Chapter 9 - The Right Kind of Family
Two years after the divorce, I was hosting a charity gala for the foundation in downtown Boston. I wore a stunning emerald green gown, my hair swept up, radiating a confidence that would have terrified my ex-husband.
I was standing by the silent auction tables when a man approached me. He was tall, with kind eyes and a warm, genuine smile.
“I just bid aggressively on the weekend trip to Napa,” he said, pointing to the clipboard. “I’m hoping I win. Though, I don't actually have anyone to go with yet.”
I laughed, a bright, easy sound. “Well, Mr...?”
“James,” he said, extending his hand. “I’m one of the pediatricians at Mass Gen. I worked with your mother, actually. Clara was a force of nature.”
My heart warmed instantly. “She really was. I’m Elena.”
“I know who you are, Elena,” James said softly. “She used to talk about you all the time. She was so incredibly proud of you.”
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We spent the rest of the evening talking. James was everything Mark wasn't. He was grounded, compassionate, and secure in himself. There were no hidden agendas, no toxic family dynamics pulling him down. Just a good man who understood the value of a hard day’s work and a kind heart.
When he asked me out to dinner at the end of the night, for the first time in years, I said yes without a single ounce of hesitation.
