“Honey,” I said. “I would never do that to your father.”
“Well, then, why can’t you just move back home?” he asked Scott.
Sc
ott let out a long sigh. “Well, it’s not that easy. I’m going to level with you, because you deserve to know and I don’t want you blaming your mother.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“I lied to your mom about some things and deceived her. I hurt her very badly and she needs time to heal,” he said, looking at me. “But, that doesn’t mean we don’t love each other.”
“But…” whined Jeremy
.
“No
but
s, Jeremy,” replied Scott sternly. “I was a complete jerk and deserve to this and probably more. So, don’t you dare go blaming your mother; she did absolutely nothing wrong.”
Jeremy
looked at me and sighed.
I wanted to forgive Scott
more than anything at that moment, but I still wasn’t sure if I could. I knew if we did get back together, it would probably be after many hours of therapy.
“So,” said Scot
t, clapping his hands. “This Friday night, I’m taking you two and we’re going out on the town and then we’ll stay at grandma and grandpa’s. Sound like fun?”
Both kids appeared elated at that
announcement and I was able to let out a sigh of relief.
Scott looked at
his watch and frowned. “Oh, I have a meeting I really need to get to. I’d better run. I’ll pick you guys up at seven o’clock on Friday.”
I wondered if his meeting included the two bimbos from t
he other day. I pushed the jealous thoughts aside, however, and forced a smile.
“I’ll see you Friday
, Linds,” he said, kissing my cheek.
“Okay,” I said, stiffening up as he pulled me in
closer for a tight hug.
“Call me if you need anything,” he whispered into my ear. “And I mean anything. I still have a hard on with your name on it.”
That would have delighted me two weeks ago. Now, it only troubled me. I gently pushed him away and gave him a look that said, “Not funny.”
He shrugged and then said his goodbyes to the children.
“I wonder where he’s taking us?” asked Regan after Scott had left.
“Probably
, to a nice restaurant,” I said, handing her an apple.
Just then the telephone rang.
“It’s Darcy,” said Regan, looking at the caller I.D.
I grabbed the phone.
“Hey, chic.”
“You still up for working on your resume tonight?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“Good, I’ll be over in an hour. I’m dropping
Max off at his father’s then I’ll swing by.”
“See you soon, Darce.”
“Darcy’s coming over?” asked Jeremy.
I nodded. “Yes, she’s going to help me find a job.”
“You have a job,” he said. “Taking care of us.”
I smiled. “Even though I love that job, I need a second one that pays the bills.”
He frowned. “So that means dad’s not coming home soon.”
“I don’t know. I think that even if he does, it might be a good idea for me
to earn some extra money anyway. Don’t you think?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m going on my computer for a while.”
“Do you have homework?” I asked.
“Did it at school.”
“Good job.”
He left and I looked at Regan, who was staring at my outfit. “Where did you get that outfit
, mom?”
“I found it in my closet. I lost a couple of pounds and it finally fit.”
“It doesn’t fit that well around your chest,” she said.
I sighed. “I know.”
“But you still look nice,” she said.
I smiled. “
Thanks, honey.”
She left the kitchen and I started unloading the dishwas
her. After adding the dirty dishes, my cell phone began to ring. The phone number appeared as a private one.
“Hello?” I a
sked.
“
Stay away from the cop,” whispered a feminine voice.
“Excuse me?”
I heard a choked sob and then the woman hung up.
Staring at my phone
, I felt a cold shiver go down my spine.
Darcy breezed through my front door shortly after six, carrying two iced coffees and an excited gleam in her eye. The look on her face made me forget ab
out the strange call, which I’d come to the conclusion had been Tina trying to warn me about her husband.
“Spill the beans
,” I said. “What’s with the pleased look on your face?”
She took a sip of her coffee and smiled. “I have a date Saturday night.”
I raised my eyebrows. “With who?”
“This guy I met on the I
nternet.”
I frowned.
“What do you mean? Where?”
She waved her hand. “Oh, just on one of those
online dating services. Anyway, we’re going out to dinner and then…well, who knows.”
The look on her face told me that after dinner, she planned on making him the dessert.
“Do you know anything about your date?” I asked.
“Well, I know he’s some kind of investor and travels a lot. He looks pretty handsome in his picture and has never be
en married, so no extra baggage. Unlike me.”
“How old is he?”
She shrugged. “Around our age.”
I sighed.
“Well, just be careful. It makes me a little nervous that you’re meeting up with someone from the Internet you’ve never met before.”
“
Hey, it’s a lot safer than meeting a man when I’m already inebriated at the local bar. Anyway, everyone’s doing it these days.”
I pointed to her.
“Well, you’d better call me as soon as you’re done with him.”
“He m
ay never leave,” she said with a wicked grin.
“The
n call me between orgasms,” I said.
She licked her lips and smiled. “My mouth might be full.”
“You are so bad!”
“Speaking of being bad,
maybe I can get him to spank me, too,” she said with a wistful look.
I rolled my eyes.
“Oh, for the love of God…”
“
Hey, sister, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”
I raised a hand and laughed.
