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He shrugs his shoulders. “Nine, maybe ten?”
“You’ve only been back in Wisconsin for a month. Where do you find the time?” I demand. He merely shrugs his shoulders in response, so I ask, “Do you like Jenny?”
“I wouldn’t have gone out with her as often as I have if I didn’t.”
“Then take my advice and be exclusive with her. You’ve got to give your relationship a real chance if anything is going to come of it.”
Poor Tim looks so confused right now. “I just don’t want it to end like my other relationships did.”
“You can’t protect yourself from life. The big things are always risks. That’s what makes them so worth it in the end.”
“Okay, I’ll do it. I’ll tell Jenny that I want to see only her. But just so you know, the thought scares me to death.”
“You have to break it off with Shandy and Heather,” I tell him.
He nods his head. “And Rachel and Violet.”For the love of God …
Rob and Heather walk out of the house and wind up next to Jamie and Terra at the same time Tim and I do. I take my drink from Rob and take a healthy swig before raising my glass. “To old friends and new friends.”
Tim raises his and announces, “To only dating one woman at a time.”
Heather’s eyes pop out of their sockets like they’re making a run for it. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” she asks.
“Yes,” Tim tells her. “After talking to Missy, I realize that I only want to see one woman.”
“Me?” Heather clamors.
“No, Heather, I’m sorry. It’s not you.”
“Melissa?” Jamie demands angrily. “It had better not be Melissa.”
“Why can’t it be me?” I ask him. “You know I’m looking for a partner, and if Tim wants to be exclusive, why shouldn’t I be exclusive with him?”
“Wait a second.” Tim waves his hand in front of himself like he’s doing a mad hand jive. “You want to be exclusive with me, Missy? Why didn’t you say so?”
“I was just making a point, Tim. I don’t want to be exclusive with you. I broke up with you, remember?”
“You broke up with him?” Jamie wants to know.
Heather stands on a chair so she’s towering above us all before yelling, “What is going on here? Tim, are you breaking up with me for this woman or not?” She flings her arm out in my direction. Unfortunately, she uses the hand she was holding her drink in, and winds up throwing it all over me.
Terra and Rob look like they’re about to expire from the sheer drama we’re all creating when Rob turns to his wife. “I told you it would be fun to invite some new people over.”
CHAPTERTHIRTY
JAMIE
While Heather waits in the front of the house for her cab, the rest of us sit awkwardly on the patio. Melissa finally declares, “I think I’d better go home and change.”
Terra waves a hand at her. “You can borrow something of mine. I have a slew of smaller clothes I don’t fit into anymore.” She stands up and leads the way into the house. “You can look through those.”
After the women are gone, Rob announces, “This isn’t quite how I expected tonight to turn out. Single life appears to be way more interesting than I remember.”
“Single life is for the birds,” Tim says. Rob and I both wait for him to elaborate. He does. “I hate dating. I also didn’t do marriage very well.”
“According to Melissa,” I say, “You were both dating and married in Los Angeles. That must be a completely different experience from life in the real world.”
Rob rubs his hands together. “Yeah, all the ladies in L.A. have to be totally hot.”
