Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 85399 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85399 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
“Harvey will probably take your side.”
I laugh. She’s right. He probably would.
“Forget the kid at the grocery,” I say. “If I’m getting a boy toy, I’m getting one like Harvey.”
“Old?”
“No. Someone that likes to be home, eat cherry pie, and adores me.”
“Maybe that’s where I’m going wrong,” she says. “I’ve been looking for abs, money, and no mommy issues.”
“Yeah, you need to refocus. Abs are great, but they’re no good if you never get to see them.”
“Fair.” She laughs. “Okay, besides age, dessert, and adoration, what else would Lauren’s perfect man be like?”
My lips are parting to respond when the hair on the back of my neck stands up. Billie smirks and stares over my shoulder.
I hold my breath as a voice rings out behind me.
“Oh, I can’t wait to hear this.”
Great.
CHAPTER TWO
LAUREN
Jack.
His Tom Ford cologne mixes with the distinct scent of his sweat. It floats through the room with a confidence that used to be a huge turn-on. Now it’s annoying.
I used to joke with him—years ago, when we had fun sex and not get-it-over-with sex—that all he had to do was work out for a few minutes or mow the lawn. The scent of his body was the match to my libido’s fuse.
He squeezes the back of the chair, causing his knuckles to graze my shoulder blades.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, still facing Billie. “Eavesdropping is a nasty habit.”
“It’s a pleasure to see you, too, Lo.”
I roll my eyes and turn to face him. His brown eyes deepen as he holds my gaze. Despite my frustration—my lord, he’s handsome.
Unlike me, he’s unbothered by our unofficial separation—because that’s what our life really is. We’re both here for the kids and maybe convenience, but this isn’t a marriage and hasn’t been for a long time.
Jack’s hair tapers down the sides, and the back blends into the skin at his nape. It’s brushed up with a slight part, as if he woke up and ran his fingers through it. Has he seen a barber?
He leans forward, his gray T-shirt darkened by his perspiration, and smiles.
“I didn’t say it was a pleasure to see you,” I say, leaning away from him for good measure. “You can’t just sneak in my office like that.”
He winks. “I just did.”
Smart-ass.
“I’m meeting the kids here,” he says, lifting a brow. “I assume you’ve heard about the party Michael wants to go to.”
“I’m trying to figure a way around that without a fight.”
“I took care of it.”
Really? “How?”
“Asked him if he wants to go to Hocking Hills for a couple of days. I’d already planned to be gone from the shop for two weeks when you decided we weren’t going to Story Brook.”
I glare at him. That’s not what happened.
He holds my gaze but doesn’t miss a beat. “So I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone. Spend some time with the kids and keep Michael out of trouble.”
“Is there a reason you had to personally tell me that? Texts were suddenly inefficient?” I ask.
His forearms flex as he grips the back of my chair even harder. “No. Not really.”
Billie hops off my desk. The movement causes me to twist around to look at her and catch her wide, shit-eating grin.
What’s that all about?
“Hey, Jack,” she says, her voice entirely too sweet.
“Hey, Bills.”
“How are ya?” she asks.
He shrugs, looking confused. “Fine. Shitty. Great. Whatever. Why?”
She hums. “You’re all of those adjectives but not . . . ‘suspicious’?”
Slowly, the confusion melts from Jack’s face, and a deep smirk graces his lips.
“Will someone tell me what’s going on?” I ask, my heartbeat picking up.
Neither of them looks at me. They just stare at each other in amusement.
“Hello?” I say, waving a hand in the air.
“Tell her,” Billie says, nodding toward me. “Stop lying to Lauren and tell her why you came inside.”
“I just wanted to say hello.”
Billie bursts into a fit of laughter. “You lie.”
Jack tilts his head and looks at me through his dark, thick lashes.
“You know that would never happen, right?” Billie asks.
“Yes. I do. So I figured I would prove it so I’m not lying on the couch in my office tonight, wondering.”
What? “Can someone explain?”
“Fine. I’ll tell her,” Billie says. “Your husband saw my new car in the driveway and didn’t recognize it. He wanted to see who was here. Didn’t ya, Jack?”
Oh. Satisfaction at Jack’s reaction, and the fact that he was jealous, erases all traces of my irritation.
Cheating on my husband is out of the question; it’s never crossed my mind. I don’t necessarily want to be with someone else. I’d just rather be alone than half-alive.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” I say, teasing him. “You can’t just walk in here. I could’ve been in the middle of something.”
His eyes blaze. “That would’ve been great. I would’ve gotten here just in time to help you out of it.”