CHAPTER 11: Diner Party
Jaime Waite invited the Roth's over to his house. He convinced them to stay with him in Las Vegas
for a while. He and Caitie wanted to catch up on lost time.
Caitie looked up at the beautiful home in front of them. It was in a really nice part of the town. A little
area where the houses were set as condos. The house was small, and a one story. It was white, and
roses grew around the walls, and the outer yard was fenced in. His lawn was a soft green.
"I have someone that takes care of my yard. Do you like dogs Jaime?" Jaime Waite asked.
"Yes, why?" Jaime Roth grew a huge curious smile on his face.
Jaime Waite turned his keys in his door knob, and the moment the door was cracked open,
something from the inside pushed it the rest of the way and jumped onto Jaime's chest. The dog was
a monster Caitie thought. It was bigger than her son. Almost bigger than its owner.
When the dog settled down, Jaime Waite invited the child to come closer and pet him. Reluctantly
he did. As he slowly reached out to the dog, it sniffed Jaime's hand and finally he put his hand down
on the dogs head. The dog licked Jaime's face.
"His name is Thor. He's a guard dog. He likes you."
Caitie smiled.
They all went inside Jaime's house and he showed them to their room. "This is the guest room. The
beds really comfortable. Sometimes I come in here at night and sleep in this one instead of my own."
Caitie set hers and Jaime's suitcases down. She turned to Jaime. Her son was still in the living room
with the dog. "Do you live here alone?" She asked.
"No. I have a roommate, but he's on a trip right now. He'll be back in about 4 or 5 days. I'd love for
you to meet him."
There was an awkward silence between the two.
"What's his name?" She asked.
"John. John Parks." We both work at the hospital here."
"Oh, your a doctor?"
"Pediatrician."
"You must love kids then."
"Yeah. I do. A lot."
"That would explain why Jaime likes you so much. Or, it could be cause you share his name."
"Well, I really like Jaime."
"You do?" Caitie asked a little surprised.
"Yeah. You know, it's not his fault." The look on Caitie's face made Jaime instantly regret what he'd
said. "Besides, he's really funny."
"Yeah." Caitie forced a smile. "Yeah, he is."
Later that evening, Jaime and Jaime were each sitting at the table watching Caitie over the counter in
the kitchen cooking chicken for them.
"Mama's a really good cook!" Jaime Roth told Jaime Waite. (a/n This Jaime/Jaime thing is getting
really confusing.)
"I bet she is."
"She cooks me dinner in the apartment. She knows how to cook good cause she worked in a
restaurant with Teresa."
Caitie looked up and gave her son a half smile, and a light chuckle.
"Ah ha. Who's Teresa?"
"Mommies best friend. Well, next to aunty Val."
"Oh my goodness." Jaime looked at Caitie. "How is Val?"
"You don't know?"
"Know what? I didn't really keep in contact with anyone."
"Val and Tyler got married."
"Wow! Married! Well, it makes sense. What about Hank?"
"Hank's doing great. He's not married or anything. I don't think he's seeing anyone right now."
"And you?"
Caitie looked at Jaime. A shocked expression lye on her face. "What about me?"
"Well, are you, you know."
"Seeing anyone?" "Yeah."
"No. No I'm not. Avoiding is more how I'd put it." Caitie and Jaime both laughed.
Caitie paused. "You?"
"Not really. I'll tell you one thing though, every woman in this whole neighborhood is after me. It's
like a female colony or something, and there always bringing over fruit cakes and pies and stuff. It's
just like in the movies you know? But some times it works out, because I can't cook for the life
of me, and when John's gone, all I can really make is Mac and Cheese, or order take out. So,
sometimes they cook for me."
"James Waite. You are truly a down right scum bag. Unless of course you like any of them, and it's
flirting. But that's just wrong!"
Jaime gave her a sly smile. "Well, I guess now you know my secret, so if you want to leave the
kitchen, I understand, but please don't."
