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It's a Saturday, and while normally as a couple that would mean going out with Tim, Ashley has a reservation at a restaurant for lunch that she knows he won't be a fan of.
It's a vegan flatbread pizza place, newly opened with supposedly the best tomato sauce in all of Los Angeles.
Naturally, Ashley signed up for the waiting list as soon as it opened up. She still had to wait a month, but it's worth it.
She would've invited Lucy to come (she knows the officer would flip to come), but as much as she likes the woman, it seems that she's a little too close to Tim. It's been only two weeks since the double date, and it still irks Ashley every time she thinks about it. While Ashley isn't the jealous type, she still wants to talk to Lucy about it at some point, once she figures out how to say it.
Ashley is shown to her table after a few minutes of waiting for it to be set, and follows the waitress into an outdoor patio table after sharing her preference. There aren't many people sitting outside, since it's a late January morning and a little breezy for LA.
She's just ordered a veggie flatbread pizza and some soup when she hears a familiar laugh. It's feminine, and very hearty and sweet. Ashley's heard this before, numerous times on a night she would like to forget.
Another feminine laugh mixes with it when Ashley turns to the right and sees, with a light punch to the gut, Tim and Lucy.
There's a teenager, maybe eighteen years old, sitting next to Lucy, while Tim sits on the opposite side of the table. Ashley's sitting close enough to be able to make out their conversation.
"I told you he'd like it," the teenager is saying. "It's vegan but tastes so real and authentic, you can't tell."
Lucy nods. "This, Tim, is why you try new things."
"You two are right this time," Tim says begrudgingly, even though there's teasing involved. "Vegan stuff can taste good." He takes another bite of the slice of pizza he's holding, and Lucy and the teenager give each other a smug smile.
"Can you say that we were right again on video?" Lucy asks, taking her phone out.
"Please?" The teenager chimes in.
Who even is this teenager? And why does she have the ability to tease Tim without pissing him off? Ashley knows that only a few people can do so, those being Lucy, herself, and Angela.
But this teenager, that's never come up in conversations, on the other hand, is someone new. She's clearly very involved in Tim's life, and Ashley can't feel a bit left out at the fact that she's never learned about her.
When Ashley looks back at them after getting her food, Tim is giving Lucy the "you were right" sentence on video, the teenager next to her gleefully laughing as she takes a sip of lemonade.
Tim turns to the teenager as soon as Lucy finishes recording. "You did good choosing this place, kiddo."
The teenager smiles. "Thanks, dad."
Ashley almost chokes on her pizza. Dad ? Tim can't have children, can he? Ashley knows that Tim's been married, but having kids has never popped up in a conversation. While Tim is old enough to have kids, she doesn't think he has an eighteen year old.
“Whatever,” Tim responds, without mentioning how he’s not the teenager’s dad. This gets Ashley’s head spinning. Is she adopted? If so, why doesn’t she see the teenager when she’s at Tim’s place? “So, how’s your last semester of high school going?”
The teenager grins. “Pretty great, actually. I mean, other than senioritis starting to go around again.”
Lucy laughs. “Not surprising. I remember my senioritis phase.”
“You almost had to go to court for truancy, Lucy,” Tim deadpans. Ashley doesn’t want to know how Tim knows this.
“What can I say? My rebel phase was pretty dark. Besides, didn’t you pull that senior prank on your econ teacher and get her to retire early?” Lucy asks, perfectly innocent.
Tim is silent, and puts another slice of pizza in his mouth. “We don’t talk about that.” He turns to the teenager, who’s laughing. “Tamara, I hope you don’t do any of that.”
“Relax, guys,” Tamara responds. “I’m going to keep my grades up. Can’t disappoint Mom and Dad, you both literally saved me.”
Ashley wants to know two things. One, why Tamara calls them Mom and Dad, and two, how they saved her. But she doesn’t get much time to dwell on it before the conversation carries on.
“That we did,” Lucy says, still smiling. “Ooh, we should get Kojo and take him to the beach! I bet he’d love to get in the ocean today.”
Tim nods. “Kojo would like that. He hasn’t seen Tamara in a while.”
“Yeah, but can we get dessert first?” Lucy asks, a little giddy like the teen next to her. “Tamara spotted a tiramisu on the menu, and we cannot ignore it.”
