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“Exactly. And yesterday, when Levi came home and immediately started accusing me of basically allowing someone to stalk me for a year, I just couldn’t take it anymore. It’s a lot. I wanted a day off from all of it.”
“From the tone of his voice, it sounded like he did, too. He was frustrated when he called.”
“You’re right. Time apart isn’t the death of a relationship.”
“No, and I’m always happy to see you. I’m glad he called me.”
“Me, too.”
I take a bite of eggs, but they taste like cardboard. It’s not Jax’s fault. Everything is tasteless.
“You know what you need?”
“A lobotomy?”
“No, smartass. You need a girls’ night out. And I’ll even take one for the team and go with you, even though those girls are scary when they’ve had alcohol.”
“There’s no way I can go out dancing, Jax. It would be a security nightmare.”
“So rent out a club for the night. It’ll be a private party.”
“I’ll just give you my AmEx. Take my money and arrange it.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“No. Knock yourself out.”
“Holy shit, I just died and went to heaven.”“You found the cutest dress for tonight,” Meredith says. It’s mid-afternoon, and we’ve been out shopping. The reasons are two-fold.
One, shopping is the ultimate therapy.
And two, I wanted something flirty and sassy for girls’ night out, which Jax has miraculously arranged for tonight.
Byron, the police officer, has been with us all day, following us from store to store, always no more than ten feet away.
I offered to buy him lunch, but he declined.
“Does Levi know where we are?” I ask him.
“Yes, ma’am.”
I nod and turn back to Meredith. “It’s weird, don’t you think?”
“No. I think it’s sweet, and it makes me feel better that he’s here. Just in case. Jax told me everything, by the way.”
“I figured he would. It’s okay, everyone should know. The more eyes looking for something off, the better I suppose.”
“I’m not even going to get into the whole you-should-have-told-me-months-ago thing.”
“I would appreciate it if you didn’t.” A familiar face catches my eye as we walk through the mall. “Belinda? Belinda, is that you?”
Her head swivels toward me as if she didn’t see me earlier, but I could swear she was just watching me.
“Starla?” Belinda says in surprise. “Oh my gosh, hi!”
“Hey there.” I hug her tightly and then turn to Meredith. “Do you remember Belinda? She comes to every show.”
“Of course, I do,” Mer says with a smile. “It’s nice to see you.”
“You, too,” Belinda says. She’s a tall brunette with short hair and doesn’t usually wear makeup. She’s always been a superfan, coming to every show on the west coast, and one of my biggest supporters on social media.
“Gosh, I haven’t seen you in a while,” I say. “Are you living in Seattle now?”
“Yeah, I’ve been here for about six months or so. I came for a job.”
“Good for you. How is your daughter? Angie?”
“Angel,” she corrects me.
“Of course, I’m sorry. How is she feeling?”
I met Belinda and her daughter Angel through the Make-A-Wish Foundation years ago when Angel was so sick with cancer. But she pulled through. The last I heard, she was doing great.
“Oh, she—” Belinda swallows hard. “She passed away a year ago in July.”
“Belinda, I’m so sorry.” I tug her to me for another hug. “I hadn’t heard. I’m so, so sorry.” I pull away. “Is there anything you need? Anything I can do?”
She shakes her head. “No, thanks. I’m fine. I’m going to be late for something, so I’d better go.”
“I didn’t mean to hold you up. Take care, Belinda.”
She nods and hurries off, and I exchange a sad look with Meredith.
“That’s so sad. I thought she was acting weird, but now I know why,” Mer says, shaking her head. “I’d be acting weird too if I was in her shoes.”
“It’s horrible,” I agree as we continue walking. I glance back at Byron, who’s currently talking into his phone ten feet away. “Should we get some ice cream?”
“The answer to ice cream is always yes.”“You know I’m not hot after your husband, right?”
Sam and I are sitting at a booth in the dark club. Most of the girls are on the dance floor, but some are at the bar. I asked Sam to join me so I could clear the air. I’ve been thinking about this since my talk with Nat and Luke.
“Dude, if I thought you were after my husband, I wouldn’t be here.”
“Well, I figured that. I just wanted to make it perfectly clear to you that I respect and like you, and Leo is a lucky guy. I’m happy for both of you.”
“Thank you,” she says after sipping her margarita. “I didn’t like you for a long time. I won’t say I can’t be jealous. But when you’re married to someone like Leo Nash, jealousy would be the death of me. Everyone wants a piece of him.”
