“Because they invited the whole town,” I told Pati as my eyes locked on to Trudy and the blush creeping up her neck. “And I told them we’d be happy to go.”
That blush. Fuck, I wanted to see it spread lower. Wanted to see it cover her chest, her stomach, her thighs.
Wanted to be the reason for it.
“There is no we,” Trudy argued. “You are free to go, but I am not.”
Yes, there fucking was. There’d been a‘we’since the first time I walked in here. She just hadn’t figured it out yet.
“Now, Trudy, you don’t want people to think you’re jealous, do you?” Her jaw tensed and I knew exactly what she’d been thinking.
Jealous. Yeah. She was jealous. Jealous that Harold had moved on. Jealous that he’d married someone else. Jealous that he hadn’t fought for her.
But I would. I’d fight for her every goddamn day if that was what it took.
She straightened her shoulders and asked, “Why would I be jealous?”
“Clearly you had some kind of relationship with the man. High school sweethearts?” I asked, cocking my head to the side as I considered the possibilities. I’d already had Shame do some snooping for me. I knew she’d been married to a man named Terrence who’d passed away decades ago.
But Harold was different. Harold was the one that walked away. The one she still thought about. The one who made her tense up when he walked in the door.
The one I was going to make her forget.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” She grabbed a rag and got busy wiping down tables no one had sat at since I’d been there.
Deflection. Classic Trudy. When she didn’t want to talk about something, she cleaned.
“Nana dated Harold right before Edith,” Pati offered, “but Harold’s kids didn’t approve.”
There was the truth. Harold’s kids didn’t approve, so he married someone else. Left Trudy behind.
Fucking coward.
“Patricia!” Trudy turned and snapped at her granddaughter. “Do I smell muffins burning?”
“No, you don’t, but fine.” Pati looked back at me. “Edith is the one who’s jealous because while Nana got over Harold just fine, he never got over her.” She turned on her heel and dashed into the kitchen before Trudy could say anything more.
Good girl.I liked Pati. She had her grandmother’s fire.
“I can understand that,” I said as my eyes trailed up and down Trudy’s body. I rubbed my thumb over my bottom lip, thinking about all the ways I wanted to make this woman come undone.
All the ways I was going to make her come.
On my fingers.
On my tongue.
On my cock.
Until she couldn’t remember Harold’s name. Until she couldn’t remember anyone’s name but mine.
“Understand what?” she demanded.
“Harold not being able to get over you.” I moved across the room until I stood directly in front of her.
Close enough to smell her. Close enough to feel the heat coming off her body. Close enough to see the way her chest rose and fell with each breath.
Close enough to take.
