As if sensing her doubt, Kelly asked, “Let me guess. You thought Jay was here?”
Startled, Aria uttered a nervous laugh. “For a moment. I’m silly, aren’t I?” She sought comfort in her friend’s confirmation.
“No.” Kelly draped a hand around her shoulder in a one-handed hug. “He’s locked up tight in a prison cell, sweetheart. It’s only natural to assume he’d be lurking around every corner. He has no idea where in the world you are?”
“I guess I’ll never be free of Jay as long as he’s alive.”
“Hey, cut yourself some slack, okay? Your marriage was a long, drawn-out one. Maybe you need a lot more time than you think.” Kelly followed her into the kitchen.
“How much time does one need?” Aria set the kettle on the stove.
Kelly leaned against a counter and seemed to consider her question. “I guess no one can really answer that. Each person is different.”
Aria bit her lip in earnest contemplation of her own.
“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” Her friend had a perceptive knack of reading her expressions.
“A couple of days ago, my underwear went missing and...” At her friend’s bewildered look, Aria halted. “Don’t you dare laugh.”
Kelly ignored her warning and burst out laughing. “Are you serious? Underwear?”
With a huff, she turned away to concentrate on making coffee.
“Hey, girl, I’m sorry,” Kelly came up behind her and hugged Aria from behind. “Why in God’s name would anyone want to steal your underwear?”
She stepped out of her friend’s embrace to fetch milk from the fridge. “I’m sure if your favorite went missing, you’d notice.”
“Sure, but underwear?” Kelly accepted the mug from Aria’s outstretched hand with a laugh. “And, you thought Jay took it as well?”
She glared at a friend. Then grasping how ridiculous the notion sounded, she laughed. “My mom’s wedding ring is missing as well. If I’m not mistaken, it’s fallen behind the cupboard.” The beautiful solitaire remained the only piece of remembrance she held of her mother’s possessions. A jewel she’d hidden from her vindictive stepmother. “Either I’m losing my mind, or I’ve become careless.”
“Okay, where diamonds are concerned, then I’m a little worried. Are you sure?”
Aria shrugged. “I remember taking the ring out to polish it, but for the life of me, I can’t remember where I put it. There’s a gap behind the cupboard, and I’m sure it fell.”
“You need to get this obsession with Jay out of your mind. It’s unhealthy, not to mention insane,” Kelly said. “What you need is a serious distraction.”
“What do you mean?”
“Reece.”
“God, Kelly, you’re unbelievable.” She blushed at her friend’s insinuation. “You’re asking me to use the man?”
“Who said anything about using him? You’d scratch an itch you can’t get rid of.”
“Trust you to think up these situations.”
“If anything, it would distract you.”
“No.”
“Well, don’t say I didn’t offer.” Kelly snorted.
Aria burst out laughing. “Offer what exactly. The use of another man’s body.”
“I made a suggestion.” Her friend shrugged with a careless grin. “What you do with it is another matter entirely.”
“Mommy?” Prisha’s soft call put a resolute end to Kelly’s taunts.
