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I nod again.
“Without crying or throwing a punch?” Claire asks. “Because if you cried or threw a punch, no one would blame you, but I’ll definitely need to break out a bottle of wine.”
Claire and her mother know a little of what happened between Rhett and me, but they don’t know the whole story, and it’s going to stay that way. Some secrets are better left tucked away in a dark closet.
“I assure you, there were no tears or violence involved, which is a good thing because I don’t have a bottle of wine. And don’t look so surprised. We broke up years ago.”
Claire sits down across from her mother and grabs a plate from the center of the table. “And you still have the dogs?”
“No, they went with him,” I reply dryly.
Rolling her eyes, Claire sticks out her tongue and fills her plate.
“To be honest, it was nice to see him. I might have some ill feelings toward him, but he was my friend before he was my boyfriend, and I want nothing but the best for him. He looked good.”
Claire wags her eyebrows. “How good?”
“That’s my cue to leave,” Sharon says. “You two chat while I go check on Phil.” She disappears down the hall.
Once she’s out of earshot, Claire scoots her chair closer to mine. “Tell me everything.”
“There isn’t much to tell.” I shrug. “You know…he looked good.”
“I want details,” she demands.
“Details. Let’s see. His left arm was in a sling. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, and he looked tired.”
“Really. That’s it?”
“Pretty much.”
“You’re horrible at this. I want to know if he’s gained muscle or fifty pounds of fat. What did his hair look like? Is his ass still as tight as it used to be, because that man had one hell of an ass back in the day,” she says, leaning back in the seat and fanning her face.
Sharon walks back into the kitchen. “Would you leave her alone? If she doesn’t want to talk about it, don’t make her.”
“Oh, she wants to talk about it. She’s just making me work for it.”
“Fine.” Dropping my fork, I prop my elbows on the table. Not the most ladylike thing to do, but I moved way past ladylike a long time ago. “He gained muscle. Lots and lots of muscle. I don’t think the man has an ounce of fat on his body. His hair is longer than it used to be, and it curls around the tops of his ears. And I didn’t get a good look at his ass, but based on the rest of his body, I’d bet just about anything it’s still a work of art.”
“Yes!” Claire hollers, slamming her hand on the table. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”
“Shhhh,” Sharon scolds. “You’re going to wake up Phil, and he needs to rest.”
“But I need details,” she whines.
“Then go somewhere else and talk about it.”
Claire smiles and gives me a mischievous look. “Want to go to Dirty Dicks and grab a beer? My treat.”
I would love to. “No, I shouldn’t. Your mom has been here all day and—”
“I don’t mind, sweetie,” Sharon replies. “You deserve some me time too. Lord knows if I go home I’ll just plop down in front of the TV, and I can do that here. Phil’s out for the night. You should go.”
“Are you sure?”
“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t sure. Now, finish your food and go.”
“Thank you.” I look at Claire. “But can we go somewhere other than Dirty Dicks? Now that I work there, I really don’t want to go in on my day off.”
