“Mommy’s going out tonight,” Rona sang, smoothing down her bright pink dress that almost fit her like a second skin. She admired her reflection in the mirror and smiled. She looked hot and she knew it.

“Tha-tha-tha-tha!” Tori shrieked and slammed the drum set with her doll.

“Tha-tha!” said Rona in return. She adored her little girl even though Tori wore her out most days. But she wouldn’t change anything for the world.

Rona stared at her cherub with her heart aglow. Tori sat happily caged within the playpen. Rona had no option but to put her there while she took a shower and got ready.

She didn’t go out much in the evenings, even though this was her second time out in nearly two weeks. She was looking forward to it. Any excuse to get dressed up and forget her daily grind. With Carlos working too hard to notice that things were slipping in their relationship she had taken matters into her own hands. A mid-week date night for no apparent reason was her answer. Especially since Grandma was now feeling better again.

She turned to the side and checked out her profile; first from the right and then the left. “Still fits,” she murmured smugly as she smoothed her hand over her belly. Turning her back to the mirror, she checked her rear view.

Her bottom didn’t look bad either—her hips were almost back into shape.

She was as thin as she’d been before she’d given birth.

“Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma,” gurgled Tori. She stamped excitedly on the padded mat of the playpen and eagerly held her hands out to Rona.

“No-no-no, baby. Grandma will be here.”

Come on, mom. She glanced at her watch. It was almost six-thirty. Time for Carlos to be home too.

Angry, Tori bent down and threw her Baby Stella doll at Rona.

“No,” Rona said firmly. She picked it up and returned it to her daughter who immediately thought they were playing a game. She flung the doll back out again.

“No, baby. Mama going out with dada. Gandma coming. Gandma and Tori play.”

Her little girl understood enough to not cry. The kind, gentle fairy godmother, was coming her way. This was as close as Rona’s life would ever get to a fairy tale.

She walked away and fluffed out her hair again over her shoulders. Dinner had been booked for seven thirty at the new Greek Restaurant in town. Carlos liked trying out new places and though she wasn’t so fond of the bread and meat dishes, she wanted to do something nice for him. He worked hard, he deserved a night out. And so did she.

If they ate earlier, they could maybe go to the new cocktail bar and hang out there for a couple of drinks. Or maybe not.

Remembering the tall stranger she’d seen last time she decided it wouldn’t be wise to go there. Maybe the Lizard Lounge? Or they could go to the movies but she was too dressed up to sit in the dark looking this good.

She preferred that they do cocktails. And it was time they sat and talked and ate without interruption. She’d seen the way Nico was with Ava, and she wanted that with Carlos again. She missed the days when they could barely keep their hands off one another. Six years of marriage had been great. But Tori’s arrival had put a bit of a dampener when it came to sex though Rona didn’t really feel too sexy or in the mood for much these days. Sleep was the only thing she craved.

She ran a brush through her hair.

“Ma-ma-ma-ma,” cried Tori again, and clutched the edges of the playpen, until she tumbled down again. She was still getting used to the feeling of standing up and anytime soon she’d be taking her first steps.

Then it would be even harder, running around trying to keep her out of mischief.

“Ma-ma-ma-ma!” the little girl yelped.

Rona sighed. The poor little angel had been in there for long enough, but Rona dared not get her out just yet. She didn’t want to get her dress or her hair or makeup messed up again.

Where are you, Mom?

“Grandma coming,” cooed Rona, and slicked on another layer of lipstick. It was just dinner. But it was something; anything to make life back at home more appealing. She’d had a hard time settling back into things after Verona.

It hadn’t really been a flirtation.

It had just been—well, it had just been a bit of fun. And now, unless she worked at it, she and Carlos would be too late to save.

It was even worse now that her mother was back because all Elsa talked about was Ava and how happy the girl was.

Her cell phone rang and she grabbed it, half-hoping it wasn’t Elsa calling to cancel.

“Hey, baby.”

“Are you still at work?” Rona looked at her watch in alarm. Where was Elsa? “We’re going to be late. I made the booking for seven thirty.”

“Uh…”

She froze, not liking the ‘Uh.’

“Uh – what?”

“I—there’s a —I—”

“What, Carlos?” He had some bullshit reason. She gritted her teeth in readiness.

“I forgot, but I’d already agreed to do the overtime—”

Screw the overtime. “Do you need to do it? Tonight?”

“Uh—it’s a sixtieth birthday party for my dad’s oldest friend. We’ve got a booking for forty extra people—”

“Carlos,” she hissed through gritted teeth. “We don’t get out often. I told you this morning before you left.”

“Sorry, baby. But it isn’t our anniversary or anything. Is it?” He sounded unsure.

“Does it have to be?” She’d thought going out for no reason might make for a good change.

“It’s midweek,” he moaned. “I thought I had the dates wrong.”

“No, you didn’t.” She thought she’d go for spontaneity.

“I can’t get out of it. I’m sorry, but maybe we could do it another ti—”

You never put me first.

She wished, for once. that he would put her first, that he would take a little time out for her, for them, so that she knew she mattered. So that she knew he cared enough about their relationship.

“You can’t get the others to help?”

His brothers worked alongside him—where were they? When he struggled to respond she knew she already had her answer. It was easier to turn her down than them.

“If I put my hours in now I can take a longer vacation for the wedding.” He was always putting his hours in and he’d already cut short a previous trip to Verona.

She’d had her own flirt going on back then. Those evenings had been sublime—it was the kind of adulation and attention she sought but didn’t get from Carlos anymore.

She clenched her jaw. A night out with his wife. Was that too much to ask?

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