Carwash

"I'm so sorry, Chandler. I really was looking forward to this," she said apologetically.

"Then bring her with you," he said cheerfully. "I love kids and Avery is about as sweet as they get. So bring her along—unless, of course, this is your way of backing out of being seen with me in public."

Hadley was genuinely touched by his offer and his humor.

"I'm definitely not trying to back out, Chandler. I just wanted to be honest with you like you were with me," she told him.

"Well, not exactly like I was with you," he said playfully. "After all, I told you I was attracted to older women, and you didn't say a thing about being attracted to younger men."

There was a quiet moment before Hadley started laughing.

"What you actually said was you were attracted to intelligent woman and that most of them just happened to be older than you," she reminded him.

"Busted!" he said. "Note to self. Hadley listens to every word."

That drew another laugh before she got serious again.

"Are you really sure? About bringing Avery? She can be a little...chatty."

"Well, the more she talks the less opportunity there'll be for me to say something foolish and totally blow it with you," he told her.

For the first time since James got sick, Hadley felt that giddy feeling people get when they like someone.

"You won't blow it with me, Chandler," she said very sweetly. "I really am easy to please."

"Hmmm. I'm not quite sure how to take that one, either, since you are going out with me. Does that mean I'm really not impressive so you're being kind to me or...."

"Chandler? You can stop talking now and pick me up at seven," she said unable to stop smiling.

"And Miss Avery, right?"

"Yes, Miss Avery, too. She is going to be thrilled when I tell her."

"I'm glad. And...I'm really looking forward to this," Chandler added.

"Yeah. Me, too," she said back. "So...I'll see you later tonight then."

"You will. Bye, Hadley."

"Bye, Chandler."

When Hadley picked Avery up from pre-school, she did her 'jabber-jaws' thing all the way back to the carwash before her mom had a chance to talk.

"How would you like to go out tonight?" she asked.

"For pizza?" she said excitedly.

"No, for a real, grownup meal. At a restaurant."

"Ahhh! Do I have to eat veggibles?" she asked making a face.

"I should say 'yes' but...no, you don't have to eat...vegetables," she said stressing the proper pronunciation.

"Do I have to wear a dress?" Avery asked as though that would be just awful.

"No, but you would look very pretty in a dress. And since we're going with someone, I think that might be nice."

Avery sucked her breath in the way she did whenever she was excited and said, "Who, Mommy?"

"Chandler. You know, Mr. Hot Chocolate and Marshmallow Man."

"I love him!" Avery said happily. "Okay! I'll wear a dress. Mommy? Are you gonna wear a dress, too? You should so you'll be very pretty and then Mr. Marshamallow man will want to marry you."

"Avery Marie! What are you talking about? We're not getting married. We're just going out to dinner. That's all," her mom explained.

"Oh, okay. But I'm gonna ask Daddy to help you get married because I really like Mr. Marshamallow Man," she informed her mother. "But if you don't want to marry him, then I will, okay?"

Hadley didn't reply to her daughter's question. For the first time, she regretted telling her daughter such a tall tale. The thought of her getting her heart broken after losing her father was too much, and when she not only didn't marry the marshmallow man but didn't even go out with him again, how could she explain it wasn't her daddy's fault?

"Just remember, honey. Angels are very busy and not even they can make all of our wishes come true, okay?"

"Okay. But they can make some wishes come true, right?" she asked hopefully.

Hadley sighed, smiled, then said, "Yes. I'm sure they can, sweetie."

And that's when Hadley realized Avery had almost certainly outgrown anything decent she had to wear. Yes, she had school clothes, but they consisted of black skirts and white blouses which was the uniform for pre-schoolers. Next year, she'd need a different color skirt, but she'd still be wearing a uniform.

Fortunately, there was a mall on the way home and in spite of traffic, Hadley was able to get in and find a very pretty dress for her daughter that didn't cost a lot of money. She was tempted to buy something for herself, but as the money left from James's insurance was running low, another important reason she needed a job, she decided to hold off knowing she had plenty of things to wear at home.

Avery couldn't wait to wear her new dress, and just had to change into it as soon as they got back. She looked adorable in the long-sleeved Bonnie Jean black and white dress with a pair of white tights and black shoes. Hadley put a white bow in the back of her hair and Avery asked if she was beautiful.

