JENNIFER WAS NEARLY TO her house when she heard Todd call out her name. She stumbled briefly, but kept walking. So much for wishing she could be invisible.
“Jenn, wait up!”
She jabbed her key into the hole and twisted, but somehow the lock jammed. “Oh, come on.” Things just couldn’t go her way, could they?
“Jennifer, let’s be adult about this.”
Adult? Adult! She rounded on Todd. “What on earth would you know about being an adult?”
He grimaced, not even out of breath from the jog across the restaurant’s parking lot and around the corner to her house. Never mind that she was huffing and puffing and sweaty. Ugh. It would have been quicker to lock herself in her car, but she’d been so angry she’d forgotten that it was sitting there in the lot.
“Why haven’t you returned my calls?”
She leaned against the door for support. “I don’t know. Maybe because I don’t want to talk to you?”
Todd put his hands on his hips in an arrogant pose, his dark hair and Catholic schoolboy uniform of khaki pants and navy polo shirt looking fresh and neat despite the heat. Indicative of his cold heart.
“It’s been months since the final papers were signed, and it was over months before that. Can’t we move on?”
“I am completely beyond that. What I’m not over is you showing up at the restaurant today. You knew I’d be there—I’m always there with my friends on the last day of school. And yet there you are with your tongue stuck down your receptionist’s throat. You did that to embarrass me!”
“No, I—” He swore softly. “Jenn, I forgot about it. I didn’t even know it was the last day of school. Why would I?” Todd wiped a hand over his face and shifted his feet on the grass that she hadn’t had time or the energy to mow. “I’m sorry. I didn’t do that on purpose. And believe it or not, I wanted our marriage to work but—”
“I’m fairly certain there isn’t a single marriage counselor out there who’d have told you to fix our problems by screwing around.”
His gaze narrowed. “You want me back, is that what this is about?”
“No!” The thought was appalling. The very idea made her sick to her stomach, even though she’d been raised to believe marriage vows were meant to be kept and problems worked out. She did not want him back. Some people might be more forgiving than she was, but infidelity wasn’t something she was prepared to overlook.
“We were friends once. Can’t we go back to that?”
“Friends? Oh, you mean, before you took all the money I had saved to pay off your student loans and your debt? Or before you cheated on me?” She should have sued him for alimony just to get even, but she didn’t want that tie to him, didn’t want to take anything from him. She’d won the house. That was enough. “Things weren’t working. I knew that, Todd, but instead of talking to me, separating or asking for a divorce, you messed around and lied about it.”
“I admit, I could’ve handled things better.”
“You think?” Wait a minute. Was that an admission—and an apology? She narrowed her gaze on him. “What do you want?”
Todd gave her one of his practiced smiles. “I’ve been calling you because…I need a favor.”
“Of course you do.”
“It’s important. And I hope you’ll be kind enough to help me out.”
She blinked at him. “Help you out with what?”
“I didn’t argue when you said you wanted the house.”
“I could have asked for half of your earnings, since I worked my butt off while you were in med school. Toby Richardson said I could have pressed you for a lot more, and you know it. You’re out of favors, Todd.”
Todd gritted his teeth. “Can we leave the lawyers out of this?”
“Get to the point.”
“I just want to look at our old vacation plans. See? No big deal.”
“What?” Why would he possibly want her…Her nails dug into her palms. “Why?”
He dropped his gaze to his feet. “Erin and I are getting married—she’s pregnant. We found out today, which is why we were at the restaurant tonight. To celebrate. Anyway, I’d like to take her somewhere special for our honeymoon. You know, before the baby comes. Otherwise, it’ll be a long time before we’ll be able to get away and do something like that.”
The ringing in her ears drowned out most of his words.
“Anyway, I told her about the trip we’d planned and she loved the sound of it. She wants to go there. Erin admires you, Jenn. I think she’d like to be more like you.”
“I’m going to hurl.”
“I wish you’d try to understand my side of things,” he said with insensitive determination. “I needed more, and I wasn’t getting it from you. I wanted to do things, be adventurous, and you wouldn’t even try. The divorce was for the best.”
