A text on Polly’s phone pulled her away from the conversation.
Mom: What do you think of this?
A photo of a white dress came through. A simple silk gown that went down to the floor with thin straps.
Polly: It’s nice.
She set the phone down and took a big gulp of her beer. It was her third and probably wouldn’t be her last. Maggie had driven, and dammit, she was trying to drown things out. The phone. Jenna. Joel.
Beer likely wasn’t the healthiest way to deal with her problems, but hell, it was what she had.
Mom: I found this one for you.
Polly choked on the next sip of beer when she saw the photo. What in the blind-her-eyes was that? It was purple. And feathery. Yes, it actually had feathers on the hem.
Polly: I think a bird died in that.
Mom: It’s designer.
Polly: I love you, but I’m not wearing that. Doesn’t matter if it’s designer or it belonged to the Princess of Wales.
“What’s wrong?” Maggie asked.
Polly turned the phone around and showed both women the dress.
Maggie’s jaw dropped, while Raven just frowned.
“That’s…well…” Maggie cocked her head.
“The ugliest thing you’ve ever seen,” Polly finished. “I know. This has to be punishment for not pretending to like Jonah.”
“Who’s Jonah?” Raven asked.
“My mother’s fiancé and soon-to-be fifth husband.”
“Fifth?”
“Yup. If you ever want a stepdad story, I have one for you. I can tell you about the thermostat tyrant, who made a hobby out of ensuring it was never changed because, and I quote, ‘Money doesn’t grow on trees.’ I can tell you about the outdoor nutjob who made us go on ‘family hikes’ every night and would spend the entire time talking about mental toughness. Oh, and my favorite—the handyman. He was always ‘fixing’ things that didn’t need fixing, but once he was done with them, they did.”
Raven cringed. “That doesn’t sound fun.”
“Not fun, but I learned a lot. That guys are great for a little while. But once they’re done—and they’ll always be done at some point—they leave.” Thermostat guy, outdoor enthusiast, Mr. Handyman…they’d all done their time, then moved on. “I also learned that marriage and relationships in general benefit one side—the man’s.”
“This isn’t a new belief of yours though,” Maggie added.
“Of course not. Because historically, men have used women for unpaid domestic labor, emotional caretaking, and sex. I’m not signing up for that.”
“You’ll sign up for kisses though,” Maggie sang.
Polly gasped.
“You kissed someone?” Raven asked.
Polly thought about lying, but she shouldn’t care if others knew what she’d done. She wasn’t ashamed of it. “Joel. He’s one of the guys in our search and rescue team. But it was a one-time thing. I doubt it will happen again.”
“I assume you’ve told him that?” Maggie said from over her glass.
“No. But I have no problem doing so.” To prove her point, she lifted her phone and typed out a text.
