“He said to think about him?” Valentina hissed.
We were at her house for dinner. Her younger daughter, Sam, and my son, Paul, were dating, so we decided it was time to get all of us together and make sure the kids understood our rules.
Meaning we were going to tell them not to have sex.
But first I was telling Valentina about wanting to have sex with my assistant.
“I really thought he was joking all the times he said something to me,” I whined. I hated feeling off-center, and Patrick kept me off-center.
“Obviously, he wasn’t. What are you going to do?”
“Pretend it never happened?” I sipped my wine and hoped it would work.
“You clearly like him, though. Why not see what can happen?”
I shook my head before she even finished speaking. One and done for me. I’d tried the whole happily ever after thing and had the divorce papers to go along with it. I wasn’t looking for a do-over. Especially with a man who was so much younger and would waste his life if he got wrapped up with me.
“What’s holding you back?” Valentina pressed.
The three kids were all in the living room talking. They were far enough away that they couldn’t hear our conversation, but I glanced at them anyway. Valentina and Dawson had a beautiful home. There was a fireplace as the focal point in the living room, which was open to the kitchen and dining room. A TV was on another wall, visible from every seat on the sectional sofa that took up residence in the living room.
“The kids aren’t listening. Tell me what’s going on.” Valentina had become a closer friend in the last few months. Between her and Anna, I was starting to feel like myself again. But with both of them happy and not single, there was a part of me that felt invisible pressure to find a partner.
“I’m too old for Patrick.”
Valentina scoffed, but I continued.
“He has opportunities for anything. He’ll be twenty-seven in a few weeks. He’s a baby. Why would he ever want to be tied to an old woman like me?”
“First, you’re not old.”
“I’m forty,” I argued.
Valentina shook her head. “Forty is not old. All the equipment still works. And some men like older women.”
“Yeah, until they have to carry them to the bathroom and wipe their asses. Why would anyone sign up for that life?”
“Don’t we all? When I got married, I said in sickness and health. If something happened, I could be doing that for Dawson now.”
She had a point. I didn’t love it, but she wasn’t wrong. I would have taken care of Charles if something happened when we were married. I wouldn’t have thought twice about it.
“If he’s saying he wants you, enjoy it. Have fun. What’s the harm?”
“I don’t know,” I said, warming to the idea even as the voice in my head kept saying he’s too young.
“You’re both single. You clearly like him. Why would you not want to date him? You need some fun in your life.”
I scoffed, then laughed with her because she was right. My life was pretty boring. I went to work, came home and argued with Paul, then went to bed and started all over again. I would miss it when Paul went to college and was no longer living at home, but for now, it was boring.
“I’ll think about it,” I said, earning a wide grin from Valentina.
Footsteps behind me had me turning to see Dawson coming from the hallway.
“Val, I need you to do some laundry. None of my stuff is clean,” Dawson said, not looking up before he walked into the kitchen. He heard the kids’ voices and finally lifted his head from the shirt he was buttoning. “Oh, they’re here.”
I plastered a smile on my face and waved. I’d met Dawson a few times. He was brusque and borderline rude, but he was Valentina’s husband, so I let it go. She was amazing, and the last thing I wanted was to make her choose between me and the man she’d built a life with. I was friends with her, not him, so I didn’t let it bother me. Or tried not to.
“Hi, Dawson. Good to see you again.”
“Yeah,” he said. “When is dinner going to be ready?”
“Soon,” Valentina said. “I have a timer set. Why don’t you get a drink or something?”
Dawson nodded and went to the fridge. He grabbed a beer, then went to the living room where he sat on the opposite end of the couch from the kids and turned on the TV. He didn’t acknowledge any of them, even his daughters. The looks on their faces said they were used to it but not happy about it.
“Sorry about him,” Valentina said. “He’s tired.”
I nodded. “I understand. He’s been traveling a lot for work, right?”
“Yeah. The weekend is his only downtime. He wasn’t thrilled when I said we were all getting together tonight, but I told him it was the only time that really worked.”
“We could have done it a different night,” I said. I hated that Valentina felt the need to explain her husband. I’d done it enough for Charles to know it was a shitty feeling.
“He’ll be fine.” Her phone let out a jingling ring. “That’s the timer. We can eat in a few minutes, and hopefully he’ll be better.”
“What can I do to help you?” I asked, getting off my stool and coming around the island.
Valentina pulled a large pan out of the oven and set it on top of the stove. “You don’t have to do anything. You’re our guest.”
“Oh, please. I’m a mom, too. Put me to work. I know you’ll get less of an argument from me than anyone else here. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. Just that’s how it is in my house, too.”
