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Jess showered and dressed. She took two swigs off the bottle of vodka she had hidden in her closet drawer, instead of the usual three. She wasn’t perfect, she had her secrets, but at least she knew her limits.
And, anyway, she had a plan.
Jess sat in her new dress, sipping her tea as she watched the way Myles played with her daughter in the garden. She noticed the way her son had taken to him, and her son didn’t take to very many.
“Nice dress.” He nodded in her direction, slipping into one of the patio chairs opposite her.
“You’re a natural, you know,” she said catching him off guard.
He shrugged and looked away.
“You know, I was just thinking… I really don’t know anything about you…”
“There’s not much to know.” He smiled, slipped out of the chair, and resumed playing keep-away from Catherine.
Jessica cleared her throat and shouted over the noise. “Catherine, it’s time for your riding lesson.”
“But I don’t want to ride today!” her daughter yelled, placing her hands on her hips. “I want to stay and play with Myles.”
She sighed. “Catherine—”
Myles interrupted by throwing Catherine over his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I got this. I’ll drive her down to the stable.”
Jess shook her head. “Let Dean. I need to talk to you about something, actually.”
He deadpanned. Why did women have to make it so difficult? “Well, there’s only one problem… you see, I made a pinky promise. And I don’t take pinky promises lightly.”
Unable and unwilling to argue the value or relevance of a pinky promise, she watched them pull away, and then she picked up her cell and dialed Addison.
“I’m in trouble,” Jess whispered when she answered.
Addison laughed. “You’re telling me.”
“No, I’m serious. Spence cut me off. He canceled my credit cards… I don’t have access to our other accounts. ”
Addison exhaled. “Oh. How very like Spencer.”
“Yeah. Anyway, I have a plan. But I need your help... I’m going to send you an email outlining what I need here in a minute—”
Addison cut her off. “Jess, you need to call your attorney.”
“Actually, I have a little something else in mind first.” She eyed Myles coming around the bend in the Ranger. “But hey—I gotta go. Look for my email, will you?”
She clicked the phone off as Myles pulled up a chair and took a seat. He eyed her expectantly.
Jess smiled. “First off, thank you for picking up the clothes. You really didn’t have to do that. And I realize that I don’t exactly have cheap tastes so I’m having the agency reimburse you—”
“Wow.” Myles sat up straighter and cut her off.
She looked confused. “What?”
“Nothing.”
Myles changed his mind and leaned in close, propping his elbows on the table. “Can I ask you a question, Jessica?”
“Sure.”
He smiled ruefully. “How many friends do you have?”
