All She Ever Wanted by Rosalind Noonan Page B

couldn’t wait for the day when he came home from work and found his old Chelsea back, turning the attic shutters into a coffee table or coming up with a design to turn an unused closet into a powder room. For Leo, there was no turn-on like a woman who knew how to use a miter box and wield a hammer.
    The glare of the setting sun made him squint, and he reached for his sunglasses. Driving had always been therapeutic for him, and it was even better to be driving on a Friday after kicking butt in a meeting. Things were looking up.
    His cell phone rang, and a local number he didn’t recognize came up on the screen. Probably someone calling from Olney Inc. After the presentation he’d just made, they had to be ready to sign on. “This is Leo.”
    â€œDid you miss me?”
    The sultry tone of the woman’s voice made him sure that this wasn’t one of the client’s reps in the meeting. “Who’s this?”
    The laugh that cascaded through his car chilled him.
    Jennifer.
    What was his ex-wife doing, calling on a local line? “I didn’t recognize the number.”
    â€œOr what? You wouldn’t have answered? I know you’ve been ignoring my calls. I hate that.”
    Leo wanted to cut the line right then, but he knew that would only rile her into doing something obnoxious. “Why are you calling me, Jen? Remember our talk about moving on? Living our own lives?” After the divorce, he’d tried to be a friend to her, but it didn’t work out that way. Whenever they had talked, she had felt compelled to tell him every little detail of her wayward love life. He had suspected that she’d been trying to make him jealous so that he’d come running back to her, but it wasn’t going to happen. He had broken up because he couldn’t stand being smothered by her. Well, that and she was a little too crazy for him. The good crazy, the “let’s do it in the fitting room at the mall” hadn’t aged well for Leo. Once it was over, he had never looked back.
    â€œYou didn’t tell me you had a baby,” she said flatly.
    His teeth locked painfully. Damn! The more she knew about his personal life, the worse things would be. “There are a lot of things I don’t tell you. What did you do, hack the files at Social Security?”
    Her laugh sounded forced, a witch’s cackle. “Silly. I drove by your house and saw wifey with the stroller.”
    â€œWhat are you doing in New Rochelle?”
    â€œIf you’d answered my messages, you’d know I’m back.”
    Whenever Leo saw that he had a message from Jennifer, he deleted it right away. Life was too short to listen to messages from your ex-wife.
    â€œYou would know that things didn’t work out with the job in Philly,” she went on. “Or the boyfriend. So I’m back in New Rochelle. They gave me my old job back at Sparklet.”
    Leo winced. Jen, living in New Rochelle? This was not going to be good.
    â€œHello? Are you still there?”
    â€œYeah, I’m here.” He rubbed his knuckles against the bristles on his chin.
    â€œWe must have a bad connection because I didn’t hear you jumping for joy. This is the part where you say, ‘Welcome back, Jen. I missed you.’ And I say, ‘Thanks, Leo. I missed you, too.’ ”
    â€œHonestly, Jennifer? I’ve moved on.”
    â€œEveryone moves on. But I’m sure you can still find some time to see your old friend.”
    â€œI’m busy. Between work and the baby, there’s no time . . .” And if Chelsea hears you’re back in town, it will put her over the edge. Chelsea knew all about his ex-wife’s borderline personality. She’d been dating Leo when Jen was still stalking him, leaving notes on his car and sneaking into his apartment until he changed the locks. Chelsea had always been cool about it, knowing that Jennifer was a part of his past that