Greeting Cards For Exes

Chapter Seventeen

K ERRIE

My gaze shifted to the front door as I sat in the lobby waiting for Piper and Maude to arrive. For once, I wasn’t running behind schedule. The kids didn’t need lunches as it was their last day of school, and a half day to boot. Mr. Dancy had said I could leave early to pick up the youngest.

Already, I worried about daycare over the summer. Sophie said she could handle it, but I didn’t think it was fair to stick the kids with her all day, every day. Hal’s parents offered to take them twice a week in order to give Sophie some time to either hang out with friends or get a part-time job that actually paid something. But if it fell through, or didn’t work out, I wanted to have a backup plan.

However, having to see Hal’s parents more often meant more lies, and I was tired of lying to everyone. My ex had no clue how hard this was for me.

Maude walked in, followed closely by Piper. My mouth gaped at the bright powder blue pant suit Piper wore. It looked like something from Maude’s closet. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was.

“Um, are you two swapping clothes now?” I asked when they joined me.

Maude laughed. “You two could use a little sprucing up. Piper here has had her eye on this outfit for a long time, ain’t that right?”

Piper smiled, but the normal twinkle in her eye was gone. There were dark lines, and remnants of tears still lingering.

“Yep, I’m a sharp dressed woman now. You better watch out, world.”

“Is everything okay?” I peered between them.

Maude leaned closer and said in a hushed voice, “That good-for-nothing Wooyoung broke up with our Piper.”

My eyes widened. No way. They’d been getting on so well. “Wait, what happened? I thought you were having dinner with his family last night. Did it not go well?”

“You could say that. Apparently, Wooyoung’s sister is the homewrecker that stole Minho away. Although, I guess Minho is even more to blame since he could’ve broken it off with me before sleeping with her. But yeah, they showed up for dinner—one big happy freaking family.”

I rubbed my neck. “Did Wooyoung know about Minho and Hani?”

“Yes, that’s the shitty part. He figured it out early on and never said anything.” Her voice cracked, tears forming once more.

“Ah, forget him. You can do way better,” I said. “In fact, let’s not talk about him for the rest of the day, or week, or hell, even year.”

“That’s the spirit,” Maude said. “We’re back to our no penises allowed rules.”

The door wooshed open again, and Wooyoung came trudging in. His normally ironed shirt looked worse for wear. Even his hair was messy. Maybe Piper wasn’t the only one crushed by this breakup. But either way, I’d have Piper’s back.

Wooyoung swept by us without so much as a hi, what’s up , or screw you . I swallowed hard, hurting for Piper. Damn it! What was wrong with him? Maybe one of us could confront him. Although, I guess that might be a bad idea if we wanted to keep our jobs.

“You don’t need him,” I said, loud enough I was sure he’d heard me.

Mr. Dancy came in next, his beady eyes landing on us the moment he entered. He scowled, shaking a newspaper at us. “Why are your names in the court section of the paper? I thought you said you had car trouble, not legal issues.”

Maude waved her hand at him. “Oh, Mr. Dancy, these things happen. Some rude man tried to accost me.” She cupped her breasts protectively to make her point. “And these two defended me.”

“Defended you right into jail?” He shoved the paper under Maude’s nose.

“Yep, that about sums it up. But don’t worry. All charges were dropped, we’ve paid our fines and such, so no harm done. Now, what do you say you let us get to work?”

Mr. Dancy opened his mouth to say something else, but Maude quickly ushered us down the hall toward our offices. “Steer clear of him the rest of the day, he’ll soon forget about all this nonsense. Today is electric bill delivery day.”

“Lucky us,” I said. “By the way, I’ll miss you guys at lunch. I’ve got to get my kids from school today. But if you need anything, I’m only a phone call away.”

“Thanks.” Piper gave me a quick hug, then hurried to her office and shut the door.

Maude met my gaze. “She had a rough night. I still don’t know what came over Wooyoung. I’ll fill you in later on everything that went down so she doesn’t have to hash through it again. This only goes to show, even the best of men can be asses.”

“You’ll get no argument from me.” I had an asshole of my own at home, or rather, on the road or wherever he was today, but an asshole nonetheless.

My half day of crunching numbers at the office flew by, and soon I found myself parked outside the elementary school, waiting to pick up Nella and Tommy. At least, my running would cut down for a couple of months, which in turn would save on gas money.

My fingers drummed against the steering wheel when I glanced up to find Demarcus standing on the sidewalk, waiting to pick up Mya’s little brother, Mackai.

My throat thickened. We hadn’t seen one another since the whole bringing me to jail incident. Already, my skin heated with embarrassment.

