Page 15

Emma stuck her tongue out at Evie but sat down as instructed. She gave me her strict nurse face as she poured herself a glass of margarita.

“Out with it.”

I rolled my eyes at her bossy tone but complied.

“Griff came into the restaurant for dinner Tuesday night right before closing. We were talking, and one thing led to another and...we did it in the kitchen.”

“You had sex in your restaurant kitchen?” Evie said loudly.

I smacked her shoulder. “Keep it down, damn it.”

“Why are we just hearing about this now if it happened Tuesday?” Emma asked.

I looked around to make sure no one was listening, then continued.

“There’s more. I thought it was just this one-time thing, and we’d just forget about it, you know? Like once for old time’s sake.”

“Was it forgettable?” Emma asked curiously.

“God no, it was hot as hell. If he’d been that good when we were married I might have hunted him down when he left.”

The girls raised their glasses for a toast, and I gave them a wry smile as we clinked glasses. Taking a long sip of my frozen margarita, I continued my story.

“After our interlude in the kitchen, he came in for dinner the next three nights and he’s just sitting there, looking like sex on a stick in his motorcycle jacket, and staring at me all creepy while I work.”

“Like a stalker creepy?” Emma asked.

“No, like he was picturing me naked,” I clarified. “You know that ‘I’m imagining having sex with you’ face that guys get?”

My friends both nodded.

“I was getting really annoyed with him hanging around. Chloe kept asking me what was happening between us and why he was there watching me, so I went over to his place last night after work and told him to quit coming to the restaurant.”

“And?” Evie raised one eyebrow.

My words came out in a rush.

“Then I don’t know what happened, but I shoved him against the wall and kissed him and grabbed his dick and somehow we ended up in his bed fucking each other’s brains out. But then he wanted me to sleep over, and I freaked out and said I had to leave and that it couldn’t happen again, and then Griff said this was our second chance and he was acting all lovey dovey, so I got the hell out of there.”

Emma put a hand on my shoulder. “Breathe.”

I lowered my head to the table and sighed. “What am I doing? The first time was a mistake, the second time, well that just gave him ideas.”

“Only him?” Evie asked perceptively.

“He’s so different now, you know? But also, the same. It’s confusing,” I explained. “Plus, Chloe has been watching us like a hawk and I know she thinks that something is going on with us.”

“Because it is,” Emma pointed out.

“The last thing I want to do is explain to my daughter that I can’t keep my hands off her father. I can already see her trying to ship us.”

“Ship you?” Emma asked in confusion.

“You know, put us together in a relationship. My very practical adult daughter is getting all starry eyed at the idea that her parents are still in love, and I swear she’s thinking about Parent Trapping us,” I said, referring to a movie from when I was a kid.

“Are you still in love?” Evie asked.

“What? No. No way. Not at all,” I said vehemently. Too vehemently, judging by the look on my friends’ faces.