could protect her own kid— gave her the strength to hit the speed-dial number she hadn’t called for almost a year.
“Hello?”
“Chuck,” she said, a little surprised he’d answered.
“Ellie.” He sounded as surprised as she did.
She cleared her throat and pressed her back against the wall, steeling herself for the conversation. “I’ve gotten your letters,” she said. “And the texts. And I had my lawyer look over everything.”
“El,” he said in that vaguely patronizing tone she’d always hated. “What’s with the lawyer? We agreed when we split up that we’d handle it ourselves. That we didn’t need the courts telling us what to do.”
“Actually, no.” Ellie tucked a strand of hair behind one ear as she struggled to keep her voice calm. “We didn’t agree to that at all. That was your idea. Just like abandoning your wife and son was your idea. Just like failing to provide for his basic needs was your idea.”
There was a long pause, followed by a sigh. “Ellie, be reasonable. I shouldn’t have to stay in a job I hate just to support my kid.”
“You know, that’s where you’re wrong.” Ellie’s fist clenched at her side, and she reminded herself it would hurt like hell to punch the wall. “That’sexactlywhat you should do. That’s exactly what a father does. Or you should find a new job while you continue chipping in for your son’s medical bills.”
“Money isn’t everything,” he said in a patronizing tone that made her want to rip his hair out.