Valentina flashed me a grateful smile and nodded. “Thank you. There’s a salad in the fridge. Dressings are in the door. I hope this is all okay. I always feel like I don’t make enough food. Baking is so much easier for me.”
“It smells amazing,” I told her honestly. As soon as she took dinner out of the oven, the scent filled me and made my stomach rumble.
“Thanks. It’s just spinach stuffed chicken. I didn’t do any rice, though. The chicken has breadcrumbs on top and I didn’t want everything to be too heavy.”
I set the salad on the counter and my hand on her arm. “It’s going to be amazing. I promise you, we’re all good.”
She smiled at me and visibly relaxed. While the chicken rested, she helped me get dressings from the fridge and organized everything on the counter like a buffet.
“Is this okay?”
“Absolutely. It’s how we always eat. Makes more sense than carrying everything to the table, then carrying it all back. We’re casual. Do not stress on our account.”
The tightness around her mouth made me wonder if Paul and I were not the reason for her stress, but I couldn’t exactly ask her. We were friends, but not the kind of friends who called you on your crappy marriage. Especially when I wasn’t even sure she had a crappy marriage. I’d seen her and Dawson together a handful of times. It wasn’t enough to say she was unhappy and he was the cause.
“We can eat,” Valentina called above the noise of the TV and the kids.
The kids jumped up and hurried into the kitchen. Paul grinned at Sam like she was a queen. They felt too young to be dating, but he turned fifteen a few months ago and Sam was going to over the summer. When I was fifteen, I was dating. A lot.
Valentina and I stood to the side while the kids filled their plates and gushed over how good the chicken smelled. The look in her eyes said she was grateful for their praise. When they carried their plates to the table, she asked Dawson if he was ready to eat.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.” Dawson turned off the TV and joined us in the kitchen.
I hung back with Valentina, letting Dawson go ahead of us. He didn’t acknowledge the move, just added the biggest piece of chicken to his plate, then scowled at the salad.
“Is this all you made?” he asked, shooting a look at Valentina.
“Yeah. The chicken is stuffed, so it’s pretty filling. I didn’t think we’d need anything else.”
“Well, you don’t, but I don’t spend all day eating dessert, so I’d like a little something extra to fill me up,” Dawson said.
My blood boiled as Valentina’s face fell. She rolled her lips in and twisted her hands together, crossing them over her middle. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, then forced a smile and glanced my way.
She immediately looked away.
I gaped at him. I had half a mind to kick his ass right there in his own home. How dare he speak to her that way?
“Valentina is gorgeous. She’s kind and beautiful and talented. Why would you insult her like that?”
Dawson snorted. “Of course you’d say that.” He made a point of scanning my body and rolling his eyes.
I saw red. The man was going to die. Who did he think he was?
I opened my mouth to tell him off when the doorbell rang, stopping the words before they could come out. I looked at Valentina, who looked at me, then at Dawson.
“Are you going to get that?” he asked, carrying his plate to the table and ignoring us.
I sucked in a breath and focused on my friend. She needed to get out of her marriage. She didn’t deserve to be treated the way she was. The look on her face said it wasn’t new, which made it even worse, but it wasn’t the time to deal with it.
Valentina excused herself and went to the door. I grabbed a plate and started to get my food. Less than a minute later, Valentina called out to Dawson.
“There’s someone here to see you, Dawson,” Valentina said, her tense voice loud enough to carry through the house.
“Who?” he asked as he got up from the table.
“Me,” a woman said, bursting into the living room.
Valentina stood behind her, having followed the stranger. Her eyes were wide, watching her husband.
“Haley? What are you… I mean, who are you?” Dawson said, moving toward the woman.
“Are you kidding me? You’re married? You told me you were single. We’ve been dating for nine months.”
The kids choked on their food. Valentina gasped. Dawson looked around the room, then focused on the woman who interrupted the night.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know you.”
“Give it up, Dawson,” Valentina said. “I’ve assumed you were cheating on me for a long time. But I have to say, this is the first time a woman moved to town to be closer to you.”
“You did what?” Dawson barked, focusing on Haley now.
Haley’s lip quivered. “I thought if we lived in the same town, you’d have no choice but to make a commitment to me. I thought it was the distance that kept you from asking me to marry you or move in together. I didn’t realize it was your family. That you even had a family.”
“Jesus, Haley, what the hell is wrong with you? Things were fine. We were good. Why did you have to do this?”
“Don’t blame her,” I said, stepping forward. “You’re the one having an affair.”
“You stay out of this,” Dawson growled at me.
