Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 140874 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 470(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140874 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 470(@300wpm)
The house phone rang and, seeing the number and extension on the caller ID came from Elwood & Stern, I answered with a breathy, “Sophie Scaife’s house of sexual deviance, how may I direct your cock?”
“Excuse me?”
Valerie. Fuck.
“Hi,” I managed weakly, drawing the word out way too much. “I thought you would be Neil.”
“I should hope so.” Did she sound amused? I thought she sounded amused, but it was probably wishful thinking on my part.
I didn’t want her to assume I answered the phone like that all the time, so I tried to explain further. “I just got off with him. Off the phone. I just got off the phone with him, not…”
Explaining never made anything better.
I took a deep breath. “Valerie. What can I do for you?”
“I was looking for Emma. I’ve been ringing her mobile and I can’t raise her. I thought she might be there.”
“She’s out with Michael today. Travel agent, honeymoon planning.” I wondered if that was embargoed information. Emma had been growing increasingly frustrated with her mother’s involvement in planning the wedding, and I didn’t want to be the reason Valerie showed up at the travel agency with a beach ball and swim flippers.
“Oh, that’s a shame. I could have given them the number of mine in London. She gets me amazing rates.”
“Right, but I bet she goes, ‘computer says no’ and coughs in your face a lot, right?” I snorted to myself. I’d just finished Little Britain in my Netflix binge of sadness.
“As usual, Sophie, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said with a dismissive sigh. “If you could, tell Emma I called. Oh, and I’m sure I don’t need to remind you, but it is Neil’s fiftieth birthday this month—”
I mentally slapped her. Repeatedly. Instead of saying, “Bitch, I know when my fiancé’s birthday is!” I went with, “I’m on top of it. The invites just went out yesterday.”
“Then I should find one in my mailbox today, I’d wager.” Like it was just a given that she would be invited.
The thing that I hated was, it was a given that she would be invited. She was Neil’s friend, and the mother of his only child. If I didn’t invite her, it would be out of petty jealousy, and it would hurt Neil. It wasn’t Valerie’s fault that she’d met Neil first and became a part of his life; I hadn’t even been born yet.
“Yup, you’re definitely on the list,” I assured her. “But please, don’t mention it to Neil. It’s a surprise party. Emma and I worked on it.”
“I won’t say a word,” she promised. “Must go, tell Emma I called.”
“Wait, Valerie?” What the hell are you doing? my brain screamed at me, but it was no use. I was already saying, “There’s this thing, next Thursday night. It’s a launch party for my book. You’re totally invited.”
Why do you do this to yourself?
“Oh, right, the book.” She sounded as taken aback by my invitation as I was. “Well…that’s very kind of you, Sophie. I would love to come.”
“That’s…great. Well, um…”
“See you there?” Valerie finished for me. “Looking forward to it. Email me the details. Must dash, Sophie, goodbye.”
She didn’t wait for my goodbye, so I assumed she was sitting by herself, staring at her phone in horror the same way I was staring at mine.
So, I wasn’t nervous enough, now I’d invited my fiancé’s ex to my first public reading of my debut book. My book about Neil. She was the only human being who knew Neil as well as I did, and that intimidated the hell out of me. I’d wanted her to be there, so Neil and Emma could see me making nice, but now, all I could do was panic that she would use something in the book as ammunition against me. She’d tried to sabotage us once before, after all.
No, I told myself firmly. Those days are over. You’re being very kind to her here, and maybe it’s the first step toward a real reconciliation and a chance a challenge at a fresh start.
Neil’s healthy eating habits post-cancer made sadness eating really difficult. Not that I hadn’t gone along with it. But I was starting to gently disentangle myself from his lifestyle. He could be vegan if he wanted, but I didn’t have to eat exactly the way he did. We’d been together for long enough, the romance of trying to do everything together was starting to wear off.
That was why I’d stashed about four containers of Ben & Jerry’s in the back of the freezer. I sat on the floor with some “Everything but the…” and considered how stupid it was that I’d invited Valerie of all people to my launch, but not my best friend. Fight or not, I wanted her to know I was thinking of her, and missing her.