"Why, yes you are!" she told her daughter.

"Oh, good. So if you don't want to marry Mr. Marshamallow Man, then he can marry me!" she said again.

Hadley covered her mouth and tried not to laugh, but this time she did reply.

"Maybe in a few more years, okay?" she said.

Avery turned around and said, "Can you wear black and white just like me?"

"Oh. Well, I guess we could look," Hadley said.

"This one, Mommy! Pleeeease?" Avery said pointing at the only black and white dress her mom owned.

She'd bought it before James got sick and had never worn it. It was black except for the cuffs at the half sleeves and the hem which was very short on the left side but longer the right. The two-inch white border went around the entire dress then ran diagonally back up the its front. It was very cute and even a bit sexy. Now that she'd really looked at it, it seemed too young for a woman her age making Hadley feel it was inappropriate for a first date.

She held it up to herself but after turning left then right thought, "Then again, how could it hurt to look as young as possible, right?"

"Okay. I'll wear this one," she told Avery who clapped and hugged her mother making the decision seem even more right.

With the start of another school year came the cooler weather and that meant breaking out the coats and sweaters again. It wasn't cold enough for a coat yet, but it was definitely cool enough for a sweater so Hadley grabbed the prettiest black cardigan she had and laid it on her purse as she finished getting ready.

The last time she'd been this dressed up, she was also wearing black—all black. She tried not to think about that day when Avery had been so small and unable to understand death. Hadley wasn't sure she wanted her to see her father for the last time like that, but he'd looked so much like he was sleeping, she'd raised her up to look at his handsome face that had been thinned by the ravages of cancer.

"Will Daddy ever wake up again?" was the only question she'd asked.

"Well, no one really knows for sure, honey," was the best she could offer. That's when she'd made up the angel story, and it had satisfied her daughter's curiosity for the time being.

When she was finished getting ready, she tried not be overly critical knowing she was her own worst enemy when it came to her appearance. She'd always loved the way her long, blonde hair looked when she wore black, and with the gold necklace and earrings, she actually felt pretty good about the way she looked for once. The dress really was cute and yes, it was definitely a little bit sexy.

"Mommy! You look like a princess!" Avery said when she came in and saw her mom looking at herself in the mirror.

"And that's why I love you so much!" Hadley said as she scooped her daughter up to shrieks of laughter.

Just as she was twirling her around, the doorbell rang and Avery hollered, "I'll get it!"

Hadley sat her down and off she went. Her mother quickly walked behind her just in case it wasn't Chandler.

"Can you reach it?" Hadley asked as Avery got her tippy toes.

"Yes!" she said as she tried to turn the knob.

Hadley helped just enough to avoid being told she didn't need help then stepped back.

"Mr. Marshamallow Man!" Avery happily called out.

Chandler handed her a whole bag of 'marshamallows' and said, "Will that last you for a while?"

"Mommy? Look! A whole bag of marshamallows!"

As Hadley was saying, "I see that," Chandler handed her a bouquet of flowers.

"Oh, my goodness! Chandler, they're beautiful. Thank you!"

Hadley was so touched she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek just as he said, "Speaking of beautiful. Wow!"

"My mommy's a princess!" Avery informed him before he mom could reply.

"Yes, she is," he agreed. "Both of you are just as pretty as can be!"

"Do you like my new dress?" she asked.

"Well...let me see!" he said before he reached under her arms and lifted her up.

Avery laughed again and Chandler told her, "Oh, yes. That is a very pretty dress. And I really like this bow in back. Did you put that there?"

He looked at her very seriously and got another laugh.

"No. I can't reach back there. My mommy did that."

She looked at her mother then said, "Mommy? Why don't you wear a bow, too?"

This time, Hadley drew the line and said, "Not tonight, honey. One bow in our family is enough, okay?"

"O...kay," Avery said as Chandler held her.

"So are you ladies ready to go eat?" he asked.

"Yes!" Avery answered for both of them. "And I don't have to eat any veggietables."

She was closer to the correct pronunciation but not quite there yet.

"I still need to get my shoes on," Hadley said. "Can you give me just a minute?"

"Sure. Take all the time you need. That'll let me spend more time with the other beautiful girl in this house," he said while smiling at Avery.

Her mom wasn't even out of sight when she said, "Are you gonna marry my mommy?"

