Part 25 (1/2)

If I told him he could shower at home, it would lead to him moving back in. We were going on month two, and we still hadn't made headway. If anything, things were worse. We fought more often than not, and it was nasty, mean, and ugly.

I moved toward the doorway before turning around.

”Oh, and by the way, it's my birthday on Sunday.”

”This place is to die for!”

I took another bite of my salad and moaned. ”This is so yummy. You have to taste.”

Abbie laughed. ”Oh yeah, we need to get Royal home, STAT. You're having foodgasms at a chintzy cafe, Jenna. The salad isn't that good. You just need to get laid.”

”Is it messed up that you're right? I'm going crazy! All the fighting is like the most inappropriate form of foreplay, and I'm about to lose it.”

I was. I was extremely attracted to Royal as it was, but when all of our emotions were out in the open like they were when we fought, he was so s.e.xy. The lack of make-up s.e.x wasn't helping. If I'd had the guts, I would've invested in a vibrator to ease the ache, but I was too chicken s.h.i.+t to get one, so I had to live with it.

Or without it as it was.

She laughed. ”Trust me. I know. I think that's the only reason I stayed with David for so long. All we did was fight, so the s.e.x was fantastic.”

I loved when it was just us girls. No work, no kids, no men. It was the only time I could breathe and relax and just be Jenna.

”I know you're confused, but Jenna, look at the circus of losers that I've had parade through my life. Here I am, thirty-eight, married and divorced twice and I'm still alone. I love you, and I love Royal. I want to punch him in the d.i.c.k on the daily, but really, he's pretty special. He's been there for all of us. He helped me get on my feet after David, made sure I had a place to live, food to eat, and gave me a d.a.m.n job. He didn't have to, it's just who he is. I don't know what I'd do without him.”

”Way to ruin my salad bliss, Jess,” I laughed through my tears.

She sniffed. ”I'm not trying to bring us down.” She wiped at her eyes with a napkin and smiled. ”These are happy tears. You guys are the only family I've got, and I hate seeing him hurting. I can't help it! He's a big old baby, and I go back and forth between wanting to hug him, to beating him with a stick. It's all very confusing, and I'm exhausted-you two need to work this out because if you get a divorce, I'll be forced to marry him, and that'll get weird. We're already like his three wives as it is.” We laughed, and she nodded. ”No wonder he's so wacked. He's surrounded by crazy women!”

I shook my head sadly. ”If only I could crack his head open and peek inside. He's so frustrating.”

Tara held her fork up. ”From this moment on, there will be no more talk about Royal. We're supposed to be having fun. We've talked this into the ground. Getting through to him is as easy as solving global warming. We can't do it. He has to figure out what's wrong and fix it himself.”

Thankfully, the conversation steered onto more pleasant things. We talked about the kids, especially the girls and the upcoming homecoming dance.

Then I heard a voice that gave me goose b.u.mps all over my body.

Lana.

I held my finger to my lips and grabbed Tara's hand, pulling her down so I could whisper in her ear.

”Lana's sitting behind us,” I hissed quietly.

Tara's eyebrows rose, and her mouth fell open.

”What?” Abbie said, way too loudly.

”Shhh,” Tara and I hushed.

I strained to listen to Lana's conversation. It was entirely inappropriate, but I couldn't help myself.

”I think you're being delusional-and I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but Lana, he's married and has a family.”

I recognized that voice, Dena Murphy. She was an old friend of Lana's and a clerk at the bank. She was also a customer at the salon and, actually, very likable. I clenched my fists on top of the table to control the shaking. I knew Lana was going to say something about me, and I was going to snap.

”Is that why he moved out? Yeah, he seems thrilled to be with his family,” Lana said.

I bit back a growl. I wanted to kill her. The look on Abbie's face was positively lethal.

”Why are you wasting your time? He's poor, and he's got a lot of baggage.”

I wrinkled my nose and frowned. We were hardly poor. We weren't rich, but we weren't poor.

”He's not poor. He owns his own company.”

”Yeah but have you seen where he lives? Not to mention that when they get a divorce, she'll get alimony and child support for four kids. You'll end up supporting him.”

I was so close to losing it, and Tara knew it. She rubbed my arm and held my hand under the table. I couldn't believe those women. Hateful. Horrible.

Dena was so not likeable. I couldn't wait until she tried to come in to cover her roots again.

They laughed at my expense, and I wanted to scream. It was all so surreal, sitting there listening to them talk about my life like it meant nothing, like my kids meant nothing.

”I'm sure what I'll get in return will be worth it,” Lana giggled.

”Stupid b.i.t.c.h!” Abbie whispered harshly.

”I think you need to open your eyes, Lana,” Dena said. ”He's not all that good looking, anyway.”

I frowned and shook my head at Tara. Not that I wanted Lana to think so, but I had the hots for my husband.

”Uh, are you blind? He's gorgeous!”

”Why don't you leave him alone and find some young thing to mess around with if all you want is s.e.x?” Dena asked.

”Because I want him. I always have, and I always will. I didn't even realize how much I missed him until I came back. All those years, and still no one came close to him. If I could just get him away from his b.i.t.c.h wife, I could make him see it, too. He won't even consider anything with me because of her!”

That was more than I could handle. She'd admitted he'd shown no interest, and yet, she was going to manipulate the situation and pursue him, anyway. It was disgusting.

I stood, grabbed my purse, and wiped at my eyes. ”Get me out of here,” I pleaded.

Tara and Abbie gathered our things, and Tara went up to pay our bill. ”Take her to the car, Abbie.”

We rounded the booth, and Dena met my eyes. ”Jenna!” she cried.

”Afternoon, s.k.a.n.ks,” Abbie spat. ”Let's go, Jenna.”

I took a step forward but stopped and turned to face Lana. There was no way I was walking out of that restaurant without facing her. Her smug smile was telling-she liked hurting me. She hated me, and she enjoyed watching my family being torn apart.

Royal was the biggest moron on the planet.