“Finding the best tiramisu in LA is harder than we expected. But this place has amazing reviews on the tiramisu, and we have to try it,” Tamara adds, bouncing in her seat.
Tim groans. “Fine.”
The two women high-five each other, and call over a waitress to order two cakes. Less than two minutes later, the two plates of tiramisu arrive at their table, and okay, Ashley has to admit it looks pretty good.
What happens next surprises her. As the waitress clears their table for the cakes, Lucy moves one of them in the middle of the table, where she takes a forkful of the cake and gives Tim a look. Tim sighs (even though it seems like it’s just for show) and opens his mouth. Lucy puts the cake in his mouth, and waits for his reaction. After a moment, Tim gives into the cake. He gives Lucy an nod of approval, and Lucy grins, putting the fork back in the same cake .
They end up sharing that cake, on the same fork. The jealousy creeping up on Ashley isn’t rejected. She and Tim haven’t even reached that stage of their relationship yet, and he and Lucy do this platonically. Every once in a while, Lucy will feed Tim a forkful of cake, and it while it might seem like he doesn’t like being treated like a baby, Ashley can tell Tim isn’t going to complain. The amused look on Tamara’s face is definitely more than enough to let him continue letting Lucy do as she pleases. It seems as if Tim would do anything to make Tamara happy.
Speaking of the teen, Tamara’s eating her own as the three of them continue making conversation about things to do over the weekend.
Ashley feels almost left out of this. Why didn’t Tim tell her he has a daughter? And since the pieces aren’t really fitting in, what is it with Tamara and her involvement in Tim’s life?
She stands up and goes to say hi to them. “Hey!”
Tim looks up at Ashley, surprise crossing his face. The bite of tiramisu slowly making its way into his mouth stops as Lucy drops her hand and eats it herself. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
“I had a reservation here. Just wanted to say hi,” Ashley says, a little put off by what Tim says. “Nice to see you again, Lucy.”
Lucy smiles and waves. “You too, Ashley.” It’s clear it probably isn’t, as the last time they saw each other was not an exceptionally fun night.
Tim speaks up. “This is Tamara. Tamara, this is Ashley.”
Tamara smiles. “Hey. So, how do you know each other?” She gestures between Tim and Ashley.
Ashley is almost taken aback by the straightforwardness of the teen, but neither Tim nor Lucy make a move to scold her, so she doesn’t say anything about it. “Tim and I are dating.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Tamara turns her head to Tim. “You didn’t say anything about a girlfriend.” One of her hands instinctively covers Lucy’s squeezing it gently as if soothing her. Ashley notices that Lucy’s face is a little tense, and that she’s gone quiet.
Tim blinks. “I never mentioned it?”
“No…” Tamara gives Tim a look. “Listen, is this one of those things where a guy is worried about telling his kid about dating again because of the whole ‘I still love you, sweetie, but your mom and I just aren’t working anymore’ thing?”
“Your kid?” The words slip out of Ashley’s mouth, but she doesn’t regret it. If even Tamara can admit it, then it has to be true.
Tim shakes his head. “No. Well, kind of. You wanna explain to Ashley, Tamara?”
There has to be a reason Tim lets Tamara tell the story, and Ashley realizes that it might have to do with Tamara’s remark about Tim and Lucy saving her. Suddenly she feels a little ashamed about asking.
Tamara answers, though. “I had a bit of a rough patch. Homeless for a while, until Lucy saved me and kept an eye on me. I live with her now, but Tim’s around a lot of the time. They’re the closest people I have to parents, so I like to call them Mom and Dad sometimes.” She gives Ashley an unreadable look, the teen’s lips pursing. “But they’ve never mentioned you.”
“And no, it’s not because of the weird example you set out earlier, Tamara,” Tim says. “I just wanted to find the right time to tell you.”
Tamara sighs loudly. “I’m eighteen, not eight. I can tolerate you and Lucy dating other people.”
Tim raises an eyebrow. “Just tolerate?”
With a shrug, Tamara answers him. “No one ever deals with step-parents well.”
Lucy chokes on her water at that, and Tim gets out of his seat, rubbing circles on her back.
And again with the touching. Ashley’s noticed that Tim never hesitates to invade personal space when it comes to Lucy.