Hadley stopped, spun around, opened her mouth in disbelief then didn't know what to say.

Chandler laughed and said, "Out of the mouth of babes, right?"

"I'm not a baby!" Avery informed him.

"Oh. No, you most definitely are not a baby."

Hadley was still watching and shaking her head when Chandler said, "But your mom is a babe."

Hadley felt her face turn red—again—even as Avery laughed and pointed at her saying, "Mommy is a bay-by, Mommy is a bay-by!"

"I'll um...be right back," she said pointing toward the bedroom.

When she came back out, Chandler was laughing and playing with Avery but stopped when he saw her. Just the addition of the heels made her even more beautiful.

"Wow! You look...amazing," he told her as he tried not to stare.

"I wasn't sure about the dress. Is it...okay?" she asked with a wrinkled nose.

"It's perfect," he assured her. "Both of you are just perfect. You look like twins."

That comment drew a smile from Hadley and another comment from Avery who talked all the way to the restaurant.

"This place is very fancy!" Avery announced when they arrived.

"Yes, it is," Hadley agreed.

She leaned toward Chandler and said, "Someone didn't pay any attention to my request not to spend a lot of money."

"It's okay," he told her quietly. "I have 20% off coupons for the buffet."

Hadley couldn't help but laugh as this was anything but the kind of place that offered discounts or served buffet-style meals.

"I believe that's number ten," she said with a smile that was even more beautiful set off by the dark-red lipstick.

"I thought you stopped counting," Chandler said.

"I'm a woman, Chandler. I can change my mind if I want to," she said as she threw her head back slightly before both of them laughed.

"Tell me! Tell me!" Avery said wondering what the joke is.

"Nothing, honey. Mr. Marshmallow Man just knows how to make me laugh. That's all," she said to Avery while looking at Chandler.

"Like this!" Chandler said as he made silly faces at Avery.

She giggled loudly then said, "He makes me laugh, too, Mommy!"

By the time they finished dinner, Hadley saw Chandler in a very different light. She'd been impressed with him since the first time they'd met, but she had no idea he was such an interesting, complex, and fun person to be around. She found herself having a wonderful time made even better by the way Avery not only took to him but by the way he seemed to genuinely care about her, as well.

And yet she couldn't seem to get beyond the fact that he wasn't yet 21 years old. He wasn't even able to order a drink with dinner, so after ordering a glass of wine, Hadley canceled the order as she didn't like drinking alone.

Was it wise of her to have such strong second thoughts over just one issue or was she being foolish? On the plus side, he didn't look like a 20-year old boy but rather more like a 25-year old man. But at 33, it wasn't so much how he looked as it was that he'd been just five years old when she'd graduated from high school that kept playing over and over in her mind.

By the time they got back to her place, Hadley gave up thinking about it knowing this was just a date and nothing more. She did let him walk them to the door and was almost relieved when he didn't ask to come in.

What she couldn't figure out was whether she was relieved because he was so young or because she knew if she did let him in, she might do something she'd later regret. No, she'd never sleep with him, but he really was adorable, and it wasn't out of the realm of possibilities she might just let him kiss her.

"No, this was definitely much better," she thought as he got ready to leave.

"Good night, ladies," Chandler said as he bent down for Avery.

"Can you come inside and play with me?" she asked innocently.

"Oh, I don't think so, sweetheart. You're mom is probably tired of seeing me by now. But maybe some other time, okay?"

"Ahhh!" she said pouting again.

"No, I'm not tired of seeing you," Hadley told him. "I had a very nice time tonight."

"I'm glad. Me, too," Chandler told her. "I'd very much like to do this again some time."

"Can we? Pleeeese???" Avery begged.

"Honey!" Hadley said knowing she shouldn't continue letting her daughter act like that.

"Well, let's see how things go, okay?" Hadley said, her eyebrows slightly raised.

"Fair enough," Chandler said.

He smiled then told her, "You only get one chance to make a good impression, and I gave it my best shot."

Now Hadley felt bad for making such a big deal out of the age thing and told him, "Honestly? You made a very good impression on me."

"It's my age, isn't it?" he said somehow sensing that was the problem.

"I...I don't know, Chandler. Maybe. I mean, the difference between you and Avery is pretty close to the difference between you and me. I hate that it bothers me, but...."

