She’d have to check in with Jack. She didn’t want to check in with Jack.
So, like a toddler, she’d avoided her phone, metaphorically putting her fingers in her ears and singingla-la-la.
Way to be a grown-up, April.But the idea of Jack made her teeth hurt.
She’d call him later. After she got home, gave her kids cold cereal for a snack, sent them out to play in the autumn leaves, and collapsed onto her laundry-strewn sofa in a mess of what-happens-next?
She’d been asking herself that a lot over the past year. Her marriage with Kent had been so…solid. Until it wasn’t. And when it wasn’t, oh boy, it wasn’t.
Thankfully, she had good friends. Lots of excellent friends. So she got home, got the kids settled. Then Rachel came by with her boys for an April check-in. Not as an assistant, but just as Rachel.
Now the kids were all playing in the backyard leaf piles. April didn’t really mind that, since the kids kept raking them back together after each decimation.
April eyed her phone for a quick social media check-in. This wasn’t just time to face the music, it was time to face the entire symphony. Sift through the rubble of this mess now. See what toll this would take on her influencer score card. Finally, call Jack.
She reached for the phone, flicked it on.
The dinging started immediately. Texts, direct messages, e-mails…everything.
“Nope.” Rachel grabbed the phone, sliding it from April’s grip and tucking it into her bra.
In her bra. Still dinging. Still chiming. But now in Rachel’s bra.
April began an internal debate about how badly she wanted the phone.
Rachel gave her a look like she knew exactly what April was thinking. Then she crossed her arms over her chest to prevent April from going for the iPhone.
“I can’t believe you just did that.” April fell back against the pile of clean laundry she’d dumped on the sofa cushions with every intention of folding. Last week. Okay yes, this was last week’s laundry, but she’d started it when Lola had needed a snack. Harmony had needed a snuggle. Mayonnaise had needed letting out.
So the laundry remained.
She closed her eyes.Breathe in peace. Breathe out pressure.
“Don’t look. That’s why you have me. I’m watching, so you don’t have to.” Rachel held up her own cell. Sure enough, she was monitoring the video comments. And hoo boy, were they scrolling quickly.
April’s phone still went banana pants in Rachel’s bra until Rachel reached in and flicked it to silent.
“You said it wasn’t that bad,” April pointed out. She curled up in the fetal position with a pair of her favorite yoga pants.
“I lied.” Rachel made a yeesh expression that April felt in her soul.
“Then the truth.” April scrubbed the palms of her hands over her eyes, sitting up. “How bad is this?”
“Okay.” Rachel spread her arms wide. “You know how we all pooled our money to send penis confetti cannons to Kent’s condo?”
He’d found out it was them and was wicked pissed. He even sicced his attorneys on April. Lucky for her, his parents found that situation hilarious, and they’d paid her attorney to, and she was quoting, “make it go away.”
Also, even luckier for her, there wasn’t anything illegal about penis-shaped confetti.
“I recall that,” April said cautiously.
“You remember how angry he was?” Rachel asked. “The way we all panicked?”
Oh yeah, April remembered. She definitely recalled the way she hadn’t been able to sleep for days. She nodded.
Rachel’s face fell. “This is worse than that.”
April’s fragile hold on control started to fail.
