Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 75516 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75516 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
She shook the baby’s foot as she spoke before turning her gaze to me. “It’s nice to see you again, Giselle; I guess we’ll be seeing more of you now that you’ve moved back in.”
“She didn’t, and you won’t.”
I wished the floor would open up and swallow me whole at his words and the smarmy look on her face.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to take my son for a walk in the gardens. If that’s okay with you, of course.” I gave Calen such a scathing look I was sure he couldn’t miss it, but he said nothing as he passed Junior to me without a word. “So, how was Bimini? You look, well-rested?” He was talking to her before I even cleared the door as if I hadn’t just been standing there.
“It was lovely, and you were missed as usual. I went to all our favorite places, and everyone asked for you. It’s not the norm for them to see me there without you after all, and everyone made mention of it. It got so bad I thought of wearing a sign saying you got stuck working, and everything was fine between us.”
I felt like ten kinds of fool as I closed the door behind me: Bimini, the first stop on our honeymoon tour. I took the hit and kept moving because what else am I going to do? It’s obvious now that they’d become an item after I’d left. I can’t say that I’m surprised; I always wondered why they never got together before. I’d spent many a night worrying myself ragged over their friendship, and now my worst fears were confirmed.
It’s none of your concern anymore. He’s not your husband. Yes, but that worry is something I would’ve lived with our whole union if I’d stuck around. It had nothing to do with why I’d left, of course, but now that I was back here, a lot of old buried emotions were coming to the forefront.
* * *
CALEN
* * *
I saw her look as she left the room, and though I knew that Dana’s words were a bit misleading, I didn’t seek to correct her or the assumptions that my ex had so obviously drawn. She’s jealous, even a blind man can see that, but I don’t think that I care one way or the other. I’d spent too many nights wondering if she was in someone else’s bed the whole time she was gone, let her have a taste of her own medicine.
I found though that I wasn’t interested in shooting the breeze with my old friend now that my ex and son were gone. I wanted to be out there with them even though I had a ton of work to take care of. Things that I’d left undone the day before. I’d missed out on so much of my baby’s life, a lot that I wanted to make up for.
“Hey, Dana, I know you came all the way out here to tell me about your trip, but can we put that off for another time? I need to spend some time with my son.”
“Is it your son that you’re running after, or her? Don’t fall back into her trap again, Calen, you’re smarter than that.”
I leaned my head to the side with my patented ‘what the fuck’ look. “First, no, and second, it’s none of your business if I am or not. You know I don’t like anyone interfering in my personal business, not even you.” Dana swallowed hard and looked away in embarrassment.
I was being harsh, I know, but she’s one of the people who had a lot to say about Giselle when she first left. She’d finally let her true feelings about my ex be known and though I knew she was coming from a place of friendship, now was not the time for an ‘I told you so.’ Not the morning after the night I’d spent in my ex’s bed.
“Look, sorry, I don’t mean to snap, but as you can imagine, the last few days have been stressful what with me finding out I have a son. I know you mean well, that you’re just looking out for me, and I appreciate it, but trust me, you don’t need to worry. You know me better than that. I only give people one chance.”
I saw the look of relief on her face before she grabbed her designer bag and headed to the door. For some reason, the bag caught my notice, and I recalled that Giselle used to own one like it. It’s one of the many things she’d left behind when she walked out on me. Remembering that had my mind going off on a tangent, and mom’s words screeched into my head.
She’d owned tons of stuff like that, and enough clothes for ten fashion shows, but she hadn’t taken a stitch with her. All the bags, jewelry, and designer wear that I’d bought her or had browbeaten her into buying for herself had been left in her walk in closet. Why?