Chapter 65
GEORGIA
“Wine. Give me wine.”
I was on Keely’s couch. Johnny was out with the kids. One look at me standing on his doorstep and he herded them out the door. Or it could’ve been the two bottles of wine I was carrying. And a family size bag of corn chips.
“I saw on the news that Dex James had his baby,” she said, coming from her kitchen with one of the wine bottles and two glasses tucked under her arm. I’d already ripped open the chips. “He was even interviewed. Is he as handsome in person as he is on TV?”
I nodded, tucked my legs under me. “Yes. Taller, too. Super nice.”
“I can’t believe you were there and helped with the delivery.”
Me neither.
“So have you heard from him?” She flopped down beside me and poured our drinks.
“Dex? No. I bet they’re too sleep deprived to even–”
She held up a hand to stop me. “Not Dex. Mac.”
Mac. Every time I heard his name, or saw a Big Mac commercial on TV, my heart gave a little lurch.
“Oh. No.”
I’d been home for a week. Using Mac’s belt, my suitcase had made it back to Calhan without exploding again. My life? Total explosion.
“How’s it going living with your momma?”
I rolled my eyes. “The neighbors think I worked on a slutty firefighter calendar because that was the only option I had since I can’t keep a man.”
She laughed, then cut it off and frowned. “That’s what she told everyone?”
I nodded.
Her fingers covered her lips. “Oh my Lord.”
That had been pleasant, correcting everyone on the block. The only part that wasn’t true was the word slutty. I did work on a firefighter calendar and I definitely couldn’t keep a man. Hell, I couldn’t keep two. It certainly didn’t make it any more fun to be in her house again.
“Thankfully, the house with Art is under contract,” I shared.
The Realtor called me a few days ago that they had a solid offer.
I’d had to meet Art at their office to accept and sign paperwork.
That had been fun, too. Seeing him again, seeing the wedding ring on his finger that was for a different relationship.
As soon as I was done, I’d been out of there.
While I no longer had any feelings for Art other than anger, he was a physical reminder of wasted time. Of wasted love.
It was almost May and it was hot in Calhan.
I’d been sweaty and uncomfortable ever since I landed.
The humidity was brutal and I forgot the amount of hair product needed to keep my long hair from frizzing.
That had not been a problem in Montana. Lord, I missed the cold.
I missed being bundled in thick sweaters, sturdy boots and a pink puffy coat.
Kelly had the air conditioning on and I was still sweating.
“I know! Amazing news.” She leaned close and clinked our wine glasses together. “Goodbye, Art. Hello, half of the money!”
My meager bank account had made me nervous the past few months, but as soon as the house closed, I would have a little cushion.
A little chance to consider what I wanted to do.
“Right? Best news I’ve had in a while. Except I had to talk with Art while we signed the papers.
But you know, I don’t really give a shit any longer. Pam Buttermacher can have him.”
“That’s because you rocked the job and rocked all those orgasms.” She said it simply as if the answer was obvious.
In the time I’d been back, I hadn’t heard from Mac. I hadn’t expected to.
“I can’t believe you turned down the job,” she said, biting her lip. Clearly, she thought I should have accepted. So had Maverick when I met with him at Steaming Hotties and shared the news. When he’d shook my hand and wished me well.
I shook my head. “I’m not going to watch Mac and Andy from afar.
They’re different than Art and Pam, but that baby’s going to be tough.
” A baby was my kryptonite. “No. After all this, I learned a lot about myself. That I don’t need to believe anything Momma or Art says about me.
That I have a life outside of Calhan, outside of the expectations and limits they set on me. That I set on myself.”
“You go, girl,” she said, taking a swig of wine.
“I deserve it all and I’m going to get it,” I said with confidence, then took a big gulp of wine.
“Bradley’s going to keep an eye out for other openings within the company.
Maybe I’ll end up in Denver after all. In the meantime, I’ve applied at other places and after seeing Art, well, I don’t give a shit any longer. He’ll probably cheat on Pam next.”
I remembered Mac had said something about that. Once a cheater, always a cheater.
Mac.
I had to wonder if he’d moved on. If a new tenant had taken over his garage apartment.
And his bed.