“Amazing! My place at seven? Want me to ask Carter to pick you up on his way back with Becca?”
“I’ll drop her,” Donovan cuts in.
I stare at him.Why is he so obsessed with being my personal chauffeur?
“Thanks, but I got my bike fixed. I’ll cycle.”
“I don’t know what freaks me out more—the idea of you cruising around on that piece of trash, or you riding across town in the middle of the night.”
“You really are the perfect little husband, aren’t you?” I bat my lashes at him.
“There’s a party at Tod’s, by the way.” Lewis brightens. “How about it, Donny?”
Hearing his fangirl pet name used like that throws me off. I turn away and catch Lois staring at me a little too intently.
“Well, since my wife is failing to uphold her wifely duties…” Donovan shakes his head. “I guess there’s nothing for it but to hit the bottle.”
“May you choke on your own puke,” I mutter.
“You two are total relationship goals.” Lewis beams. “I could spend the whole day listening to you, but we gotta hit the road, Don. Coach will be waiting.”
Lois slips her hand into Lane’s. “See you later, Carrie!”
I wave goodbye and fling my bag over my shoulder. Donovan is pulling on his T-shirt.
“Enjoy your night, Donny!”
Deep down, I think him getting back to his old horndog ways would actually be good for me—it would reset things between us, at least. Take me back to the good old days, when just the sound of his name was enough to make me retch.
But the way he’s looking at me now is a reminder that the good old days are long gone. He grabs his bag and starts backing away.
“Be ready at six forty-five,” he says.
I hate this guy.
ONCE I’VE SUCCESSFULLY DITCHED DONOVANon the sidewalk, I head on into the building and knock on Lois’s door—all by myself, like a big girl. This is me, showing some balls. Just like I did when I turned Donovan down and refused to try out the comfy bounce of his back seat.
“Come on in!”
Stepping into the apartment, I spot Becca immediately and startat the sight of two old women perched on the couch. They look like twins.
“Carrie, meet Hope and Prudence,” Lois calls out from the kitchen sink. “Friends from water aerobics class.”
“In case you didn’t guess, they’re twins,” Becca explains, clearing off space on the coffee table.
“Nice to meet you,” the two women chant.
“You too.”
Lois waves me down. “Take a seat!”
I drop my bag and settle down on a purple wool footstool.
Lois nods at it. “Like it? Lane called it fugly!”
I finger the fabric. “It’s cute.”
“She definitely wears the pants here,” Becca whispers. “I swear, one day Lane is going to wake up and find himself in a Barbie mansion, and it’ll be too late to save him.”
