Tiger Lily - May Dawson Page 0,3

he ran out on an errand.

“Brad? Are you home?” I called.

There was the sound of something falling in the bedroom, but no answer.

My heart raced. Maybe there was someone in here robbing us. It seemed like a waste of time for them, given that our television was a seven-year-old yard sale find and my most prized possessions were my leggings collection. Brad and I were not exactly rich people.

It was probably Brad. But still, I knotted my hands into fists, ready for a fight, as I pushed open the bedroom door.

Just as I do, Brad called belatedly, “I’m in the bedroom, hon!”

I walked into the bedroom to find him in bed. He tossed the papers in his hands onto his nightstand and gave me a smile, patting the bed beside him. “It’s nice to see you. But what are you doing home so early?”

My heart was still racing as I climbed onto the bed beside him. I leaned against the headboard and pulled one of my pillows into my lap.

“I was fired,” I admitted.

He frowned. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything to get fired,” I replied, my voice hot. I was good at my job. Not that Brad ever respected that there was much to being a receptionist. “Jonathan wanted to replace me with his nephew.”

Brad’s glasses were a bit foggy, like they got when he was exercising. I frowned, leaning forward to study his hairline, which was faintly beaded with sweat.

“What are you looking at?” he demanded, trying to smile.

I knew that sweat. He didn’t exercise.

That was Brad’s sex sweat.

“Why are you in bed?” My voice came out soft, even though I was suddenly furious. Maybe I’m wrong. Please, please let me be wrong.

“Came to read these case files in bed,” he said. “I can’t sit in that desk chair all day.”

“That seems like a good way to put yourself to sleep.” I jumped back out of bed, trying to cover the sudden restless energy that swept through my body. “So, what should we do today now that I’m unexpectedly free? Want to curl up in bed and have a movie marathon?”

He paused. “Why don’t we go out for lunch? Go to your favorite place, cheer you up a little?”

I was not sure I could be cheered up, because I wasn’t convinced I was done being disappointed by the universe.

“Sounds great,” I said. “Just let me change my clothes.”

I could feel his tension behind me as I slid open the closet door.

I glimpsed her bare toes behind my neat rows of shoes as she pressed herself against the back of my closet. My stomach plummeted to my own toes. It felt as if all the air had just rushed out of the room, and I tried to breathe despite the suddenly strangled feeling in my lungs.

I pretend I didn’t see her pink polished toenails and focused on flipping through hangers, pushing them one-by-one to the side to buy me time to think.

My boyfriend was cheating on me.

My heart was pounding so hard it hurt. I wasn’t sure what I would say when I finally pushed the last hanger aside and came face-to-face with her.

I did know in about fifteen seconds, I was going to break up with my boyfriend, my treacherous jackass of a very-soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend, and I didn’t want to cry when I did it.

Both for the sake of my own pride, and because I hate crying so much, I tend to accidentally shift. Brad can’t know my secret. Even after two years together, I’ve never told him what I really am.

I steeled my heart as I pushed another hanger aside.

There she was.

She hunched over as if to make herself smaller, in between my black wool winter coat and my favorite white halter dress that I always thought would make a good wedding dress if I eloped with Brad. Her dark hair curled around her face, and an inappropriate, terrified smile slowly spread across her face as her eyes met mine, as if she didn’t know what to do either.

She started to squeak out, “Hi.”

“You can go,” I told her, my voice coming out ice cold. I turned to Brad. “You were cheating on me.”

“It’s not what it looks like,” Brad said.

“There’s a naked woman in my closet, Brad. There’s a pretty limited range of options.”

She scurried past the two of us, gathering her clothes and her shoes, and practically sprinted for the door. I was pretty sure she was still naked as she stumbled into the hallway.