"If I don't like Tom 'that way,' then why do I care if his phone call was from another woman?" Veronica asked herself as she got into her nightgown and robe in her new apartment. Shuffling into the kitchen, she put water on for tea and sat down at the kitchen table to wait until it boiled. She must have a personality disorder, she decided. There must be something about her that made her contrary. Her sun sign? She was a Gemini so maybe that was it.
The water boiled and Veronica rose and fixed herself a cup of tea. Returning to the table, she thought about Tom some more. Really, what wasn't there to like? He was stable, employed, nice looking and had a good sense of humor. He was divorced but his ex-wife had died so it wasn't like there were going to be any nasty repercussions from his first marriage. If Veronica had any sense at all she'd start exploring their relationship and see if she couldn't work up a few zings on her own. She didn't want to go through the last third of her life alone. She was tired of being alone. She had Kirk, but that was different. Kirk needed to live his own life, just as she needed to live her own too.
A knock on her apartment door startled her. Cautiously, Veronica rose to her feet and walked to the door. "Yes?" she called. "Who is it?"
"It's Tom, Veronica. May I come in?"
Veronica unlocked the door. Tom was leaning against the doorjamb looking exhausted. "Are you all right?"
"I've been better."
"Well, come in! Would you like a cup of tea? I have chammomile--"
Although Tom looked as if he'd like something stronger, he nodded his head. "Maybe a cup of tea would help calm my nerves. I feel like I've been through the wringer tonight." Sitting at Veronica's table, he cradled his head in his hands.
"What's going on?" Veronica questioned as she set a cup of tea in front of Tom. "Does it have something to do with the phone call you received tonight?"
"Yes." He sighed. "You know I was married once."
"To Ron Schuyler's sister."
"What you didn't know is that we had a daughter."
Veronica's eyes grew round. "You did? I'm surprised you never mentioned her."
"That's because I never knew about her. Oh, I had my suspicions but my ex told me that the baby she had after we broke up was another man's and I never had any reason to doubt her. She wasn't exactly known for her faithfulness."
"Where is she--your daughter?"
"Right here in Schuyler Square. She's living with Mavis Schuyler."
Veronica remembered the sulky teenage girl she'd seen at Ron Schuyler's funeral. "Tiffany is your daughter?"
Tom nodded. "And the time has come for me to finally get to know her."
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