"Don't worry I won't. It's the least I can do since your letting us stay in your house."
Jaime smiled and rubbed his belly. Little Jaime left to go play with Thor.
About 45 minutes later, they were all sitting down enjoying a wonderful dinner. The conversation
was filled with laughter and retelling of memories from high school. Caitie told her son about the time
Jaime gave a dog CPR. They discussed Jaime's career, and both Caitie's and Jaime's life up until
now. Caitie, of course, left out the minor detail about Jaime's kidnapping and why they were in Las
Vegas. She was surprised it had never come up.
After dinner, Jaime kissed his mom and went to take a bath. Jaime and Caitie were still sitting at the
table. The awkward silence was back. "Caitie?" Jaime asked. "What ever happened to Billy." He
didn't want to know, but he had to.
Caitie looked down at the glass she had been fiddling with, and started spinning her fingers around
the rim. "Billy, well, we split up."
"Why? If you mind me asking."
"He just wasn't someone I wanted to raise my son around. He didn't make a very good father."
"Are you looking to remarry?"
"We never married."
"Oh."
"But yeah. I'd like to find Jaime a nice daddy."
"What about love?"
Caitie looked at Jaime and he could tell it was something she really didn't want to talk about,
but she did any ways.
"Love is something I really don't have time for. I mean, it would be nice to fall in love again." She
paused after again. "It would be nice to fall in love with someone who loves me and Jaime. But who
knows when that will happen. I don't want to ruin someone that I love's life. I need someone who
can support us. Someone who will take care of Jaime and be good to him."
"Caitie? What kind of life is that? Your doing great with Jaime. He seems so happy just being with
you. He loves you so much, it's plain as day. He doesn't need a daddy so bad that you'd just marry
anyone. Can't you see that?"
"Jaime, were done with this conversation. I'll clean up this mess. Do you mind if I take a shower?"
"Go ahead."
Jaime looked down defeated. He could tell Caitie had been through alt, and he desprately wished
there was something he could do.
Jaime Waite invited the Roth's over to his house. He convinced them to stay with him in Las Vegas
for a while. He and Caitie wanted to catch up on lost time.
Caitie looked up at the beautiful home in front of them. It was in a really nice part of the town. A little
area where the houses were set as condos. The house was small, and a one story. It was white, and
roses grew around the walls, and the outer yard was fenced in. His lawn was a soft green.
"I have someone that takes care of my yard. Do you like dogs Jaime?" Jaime Waite asked.
"Yes, why?" Jaime Roth grew a huge curious smile on his face.
Jaime Waite turned his keys in his door knob, and the moment the door was cracked open,
something from the inside pushed it the rest of the way and jumped onto Jaime's chest. The dog was
a monster Caitie thought. It was bigger than her son. Almost bigger than its owner.
When the dog settled down, Jaime Waite invited the child to come closer and pet him. Reluctantly
he did. As he slowly reached out to the dog, it sniffed Jaime's hand and finally he put his hand down
on the dogs head. The dog licked Jaime's face.
"His name is Thor. He's a guard dog. He likes you."
Caitie smiled.
They all went inside Jaime's house and he showed them to their room. "This is the guest room. The
beds really comfortable. Sometimes I come in here at night and sleep in this one instead of my own."
Caitie set hers and Jaime's suitcases down. She turned to Jaime. Her son was still in the living room
with the dog. "Do you live here alone?" She asked.
"No. I have a roommate, but he's on a trip right now. He'll be back in about 4 or 5 days. I'd love for
you to meet him."
There was an awkward silence between the two.
"What's his name?" She asked.
"John. John Parks." We both work at the hospital here."
"Oh, your a doctor?"
"Pediatrician."
"You must love kids then."
"Yeah. I do. A lot."
"That would explain why Jaime likes you so much. Or, it could be cause you share his name."
"Well, I really like Jaime."
"You do?" Caitie asked a little surprised.