“No thanks, I’ll just take your word for it.”
She grinned
. “Wimp.”
“I won’t argue that.”
She shook her head and glanced at her watch. “Okay, we should probably get started on that resume.”
I led her to my computer and we spent the next hour t
rying to glamorize my short career as a fast food cashier, back when I was in my teens.
“Well, at least you have some
current experience on the computer and are a pretty fast typist. Those online classes have to count for something, as well. Anyway, I’ll send this off to Sheriff James and see if they’re still hiring.”
“Thanks
, Darcy.”
“No problem. It gives me a chance to correspond with the hunky sheriff a little more, too.”
I laughed. “Oh, the stud-muffin sheriff; I should have known why you were so gung-ho on helping me get a job at that place.”
She wiggled her eyebrows.
“Girl, if you saw him, you’d understand.”
“That’s what you always say.”
“No,
this
time I’m serious.”
“Right.”
She laughed.
“Tell you what, if I get a job with the sheriff, I’ll tell him what an awesome woman you are and
then find a way to set you two up.”
“
In that case, I better send him your resume tonight!”
I winked at her.
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
“So,
do we have everything?” she asked, scanning over my resume again.
I sighed.
“It is. Kind of pathetic, huh?”
She shook her head.
“No, not at all. You spent most of your adult life taking care of your kids. That’s a lot of work and it’s admirable. Don’t be ashamed of it.”
I smiled. “Thanks. I still wish I would have taken a part-time job or something. Every time I broug
ht it up, however, Scott put the kibosh on it.”
“Well, now you’re on your own and can make those decisions
all by yourself. Freedom is a very empowering.”
“I wish I could feel it. Right now I feel trapped more than anything.
”
“It will get better. Take it from me.”
I nodded.
“Okay,” she said, looking at her watch
. “Well, I’d better get going. I need to do some laundry when I get home.”
I walked her to the door and gave her a
big hug. “Thanks again, chick. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“
That goes both ways,” she said. “Listen, I’ll talk to you either tomorrow or Friday. I still plan on taking you shopping before my date, Saturday as well. We’ll go to the mall; I want to purchase something sexy to wear.”
“Okay,
thanks,” I said, opening the door to let her out.
“
Yumalicious,” said Darcy, staring outside.
I peered
around her and noticed Jake coming towards us in the darkness.
“Hi there,” I said as he stepped up to the porch.
“Hi, ladies. I was just stopping by on my way to work to find out how you were doing, Lindsey.”
I smiled
. “Well, thank you. I’m doing fine.”
Darcy held out her hand. “I don’t think we
’ve been formally introduced, I’m Darcy.”
He took her hand and gave her one of his sexy smiles. “I’m Jake
Sharp, nice to meet you.”
“So Lindsey tells me you’re i
n law enforcement? How exciting,” she purred.
“Well, it definitely has its moments,” he answered
, looking amused.
“I bet,” she said.
“Looks like you dropped something, Lindsey,” he said, bending down to pick up the screwdriver I’d forgotten on the porch.
Darcy and I both stared at his firm
behind. She quickly turned to me and nodded her approval.
Stifling a giggle,
I gave her a warning look as he turned back around to face us.
“Well,” said Darcy, clearing her throat. “Although
, I’d love to stay and chat, I really have a lot of things to do tonight. It was very nice meeting you, Mr. Sharp.”
“
Just call me Jake.”
Her eyes gave him the once-over. “No, I think
‘Sharp’ is much more appropriate.”
Jake’s eyes met mine and he smiled.
I could only groan.
She burst out laughing. “Sorry, Jake. I live for embarrassing my little friend here,” she said, hip-checking me.
“Thanks.”
“
Talk to you tomorrow, Linds,” she said, stepping off the porch.
“Okay
,” I said.
After she left
, Jake folded his arms across his chest and studied me. “So, what happened with Scott?”
I sighed. “He’s still trying to come back home.”
He nodded. “I figured as much. I guess I don’t really blame him.”
“Well…”
“Do
you
want him to come back home?” he asked.
I stared
at him, and right then and there, the answer rolled easily off my tongue. “No, I guess I don’t.”
He grinned. “Good
. Because I don’t like to share.”
My cheeks turned pink as I thought about earlier. We’d both acted like a couple of horny teenagers
, and now that my head had cleared, I felt silly. “Jake…”
He moved towards me and slipped his arms around my waist. “Shh…it’s okay,” he murmured, nuzzling my neck. “Let me just breathe you in for a second
before I go to the stakeout.”
I pushed him away
and looked up into his eyes. “Stakeout? That sounds dangerous.”
He smiled seductively. “You’re already starting to worry about me
? I like that, it turns me on.”
I rolled my eyes
. “Just be careful.”
“I will
– if you give me a goodnight kiss,” he prodded.
I glanced
across the street at the homes facing us, already feeling like the other neighbors had their noses pressed against their windows, gawking at us. “I can’t,” I whispered. “The kids might come out here, and they wouldn’t understand.”