long?
Glen: Hello?
Glen: Earth to Mars?
Glen: Are you standing me up?
Glen: Last chance before I leave…
Glen: You fucking bitch.
Whoa. What the hell?
Glen: What is wrong with you?
Glen: Who doesn’t tell someone they can’t make it?
Glen: Who raised you? A pack of werewolves?
Glen: No wonder you can’t find anyone.
Glen: You’re such a loser that you have to be on a dating site.
Glen: The picture probably wasn’t even you.
Glen: Even if it was, you weren’t all that.
Dodged that bullet.
Me: Something came up—forever. Have a nice fucking life shithead. Go to hell.
I tuck my phone back into my purse, searching for tissues.
By the time we pull up to Reed’s condo building, Connor’s friendly smile is in place as he opens the taxi door for me.
“Miss Walsh, nice to see you again.” I’ve only met Connor once previously when I had to come and pick up Victoria for a night out.
“Thanks, Connor.”
I enter the condo building and instead of going up, I wait for the happy twosome in the lobby since I was much closer to Reed’s home base than they were. It’s not like I have a key to his place. Having nothing better to do, I pull up the internet on my phone and search: Dean Bennett, Attorney. Sure as shit there’s my ex-husband in all his white teeth glory listed under the Associates tab on the Heiberman and Lipe Law Firm webpage.
Fucking karma, what did I do to piss you off?
Chapter Three
“Wine or beer?” Victoria asks from the kitchen.
“Or the hard stuff?” Reed glances up from his laptop at the dining room table across from me.
“You know me well.”
He winks. “Get her the vodka out of the freezer, Vic.”
I hear a couple of cupboard doors open and shut.
“So, you bought a house?” I ask, detouring my own issues. I’m already imposing asking to talk with his girlfriend after he just surprised her with a house. I can at least make small talk.
He shuts the laptop and smiles. “I did.”
“Kind of quick, no?”
He furrows his brows for a moment, and then the perma-smile Reed’s known for shines through. “Some might say that, but I don’t think so.”
“She said yes?”
He nods once. “She did.”
“Great. I’m happy for you two.”
A low chuckle flows out of his mouth. “Are you? I mean I wouldn’t be if I was you.”
“Just because my life seems to be in chaos doesn’t mean I don’t want the best for you and Victoria.”
He nods again. That condescending one quick nod, like he doesn’t truly believe me. Jerk.
“Okay I have the vodka and I found a lime. Is that okay?”
Reed shakes his head and slides out from the chair. “Do you mind?” He places his hand on my drink. “I’ll make you something.”
“Please.” I laugh because apparently Victoria is no bartender.
“In my defense, I’m a wine drinker,” she calls out to him.
“No judging baby, don’t worry,” he says from the kitchen.
Then we hear ice being tossed into a glass while Reed goes about making me a drink that will hopefully erase what just happened.
“I’m sorry,” I say, my fingers playing with the edge of the placemat.
“Don’t be. This is fine. My mom has Jade tonight and took her out for dinner. I don’t want to tell her about the house yet anyway.”
“Why?”
She shakes her head, understanding the question I didn’t fully ask. “It’s not second-guessing or anything, it’s just a big step and I want her to be just as excited as I am. I want to talk to her about it without Reed first. Lay the groundwork.”
I reach across and pat her hand. “You’re such a good mom.”
A soft smile creases her lips like she likes to think she is. “I try.” Then she pauses, waiting for me to fill her in. “So…”
I shake my head staring down at the placemat, picking at nothing because they’ve probably never even been eaten on. “It’s him…the tax attorney.”
“Is this the first time you’ve seen him since your divorce?”
I nod. “Yeah. Some reunion.” My tone sounding sarcastically happy.
“Did you talk?”
I lift my head. “Please, you can’t shut that man up.”
She bites her lip like she’s trying to not say something.
“What?”
Her face loses the amusement that filled it moments ago. “Nothing. I just…”
“Spit it out.”
“Well, I can’t imagine what a conversation between you two is like, because if he likes to talk, and everyone knows you do...” She trails off.
“We spar. Not physically, but verbally at one another and the kicker is he beat me today.”
“What did you banter about?” she asks, truly intrigued.
“Why do