When Lucy holds a hand up to show that she’s fine, Tim nods and goes back to his seat. “It’s not like we’re married, Tamara,” Tim says. “We’re just in early dating stages. It’s been what, two months?”
Tamara gives Lucy an almost sympathetic look, and turns back to Tim. “Okay, then. Has she met Kojo?” She asks Tim as if Ashley’s not there, and that gives Ashley a signal that Tamara’s not exactly a fan of her.
Tim nods. “Yeah, she has.”
Tamara looks at Ashley. “What do you think of Kojo?”
Ashley can choose to be honest, or lie. Lying seems like the better option, and this teen probably can’t tell when she lies. “He’s a good dog. He’s cute.”
“Hm.” Ashley knows from that small remark that Tamara’s seen through her. Well, shit.
First she had to get approval from Tim’s dog, and now his basically surrogate daughter. And it seems like she’s not going to be getting it from the latter.
Tamara stands up. “Well, I’m going to use the bathroom. Meet you guys back at the Dadmobile, or…?”
Tim rolls his eyes at the name for his truck. “Yeah. Ready, Lucy?”
Lucy nods, still silent. Clearly Tim notices, because his eyebrows scrunch together in concern. The I’m fine, relax look Lucy gives him in return eases him a little bit, but Ashley can tell that Tim will be asking later. “It was nice seeing you again, Ashley.”
Tim turns to Ashley. “I’ll see you later?”
“Yeah.” Ashley doesn’t understand why Tim’s brushing her off like this, and decides the best way to find answers is through Tamara. She smiles and nods, before heading off to the bathroom.
Tamara’s at the row of sinks, her hands on the counter as she’s standing hovering over it, her head hunched over as she’s taking deep breaths.
Ashley can recognize this as a common way people try to prevent tears coming, or a panic or anxiety attack. But she’s never seen it in real life before.
After a few moments, Tamara stands back up, looking at herself in the mirror and putting her hands on her face, just covering her nose and mouth, before removing them and breathing deeply again. She looks back in the mirror, and sees Ashley. Her demeanor changes that fast, and suddenly she’s hostile and a little wary. “What are you doing here?”
“I just wanted to see if we were good. I had the feeling back there that you don’t like me much.”
“Listen, Ashley, I bet you’re a great person. It’s just that…” Tamara sighs, turning around to face Ashley. “It took time for me to accept that Tim and Lucy are genuinely good people, taking me in and treating me like I’m their daughter. And I love that. They treat me as family, and I do too. It’s been a little over seven months now, and they have made it clear that they’re not going to leave, even when I go to college. And no one’s stayed in my life and promised to do that in a long time.
“I know it sounds so selfish, but I want Tim to be my dad. And be his top priority. I know that won’t happen, because he’s always going to choose Lucy first, but if I’m second to her, that’s more than anything I could have ever dreamed of. If you’re going to stick around, though, I’m scared he’ll choose you over me. Over Lucy. And for both Lucy and me, I can’t let that happen. I’ve been the therapist in too many situations with Lucy the psych major for the past six weeks, and I know that you being part of our lives won’t make things any better. To be honest, that might be the reason Tim didn’t tell me about you. And I’m not telling you to leave, but I just…” Tamara exhales. “They’re the only family I have. I’m not going to have Dad leave me and Mom just because he chooses you over her. I’m not going to. Not when they’re meant to be together.”
Tamara doesn’t elaborate past the last sentence, knowing she’s said a lot, too much. She closes her eyes. “I’m sorry, it wasn’t my intention-” Ashley begins.
“I know. But you’d be blind to not be able to see that Tim and Lucy have the kind of relationship everyone dreams of having. Either that, or you’re choosing to ignore it. I know that clusterfuck of a double date had to have done something to make you wonder about them.”
It did. Ashley remembers the way Tim backed away from her to stand next to Lucy when she originally invited him, and his insistence on inviting Lucy to Osia. Their banter and chemistry was too obvious to ignore, and she even overheard the couple at the table next to them saying how Tim and Lucy were a cute couple.
Tamara can tell that Ashley realizes that yes, Tim and Lucy have something she’ll never have when she speaks. “It’s the brutal truth, Ashley. Tim and Lucy are in love with each other. And I think they were before I even came into their lives, but for some damn reason they haven’t made a move. I don’t even think Tim realizes.”