I admired him from afar, the way his biceps flexed as he paced back and forth. Even now, he smiled that perfect, make-me-want-to-rip-his-clothes-off smile.

A tall woman with long dark braids and beautiful skin walked up to him, pressing her lips to his cheek, and gave him a hug.

My heart hammered in my chest while disappointment flooded through me. So, he’d already moved on. Or maybe he’d had her all along. I could see why. She was tall and gorgeous, and probably didn’t get handcuffed to be hauled off to the slammer. Had my stint in jail ruined things for us?

A wave of nausea swept through me. They seemed super friendly. They had to have known one another a while. Even if he decided he still wanted to go out sometime, I’d have to say no, now that I knew he had someone else. I didn’t want to be the other woman.

The distant bell rang from the school, and I quickly climbed from the car and went around to the passenger side so I could help Nella and Tommy in.

“Mama, look what I made,” Tommy said, running full speed toward me holding up a paper bag he’d made into a dinosaur puppet.

“Wow, that is so cool. Does he roar or talk?”

Tommy let out a loud roar and laughed.

Nella came next, carrying her backpack and a book. “I got a book from my teacher to read this summer.”

“So, you guys had a good last day, then?”

“Yeah,” they said in unison.

“Hop in, and let’s get your seatbelts on.” I leaned in to help them buckle. When I turned to head back to the driver’s side, Demarcus stared in my direction.

He lifted a hand and waved.

I gave a non-committal wave back. Before I hopped into my vehicle, he started toward me.

“Hey, Kerrie, it’s nice to see you,” he called, keeping me from making my escape.

“You mean, nice to see me not in the back of your squad car.” I gave a shaky laugh.

“That, too.” He grinned.

“I’m so, so sorry about that. I’ve never gotten in trouble like that, not until that night. I swear, it was a heat of the moment, crime of passion to protect Maude.”

He chuckled. “I’m not judging. Things happen. Normally, not stuff like that, but...” Demarcus ran a hand over his head, his mahogany eyes intent on me. “I actually came over here to see if you wanted to get dinner tonight?”

Confusion swept over me. Was he serious? And what about the model-worthy lady I’d just seen him with? “Not to sound ungrateful or snarky, but um, I saw you with that other woman earlier, and I’m not one to do the whole cheating thing.”

He raised his hands, waving them in front of him. “No, no, no. That’s Mya’s mom, my ex. We’re really good friends, but definitely divorced. She’s been remarried for a couple of years now. Trust me, she and I are not getting back together. That ship sailed and sank like the Titanic long ago.”

“Oh.” My mouth suddenly went dry. “Sorry. Well, I’ll have to ask Sophie to see if she can watch the kids. Can I text you later and let you know?”

“Sure.” He smiled. “If not tonight, then maybe some other night, if it works better for you.”

“I’d like that. I’ll see you later?”

“Most definitely.” He moved back toward the sidewalk where his son came sprinting toward him.

Whoa, did he ask me on a real date? Even after my brush with the law? Either he was crazy, really into bondage, or he actually liked me.

***

S OPHIE WAS ALREADY at the house when I got there.

“So, how was your last day of junior year?” I asked, setting Tommy’s stuff on the center island.

“Awesome. I’m now officially a senior. Can you believe it?” She giggled, brushing a strand of her dark hair from her face.

“No. You’re making me feel old, kid!”

“Do I make you feel old, too?” Nella climbed up onto a stool, trying to open a pack of fruit snacks for Tommy.

“Yes, you all make me feel old.” Where had the time gone? The kids were growing up so fast. After next school year, Soph would be in college. It didn’t seem possible. I tried to imagine what my life would look like with her not around as much.

I swallowed a lump in my throat. It was a bit early to be crying about her going away to college, I supposed.

“Oh, Sophie, can I talk to you a second?” I nodded toward the living room.

“Sure.” She followed after me, and I stood awkwardly trying to form words.

“I...um...I wondered if you might watch the kids for a bit tonight? Demarcus invited me to dinner. But if you already have plans, I can say no,” I hurried to say.

Her smile widened. “Yes. Oh. My. God. This is so freaking awesome. Wait until Mya finds out our parents are dating.”

“No. I mean, we’re going to dinner, but I’m not sure this means we’re dating at this point.”

“But you like him, don’t you?” Her brows raised as she watched me.

“Of course, what’s not to like?”

“I knew it. You blushed so much around him when we went to the concert. Mama’s got a boyfriend,” she sang under her breath.

“Shh! Don’t start that.” I swatted at her, but couldn’t help laughing, too. Just the thought of seeing Demarcus made me giddy. I hadn’t felt this way in...well, a very long time.

“You go and have fun,” Sophie said at last. “I’ll watch Tommy and Nella. You have to promise me, though, to enjoy yourself and not be worrying about us the whole time.”

