small round table on the far side of the kitchen. “Let’s get comfortable and put a little more distance between us and curious ears.” Rather like a breakfast nook, the area was slightly bowed creating a sense of privacy even though it was open on one side. A bank of windows made up the outer wall, but the blinds inset in the panes were closed.
The women sat down around the table and Kara asked, “Secluded fishing village or Midwest family farm? Where have you found this calm uncomplicated life?”
The warmth in Kara’s expression kept her mild sarcasm from seeming snarky. “Sedona, Arizona. I own an art supply store.”
Fascination ignited in Natalie’s dark eyes. “You’re an artist?”
Nikki shook her head as an image surged to the surface of her memory. Geoff Saner, her college boyfriend was the reason she’d moved to Sedona. She usually avoided thinking about the jerk, but tonight the unhappy memories were better than the alternative. “My ex-fiancé was an artist, primarily sculptor.” If they weren’t interested, she’d leave it at that. If they were, it would get her mind off the present for a little while.
“Does your ex-fiancé have a name?” Natalie asked carefully. “Or would you rather not talk about him?”
“I tend to call him the selfish bastard, but his mother called him Geoff. Oh and it’s Geoff with a G, not a J.”
Kara rolled her eyes. “Of course it is. I dislike him already.”
Nikki allowed herself to relax. This felt wonderfully normal. She was chatting with a couple of new friends about the common trials of young adults. No aliens or elves. Casual, calm, ordinary.
“Where did you meet Geoff with a G?” Natalie topped off everyone’s glasses as Nikki explained.
“At ASU in Phoenix. We were in several of the same classes. I wanted to be a child psychologist and he thought understanding how people thought and what affected their behavior would make it easier for him to express human emotions through his art. He was older than me, but he’d switched majors several times so he was still taking entry level classes.”
“Couldn’t decide what he wanted to be when he grew up?” Kara mocked.
“Exactly. His inability to commit to anyone or anything became a reoccurring theme throughout our relationship.”
“Did you graduate?” Kara wanted to know. “How did you go from wanting to be a child psychologist to owning an art supply store in Sedona?”
“Don’t rush her,” Natalie objected. “Being married to a general has made you very impatient.”
Kara laughed. “Guilty as charged. Malik definitely prefers that everyone cut to the chase.”
“I’ll try to keep my explanation short and factual,” Nikki promised with a smile. “Geoff was desperate to make a name for himself in the art community, so he talked me into moving to Sedona and finishing my degree online.”
“Never happened?” Kara guessed, shaking her head.
“I came close, but not until Geoff was out of the picture.” Nikki rushed on, finding the retrospect less helpful than she’d thought. “Geoff loved Sedona and was convinced that he’d be incredibly successful there—for about a year. The problem was he was a mediocre sculptor on his best day.”
“You said ex-fiancé,” Natalie digressed. “When and why did you agree to marry him?”
“We’d been there eight or nine months when I began to resent him and the sacrifices I’d made to please him. He realized I was getting restless so he insisted that he was ready to focus on me for a while, to solve the problems in our relationship and build a future together. He was simply telling me what I wanted to hear, of course, but I wanted it badly enough to make myself believe it.”
“You wanted him specifically, or you wanted a solid, long-lasting relationship?” A hint of challenge rippled through Kara’s tone.
“Both.” Nikki heaved a sigh of frustration. “I definitely wanted a permanent, stable relationship, a family and the rest. But Geoff could be amazing when he turned on the charm. He was brilliant, incredibly creative, and funny. He was also self-absorbed and manipulative. If he’d kept his fly zipped, I probably would have worked around the rest, but I have no tolerance for cheaters. Never have, never will, end of story.”
“Who broke off the engagement?” Natalie asked.
“That depends who you ask. He wanted to move to LA, said the art scene in Sedona wasn’t avant-garde enough to appreciate him. I saw my opportunity and took it. I was working in the shop I now own and told Geoff that I felt at peace in Sedona