“Speak of the devil…” Momgrinned.
“Uh-oh, what were you two discussingaboutme?”
“I only have good things to say about you,always.”
“Right back at you,” Casey said, smiling warmly at my mother. She then turned to me. “How was the session withQuinn?”
“Well, other than the fact that I learned what a douche I’ve been for the past twelve years, we had a very productivesession.”
“Did he tell you that?” Momasked.
“No, I came to that conclusion all onmyown.”
She laid her hand on my shoulder. “I’m glad you finally talked to him. Quinn looks up to you so much. All he really wants is yourapproval.”
“So then, why didn’t you tell me I was acting like achump?”
“Would you havelistened?”
The lie would beyes, but we both knew the truth to beno. I shook my headsmiling.
She laughed. “That’swhy.”
A lingering side-effect of the loss of power I felt with Ray was that I needed to be in control of every situation. I never wanted to feel the way I did with him, helpless and afraid, so I sealed myself off to all but a trusted few. Somehow Quinn found himself outside of the bubble. That was going to change from this dayforward.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Casey said, grabbing my jaw and kissing my lips. “Jake? Hardheaded? I find him to be veryobedient.”
Mom laughed hard at that, as well she should. God knows she’d come face to face with my disobedience more times than she could evercount.
“I’m telling you,” my dad said, padding through the kitchen just in time to catch the tail end of our discussion. “It’s the McKallister man’s curse. Wimps, I tell you. The whole lotofus.”
10
Casey:MarriedLife
Time flieswhen you’re having fun! And for four blissful weeks, I was having fun. Of course, most of the time was spent on my back with my brand spanking new husband right where he was supposed to be, but then I blinked and it was over. One minute I was preparing for the wedding of my dreams, and the next I was standing in the airport terminal hugging Jake goodbye. Those four weeks we’d spent together post-wedding were the happiest of my life, and that was saying something because on a regular basis, I was pretty damnhappy.
But then he left, and all I had to keep me warm and comforted were the incredible memories… well, that and bowls of ice cream, a furry creature, and a blue knitted mermaid blanket. In the month and a half that Jake had been gone, I hadn’t accomplished a whole hell of a lot on the personal front… unless you counted the multiple television series I’d binge-watched on Netflix. My productivity at work was another story altogether. I was killing it there, even bringing my work home with me because, in all honesty, I didn’t have anything better to do. Sure, I hung out with friends, and Kenzie had become a staple in my life since Kyle had also taken off on tour with Jake. But girlfriends were no substitute for my hot hunk of ahusband.
Every day, I thought of running away and joining the circus – Jake’s circus, that is – but then sensible Casey would pipe up and chastise me for wanting to throw away the opportunity of a lifetime. The opportunity I’m referring to was an entry-level position at a respected public accounting firm in downtown Los Angeles, offered to me soon after my engagement. It couldn’t have come at a better time, as Jake was still recovering from his medical crisis, so work and travel for him had been limited. He spent the break from touring working on a new album while I was learning the ropes in a new job. For months, the two of us enjoyed evenings out after work and lazy weekends just being together. That’s how I wanted my workdays to start and end every day of my life – with me inhisarms.
But it was never meant to last. By March, Jake had started a world tour, and I stayed home playing the nerdy numbers detective by day and the bored housewife at night. Even though we were apart for the months leading up to wedding, it hadn’t seemed as bad as now. Maybe it was because I had something to look forward to, and the planning took up all my spare time. But now that the wedding and honeymoon were over, the days apart seemed long and labored, and I was finding it more and more difficult to justify staying in Los Angeles while he was off touring theworld.
So I ate more ice cream, watched more television, and went to bed at old people hours. It was in this vulnerable state of mind that I met Lieutenant Dan. I hadn’t been looking for a man to fill Jake’s shoes, but sometimes fate just forced your hand. In my defense, I had been left unsupervised. You certainly couldn’t leave me alone for extended periods of time without risking me doing something stupid – like, say, bringing home a stray tomcat and naming him after my favorite character inForrestGump.
I literally stumbled upon Lt. Dan while out on a jog. Running wasn’t my thing, but neither was the little ice cream pouch settling on my lower belly. I needed something more to offset the enormous amount of calories I was scooping into my mouth on a nightly basis, so I supplemented my exercise routine with a light evening jog. And that’s where I found him, dark and mysterious, a man of few words. He was the answer to my lonely prayers. And before I knew it, that surly tomcat had meowed his way into my heart. We could have been somethingbeautiful.
Too bad Lt. Dan turned out to be a grade A felineasshole!
Believe me when I say I wasn’t looking for trouble when Lt. Dan wandered into my life. I’m sure when he first laid eyes on me he was probably thinking I was an easy score – a little extra kibble on the side. He wasn’t looking for a long-term commitment; but too bad for him, I wasn’t a one-night stand type of girl, and the moment I caught sight of that scrawny green-eyed boy, I was on a mission to save his furry little soul. Plucking up my new man, I took him to my nice warm house and fed him a wonderful three-course meal. You would have thought I was an award-winning chef the way Lt. Dan went on and on about the cuisine. If only Jake were thatappreciative.
Once I’d filled his tummy full, it seemed silly not to invite him to stay for a nightcap, so we settled in for the evening, watching a little TV, eating a little ice cream, and, because no one was around to judge me, retreating to the bedroom where we snuggled all night. So content was he with his new digs that Lt. Dan hung around all weekend. I could just feel the connection, it was so real – and dare I say, I was falling in love. But come Monday morning, the kitty Casanova couldn’t get away from me fast enough, bolting between my legs and out the door the first chancehegot.
I’d met these love ’em and leave ’em types before, so I really wasn’t that surprised when he abandoned me, nor was I expecting to ever see him again. But as it turned out, Lt. Dan’s belly had fond memories of our time together, and he was back a few days later, ready for a fill up. I know. I know. I was totally getting played. But I was lonely enough to welcome him back each and every time. And there were a lot oftimes.
So went our one-sided relationship. Lt. Dan would disappear for days on end, no doubt sowing his feline oats to a steady stream of furry floozies, only to find his way back to me when he needed a good solid meal and a little heartfelt cuddling. And I, like the needy mistress I was, would wait patiently for his triumphantreturn.
After a few weeks of this questionable behavior, I’d decided I no longer wanted to share him with other pussycats, so I made a commitment to adopt him and reform his wandering ways. First up, supplies. I bought them all, silently praying Jake wouldn’t come home for a surprise visit to find a four-story cat mansion in his living room. I needed to ease him into this ménage àtrois.
