Page 48 of Dear Debbie

“But I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Tonight?” I ask hopefully.

He shakes his head. “I can’t get away tonight. Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow,” I agree, smiling at the delicious thrill that runs through every molecule of my body at the thought of an hour of pleasure with Cooper. “What if you come for dinner?”

He hesitates so long, I’m almost positive he’s going to tell me no. Getting to have dinner with your boyfriend when you’re the other woman is one of those pie-in-the-sky things.

“Please,” I say softly.

“Okay,” he finally agrees, and I almost jump up and down like a little kid. “I’ll come at six-ish. I’ll tell Debbie I’m staying late at the office.”

I’m floating on a cloud as I make my way to the front desk to pick up my schedule for tomorrow. I barely even notice the disapproving look on Cindy’s face when she hands me my schedule—until she won’t let go of the piece of paper.

“Harley,” she says in a low, firm voice.

I try to tug the paper out of her hands, but she still won’t let it go. “What? What’s wrong?”

“He’s married,” she says.

Ugh. This is not what I need right now. I tug harder on the paper, and finally, Cindy releases it from her grasp.

“I know he’s married,” I hiss at her.

“Then why are you messing around with him?”

Cindy doesn’t get it. She is single and seems to have no interest whatsoever in dating or sex. She’s old—even older than Debbie—but she’s actually pretty attractive. She could have a partner if she wanted, but she doesn’t want one. She must be one of those women who hates sex. You can’t expect somebody like that to understand.

“This is actually none of your business,” I tell her quietly.

Cindy blinks at me. “You’re right,” she says. “It’s none of my business.”

I celebrate a little moment of triumph, but then I realize that if she wants, Cindy could tell Debbie what’s been going on. If she tells Debbie that her husband’s been cheating on her with me… Well, I do want Debbie to find out, but not like that. I want her to find out in a way that I can control.

That means that I have to be the one to tell Debbie that her husband is cheating on her. I just have to figure out how to break the news.

39

When I get home from the gym, there’s a car I don’t recognize parked on my deserted, dead-end street.

I squint at the windows of the car to see if there’s anyone inside, but it’s too dark. My first instinct is to make a U-turn and hightail it out of here. I’m not sure where I’d go—a bar? Back to the gym? All I know is that the mystery car doesn’t signify anything good.

Then again, I’m exhausted. All I want is to get into my apartment and take a nice, long shower, slip into a pair of comfy pajamas, and binge reality TV. I don’t want to let some stranger in a silver SUV scare me away from my own home.

So I pull into the driveway, my fingers crossed that my upstairs landlords have a relative visiting and the owner of this vehicle has nothing to do with me.

No such luck though. The second I grab my purse and climb out of my car, the door to the SUV cracks open. Whoever is in that car has been waiting for me. Waiting for God knows how long, which means I won’t be able to get rid of them quickly.

The driver of the SUV is a middle-aged woman who reminds me a bit of Debbie. She has graying brown hair pulled into a neat bun, and she’s wrapped in a trench coat. My first thought is that it’s Edgar’s wife, even though I remember what she looks like, and this woman doesn’t really resemble her. There’s something familiar about her though.

My stomach sinks as the woman takes purposeful strides in my direction. I thrust my right hand into my purse, feeling around for the small can of pepper spray I keep inside. I’ve never used it before—never even tested it—but there’s a first time for everything.

“Harley Sibbern!” Her voice is brimming with fury. “That’s you, isn’t it?”

I freeze, wondering if I should make a run for it. I imagine the woman chasing me down, grabbing me by my ponytail, and tackling me to the ground. “Yes…”

“I’m Lisette Inghram,” she says. When I look at her blankly, she adds, “Edgar’s sister.”