The implication that Lucy knows about her feelings for Tim suddenly hits Ashley. No wonder she’s been so quiet today. “Tim doesn’t know,” is all she can say.
“You don’t know that,” Tamara says softly but bluntly. “But you know one thing for sure, and it’s that you aren’t the one for Tim. And I know you’ve just realized it in this past five minutes, but it’s true, and you’re reeling. And I’m sorry that I’m the one springing this up on you, since it’s clear you’re falling in love with him. But it’s a fact. And another fact is that you won’t be able to change it.”
Ashley’s still standing, still and frozen when she registers Tamara giving her a stiff smile.
“I hope you think about it,” Tamara says, before leaving the bathroom, a clear weight lifted off her chest.
It’s two years later when she sees the three of them together again.
After the conversation with Tamara in the bathroom, Ashley went over to Tim’s the next day with the intention of breaking up with him, only for him to be the one delivering the news himself.
“I owe you the truth, and it’s taken me time to figure out how to say it out loud. I did, though, last night when I realized it.” Tim doesn’t hesitate with the next bomb he drops on Ashley, and even though she expects it coming, it doesn’t make it hurt any less. “I’m in love with Lucy. And it’s not fair to her, or you, that I’m in a relationship where my heart isn’t fully in. So I’m breaking up with you before I lead you on any more.”
She can’t necessarily say she’s moved on from Tim, because she still thinks about him. But she knows he’d never feel the same way, so she’s accepted that.
The day she sees them again is a day she doesn’t quite want to remember any more.
Ashley’s at her lifeguard post, keeping an eye out for anything when she spots them.
Tim and Lucy are walking hand in hand, Lucy’s free hand wrapped around his forearm. They’re leaning into each other as they walk, and Tamara, who’s gotten her hair cut to a lob, has Kojo on a leash.
She can’t help but stare at the family, all dressed in civvies but standing out on the beach. Tim’s in his usual jeans and jean jacket outfit and a white t-shirt, and Lucy’s in a navy floral romper with sandals. Tamara is in a similar outfit to the last time Ashley saw her: a plain top and a leather jacket. The only difference are her jean shorts and Converses. The teenager has a tattoo on her left leg now, swirling letters spelling something Ashley can’t make out.
What draws Ashley’s attention is Tim’s left hand, a black band on a finger.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what it means.
They walk toward Ashley’s direction, but don’t notice her. That’s not surprising, seeing as Ashley’s probably long forgotten in their lives.
Tim scoops Lucy into his arms, holding her bridal style and pressing a kiss to her stomach. Lucy places a hand there as well, and Tamara wraps her free arm around Lucy’s head, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
Again, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what that means.
When they make it close enough for Ashley to listen into the conversation, she eavesdrops as casually as she can.
“We should get married,” Lucy is saying, back on her feet.
Tim laughs. “We’re already married, sweetheart.”
Lucy shakes her head. “No, like in front of our friends. A small one, obviously. We need the college money.” Lucy puts her hand on her stomach. “I know Angela’s still on you for not letting her see us tie the knot.”
“I second that,” Tamara chimes in. “Kojo and I were the only ones there when you two went to court. Court . And I kind of want to see you both in fancy clothes. Besides, last I checked, Mom, you still owe Dad a dance.”
Lucy turns to Tim, an eyebrow raised. “I do, don’t I?”
Tim smiles. “Mhm. So, we can do that either now, or at our second wedding.”
“I vote both,” Lucy says, putting her arms around Tim’s neck. He picks her up by the waist and spins her around, Tamara watching with a proud smile on her face, as if she can’t believe these are her parents.
Ashley’s heart hurts watching how happy they are, with their growing family and their ability to finally express their love for each other.
Tamara turns at that moment, her eyes locking with Ashley’s, stone hard. Ashley gives Tamara a nod, and the woman acknowledges her with a nod in return. She turns back to her parents, kneeling down to pet Kojo as they watch the impromptu and long awaited dance.
It’s kind of funny how it took a conversation in the bathroom with a teenager for Ashley to let go of the relationship, and another silent one two years later for her to fully and finally let go of those feelings.
Like Tamara said, Tim and Lucy are meant to be.