“You got that right.” Did she ever know that for a fact. The lying, sneaking, two-timing…Cheating McCheater! Be more adventurous? How could she be in the mood, when she knew he was out with other women? Sleeping with nurses in the on-call rooms? She’d even heard a rumor about a freight elevator.
“Look, I thought since you’re not seeing anyone and obviously wouldn’t be taking the vacation, I might—”
“Stop.” She held up her hand, struggling to remain calm so she wouldn’t end up with the police on her front lawn when her nosy neighbors called 9-1-1. “Why wouldn’t I be taking the vacation?”
Jenn stared at the man and wondered what on earth she’d ever seen in him. Todd looked soft, not at all the handsome pre-med student she’d thought herself in love with but a spoiled boy pretending to be a man. Playing at being a grownup. Why had it taken her so long to figure that out?
“Look, Jenn, I know it’s been a rough year for you, but you’ve got to admit you’re not quite ready for fun in the sun, right?” His gaze swept over her, lingering on her rounded middle and ample hips. “Besides, I know how you are about traveling alone. You didn’t even want to go to your parents’ house by yourself. You said it was too far to drive.”
Mostly she hadn’t wanted to go because married couples usually traveled together. Especially to see the parents. Showing up on their doorstep alone would have sent her mother into a tizzy, and understandably so.
“Wouldn’t it be a shame to let all that planning go to waste? Just hand the plans over and I’ll mail them back to you when I’ve had a look.”
Her palms itched. She relaxed a fist and rubbed her hand against her elastic-waist pants, afraid if she smacked his face she’d somehow give him the upper hand. Assault charges versus her trip. She wouldn’t put it past him. But the audacity of the man—standing there, trying to justify his actions by making her feel bad about herself?
She often told her second-grade classes that violence didn’t solve anything. At the moment, however, she greatly sympathized with little Michael Marshall. Nailing Todd with a good right hook would certainly make her feel good—just as Michael had claimed after Brad Zimmer had made fun of his stutter one too many times and he’d walloped Brad a good one. “Amazing. I can’t believe you’ve done it. You’ve convinced me to feel sorry for her.”
“Who?”
“Her.” And the unborn baby who would soon be more mature than its own father. What a nightmare. But Todd wasn’t her nightmare. Not anymore. Thank you, God. Some things happened for a reason. So why not let this be another reason to turn the summer into exactly what Suzanne had called it—the Summer of Jenn. Why not let this moment lift her declaration to the next level? Exercise. Diet. Whatever it took to help her have the confidence to prove Todd wrong and take that trip! Did she dare go by herself?
Yes! She’d rather have company, but if she didn’t—why not go anyway? She was only hurting herself by letting fear and timidity hold her back. Why not put her repressed emotions out there and use them to lose weight and get in shape, instead of eating more and more? Why not heal the inner part of her that was hurting so badly? Dr. Phil might just be onto something.
If she planned things well, worked hard, she could do this. Everyone knew confidence and self-image went hand in hand. All she had to do was find her courage. Grow a pair. Embrace her inner I-can-do-anything diva instead of locking her up in order to keep her off the dance floor. This was it—her moment. Her motivation. The thing she needed to come to terms with herself, revenge. Todd didn’t think she was beach-worthy? Well, he could just…He could just kiss her big, fat butt!
“So you’re going to be like that, huh?”
For the second time that evening, she realized she’d spoken her thoughts aloud. Shrugging off the fear that her neighbors might also be listening, Jenn gave Todd a genuine smile for the first time since she’d learned the truth of his betrayal. “Yes, I am. If you want to take your…” She faltered, refusing to stoop to his level, “Erin, somewhere nice, plan it yourself.”
Todd glared at her and turned to leave, but she caught hold of his arm. “And one more thing. For your child’s sake, if for no other reason, don’t you dare put your son or daughter through the pain of seeing their father run around on their mom. This time, Todd, be adult enough to honor your vows.”
Todd stiffened and his face darkened, but he didn’t say anything. Jenn stared him down, then turned on her heel and—thank goodness!—the key opened the lock.
Slamming the door in his face wasn’t nearly as satisfying as nailing him with her fist would have been, but it had to do. Success was the best revenge. Now all she had to do was achieve it.
The Summer of Jenn had officially begun.
