family tonight.”
Adele gave a verbal shrug. “Meh. They don’t need me to fight over who screwed up his great-grandmother’s cookie recipe. Besides, Michael and Ryan tagged along, so that’s causing all kinds of fun. What’s up?”
“I wanted to wish you a merry Christmas,” Kat lied.
“Uh-huh. That’s more fake than the merry-merry I gave my mother-in-law. What’s wrong?”
“Liam and I are in the middle of a thing.” She hesitated, but Adele had been her best friend since preschool. Aside from Liam, Adele was the only person in the world who really understood Kat’s poly leanings. She might not be into poly herself, but Adele absolutely got Kat. She’d understand this better than anyone. Well, Maybe Adele’s brother Michael, but he had his own issues. Kat sighed. “Um, well, that’s not quite right. Liam and I are on two sides of a thing. Hunter is in the middle.”
“Oh my God. Hold on.” The sounds of the Christmas party faded and when Adele next spoke, her words echoed. “Okay. I locked myself in the guest bathroom. Can’t talk long because I think Jay’s Uncle George was in here recently. Gross. Anyway, are you serious? He just got back into the country.”
Kat wrinkled her nose but chose not to comment on Adele’s hideaway. “I know he just got back. Liam invited him over but apparently told Hunter that I was visiting Tasha in California.”
“What...okay, whatever. I’m not going to ask. Where are you right now? Why are you wherever you are? Hunter probably hasn’t had sex in months. Go take advantage!”
Kat almost laughed. Oh, if only.
“Things got complicated fast. I can say with certainty that Hunter has had sex recently. And Liam screwed up, Adele. He screwed up big-time. I left the house.”
“Kat! You had sex with Hunter? You left? Where are you? Do you need me to come get you? What the hell happened?” She paused in her spate of questions. “Shit, Michael and Ryan are in the guest room tonight. But don’t worry, I’ll put them on the floor in the office.”
At least she could count on Adele. “I don’t know. Maybe I should try to find a hotel room for the night. Or drive out to my parents’ place.”
“Later. Where are you?”
“Coffee place.”
“The one with the brownies? Damn. Okay, tell Aunt Adele what happened.”
Kat sighed heavily. “Do you remember when Hunter left?”
“Remember? I haven’t eaten so much Ben & Jerry’s in my life.”
“It turns out Hunter left me a note when he headed off. Liam copped the note and kept it from me.”
“No. Fucking. Way.”
“Yeah.”
“That bastard. Fucking bastard. I hope you kicked him in the balls on your way out the door.”
That got a strangled laugh. It wasn’t funny, really, but it was reassuring. Adele’s anger grounded her, the affirmation helping her settle into the reality of Liam’s betrayal of her trust.
“No, but he would have deserved it. I did punch Hunter, though.”
“Why? No, never mind. What are you going to do?” Someone knocked on the door and Adele grumbled. “Damn. I’ve been found.”
“It’s okay. I know you have family stuff. I just needed someone to talk to. I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“Call me when you decide,” Adele said. “Or call me if you need me. Especially if you need help kicking his ass. It’ll give me a good excuse to make a run for it. And he totally deserves it.”
Kat let out a long breath. She did feel a little better. “I will. You go, though. Merry Christmas for real. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Both of you?”
“I don’t know. We’ll play it by ear.”
“Sure. Bring Hunter, too.”
“I can try, I suppose.”
“I’d love to see him,” Adele told her. “Okay, seriously, have to go.”
“Okay. Later,” Kat said as cheerily as she could manage.
Adele blew kisses through the phone and hung up. Kat slid her thumb across the screen, but she skimmed past Liam’s text and opened the message from Jen, instead. Kat
Adele gave a verbal shrug. “Meh. They don’t need me to fight over who screwed up his great-grandmother’s cookie recipe. Besides, Michael and Ryan tagged along, so that’s causing all kinds of fun. What’s up?”
“I wanted to wish you a merry Christmas,” Kat lied.
“Uh-huh. That’s more fake than the merry-merry I gave my mother-in-law. What’s wrong?”
“Liam and I are in the middle of a thing.” She hesitated, but Adele had been her best friend since preschool. Aside from Liam, Adele was the only person in the world who really understood Kat’s poly leanings. She might not be into poly herself, but Adele absolutely got Kat. She’d understand this better than anyone. Well, Maybe Adele’s brother Michael, but he had his own issues. Kat sighed. “Um, well, that’s not quite right. Liam and I are on two sides of a thing. Hunter is in the middle.”
“Oh my God. Hold on.” The sounds of the Christmas party faded and when Adele next spoke, her words echoed. “Okay. I locked myself in the guest bathroom. Can’t talk long because I think Jay’s Uncle George was in here recently. Gross. Anyway, are you serious? He just got back into the country.”
Kat wrinkled her nose but chose not to comment on Adele’s hideaway. “I know he just got back. Liam invited him over but apparently told Hunter that I was visiting Tasha in California.”
“What...okay, whatever. I’m not going to ask. Where are you right now? Why are you wherever you are? Hunter probably hasn’t had sex in months. Go take advantage!”
Kat almost laughed. Oh, if only.
“Things got complicated fast. I can say with certainty that Hunter has had sex recently. And Liam screwed up, Adele. He screwed up big-time. I left the house.”
“Kat! You had sex with Hunter? You left? Where are you? Do you need me to come get you? What the hell happened?” She paused in her spate of questions. “Shit, Michael and Ryan are in the guest room tonight. But don’t worry, I’ll put them on the floor in the office.”
At least she could count on Adele. “I don’t know. Maybe I should try to find a hotel room for the night. Or drive out to my parents’ place.”
“Later. Where are you?”
“Coffee place.”
“The one with the brownies? Damn. Okay, tell Aunt Adele what happened.”
Kat sighed heavily. “Do you remember when Hunter left?”
“Remember? I haven’t eaten so much Ben & Jerry’s in my life.”
“It turns out Hunter left me a note when he headed off. Liam copped the note and kept it from me.”
“No. Fucking. Way.”
“Yeah.”
“That bastard. Fucking bastard. I hope you kicked him in the balls on your way out the door.”
That got a strangled laugh. It wasn’t funny, really, but it was reassuring. Adele’s anger grounded her, the affirmation helping her settle into the reality of Liam’s betrayal of her trust.
“No, but he would have deserved it. I did punch Hunter, though.”
“Why? No, never mind. What are you going to do?” Someone knocked on the door and Adele grumbled. “Damn. I’ve been found.”
“It’s okay. I know you have family stuff. I just needed someone to talk to. I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“Call me when you decide,” Adele said. “Or call me if you need me. Especially if you need help kicking his ass. It’ll give me a good excuse to make a run for it. And he totally deserves it.”
Kat let out a long breath. She did feel a little better. “I will. You go, though. Merry Christmas for real. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Both of you?”
“I don’t know. We’ll play it by ear.”
“Sure. Bring Hunter, too.”
“I can try, I suppose.”
“I’d love to see him,” Adele told her. “Okay, seriously, have to go.”
“Okay. Later,” Kat said as cheerily as she could manage.
Adele blew kisses through the phone and hung up. Kat slid her thumb across the screen, but she skimmed past Liam’s text and opened the message from Jen, instead. Kat
Similar Books
