AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Not for clothes, Elise. Ring shopping. He was at Harry Winston, checking out diamond rings.”
All the air rushes out of me, as if I’ve been sucker punched in the gut.
“Elise?” Kat’s voice is quiet and small.
Even though I shouldn’t care, I still do, and my cheeks flame with shame.
“I gotta go. Thanks for telling me.”
“I have your back, babe. Stay strong.” Kat air kisses down the line and I disconnect, tossing my phone into the empty chair beside me.
I know this is direct from the gossip hotline, but deep down I believe it’s true.
Harry’s moved on.
It’s well past time for me to do the same.
* * *
After the convo with Kat, my day rounds out with a text from Nate.
Lawyer Man: Congrats! Paperwork signed, sealed, delivered. You’re officially a free woman.
I stare down at the message, my hands shaking, and suddenly feel dizzy. I knew this was coming, but seeing the words is still a shock. And it would have been nice if Nate called with the news instead of texting. Still, I text back.
Elise: Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate your hard work. Do I need to do anything else?
Lawyer Man: Nope. Done and dusted.
Elise: Thanks
Now I’m way too keyed up to watch TV alone in my room all night. And after hearing all this Harry news, I deserve a fun night out.
Changing into a cornflower blue midi dress and sandals, I tousle my hair into loose waves and dab on fresh lip gloss. Overall, not bad for forty. Then I head over to the tiki bar, a fizzy excitement bubbling through my veins.
This has nothing to do with the possibility of bumping into Smith.
Uh-huh. Sure.
Not that he’d be here two nights in a row. Surely he has better things to do on the weekend than hang at his cousin’s hotel bar. Hell, for all I know, he has a girlfriend; I’m probably reading way too much into the situation.
The sounds of laughter and Buffett tunes float on the wind, the tiki bar twinkling against the inky night sky. It’s more crowded tonight, but there’s one open spot at the bar and I beeline for it.
“Hey, back again.” Parker beams at me, his surfer hair swooping down over his forehead. “Pinot grigio?”
“Perfect,” I say, trying to hide my disappointment that Smith’s not here.
“How’d it go at the house today?” Parker asks, handing the wine to me.
I take a sip and nod. “Good. Smith said he’ll get the estimate to me early next week.”
“Nice. I’m sure you want to get the work done ASAP, right? So you can summer here?” Parker trains his eyes on mine, and it’s the second time today I get the feeling everyone in town is interested in my Aunt Gin’s house.
“That would be ideal.”
“Solid. I’m sure we can get it livable by then. Do you think you’ll rent it at all?”
“No idea. I found out about the house less than a week ago. I haven’t had much time to think about it.”