"That's okay," he told her in a very upbeat way. "I really am aggressive when it comes to getting what I want, but I'm not pushy. Just know I like you—a lot—and I'd love to go out with you again sometime."

"Can I have some time to think about it?" she asked politely.

"Of course. And regardless of what you decide, I couldn't be happier to have you managing the...."

"Legacy location," Hadley said before they both laughed.

Not sure if he should press his luck or not, Chandler gently put a hand on her shoulder and leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Me, too!" Avery said as she watched him kiss her mother.

"Oh, right!" Chandler said as he leaned down and pecked her on the cheek. He then did it several time real fast causing Avery to giggle loudly.

"Goodnight, ladies," he said quietly.

"G'night Mr. Marshamallow Man!" Avery said as her mom thanked Chandler again.

"I'll see you bright and early again tomorrow, I guess," she said.

"You will," he told her before he waved to Avery again and walked away.

Even though Chandler was positive and professional the next morning, she could tell he was acting differently. It was very subtle, but she wasn't imagining it. He smiled, he laughed, he joked around, but it was the way one person acts once they get the impression the other person isn't interested in them in the same way.

She couldn't blame him as he'd been a perfect gentleman and had paid well over $100 for the three meals and left a $20 tip. Hadley couldn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed herself so much and yet he was only twenty years old!

For the rest of the week, he spent a couple of hours with her each morning just as he'd said he would, and when she told him she was ready to 'fly solo' he backed off and stopped coming to the 'legacy' location.

The following Monday morning, after taking care of paperwork, Hadley was outside helping the crew when someone got of their car and called her by name.

"Hadley? Hadley Simpson?" the man said.

"That was my maiden name. It's Kimball now," she said as her brain scrambled to make sense of it.

"It's me. Mark Levinson. From high school. In Ohio."

Hadley dropped the towel she was holding as she finally recognized the man who looked vaguely familiar to her.

"Oh...my...gosh! Mark! What in the world are you doing here?" she asked as they hugged.

"I moved out here a couple of years ago. I work for a new software development company," he told her. "How about you?"

"My husband and I did the same thing only he was in marketing. He got a job working for Boeing Aircraft and spent most of his time promoting their brand."

"Lucky guy. I'm actually envious. You know I had a huge crush on you back then, right?"

"Get out of here!" she said. "You had a crush on me? You were the best looking guy in the senior class."

"And you were the prettiest girl," he told her. "And even though you're pretty much soaking wet right now, I'd say you still are. I'd like to meet your husband sometime so I can hate him in person."

Mark was smiling and being playful making it even harder for Hadley to tell him the truth.

"Jesus. Hadley, I'm so sorry. I feel like a total ass. Please forgive me," he said sincerely.

"You were just being friendly, Mark. It's okay. Really," she assured him.

Once that was behind them, Hadley couldn't stop smiling as she and Mark reminisced. He eventually asked for her number and gave her his in return.

"How would you like to get together sometime?" he asked just before leaving.

"I'd like that very much," she told him having forgotten all about her younger boss.

"I'll give you a call then. And Hadley? I can't believe we bumped into each other at a carwash in Seattle, Washington of all places after all these years."

"Yeah. Talk about 'small world', right?" she said still smiling happily.

That evening, Mark did call and asked her out. Hadley still hadn't found a replacement babysitter and was thrilled when the girl she normally used answered the phone.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Kimball. I just got back today and I missed a few days of school and I'm spending all my time studying and catching up. Anytime after that and I'm happy to watch Avery, but I just can't right now," she told her.

She called Mark back and explained the situation. She could tell he wasn't happy about it.

"There's gotta be someone to watch your kid, right?" he said after she'd explained she didn't know anyone else to ask.

"Unfortunately, no, but I'll do some checking if we can hold off for another day or two," Hadley offered.

"Yeah, sure. I mean, it's been what? Fifteen years or so? What's another couple of days, right?" Mark told her. He wasn't 'cold' but he certainly wasn't warm, either.

The following morning, Chandler stopped by just to see how things were going and was very impressed at how well organized everything was.

"You're worth every dollar I'm paying, Hadley. If we get that second location turning a profit, one of the first things I'm doing is giving you a raise," he told her.

She'd installed the new software programs at both locations and they were already saving money as a result.