Page 4 of Falling for the Unexpected

Chapter 1

Simone

Present Day

My shift at the Ocean View restaurant didn’t start for another fifteen minutes so I had time to call Brad. I wanted to let him know that his mom had kindly offered to keep our daughter, Stella, overnight so he didn’t have to rush to their house after work to pick her up.

Brad worked at Erik’s Auto Performance, which was owned by one of his brother’s best friends. While he worked an 8-to-5 job five days a week, I worked four nights a week as a waitress. It didn’t allow us a lot of time together, but it did help us figure out childcare for our young daughter. When our schedules overlapped, Brad’s mother, Marla, would watch Stella. It was a perfect setup.

I took a moment and leaned against the side of my car, enjoying the early March breeze. Two things I loved about living in San Diego were the smell of the ocean and the year-round mild weather. I didn’t get to enjoy the beach as much as I used to, but it was nice to be near it while I worked. I dug out my cell phone from my purse, squinting against the afternoon sun bouncing off the waves of the Pacific.

I called Brad’s number and it rang four times and then went to voicemail. Thinking he may have left his phone in his work locker, I decided to call the shop.

“Erik’s Auto Performance, how can I help you?” Tiffany, the receptionist, answered.

I had met Tiffany a couple times and each interaction left me unimpressed. If you were a woman, she would do the bare minimum necessary to help you. If you were a man, you would get her undivided attention and usually a flash of her cleavage when she purposely leaned over the counter.

“Hi, Tiffany, it’s Simone. I was wondering if Brad was available?” I asked, trying to sound as friendly as possible.

“Oh, he left a little while ago,” she answered, and I could hear the smacking of her gum in my ear.

“Um… Okay, thanks,” I responded, somewhat confused.

“Yep,” she said, and then hung up.

Brad wasn’t supposed to get off work for another hour, but I wondered if he had plans that I may have forgotten about. I decided to try his cell phone again, and this time, he picked up after two rings.

“What?” he greeted in a flat tone. Brad had never been overly affectionate; in fact, most would probably call him uncaring. I wasn’t dumb enough to believe that Brad was with me for any other reason than he had knocked me up. I had accepted the fact that our marriage would never be filled with love like you’d find in romance novels. However, his previous indifference toward me had recently started to shift toward irritable and angry. I could live in a loveless marriage, but I wouldn’t stay in an abusive one, and I was starting to fear Brad’s recent mood swings. His anger made me feel helpless and I had no defense against it. My childhood had been filled with the same fear, and it was still difficult for me to deal with it. My instinct was to pacify and get out of the situation as quickly as possible, usually by apologizing or remaining silent. During the first few months after we’d gotten married, Brad had almost seemed… okay with the idea and it’d been nice. Recently, though, it was like a switch had flipped. The charming man who had attracted me in the first place was long gone. Instead, I only saw the side of him that made no effort to hide just how unhappy he was.

“Hey,” I said cautiously, trying to keep my tone neutral. “I was just calling to let you know that your mom and dad are keeping Stella overnight so you don’t have to go pick her up tonight.”

“Okay,” he said, and that was it.

I tried not to read into his one-word answers. He never seemed to want to have a conversation unless it interested him. After two years of marriage, I was used to it, but it disappointed me at the same time. I didn’t know what he wanted or how to please him.

“I called the shop a few minutes ago and Tiffany said you had already left. Do you have something going on tonight?” I asked, hoping he would at least be home when I got off of work. We hadn’t spent any time together, just the two of us, in at least three months.

“It’s Friday and I finished my work early tonight. Damn it, do you have to question everything I do?” he asked, irritated.

Another thing I had learned early on was that Brad hated answering to anyone. Even if the question was an innocent one, he immediately became defensive. Not only did his behavior negatively affect my attempts at communicating with him, it also caused strain in his relationships with his brother, Trent, and his parents.

I closed my eyes briefly, trying to be patient. Sometimes I wanted to snap back with a retort that would shock him. I was tired of walking on eggshells around him all the time, but I also worried about pushing him too far. Between my own parents and a couple of my foster families, I knew how ugly things could get. Instead of focusing on how Brad treated me, I focused on Stella, reminding myself that everything I did was for her, so I sucked it up and tried for civility.

“I wasn’t questioning you, Brad. I was just curious if you had plans,” I answered, trying to be even-tempered. I didn’t want an argument right before I started my shift and then end up taking it out on customers. I needed the money from tips. “I was thinking I could bring dinner home from the restaurant tonight and maybe we could watch a movie together. I just thought it might be nice.”

He pondered that for a moment. “I guess we can do that. What time do you get off?” he asked.

“I’m actually getting off early, around eight,” I answered, surprised he was taking me up on the offer, “they over-scheduled the staff tonight.”

“Fine, I guess I’ll see you then,” he said and then hung up.

He didn’t sound too excited, but at least he agreed to a date of sorts. Maybe we could try to kindle some sort of spark in our marriage. Maybe that’s what Brad felt he was missing. If I showed him some affection, focused on us, perhaps he wouldn’t be so angry. Even with his lack of enthusiasm, I had a good feeling when I headed in through the back door of the restaurant to put my stuff in my locker.

About halfway through my shift, I saw the hostess seating a couple in my section. I couldn’t see them clearly, but I watched with envy as the man guided the woman through the restaurant with his hand on her lower back. At their table, he pulled the chair out for his date to sit down. It was a simple gesture, one I had never been on the receiving end of. Brad had never taken me out on a proper date. In the beginning, I was blinded by his charisma and good looks so I accepted whatever time he was willing to spend with me. Once I was pregnant, he knew he didn’t have to put forth any effort. But how nice would it be to feel cherished and like I was worth the effort?

After giving the couple another minute to get settled, I approached the table to take their drink order. The man’s back was to me as I walked over to them, but I could see how absolutely gorgeous his date was. Sure, we lived in Southern California, where it almost seemed like a prerequisite to be beautiful. This woman, though, was definitely a ‘ten’ on the hotness scale. Her blonde hair cascaded past her slender shoulders in large curls and her makeup was perfectly applied, highlighting her bright blue eyes. As I took the last step toward their table I saw her flash her date a seductive smile.

“Welcome to the Ocean View. My name’s…” I started but was interrupted by the man I had yet to fully see.