perspective. Oh, and she also had to find a place to put her growing anger.
The anger surprised her. After the past five or six hours she would have expected to be dealing with a lot of emotions, but why was she mad? Or was the anger simply a cover for some other feeling?
She didn’t want to think about that, so she continued to pace and mutter and try to distract herself. Only her brain kept flashing back to her time with Rick. She could recall dozens of things he’d said—how he’d smiled, the changes in his body and the way they’d been together in bed.
“Not that!” she said aloud. “It was a mistake. All of it. What should have been a charming, easy encounter with my ex turned into something…”
What? Horrible? Not exactly. Scary? Maybe. Confusing? Yes. Definitely confusing.
The phone rang. Mandy spun to face the plain beige instrument sitting on the counter dividing the kitchen from the living area. Her first instinct was to run. She didn’t want to hear whatever Rick had to say. Then she reminded herself that not only did he not have her phone number, he’d never been very good on damage control or follow-up. He preferred to disappear until things blew over.
“Hello?” she said into the receiver.
“Hey, how’s sunny Southern California?”
Mandy sagged against the counter. Relief filled her. Cassie. Just the person she needed to talk to.
“It’s beautiful here,” she said, pulling out a stool and settling on it. “August is always wonderful weather.”
“I can’t wait until I get to experience it myself.”
“How’s the transition?” Mandy asked.
Cassie worked in a hospital in Arizona. She’d recently given notice, causing her boss to panic and swear she couldn’t survive without Cassie there.
“Slow. Really slow. I think they’re hoping to entice me into staying here, but that’s not going to happen.”
Mandy nodded sympathetically. “How are you doing?”
It was more than a casual question. It hadn’t been all that long since Cassie had walked in on her fiancé and roommate doing the wild thing. What was it about men and other women?
“Okay. Some days are easier than others. I’m working hard, which helps me forget. Maybe it will all crash in on me when I’m at the beach and don’t have as many distractions.”
“Maybe you’ll find out that you didn’t care about him as much as you thought.”
“I can only hope.” Cassie sighed. “Okay, enough about my pathetic life. What’s going on there?”
Mandy didn’t know what to say. How to explain the past few hours of her life.
“Oh, Mandy, it’s not Eva, is it? Has something happened?”
“No. She’s fine. At least she was a couple of days ago. I talked with Daisy, her foster mother, and she’s enjoying the summer.”
“Then what?”
“I’m stupid.”
“That’s not how I think of you, but okay.”
Despite everything, Mandy smiled. “You weren’t supposed to agree.”
“But how could I help myself?” She chuckled. “Never mind. Why do you think you’re stupid?”
“I had lunch with Rick.”
The pause on Cassie’s end was oddly satisfying, Mandy thought.
“Rick?” Cassie said, sounding stunned. “Your ex-husband Rick?”
“Uh-huh. He lives in Santa Barbara now, and whenJo found out I was coming up here, she suggested we get together.”
“How was it?”
Mandy found herself blinking away unexpected tears. “I don’t know. At first it was great, but then everything sort of fell apart. I don’t know what Jo was thinking. It’s been eight years. Why would she want us to see each other? I guess she thought we had unfinished business or something, but as far as I’m concerned, it should have stayed unfinished.”
No way was she going to mention that they’d made love.
“You sound angry,” Cassie said.
“I am, which is crazy. I don’t exactly know why, but I have a strong desire to start throwing things.”
“Feel free to toss the couch. For the past three years I’ve
The anger surprised her. After the past five or six hours she would have expected to be dealing with a lot of emotions, but why was she mad? Or was the anger simply a cover for some other feeling?
She didn’t want to think about that, so she continued to pace and mutter and try to distract herself. Only her brain kept flashing back to her time with Rick. She could recall dozens of things he’d said—how he’d smiled, the changes in his body and the way they’d been together in bed.
“Not that!” she said aloud. “It was a mistake. All of it. What should have been a charming, easy encounter with my ex turned into something…”
What? Horrible? Not exactly. Scary? Maybe. Confusing? Yes. Definitely confusing.
The phone rang. Mandy spun to face the plain beige instrument sitting on the counter dividing the kitchen from the living area. Her first instinct was to run. She didn’t want to hear whatever Rick had to say. Then she reminded herself that not only did he not have her phone number, he’d never been very good on damage control or follow-up. He preferred to disappear until things blew over.
“Hello?” she said into the receiver.
“Hey, how’s sunny Southern California?”
Mandy sagged against the counter. Relief filled her. Cassie. Just the person she needed to talk to.
“It’s beautiful here,” she said, pulling out a stool and settling on it. “August is always wonderful weather.”
“I can’t wait until I get to experience it myself.”
“How’s the transition?” Mandy asked.
Cassie worked in a hospital in Arizona. She’d recently given notice, causing her boss to panic and swear she couldn’t survive without Cassie there.
“Slow. Really slow. I think they’re hoping to entice me into staying here, but that’s not going to happen.”
Mandy nodded sympathetically. “How are you doing?”
It was more than a casual question. It hadn’t been all that long since Cassie had walked in on her fiancé and roommate doing the wild thing. What was it about men and other women?
“Okay. Some days are easier than others. I’m working hard, which helps me forget. Maybe it will all crash in on me when I’m at the beach and don’t have as many distractions.”
“Maybe you’ll find out that you didn’t care about him as much as you thought.”
“I can only hope.” Cassie sighed. “Okay, enough about my pathetic life. What’s going on there?”
Mandy didn’t know what to say. How to explain the past few hours of her life.
“Oh, Mandy, it’s not Eva, is it? Has something happened?”
“No. She’s fine. At least she was a couple of days ago. I talked with Daisy, her foster mother, and she’s enjoying the summer.”
“Then what?”
“I’m stupid.”
“That’s not how I think of you, but okay.”
Despite everything, Mandy smiled. “You weren’t supposed to agree.”
“But how could I help myself?” She chuckled. “Never mind. Why do you think you’re stupid?”
“I had lunch with Rick.”
The pause on Cassie’s end was oddly satisfying, Mandy thought.
“Rick?” Cassie said, sounding stunned. “Your ex-husband Rick?”
“Uh-huh. He lives in Santa Barbara now, and whenJo found out I was coming up here, she suggested we get together.”
“How was it?”
Mandy found herself blinking away unexpected tears. “I don’t know. At first it was great, but then everything sort of fell apart. I don’t know what Jo was thinking. It’s been eight years. Why would she want us to see each other? I guess she thought we had unfinished business or something, but as far as I’m concerned, it should have stayed unfinished.”
No way was she going to mention that they’d made love.
“You sound angry,” Cassie said.
“I am, which is crazy. I don’t exactly know why, but I have a strong desire to start throwing things.”
“Feel free to toss the couch. For the past three years I’ve
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