I’ve constantly replayed both of my nights with Ben, flip flopping between scenes based on my mood. If I can be brave enough in my own sexual liberation, I can absolutely go to a sushi restaurant and sit confidently by myself and interact with people, or maybe not. Maybe I just eat, drink, and observe.
I dress for myself in a dark blue sundress that makes me feel pretty and drive to my favorite spot. I haven’t been here since Will and I split up, because it wasourplace. But I miss it, and if he got a new wife and kid out of the divorce, I should absolutely win our sushi spot. Plus, I’ve tried other places and none of them compare.
It’s a Wednesday night, and not busy at all. I get seated at the bar right away, a small glass of sake in front of me as I make my dinner selection. Pop hits are bumping through the restaurant and three TVs are showing the news and various shows behind the bar. Even if I don’t strike up a conversation with someone, this is enough.
I got out of the house, showered, and I’m around human life. I consider it a win as I order my sushi and sit back and people watch.
There’s a couple clearly on an awkward first date, a few men who just finished an evening of golf, some women meeting up for drinks, and the other occasional patrons I can’t place.
The salmon sashimi melts like butter against my tongue and I hum in happiness, annoyed with myself that I avoided my favorite place for so long.
“It’s good to see you again,” Botan, my favorite bartender, says.
“I’m glad to be back. Please tell the chef that this is insanely good,” I say, accenting my words with my chopsticks as I grab another piece of fish and enjoy every single bite.
I don’t know why I was so scared to come here alone, there was nothing to worry about.
Then it happens.
Theywalk through the door, and I feel my heart sink. Is there no sacred fucking dining establishment in Tampa where I won’t run into my ex-husband and his new family?
When Will sees me, he doesn’t seem surprised, and I find it odd. Did he know I was going to be here tonight?
He kisses the side of his wife’s head and she glares at me with her deep set brown eyes. She has on a heavy winged eyeliner that makes her look older and the glare she’s giving me is more severe. I just stare at her blankly.
I wonder to myself if she worries about Will’s fidelity, clearly he had no issues cheating on me with her. Could she possibly feel insecure over the idea he’d turn around and do the same thing to her?
It would be karma, and as much as I might hate Will and his wife, even I wouldn’t wish that on her. Now small inconveniences, yes, I hope Karoline shits her pants in the car when she’s running late for something. Sure, maybe I wish she leans too close to a candle and all her hair catches fire. But having the man you care about most in the world breaking yourtrust, and hurting you as deeply as he did me, even I can’t wish that on this bitch.
Will approaches me, and I groan, throwing back the rest of my sake, and pushing it away from me, indicating that I want more.
“Kate,” he says, his tone far less shitty than it was the last time we ran into one another.
“What do you want, Will?” I ask, even though I know what he wants.
“You know what I want. What is it going to take for you to sell me those shares?” he asks.
His brown eyes that I used to find charming lock onto mine and I tilt my head.
“Do you even have the money to buy me out?” I ask, digging my claws in ever so slightly.
It only seems fair. Money was always a point of contention in our relationship, mostly because I had it and Will didn’t. I send up a silent prayer to my Aunt Helene, thanking her for forcing me to get a prenup before we got married.
Back then, Will fought me on it. He didn’t understand why we needed a prenup when we were going to spend the rest of our lives together. Genuinely, I thought the same. But Aunt Helene? She was the smartest woman I ever knew, and she made it easier by telling me she would leave all her money to an animal shelter like the woman inAristocatsif I didn’t protect myself before getting married.
I miss her so much, her wisdom, her laugh, all the times we had together. Thinking about her makes me feel even more alone than I did earlier. I’ve been an orphan for a long time, but right now, besides Savannah and Chelsea, I don’t feel like I have a family at all. The only other person I had strong ties to is standing in front of me, looking at me like we didn’t share nearly two decades of our lives together.
It makes me hate Will even more. The shares are the only thing I have control over. He took my youth, my sense of family, my pride. He took small pieces of me without me even noticing, and he’s delusional if he thinks I’ll bend and give him what he wants now.
“Yes, I have the funds secured,” he says, and I arch an eyebrow at him.
His wording is strange, meaning maybe it’s not his money or maybe the company was doing better than I thought. I’m not surprised, Dennis Commercial has been in the red these past few years. It’s one of the many things he blamed his infidelity on. He was struggling at work; I didn’t understand; I wasn’t there for him enough.
“I have no interest in selling at this time,” I say, as the bartender slides the refill of sake toward me. He’s clearly keeping a close eye on the altercation between me and Will.
He grabs my arm, squeezing it just to the point of it being uncomfortable, but not enough to truly hurt.
“Listen, I appreciate the fact that you gave me the capital to start my business and I’m sorry things didn’t work out between us. I’m offering to give you more than what you put into it, but it’s my company, Kate.”
