Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Jenny
I didn’t get home until midnight, which was super impressive that I stayed out past eleven.
Most nights, I’m doom scrolling in bed by nine.
But last night, I had fun. I didn’t check my watch a million times.
I wasn’t worried about getting a cab home.
Instead, I lived in the moment, with women who had equally early bedtimes.
They were weird and open and completely accepting. I found my people. I know it in my bones.
Annoyingly, my people are directly connected to Joey. For better or worse, he’s in my life now. He was the one who waved a gun at me, but I can be the bigger person. Today is a new day. And let’s start off positively.
I check my phone and find twenty missed messages.
I scroll to the top of the group chat with my people.
The one the girls added me to before we all went home from karaoke.
It’s mostly pictures from last night, memes, and inside jokes.
I have inside jokes with people. Not random people, but friends.
Oh, and they are so freaking cool. Waverly owns a hotel and has two cows.
Cows. And we’re allowed to pet them whenever we want—friend group privileges.
Hmmm, speaking of…there’s a new print I’ve been meaning to try. I head over to my 3D printer, switch out the filament, and hit start. Assuming no catastrophic failures, it should be ready by the time I get home from work.
I’m all aglow as I check my work email. But the glow fades as I see Natalie needs more time off.
She assures me she’ll be able to return to work by the end of the week.
And she’s normally pretty good about making up her hours or filling in when someone else needs time off.
I get it, she’s been sick off and on for a little while now, and recovery is not easy.
But now I’ve got to spend the morning shifting clients around and calling in our subs.
And when that doesn’t work, I’ve got two doggos I’ll need to walk. It’s fine. I’m still in a good mood.
Closing my laptop, I remind myself it’s time to shower.
Sometimes I get so focused on what I’m doing, mundane things are hard to remember.
Or there are times when my soul crushing insecurity that comes from the deep recesses of my brain tells me I’m not worth taking care of.
Some days it’s a hard task, but today, I’m in and out in under ten minutes.
And I think I only rewashed my hair twice because I forgot if I did it the first time, because I was thinking about all the other things I needed to do.
Nonna’s house is my first stop for the day. Kingston gets a quick walk in the morning. Who knows if Joey took him out last night, so I’ll make sure my little furry buddy gets a good walk. Fingers crossed Joey isn’t there, but if he is, I’ll be mature and kind and the fucking delight I always am.
But at seven thirty in the morning, I’m definitely not expecting to see Joey sitting on the couch, his head tilted back against the cushions, with his phone in his face.
“Don’t shoot,” I say, trying to be playful and friendly.
“We’ll see how it goes,” he grumbles back. This doesn’t bode well.
Kingston is sitting on the couch next to Joey, which he’s not allowed to be—the dog, not Joey. I assume he can sit wherever he wants. Kingston lifts his head and hops off the couch, smiling at me as he parks himself at my feet, waiting to go out.
I turn my attention back to Joey. “Did you take him out when you got home?”
“No. Was I supposed to?”
I shake my head. “No, but sometimes owners do. I need to know what to expect coming out of his body this morning.”
Joey twists around on the couch and throws his arm over the back. And that’s when I noticed his hand. “What happened to your knuckles?”
He glances down at them and pulls them back to his lap. “Blunt force trauma.” He stifles a yawn.
“Have you slept at all?”
He doesn’t answer for a minute. So long, I think he actually fell asleep. Finally, he mumbles, “I don’t need sleep.”
“Horseshit. Go to bed.” I point upstairs.
He crosses his arms and pouts while I grab Kingston’s harness off the hook. “No. I’m a grown-ass man, and I’ll go to bed when I want to.”
Once I get Kingston all hooked up, I take out my phone and send a quick text. By the time I turn to leave, his phone is blowing up.
He stares at his phone and back at me. “Did you text my cousins to tell them I need a nap?” His phone buzzes again. This time, he groans and pushes himself off the couch to head upstairs, grumbling, “Stupid family, bossy dog walker,” all the way.
He says bossy, but what he really means is kind-hearted helpful caretaker.
The streets are still quiet, the sun slowly changes the sky from black to navy blue to blue to pink.
Maybe that should be my next color scheme for my hair.
Twenty minutes later, I return Kingston home.
Joey must still be asleep, because Kingston sniffs around then sprints upstairs. Guess I’ll see ya later, buddy.