“Deal.”

A few hours later, I stood waiting by the front door for Demarcus. My stomach knotted. He didn’t really say where we were going. Had I gotten too dressed up? I smoothed the skirt of my black dress with sweaty palms. Little black dresses were supposed to be universal as far as dates went, right? It’d been years since I’d been on a date. I had no idea what the expectations were or any of that stuff.

I raised my hand to my mouth and did a quick breath check. Still minty fresh.

“Mom, you okay? You look like you might hurl,” Sophie asked.

I gave a nervous chuckle. “I’m fine. It’s just been a while since I’ve done this.”

She nodded. “You’ll be fine. It’s only dinner.”

Right. Only dinner. A moment later, Demarcus pulled into our driveway.

“I’ll see you later. Call me if you need me.”

She rolled her eyes. “We’ll be fine. Go. Have fun. But not too much fun.” Sophie waggled her brows.

When I got outside, Demarcus smiled. “Finally, our schedules match up for us to grab a bite.” He opened the door to his SUV for me.

“Sophie was more than willing to watch the younger two,” I said. “She practically shoved me out the door.”

He chuckled. “Mya was pretty enthusiastic about us going on a date, too. I’m starting to wonder if they planned on us meeting up at the concert from the get-go.”

“You don’t think your son would pretend to be sick, do you?” I slid into the passenger side of the vehicle.

He snorted. “He’d do anything Mya asked, if she paid him. Trust me, my boy is corrupt.”

We laughed. “Kids, I tell you.”

“You’re preaching to the choir. Some days, I’m not sure if I should be encouraging their antics, grounding them, or throwing up the white flag of surrender.” He was quiet for a second before glancing over at me. “So, how have you been?”

“Hanging in there. I want to say, for the record, I’m overjoyed it’s the end of the school year. It’ll be a heck of a lot less running for me or helping with math homework that takes a mathematician to understand.”

“I hear you. Even if I’m only doing it part of the time, it gets to be a lot.”

“I’m hoping in the next few months to finally have enough saved up to move out,” I said, toying with the handle of my purse.

“Do you know what area you’re looking to move? I can keep an eye out for any rentals near me.”

“Trying to stay in the school district, so it’s a pretty decent span of area.”

“Alright, I’ll let you know if I hear about anything.” His hands tightened on the steering wheel as he turned the corner.

We drove across town to a steakhouse I’d never been to before. When he parked, he shut the engine off. “I probably should’ve asked ahead of time if you’re okay with steak.”

“Steak is a rare thing in my house, no pun intended,” I said. “And yes, I love it.”

“Good, a woman after my own heart.”

The aroma of beef and potatoes wafted in the air around us, and my mouth watered. It’d been a while since I’d eaten something I didn’t have to cook myself.

“How many?” the hostess asked.

“Two.” Demarcus reached for my hand, and in the instant our skin touched, a searing fire scorched its way right through me. If he kept this up, I might combust right out of my Spanx.

I clung tight to him as we followed the hostess to a dimly lit table in the middle of the restaurant.

“Is this okay?” She stopped to look at us.

“It’s perfect,” I said before casting a glance at Demarcus, who nodded his approval, as well.

“Great, go ahead and have a seat. Someone will be with you shortly to take your order.”

Stained glass chandeliers with western scenes hung over the table while a condiments holder made of horseshoes sat neatly in the center.

Demarcus released my hand as we sat across from one another. “Order whatever you want. Tonight is your night to be spoiled.”

“Thank you.” Hal never did stuff like this for me. It was always ‘watch what you order’ or ‘you’re probably not going to eat the whole thing, so let’s not waste the money.’

After scouring the menu, I decided on smothered chicken, a baked potato, broccoli, and a side salad. We placed our order, then sat waiting.

“In a couple of months, Mya asked me to take her to look at a few universities and colleges. If Sophie wants, she can tag along. I think the girls were interested in the same ones.”

“That would great. If I can get time off, would you mind me riding along?” My eyes shifted to meet his.

He reached across the table, his fingers entwining with mine again. “Of course. Besides, I think I’ll need parental back up. You know how those two get when they’re together.”

My gaze traveled over his soft lips to his neck, where his dark blue polo shirt was unbuttoned to reveal a white t-shirt beneath. I admired his biceps, and the smoothness of his hand against my own.

Did Demarcus have no flaws?

When dinner arrived, we both grew quiet, cutting into our meat. Tonight was exactly what I needed. Demarcus put me at ease with a single glance. There was just something about him.

We’d almost finished our food when my cell rang.

“Sorry,” I said, grabbing it from my purse. “Hey, Soph, what’s up?”