"Yeah. You know, it's not his fault." The look on Caitie's face made Jaime instantly regret what he'd
said. "Besides, he's really funny."
"Yeah." Caitie forced a smile. "Yeah, he is."
Later that evening, Jaime and Jaime were each sitting at the table watching Caitie over the counter in
the kitchen cooking chicken for them.
"Mama's a really good cook!" Jaime Roth told Jaime Waite. (a/n This Jaime/Jaime thing is getting
really confusing.)
"I bet she is."
"She cooks me dinner in the apartment. She knows how to cook good cause she worked in a
restaurant with Teresa."
Caitie looked up and gave her son a half smile, and a light chuckle.
"Ah ha. Who's Teresa?"
"Mommies best friend. Well, next to aunty Val."
"Oh my goodness." Jaime looked at Caitie. "How is Val?"
"You don't know?"
"Know what? I didn't really keep in contact with anyone."
"Val and Tyler got married."
"Wow! Married! Well, it makes sense. What about Hank?"
"Hank's doing great. He's not married or anything. I don't think he's seeing anyone right now."
"And you?"
Caitie looked at Jaime. A shocked expression lye on her face. "What about me?"
"Well, are you, you know."
"Seeing anyone?" "Yeah."
"No. No I'm not. Avoiding is more how I'd put it." Caitie and Jaime both laughed.
Caitie paused. "You?"
"Not really. I'll tell you one thing though, every woman in this whole neighborhood is after me. It's
like a female colony or something, and there always bringing over fruit cakes and pies and stuff. It's
just like in the movies you know? But some times it works out, because I can't cook for the life
of me, and when John's gone, all I can really make is Mac and Cheese, or order take out. So,
sometimes they cook for me."
"James Waite. You are truly a down right scum bag. Unless of course you like any of them, and it's
flirting. But that's just wrong!"
Jaime gave her a sly smile. "Well, I guess now you know my secret, so if you want to leave the
kitchen, I understand, but please don't."
"Don't worry I won't. It's the least I can do since your letting us stay in your house."
Jaime smiled and rubbed his belly. Little Jaime left to go play with Thor.
About 45 minutes later, they were all sitting down enjoying a wonderful dinner. The conversation
was filled with laughter and retelling of memories from high school. Caitie told her son about the time
Jaime gave a dog CPR. They discussed Jaime's career, and both Caitie's and Jaime's life up until
now. Caitie, of course, left out the minor detail about Jaime's kidnapping and why they were in Las
Vegas. She was surprised it had never come up.
After dinner, Jaime kissed his mom and went to take a bath. Jaime and Caitie were still sitting at the
table. The awkward silence was back. "Caitie?" Jaime asked. "What ever happened to Billy." He
didn't want to know, but he had to.
Caitie looked down at the glass she had been fiddling with, and started spinning her fingers around
the rim. "Billy, well, we split up."
"Why? If you mind me asking."
"He just wasn't someone I wanted to raise my son around. He didn't make a very good father."
"Are you looking to remarry?"
"We never married."
"Oh."
"But yeah. I'd like to find Jaime a nice daddy."
"What about love?"
Caitie looked at Jaime and he could tell it was something she really didn't want to talk about,
but she did any ways.
"Love is something I really don't have time for. I mean, it would be nice to fall in love again." She
paused after again. "It would be nice to fall in love with someone who loves me and Jaime. But who
knows when that will happen. I don't want to ruin someone that I love's life. I need someone who
can support us. Someone who will take care of Jaime and be good to him."
"Caitie? What kind of life is that? Your doing great with Jaime. He seems so happy just being with
you. He loves you so much, it's plain as day. He doesn't need a daddy so bad that you'd just marry
anyone. Can't you see that?"
"Jaime, were done with this conversation. I'll clean up this mess. Do you mind if I take a shower?"
"Go ahead."
Jaime looked down defeated. He could tell Caitie had been through alt, and he desprately wished
there was something he could do.