AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do you still want him?”
The question came out before I could think better of it. I had no right asking, to be honest. It wasn’t my place. I’d cut our flirty relationship off at the knee years ago. We weren’t even friends, really. Simply two people who lived in the same town and ran in the same circles, so we were forced to know each other.
I wasn’t sure why I cared; all I knew was I did. The question had been plaguing me, and now that it was out there, I was holding my breath in anticipation of the answer.
Hardin’s head jerked back. “What?” she squeaked in outrage, her face scrunching up like she’d just bitten into a week-old taco. “No! God no, not at all. I have no desire to revisit that theme park, believe me.”
I refused to overthink why her answer was such a relief, so I shoved it to the very back of my head, along with everything else I was avoiding. It was starting to get so packed back there, I was running out of space.
“He’s known the woman for all of five minutes, and he’s already doing all the things I practically begged him to do when we were together. He got a new job and is talking about doing better by Hazel and paying his child support.”
My brow furrowed in confusion. “But that’s a good thing, right?”
Her eyes met mine, and I could see the sadness lingering behind them. “It’s a great thing. I’m just feeling a little bitter, I guess,” she admitted quietly as she stabbed at the bubbles in her soda with her straw. “We were together for years. We had a child together, for crying out loud. I don’t want him back. The feelings I used to have for him are long gone. But I can’t help but wonder what it is about this new chick that’s so special he’s willing to change for her when he wasn’t for me.”
Ah, there it was. Fortunately for her, I was pretty sure I knew the reason. “It’s like you just said,” I told her. “She’s new.”
She gave me a look that said she wasn’t buying it. “That’s it?”
“That’s it,” I said with a shrug. “I bet if you think back on the start of your relationship, that loser pulled out the stops in order to catch you and lock you in. It was only after he had you that he showed his true colors. Am I right?”
She paused long enough to give my question some thought. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”
“There you go. He’s still riding the high of a new relationship, working to lock this woman down. I’m willing to bet my next paycheck it’s only a matter of time before those true colors start seeping through again.”
An evil smile slowly stretched across her face. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
I didn’t bother to suppress my shiver. “Well, you don’t have to sound so damn gleeful about it.”
She narrowed her eyes and stabbed her finger in my direction. “Hey, don’t you judge me. That chick insulted my family’s sauce.”
My eyes rounded. “Well, in that case, she deserves what’s coming,” I said, only half joking.
8
HARDIN
“Hurry!” Hazel exclaimed from the back seat of my car, her excitement so high she couldn’t stop fidgeting. Her feet had started kicking the back of the passenger seat just as soon as we turned onto Owen and Asher’s street.
“Relax, Hazelnut. We’ll get there.”
I’d wanted to arrive early so I could help Asher set everything up, but like every other time I tried to plan an aspect of my life, God laughed. Such was the life of a single parent, I guess.
I used to arrive everywhere on time or early, but since Hazel was old enough to develop a never-ending case of selective hearing, On-Time Hardin had disappeared. We were usually late because she couldn’t find this or that or because she forgot something crucial after we were already a block from home, so I’d have to turn around to get it. Never mind that I’d asked repeatedly if she had everything.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, after making us late with her own forgetfulness, it was somehowmyfault we weren’t where we needed to be on time. If I had a nickel for every time I heard, “Mooooooom, hurry up!” in that nasally whine, I’d be filthy stinking rich by now.
The driveway was already full, and I saw from a quick glance through the opened gate leading to their backyard that the party was already in full swing, so I had to cruise a little farther down the street before finding a spot to park.
It was the perfect day for Asher and Owen’s housewarming party. When they’d first started living together, they were in the adorable little apartment above my brother’s veterinary clinic. It had been fine for a while, but when they started to discuss the future, such as marriage and kids, it hadn’t taken them long to realize they needed a bigger place. They quickly found the perfect house, and now we were all coming together to celebrate this newest milestone in their relationship.
I barely had the car in park before Hazel was out of her booster seat and scrambling out of the car, eager to get the party started.
“Watch where you’re going!” I shouted at her over the roof of the car as I hefted out my wares for the potluck shindig: my famous blondies for the sugar lovers and pasta salad.
“’Kay, Mommy!” Hazel shouted, throwing her arm up in the air with a wave.
I rolled my eyes and balanced the containers while struggling to right my purse strap on my shoulder.
