Page 20 of Fierce-Jax

She was being sized up and it brought her back to high school.

It’s not like her daughter had ever had a father. She knew Grandpa was the only man in her life and she got to spend a lot of time with him, but he’d never been called anything other than Grandpa.

She’d had plenty of talks with her daughter about why she didn’t have a father but didn’t go into a lot of details about how Alec died.

How do you share that with a child that young?

There’d be a time and place for it.

“Sophie, this is just wonderful.”

She turned her head to see another mother come running over and hug the birthday girl’s mom. Okay, so her name was Sophie. If it wasn’t for the fact that Gianna charged Maddy who was wearing a sash announcing it was her birthday, she wouldn’t have had any clue who anyone was.

“Thanks, Avery. This is Dillion, Gianna’s mom. Dillion, Avery Black, Lily’s mom, and here comes Steffi Mazzone, Francisca’s mom.”

She shook hands with everyone, then moved to the side while the three women acted like long-lost best friends at their twentieth reunion.

She was willing to bet anything she was older than them all too.

Twenty minutes later, Sara, Joanna’s mom, said to her, “Don’t let them get to you.” The two of them were sitting bythemselves on another bench while the five kids ran around. Sara had come in late. Sophie, Avery, and Steffi had their heads together cackling and pointing. Talk about rude.

“Excuse me?” she asked.

“I swear they are the mean girls of the Pre-K. Some people never grow up. Joanna loves Maddy, but if she didn’t, I wouldn’t have come just to spare myself being subjected to feeling like the loser not accepted into the fold. I’m too old to be brought back to middle school.”

Dillion grinned. “I need to attempt to come to things like this. My mother can’t do it all for me.”

“It’s not easy being a single mother,” Sara said. “My ex, he rarely helps out other than his money in my account every other week and picking Joanna up when required. That’s only half the time. And I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be dumping on you this way.”

“It’s fine,” she said. And reminded herself how good she had it as a single mother. “I’m grateful for my mother’s help. I’m not sure I would have been able to get through my residency and then my fellowship.”

Eight years of college, three years of her residency, and then a year of fellowship.

She’d had Gianna toward the end of her second year of her residency and had been practicing for about two years now.

Not even a full year of owning a practice.

Yeah, she might have been nuts to buy it like her parents said, but she couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

“You don’t get any help from your ex either?” Sara said. “Men suck.”

Dillion could nod her head and let Sara believe that, but she didn’t want people to think Gianna’s dad was a bum.

There were enough secrets she was holding onto in terms of Alec. Ones she’d have to decide if she ever told her daughter.

But she’d had a solid connection and friendship with Alec before their daughter. No one could take that from her.

“No, Gianna’s dad died when she was five weeks old,” she said.

“I’m so sorry,” Sara said, her eyes wide in embarrassment. “Forgive me. I had no idea. Joanna only said that Gianna doesn’t have a Daddy. I guess I just assumed.”

“It’s fine,” she said.

“Well, if there is one thing that I’ve found harder than being a single mother, it’s jumping into the dating pool,” Sara said, laughing.

So much for not putting a lot of her life out there.

“Tell me about it,” she said. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to run to the ladies' room.” She held up her nearly finished coffee and walked away, caught sight of her daughter, and called her over. “Mommy needs to go potty, are you okay?”