“Mom!” she cried. In the background was screaming.

“What’s going on? Is everyone okay?”

“N-no. Tommy fell down the stairs. He’s bleeding, and his arm is in a weird position. I tried calling Dad, but he wouldn’t answer. I didn’t know what to do, so I called 911, and they’re sending an ambulance.”

“Okay, we’ll get the bill and meet you at the hospital.”

“If I ride in the ambulance, then who will watch Nella?’ Sophie’s voice cracked.

“Call Grandma and Grandpa Holloway, and have them come down to stay will Nell.”

“I will. Sorry, Mom.”

“Oh, honey, it’s not your fault. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

When I hung up, Demarcus had already asked for the bill and was in the process of paying it.

“Tommy fell down the stairs.” Tears sprung to my own eyes. “Sophie said he’s bleeding, and something is wrong with his arm.”

“I’ll get you over to the hospital. We’ll likely beat the ambulance there.”

“Thank you. I’m so sorry.”

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Don’t ever apologize for wanting to take care of your kids, Kerrie. We can have dinner together another time.”

Demarcus got us across town in record time. I was thankful he knew the streets as well as he did, or we likely wouldn’t have gotten there as quickly.

I waited in the ER lobby for about ten minutes before Tommy and Sophie arrived, at which time, I went back into one of the rooms with Tommy while Demarcus and Sophie stayed in the lobby.

“Mama,” Tommy cried, his mouth, chin, and t-shirt stained with blood.

“Shh, it’s alright. I’m here now.”

A nurse came in with a doctor in tow. They took vitals and checked him over, asking me his medical history in the process.

“He’ll definitely need a few stitches in his lip, and we should get an x-ray of his arm, which I’m going to say now is probably broken. We just need to see the severity of the fracture to determine what our next step is.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

I waited in the small room while they wheeled Tommy out for x-rays. Down the hall was the constant beeping of machines and the idle chatter from nurses and doctors.

I chewed my bottom lip, tiredness washing over me. I dialed Hal’s number, and it went straight to voicemail. Christ, why wasn’t he answering?

“Hal, it’s Kerrie. Tommy’s in the hospital. Give me call when you get this message.”

Of course, absent again.

After three hours in the ER, Tommy was discharged and wheeled to the lobby, where we met up with Sophie and Demarcus.

“Is everything okay?” Demarcus rose.

“Yeah. He had to get five stitches in his lip, and he’ll be in a cast for the next six to eight weeks while his arm heals.”

“Ugh, thank God. I’m so sorry, Mom. I should’ve stopped him and Nella when they started fighting over the boardgame. They were tugging on it. I didn’t think one of them would fall.” Her eyes welled.

“It’s okay, it’s not your fault, sweetheart. Tommy and Nella fight no matter who’s watching them.” I hugged her, and she wrapped her arms around my waist. “Did your dad ever call you back?”

“No.” She frowned. “He’s such a piece of—”

“Soph.”

“I know, I know. He’s my dad. But he is a piece of shit. Excuse my language.” Sophie glanced at Demarcus.

He chuckled. “Trust me, I’ve heard way worse.”

Demarcus ushered us to his car, and helped me get Tommy situated.

At last, we headed home.

“Thanks for the ride,” I said when we got to the house.

“Anytime. I’ll see you around. Maybe get raincheck on dinner?”

“I’d like that.” With the kids standing there, I gave his hand a squeeze, forgoing a kiss goodnight.

We waved to him, then headed inside, where we were met by Hal’s parents.

“Thank goodness he’s okay!” Mrs. Holloway said. “We still haven’t heard from Hal. He never answered his calls.”

“I have no idea what’s going on with him,” I said, suddenly feeling drained. “Hey, Soph, can you bring the younger kids upstairs and help them get ready for bed?”

“Yeah, sure.” She gave me a quick hug as she ushered them past. “Goodnight, Grandma and Grandpa.”

“Goodnight," they called in unison.

“Thanks kiddo!” I turned back to my in-laws.

“Kerrie, he’s not been around much lately. Is something going on?” My mother-in-law met my gaze.

I couldn’t keep up the charade. Exhaustion set in, and before I knew it, words were pouring from my mouth. “No, it’s not. He divorced me. I’m staying here until I can afford to move out.” I rattled on about his not wanting anyone to know, and I suddenly felt a huge pressure lift from my shoulders. “He thought you’d be mad.”

“Well, he’s right. He’ll get an earful when he calls, that much I can promise.” My ex father-in-law pulled me in for a hug, apologizing for his son’s actions, and I let myself cry because, while I no longer loved Hal, I still loved his family. But what more was there to say? At least, they knew the truth now.

And I no longer carried the burden of the lie.