Nicole,” Amy said sweetly, sliding into her BMW.
“Bitch,” Nicole muttered as she watched her sister-in-law back up from the parking space and then drive away.
Chapter Eight
Jamie stepped out of the Ford Explorer, still humming the Johnny Cash tune that had been playing on her stereo during the drive to Nicole’s house. She reached across the passenger seat and pulled out two small, white plastic bags and then kicked the car door shut with the back of one foot.Shifting the bags in her hands, she walked up the driveway toward the modest ranch style home flanked by azaleas and dogwood trees. Black shutters framed the windows and a bright blue flag with a snowman in its center hung from the front porch.
Jamie had not quite made it to the porch when the front door burst open and Nicole stepped out, watching Jamie as she climbed the steps.
Jamie smiled as she met Nicole on the porch.
“As promised, your General Tso’s chicken,” she said, lifting the bags slightly in her hands.
Nicole looked at her with a blank expression and nodded, motioning Jamie into the house.
“Sounds great, darlin ’.”
Oh shit , Jamie thought as she heard the words leave Nicole’s lips and then felt her stomach drop.
When Jamie first began dating Nicole, it had come up that Jamie had a borderline obsession with Johnny Cash. One night Nicole had picked up Jamie after work to go to dinner—it was their fourth or maybe fifth date—and announced that even though she truly hated country music, she had burned a CD of the Man in Black to play in the car just for Jamie. When Nicole hit the ‘play’ button on the car stereo and Conway Twitty’s “Hello Darlin’” began to belt out, Jamie had burst out laughing. After that, Jamie began calling Nicole by the term of endearment, and what began as a joke soon became Jamie’s pet name for Nicole. Occasionally, however, Nicole would also use the term. But, when Nicole said the word, it only meant one thing—that she was pissed off at Jamie.
Jamie walked into the house, chewing her bottom lip and trying to think what she could possibly have done to get Nicole riled up. As Samuels had mentioned earlier in the day, there weren’t any birthdays or anniversaries that Jamie could have forgotten. She tried to remember if she had may have said something on the phone earlier that could have been taken the wrong way, but came up empty. It was possible, she thought, that Nicole was upset about meeting at her house rather than Jamie’s, but that didn’t really sound like Nicole.
“Do you want to eat out of the box, or I can go grab some plates from the kitchen?” Jamie asked, deciding to test the waters. Maybe she was just imagining things.
“Whatever. I don’t care,” Nicole said quietly as she closed the front door. Loudly.
Yup, she’s pissed , Jamie thought. For a moment Jamie wondered if Nicole had somehow gotten wind of Jamie’s contact with Gina Southerland. That would certainly explain her apparent anger. Still, even if Nicole was initially mad that Jamie had gone behind her back, as it were, to contract out with a competitor to sell her house, Jamie would have thought that Nicole would at least be a little bit happy that Jamie was finally taking that step forward in their relationship.
“Okay,” Jamie said and placed the bags on the coffee table. She silently walked into the kitchen and pulled out two cans of Diet Coke from the refrigerator before heading back to the living room. Nicole was already sitting on the tan leather couch, so Jamie took up the space beside her, being sure to leave several inches between them. She handed Nicole a soda and sat her own on the coffee table.
Jamie quietly unpacked the white and red Chinese take-out boxes from the bag and placed them on the table. She turned over the bag, spilling out two pair of chopsticks and a few packets of soy sauce. Jamie reached down and picked up a pair of the chopsticks from the table,
“Bitch,” Nicole muttered as she watched her sister-in-law back up from the parking space and then drive away.
Chapter Eight
Jamie stepped out of the Ford Explorer, still humming the Johnny Cash tune that had been playing on her stereo during the drive to Nicole’s house. She reached across the passenger seat and pulled out two small, white plastic bags and then kicked the car door shut with the back of one foot.Shifting the bags in her hands, she walked up the driveway toward the modest ranch style home flanked by azaleas and dogwood trees. Black shutters framed the windows and a bright blue flag with a snowman in its center hung from the front porch.
Jamie had not quite made it to the porch when the front door burst open and Nicole stepped out, watching Jamie as she climbed the steps.
Jamie smiled as she met Nicole on the porch.
“As promised, your General Tso’s chicken,” she said, lifting the bags slightly in her hands.
Nicole looked at her with a blank expression and nodded, motioning Jamie into the house.
“Sounds great, darlin ’.”
Oh shit , Jamie thought as she heard the words leave Nicole’s lips and then felt her stomach drop.
When Jamie first began dating Nicole, it had come up that Jamie had a borderline obsession with Johnny Cash. One night Nicole had picked up Jamie after work to go to dinner—it was their fourth or maybe fifth date—and announced that even though she truly hated country music, she had burned a CD of the Man in Black to play in the car just for Jamie. When Nicole hit the ‘play’ button on the car stereo and Conway Twitty’s “Hello Darlin’” began to belt out, Jamie had burst out laughing. After that, Jamie began calling Nicole by the term of endearment, and what began as a joke soon became Jamie’s pet name for Nicole. Occasionally, however, Nicole would also use the term. But, when Nicole said the word, it only meant one thing—that she was pissed off at Jamie.
Jamie walked into the house, chewing her bottom lip and trying to think what she could possibly have done to get Nicole riled up. As Samuels had mentioned earlier in the day, there weren’t any birthdays or anniversaries that Jamie could have forgotten. She tried to remember if she had may have said something on the phone earlier that could have been taken the wrong way, but came up empty. It was possible, she thought, that Nicole was upset about meeting at her house rather than Jamie’s, but that didn’t really sound like Nicole.
“Do you want to eat out of the box, or I can go grab some plates from the kitchen?” Jamie asked, deciding to test the waters. Maybe she was just imagining things.
“Whatever. I don’t care,” Nicole said quietly as she closed the front door. Loudly.
Yup, she’s pissed , Jamie thought. For a moment Jamie wondered if Nicole had somehow gotten wind of Jamie’s contact with Gina Southerland. That would certainly explain her apparent anger. Still, even if Nicole was initially mad that Jamie had gone behind her back, as it were, to contract out with a competitor to sell her house, Jamie would have thought that Nicole would at least be a little bit happy that Jamie was finally taking that step forward in their relationship.
“Okay,” Jamie said and placed the bags on the coffee table. She silently walked into the kitchen and pulled out two cans of Diet Coke from the refrigerator before heading back to the living room. Nicole was already sitting on the tan leather couch, so Jamie took up the space beside her, being sure to leave several inches between them. She handed Nicole a soda and sat her own on the coffee table.
Jamie quietly unpacked the white and red Chinese take-out boxes from the bag and placed them on the table. She turned over the bag, spilling out two pair of chopsticks and a few packets of soy sauce. Jamie reached down and picked up a pair of the chopsticks from the table,
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