The rest of my morning is quiet. I swing by the office, check in with Becca about payroll and other HR stuff before heading into my office to work on social media, marketing, and updating charts. I scroll through the medical notifications of the dogs I care for.
Hmm… Kingston pops up as needing his shots. Poor baby freaks out when he goes to the vet. Maybe I’ll see if Joey needs any help.
Before long, it’s time for the afternoon shift. Kingston is first again, and I’ll grab him before I pick up Natalie’s dogs. Joey still doesn’t come to the door, but I assume he’s there since his car is in the driveway. Guess he did need a nap.
Between work, barking dogs, and group chats, I’m super behind on my notifications. I missed a call from last night. Tristan. What the fuck does he want? And why did he take a minute and half of my voicemail time to do it.
“Baby, I’m a piece of shit.” Well, my dude, that’s one thing we agree on.
“I’m sorry, and I shouldn’t have ever treated you like you were anything other than the perfect goddess you are.
” What? Does he have a gun to his head? Nothing about this sounds right.
He whimpers and says, “Oww. That hurts.” What hurts?
“I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry for cheating on you. ”
He cheated on me? I wish I could say I’m shocked or betrayed, but I’m not.
There’s a thump, followed by him crying. “I said I was sorry.” But I don’t think he’s talking to me. “Baby, I’ve changed. I’ve grown up, and I’m more of a man than I was before. Give me a call.”
Hmm. Everything about that seemed… weird. And I’m not sure how I feel about any of it.
I fire off a message in the group chat.
Me: Should I give my ex another chance?
Katya: Hell No.
Izzy: No.
Waverly: Was he the love of your life and, through a miscommunication, did you spend five years hating him but then it turns out he left you a journal, but you never got it?
And did it finally come out after a heated and heartbroken discussion, that all your insecurities stem from this miscommunication and both of you have to heal and rebuild the relationship you once had and now you’re even stronger than you were before.
Well, that’s oddly specific.
Me: No.
Me: And text messages should be short.
Me: But he was a controlling asshole.
Waverly: Then no.
Alana: No. But let me ask the reinforcements.
Izzy: Let me ask the boys.
Izzy: Lance says no, Thiago said no, Dimitri sent a gif saying “hell no”. And Uri wants to know if the sex was good.
Me: Meh.
Izzy: Then absolutely fucking not.
Alana: According to the thirty-seven personal security agents on my staff, no. Okay, one guy says maybe, but he’s also desperately trying to get back with his ex-wife, so I don’t know how reliable he is.
Wow. Okay then. It’s nice to know everyone confirmed my thoughts.
Bringing myself back to the world around me, I check my surroundings. Fuck. I’ve gone farther than I thought. And, double fuck, I’ve crossed onto Carver Street. And 632 is only three buildings away. Let’s turn around and pay better attention next time.
I exhale with relief and self-loathing. How could I be so stupid? What a rookie mistake. I’m still beating myself up when I walk into Nonna’s house to drop off Kingston.
Joey is sitting at the kitchen table with a laptop open. Kingston puts his front paws on Joey’s leg. Joey reaches down and pets behind the dog's ears without taking his eyes off the screen. “I’ve got two envelopes for you. One is from Nonna, and the other is from me.”
Right, Izzy said it would be there for me. I slide the one from Nonna into my shoulder bag and reach for his, which is thick. I open it, and green paper in a perfectly aligned stack greets me. “What the hell is this?” Is he firing me? “Are you paying off my contract?”
“No. It’s a refund.”
“For what?”
He keeps his eyes on his screen, clicking away. “I was working last night, and I saw your name as a member of one of my establishments. I noticed you hadn’t been there in over a year, but your membership renewed.”
What membership?
Oh.
My.
God.
My mouth dries and I have to force the words out. “I’m going to throw myself off a cliff now. Bye.”
Shit. Get me out of this room as fast as possible.
There’s only one membership I haven’t been using. And of course he owns a sex club. The sex club. What are the odds? Well, in my life, apparently pretty fucking high.
“I’m trying to help you out.” There’s no remorse in his voice for how he’s made me feel. It’s dry and completely devoid of emotion. Business sterile.
Beyond my personal hell of embarrassment, this doesn’t sit right with me. And it takes a few seconds to process why. You know what? I tried being nice and mature. But fuck that. “By violating my privacy?” I let my rage drip with every word.
He starts to get flustered. “It’s an expensive membership, and I thought you could’ve used the money…”