They smile and move on. I feel nothing, yet I see my cousins all settling down, getting married, and having kids. Maybe one day I’ll want little Romeos running around the place. Hell, I know my parents would.
Seeing my mom happy that I am seeing someone, I now have to fucking find a woman who will step into the role as my girlfriend for a week at a Mafia family wedding.
Chapter Three
Nell
Today is a good day. I woke up early and went for a morning walk in the brisk cold of winter in Colorado.
It felt good to feel the nature around me. The crisp air and the quiet streets made me appreciate the simple moments before the chaos of daily life set in. Today we get a large delivery from a big romance author who writes MC, sexy bikers who like to talk dirty but in the sweetest way.
Swoon.
Right now I love my life; I get to be me and not hide the things that I love. Keith hated me reading. He told me that even with the romance books that I read, I was still terrible in the bedroom. Little did he know, it was just him I did not like having sex with.
“Good afternoon, Margarie.”
“Oh, good afternoon, Nell. It is a nice day for a good book, I see.”
“Every day is a good day for a good book.” I wink at her, making her laugh sweetly.
“Nell, can you be a dear and find me that romance suspense book you told me about?” I look to my left to see a regular customer of ours.
She loves coming in to read and to talk to other customers. Since her husband passed away a year ago, her visits have been more frequent. We do not care; if this is all the social interaction she gets, then so be it. I am happy to sit and talk with her, or get her what she needs while she reads.
“Will do, Marge. Are you okay to get to your table? I can have Dad come help you.”
She waves me off with a huff. “I am old, not dead, child. I can do it.” I grin, and turn away from her to get the book she is asking about.
Looking over my shoulder, I see a teenage boy help lower her into her seat. The sight makes my heart warm at the kindness that we sometimes forget with how the world is right now.
Tapping along the row of books on the shelf, I smile to myself at how many books here I have read. Since I left my ex, reading has taken over a big part of my spare time, and I’ve caught up on so many amazing books that are out there. I even jumped into genres that I have never read before.
I get that everyone has a preference but there is nothing wrong with trying something new.
With the book in hand, I walk back to Marge, nodding to the boy who helped her. His smile is sweet, then he joins his friends, who high-five him.
I hand Marge the book and step outside to clean the tables that we have out here. During the warmer months of the year this seating area is full, busting at the seams.
I place the used cups and plates onto a tray, wiping down the table top, getting it ready for the next customer that might want to use it.
Moving to the next one, I hear a cackle that sends a wave of prickles through my body.
“Oh, look, baby, she is still waiting on other people. Sad, really.” Closing my eyes, I control my breathing.
Like I have said, it did not hurt me that he cheated; it was just the humiliation.
Standing to full height, I turn to face them with a sickly sweet smile on my face. The best way to beat them is to not let them see you hurt; show them that they did not win.
“Oh, look, it is the cheating, lying ex-husband and his trashy sidepiece,” I reply with a childish shrug of my shoulders.
“I would not have cheated if you were good in bed,” Keith snaps.
I laugh at him, and his face reddens. “Let’s not lie to ourselves now, Keith. You would have cheated anyway. You are a weak man. I would bet my life on the thought that you are cheating on this one.”
“I am not his sidepiece; I am his main piece,” the chick smarts off, making me scoff.
“That is nothing to be proud of; you still slept with a married man.”
