“Be the zit, Denise. You’ll feel better once the nasty center is purged and the pressure isrelieved.”
“You’re ridiculous. And did I mention disgusting? Fine! It started as fucking and he ended up making love to me. He made me look in his eyes and it was deep and meaningful and it freaked me the fuck out. Happynow?”
“Fuck yes!” The damn woman pumped her fist in the air. “And?”
“And I started crying, pushed him off me, and told him toleave.”
Bree’s shoulders slumped. “Denise.”
She averted her gaze and took a large swallow of her wine. It hadn’t been her finest moment, especially given her general “I-am-woman-fuck-your-expectations”persona.
“Did he?” Breeasked.
“No. He picked me up, put me in bed, and spoonedme.”
Two seconds later Bree threw back her head, laughing. “You have got to be the only woman in the history of women to be disgruntled that a hot guy spooned her after making love toher.”
Her lips twitched. It was a little funny. “Whatever. I hateyou.”
Bree laughed for several moments before sighing and wiping under aneye.
“I told him about Ali,” Denise saidquietly.
That statement killed her humor. “Holy shit.Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow. That’s… You likehim.”
Denise pulled her lips between herteeth.
“You like him, like him. Like…don’t want to talk about it because if you do, you’ll jinx it, like him.” Bree’s voice was filled with shock andwonder.
“Don’t be so surprised,” Denise said. Maybe that was it. If she gave words to what she was feeling, it ran the risk of turning to shit. If she ignored it, it’d be like it neverhappened.
“How’d you leave it? You know,after?”
“He kissed me goodbye and told me to call him if I neededanything.”
“Did you call him?” sheasked.
“No. Not untiltoday.”
“Whynot?”
She closed her eyes, trying to verbalize all the roadblocks to moving forward. “Because last time, heghosted.”
“But—”
“I understand it was his job.” Denise opened her eyes. “He explained and he apologized, but I can’t help but wonder if he would have contacted me if I hadn’t been here that day he came looking for Sarah. I also can’t help wondering how much of him being around is him needing me and the kids to get toEddie.”
“Chris doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy to use kids to further hisagenda.”
She picked at the skin around her thumbnail. “I want to believe that aswell.”
“But youdon’t.”
Deep down she did. As unfair as it was to compare Chris to what had happened in the past, there was too much at stake. “I struggle withit.”
