Chapter 62
HARLEY
Debbie will be here soon.
I’m cooking spaghetti for dinner. I have a feeling she’s not going to be very hungry, but I have to make something. That’s what a good hostess does after all.
Tonight, I’m going to tell Debbie everything.
I’m sick of sneaking around with Cooper.
I prefer more mature men, and it just so happens that a large chunk of them are already married.
Over the last decade, the only one who was ever willing to leave his wife for me was Edgar, and that was a huge bust. I can’t stand it anymore.
When you’re the other woman, you’re always second-best. Even if they pretend they like you better than their wives, you’re always just their dirty little secret.
Well, I’m sick of being a dirty little secret.
Debbie needs to know that her husband has been messing around behind her back. It might seem cruel to spill the beans, especially since she thinks of me as her friend, but really, it’s cruel not to. She deserves the truth.
For months now, Cooper has been telling me that he doesn’t love her anymore. He says they’re like strangers and barely talk. He admitted that he no longer finds her attractive, and he has no interest in having sex with her anymore. He said they haven’t had sex in years.
He’s grateful to me for coming into his life. He says it every time we’re together. His kids are almost grown, so there’s no reason for him to stay with Debbie. He needs to leave her and start fresh with me.
But none of this will happen if Debbie remains in the dark. She needs to understand that her marriage is over.
And I will be the one to tell her.
As I stir the pot of spaghetti, I wonder how she’ll take it. Will she cry? Am I going to have to comfort her while she cries? Oh God, I really don’t want to.
I’d prefer if she got mad. Maybe threw a few things. I’m more comfortable with anger than sadness.
In the end though, she will have to accept everything. And Cooper will be grateful to me for ripping off the Band-Aid.
I leave the sauce to simmer and return to the living room.
I left my phone on the sofa, and I see a new text message on the screen.
I hope it isn’t Debbie canceling. Obviously, it isn’t necessary to tell her tonight, but I got myself all psyched up for it.
It’ll be disappointing if we don’t get to do this.
But when I get to my phone, it’s not Debbie after all. The text message is from Cooper.
We need to talk.
Hmm, what does that mean?
We need to talk. Is that a good type of talk, like he wants to take things to the next level and leave his wife? Or is it the bad type of talk? I really, really like you, but this just isn’t working for me anymore. I can’t keep sneaking around like this.
Ugh, I hate that kind of talk.
I type back a message to him:
You’re still coming for dinner, right?
The conversation with Debbie is going to be difficult, and she might not believe me.
She might think I’m making the whole thing up or at least exaggerating.
But if Cooper is here, then that will force the issue.
When Cooper shows up at the door, she will understand everything immediately.
She’ll probably kick him out on the spot.
And whatever he wants to talk about will suddenly become moot.
I smile at the thought.
Yes. I’ll be there at 6:15.
See you then.