“Don’t you talk to my friend that way,” Valentina hissed. “You’ve been fucking someone else so much that she moved here to be close to you, and you think you have any right to say anything right now?”
“Val, it’s not what you think. She’s crazy.”
“Oh, really?” Valentina turned to Haley. “You’ve been dating for nine months?”
Haley nodded, looking like she was going to be sick.
“Where did you meet?”
“He helped me change a tire in a parking lot. I came out from grabbing something quick to eat, and my tire was completely flat. He walked out behind me and offered to help.”
“How kind of him. Then what?”
“Then he asked if he could buy me a drink. I was meeting friends and told him where we would be. He met me there.”
“And when did you start sleeping together?”
Haley’s cheeks pinked, and she ducked her head. “That night.”
“I see. And he never once mentioned his wife of two decades? Or his daughters?”
Haley shook her head. She glanced at the table where the kids were gawking at her. At the whole scene.
“So, Dawson, at what point did you think you had a right to say one fucking thing here? My friend is defending me. This woman was a victim of your lies, just like me. It sounds like the only one here who has no excuse is you.”
“Val—” He moved toward her, reaching out to touch her.
Valentina backed up and put her hands up. “Don’t you dare fucking touch me,” she growled. “Get your fucking shit and get the hell out of my house.”
“This is our house,” Dawson argued.
“Get out!” Valentina shouted. Her eyes were wild. She was about to lose it, and if Dawson had any brain cells left, he would get away before she did.
Haley quietly backed out of the house and left. Dawson went down the hallway, coming back a few minutes later with a bag. He shoved his feet into his sneakers and cast a glare toward me.
Valentina followed him to the door. He tried to say something to her, but she just growled, and he left.
She slammed the door, then sank against it, sliding to the floor as tears started to fall.
I glanced at the kids, then at my friend. “Kids, finish eating. Clean up when you’re done. And girls, I’m sorry you just saw that.”
They nodded, the girls looking more than a little shell-shocked at what had just happened. Paul’s face was full of sympathy for them. The three of them whispered quietly to each other, finding comfort together while I headed toward Valentina.
“What do you need?” I asked her.
“Can I kill him?”
I breathed a laugh and shook my head. “Unfortunately, no.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’s not worth it. He’s an asshole who doesn’t deserve you. And your girls need you because they clearly aren’t going to have him.”
“So, you’re saying I should wait until they’re adults to kill him?”
I laughed, relieved she could make jokes. “I’m saying he’s not worth anymore of your time. What do you need right now? Wine? Liquor? A bubble bath?”
She snorted. “See? This is why you should take advantage of Patrick and his suggestions. All men cheat. All men are assholes. So, if you know going in that it isn’t going to work out, your expectations will be lower. You don’t have to worry about being forty-four and finding out your husband had been screwing the nineteen-year-old he met on a business trip.”
“I don’t think she was nineteen.”
“Is that really what you’re taking away from this?” Valentina growled.
I chuckled. “Okay, fine. You’re right. But you can’t control who you love.”
“Do you love Patrick?”
I shook my head. “No, of course not. I’m just saying falling in love isn’t optional. If we got involved, there’s no guarantee I won’t fall for him, and he’ll decide he wants kids and a wife his age and it’ll end.”
“Or that he won’t fall for someone else and have an affair for most of a year before she shows up on your doorstep because she just moved to town.”
I nodded because yeah, that, too.
“I guess it’s a good thing we haven’t had sex in almost a year. I don’t have to worry about what kind of diseases he could have given me. Last time I went to my doctor, she tested me for everything under the sun.”
“You thought he was cheating before?”
Valentina shrugged. “I don’t know. Yeah. I guess. But I never wanted to admit it to myself. I thought if I worked harder to be a good wife, maybe things would be okay between us.”
I grabbed her hand and pulled her up. “It’s not up to one person to keep a relationship working. I learned that the hard way, too. If one of the people in a relationship isn’t willing to keep trying, it’ll fall apart, no matter how hard the other person works.”
She sighed. “I guess. But man, did it have to blow up like this? In front of my kids? And you guys? I wanted this to be a good night.”
“It will be an even better night now that Dawson is gone. You can relax and enjoy the dinner you made and know that the rest of us are here for you.”
Valentina smiled, her first real smile since Dawson joined us before dinner. She drew in a breath and straightened her shoulders. “You’re right. I’m hungry, and I no longer have to care what my asshole husband thinks of how much weight I’ve gained since we got married. No one is going to see me naked for a very long time, if ever again, so bring on the wine and the chicken and the dessert. I’m going to enjoy my new freedom.”
“Good for you,” I said, knowing it was temporary, but even temporary was good when your world was falling apart.