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Jenna slipped off the hoodie she was wearing and pulled on the turtleneck. Immediately she felt the shift from raggedy mom to semi-professional upstanding citizen.
“How’s this?” she asked when she was completely dressed in the outfit her sister had picked out.
“Perfect. A waste of your energy, but you look good.”
Jenna turned to her tray of earrings, most of which were mismatched, and searched for something that said “professional co-parenter with a baseball star.” Little baseballs? Was that too on the nose? “Annika, why are you against this Japan idea? It could be great. And even if it isn’t, it’s just two years.”
Annika gestured with her half-eaten apple. “I’m not against it. But it’s all about Billy. What about you?”
Jenna shot her sister a sardonic look. “The next time someone wants to pay me millions to do botanical drawings on another continent, I’m sure Billy would support me.”
“You joke, but you’re so talented, people should be flying you around the world.”
“Well, they’re not, and even if they were, drawing mushrooms will never make the kind of money a baseball player can. He’s trying to take care of the boys.”
“Is he? Or is he trying to take care of his career?” She threw up her hands before Jenna could respond. “Withdrawn. I know Billy works hard for the family. I’m just saying, your career is important too.”
Jenna beamed at her. “I know you think you’re cynical and jaded, but I don’t believe it. You’re looking out for me and even complimenting my ex-husband.”
Annika sighed and frowned down at her apple. “Sometimes it’s like you’re not even actually divorced.”
This wasn’t the first time Annika had made that point.
“We are divorced, it’s just our own version. Maybe you should stop worrying about me and consider looking out for yourself.”
Annika backed out of the room. “Gotta get rid of this apple core.”
Jenna laughed to herself. Annika got asked out all the time. She drew men like mosquitoes on a hot summer day. And slapped away most of them. But lately, Jenna had seen her texting and smiling much more than usual. Something was up, she was sure of it.
“Coward,” Jenna called after her. “Sex-starved coward.”
“Oh no, you didn’t!” Annika called from down the hall.
“Will you pick up the kids?”
“Already told you I would.”
Jenna sighed as she examined herself in the mirror from all angles. She wouldn’t mind a sex date herself. Not a real date, that took too much emotional bandwidth. But some uncomplicated sex with someone she trusted, that would be tempting.
She heard the sound of Billy’s Tundra roaring into the driveway and hurried to apply some mascara. No, she scolded herself as the image of his wide shoulders and strong hands came to mind. Billy does not represent uncomplicated sex with someone you trust.
The thought made her hand quiver, and a blob of mascara ended up on her cheek. Carefully, she wiped it off, then saw that another smudge had ended up on her brow line. From outside, Billy honked. Shit. What was better, to be late or to be smudged?
She was Jenna Scarlett Cooper, dammit, she could do both!
Laughing at herself, she grabbed a Handiwipe and her purse and hurried out the door.
Billy was wearing a blazer, the one he used during important TV interviews and photo shoots. Had she underdressed? That blue dress, maybe that was the one…
“You look great,” Billy said with his light-the-world-on-fire smile. “Perfect. We even match.”
He pointed to the deep blue shirt he wore under his blazer. It was nearly the same color as her pants. They looked for all the world as if they’d coordinated their outfits. Should they clarify that they hadn’t?
“Blue seems like a good divorce color,” she said. “Blue denotes sadness, but it’s also loyal. True blue and all.”
“Huh. When I think of blue, I think of…” He paused. “The Toronto Blue Jays,” he confessed. “That’s about it.”
She laughed, and he cocked his head at her. “I think you have a mascara bit on your eye. Want me to…” His hand hovered close to her face. She shook him off.