HELL HATH NO FURY like a woman pissed off,” Nick drawled as Jenn slid onto a bar stool beside Suzanne. “Ladies, have a good night. Yell, if you need anything.”
Suzanne nodded, but didn’t take her eyes off Jenn, making Jenn even more self-conscious since everything seemed a bit…weird.
“Your face is as red as my shirt. What happened?”
Jenn concentrated on hooking the heels of her summer sandals over the lower rungs of the stool. It took more work than she had thought it would—possibly because of the time she’d spent at her house searching for something sexy to wear back to the Old Coyote and then finding Todd’s left-behind prized possession instead.
Revenge had definitely been sweet—and expensive. “Why not? Why let Cheating McCheater Jerk ruin my fun with my friends?” Hiccup. She covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh, that’s rude. Excuse me.”
Suzanne’s mouth dropped open. “Have you been drinking?”
Jenn saw the bartender’s head turn their way.
“Hello? Jenn? Oh, you have. Hon, what happened?”
Jenn laughed and looked around them.
“The worst of the gossips are gone, don’t worry. Just tell me.”
“What’s to tell? He followed me home. Like the sick, little puppy he is. But I got the last kick, er, laugh in. I wouldn’t give it to him.”
“Give what to him? What did he do? Say? Tell me!”
“He’s been calling me.” She nodded to confirm her statement. “But I wouldn’t phone him back. So he came over.”
“Why?”
“Because he wants my vacation.”
“What? Why?”
“That’s what I said. It’s not fair, you know.” She pointed to Suzanne’s empty dessert cup. “You lost weight after your divorce and you’re losing weight now—don’t say you’re not. All I’ve done is gain it, and…and he pointed that out.”
“Correction. I lost weight when I was dating Tucker. I was so sure it was too soon to get involved that I felt sick every time he came around me.”
“I didn’t know that.”
Suzanne propped an elbow on the bar. “A girl has to keep some diet secrets.” Her gaze settled on the bowl of peanuts nearby and she pushed them in front of Jenn. “Eat. It’ll help absorb the alcohol. Now, what else did Todd say?”
“Just the usual. I can’t stand him. That, that—”
“Need me to supply an expletive?”
“Oooooooh! He actually had the nerve to say he wants to take his girlfriend on my vacation before they spawn.”
“You mean, she’s—”
“Pregnant,” Jenn blurted out, nearly overturning the dish of peanuts. “The cheating liar has a baby on the way. Believe it or not, I don’t care. I don’t,” she repeated. “It’s beyond over, but he stood there on my uncut grass in front of the house he said we’d fix up together and told me he wanted to take her on my dream vacation, since it’s obvious I’m not going because I’m not…beach-worthy.”
“He said that? What did you do? Please tell me you told him to shove it where the sun don’t shine. Jenn?”
“I wanted to.”
A plate of fries appeared in front of them, along with coffee and two glasses of water. “On the house. Enjoy, ladies.” Nick smiled at Jenn before walking away. She eyed his backside and shook her head.
“But?”
“Yeah, it is nice, isn’t it?”
Suzanne giggled.
She blinked back to the present. “What’s so funny?”
“You. And yes, it is, but finish your story. What did he do next?”
“I told him to plan his own vacation and have enough parenting skills not to make his child watch him cheat on its mother.”
“I suppose it could’ve been worse. You could have given your plans to him.”
“I told you I didn’t.” Jenn snorted, picked up a fry and popped it into her mouth. “I’m pathetic, but that’s my vacation and I’m not giving it up. Not after all the work I put into planning the thing. I know all the little places to go see. Where I want to eat, shop, swim…The insider stuff that regular tourists won’t know about.”
Suzanne raised her brows. “But you said you aren’t going now. Unless you’ve changed your mind?”
“I have. I am going. I’m going to—” She dropped the fry she was holding and shoved the plate away. “I’m going to lose weight and take that trip. I have to for me and all womankind.”
Suzanne beamed like a proud parent. “Good for you. It’s about time you pulled yourself out of this funk.”
“Todd’s right about one thing, though. I’m not beach-worthy. I had to buy a whole new wardrobe of shapeless dresses to get me through the school year. Look at this,” she said, plucking at the denim jumper she had on now. “I tried to find something sexy to wear here and…This is not sexy.”
