“Uh-huh.”
“Tell me he didn’t kiss you with that thing in.”
Anna snuck forward and bent to light it.
“Anna, sugar?” Kaci said. “You didn’t let him do that, did you?”
“We weremarried. You do a lot of weird stuff when you’re married.”
“Don’t light it!” Kaci suddenly shrieked.
“What? Why? What’s wrong?” Anna blew on the fuse, but it only sped the fire.
“That there’s date repellant, and you’re blowing it up.” Kaci dropped next to Anna, then blew out a breath. “Hoo boy.” She grabbed Anna’s arm and dragged her back. The fuse stopped. A second later, the firecracker and the retainer shot into the sky.
“Now look what you gone and did. Ain’t no reason for any girlsnotto be dating him now,” Kaci said.
Sparks showered down. “Well, damn,” Anna said. “I didn’t think about that.”
“Sugar, I got lots to teach you.”
Anna grabbed her ketchup bottle and squeezed in another shot, more for fun than necessity. “Is it enough if I wish his first new girlfriend gives him herpes?”
“That’ll do. Feeling better?”
Anna inhaled sulfur and hints of smoke. She caught sight of a wispy trail from the last firecracker floating through the sky, and she realized her shoulders weren’t bunched, her teeth not clenched, her muscles not spun tight.
She was free.
Not alone, but free.
She smiled at Kaci. “Yeah. Alotbetter.”
Kaci gave her arm a squeeze. “Good on you.”
On impulse, Anna snagged Kaci in a hug. “Thank you.”
“That’s what your ex-wife friends are for.” Kaci squeezed her back hard. “You stick with me, and everything’s gonna be fine.”
CHAPTER SIX
His body was a temple, well-fed, well-slept, well-exercised, but upon taking her hand a second time, he realized his heart had been sorely neglected.
—The Temptress of Pecan Lane,by Mae Daniels
Friday night, Jackson put his phone on silent, gave Radish a big old belly rub and a bowl of fresh water, then left the piles of boxes in his new house to deal with next week. Lance and his old lady were having a Fourth of July cookout, and Jackson was curious enough about their friends to call Auburn and let the family know he wasn’t coming up until tomorrow.
His new place was closer to base than Lance and Kaci’s house. Homier, too, in his opinion, but that was probably the Radish effect. Still, he and Radish had appreciated a few meals in Lance’s mini-mansion while they were getting settled. Made it easy to walk through the door, greet his hostess in the kitchen with a kiss on the cheek, and navigate through the growing crowd to head straight for the grill.
“Hey, Bubba,” Lance called from the man spot on the patio.
“Thumper.” Jackson snagged a cola out of a cooler and sauntered over to shake his buddy’s hand. “Big crowd.”
Easy to pick out Kaci’s friends from Lance’s. The Jim-Bobcrowd all had long hair and were fanning themselves, while the Company Grade Officers Association folks were close-trimmed and dressed for the weather.
“Hey, if Kaci mentions redneck golf, tell her you pulled a hamstring or something.” Lance’s lovestruck moon-eyes ruined his shudder. “Girl can’t throw for shit. Takes forever to let her win.”
“Should’ve told me before I got here. Already promised her a game.”