Suzanne couldn’t hide her smile or the laugh she poorly disguised with a cough.
“It’s not funny, either.”
“Oh, sweetie, I know. But it’s not that bad, either. If you’ve decided to diet, I have no doubt you can lose the weight you’ve gained.”
“Really?”
“Really. Don’t let Todd get to you. If you do, you let him win.” Suzanne made herself more comfortable on the stool. “Jenn, I’m worried about you. Everyone deals with stuff like this in their own way, but you don’t drink.”
No, she didn’t. It just proved how unnerved she was with her life at the moment. When she’d discovered the bottle, the only thought in her head was to hurt Todd the way she’d been hurt, and the only thing he’d ever seemed to love during their marriage was that stupid champagne. “Do you know,” she said softly, “I packed my lunch for an entire year to save money to buy the chandelier in the hall, and the weekend I bought it Todd went out and bought that bottle of really expensive champagne? He said it was sexy and sophisticated and it made him feel like James Bond. As if Todd could ever be 007.”
They both rolled their eyes.
“It was such a slap in the face.”
“But it’s finished. And you’ve decided to fight back, right?”
“Right. I just don’t know where to begin. It’s easy to gain weight, but how am I going to lose all this before the end of summer?”
Suzanne was quiet and thoughtful, then a grin formed on her face. “I’ve got it. I know exactly how you can do it.”
“Really?”
“Admit it. You probably couldn’t lose a lot if you tried on your own, but if you had help you could kick butt, right? Jenn, Nick’s looking for a tutor for his son, and since the two of you seemed to hit it off earlier—”
“Hit it off?” That drew her out of her daze. “Get real. He asked me where the teachers were who didn’t have any plans,” she muttered morosely. “That’s not exactly hitting it off.”
“Maybe he was checking to see if you’d say you were spending the summer with a boyfriend or something. Ever think of that?”
“I’m not that drunk.”
“Look, he wants someone who’ll keep things discreet. Are you interested or not? He brought you food, too. On the house.”
Fattening food. For the fat girl. She fingered the plate of fries, wanting another one. “Why can’t you do it? You’ll only be gone a couple weeks, not the whole summer. Is the kid such a problem?”
“No problem. Matt is wonderful, very sweet, with a heart of gold. And what better way to spend your summer than hanging around with a sexy bad boy with a body that would give any woman inspiration to look her best? You never know what might happen.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Jenn glanced at the hot bod in question and sighed. “Guys like that don’t notice women like me. We’re not even a blip on the radar.”
Suzanne waved the complaint away. “I disagree, because Nick is the best. But that’s beside the point. The point is, he needs a tutor and he asked me to only mention it to people I knew would be discreet.”
“What’s the big deal?”
“Matt’s shy and embarrasses easily, and Nick doesn’t want people talking or kids making fun of him. You know how gossip works.”
That she did. “People suck.”
“My, my, you are in a mood. But why not consider it? You could help Matt, earn some extra money, and you never know. Maybe being around all that hard muscle and sex appeal would be just the thing to distract you from…”
Jenn looked up in time to see Suzanne indicate the fries. And lo and behold she’d picked up another, had been nibbling on it and hadn’t even noticed. Jenn stared down at the fattening treat, then thought of her faulty marriage and the rest of her life. “Why do I do this?” She said, tossing the fry down. “Why do I let him get to me? I know I’m only hurting myself, but I can’t seem to stop. I don’t even want these fries. I didn’t want the champagne, either, but he made me so angry and I just…I hate the thought that I failed.”
Suzanne patted her on the back. “You didn’t fail at anything. Cheaters cheat. It’s as simple as that. Listen, about the weight, if you want I know a doctor who prescribes…”
Jenn shook her head firmly back and forth. “No drugs. They give me heart palpitations, and I’d only gain it right back once I quit taking them.”
“Then what you need is someone who’ll take charge and get you exercising. Too bad it won’t be me.”
“Why not? Suzanne, you have to help me.”
“Can’t. Hawaii, remember? And…I’ll be a bit restricted in what I can do when I get back, too.”
Jenn shoved aside the fries, suspicious of Suzanne’s curiously bright eyes. “What’s going on?”
“Are you ready to be an aunt?”