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Those tiny speakers can never hear anything, but tonight it hears everything.
“Ma’am, are you still there? Can I get you something else?”
“I will have two large orders of fries and a large chocolate shake,” Angelina ordered.
She got through the rest of the drive-through without an issue and parked at the back of the lot. Nibbling on fries, she took her time. It was only four o’clock. She didn’t usually start working until seven. It wasn’t like anyone was checking the time she logged. There was work to be done. There was always work to be done.
Angelina ate her fries, going over the past few days in her mind. Rethinking all the conversations she had with Ben, he gave no indication he was with someone else. He was possessive and demanding. He held her like she mattered to him. He questioned bath bombs for their safety and tried to help her relax. The man held her in the middle of the night like she was precious, but he forgot to mention she was the other woman.
He never said much about himself. It was weird he didn’t need a steady job a year after getting out of the Army. He said he didn’t need money, and she didn’t question it. The Army didn’t pay that well.
He traveled with a small bag. Where were his personal things? Mementos, keepsakes, pictures, there was nothing. It didn’t add up. Maybe he lived off an inheritance. It could be that he was just a loner. The possibility of an escaped convict or mental patient couldn’t be taken off the table.
Angelina slurped the last of her shake. The first streaks of light were starting to brighten the sky. Sighing, she wondered how bad it was to reevaluate your life in the back of a fast food parking lot. Deciding it probably wasn’t the sanest place, she started her Escalade. It was time to go home. Time to shut off her feelings and work. It is what she does best.
She was going to delete the dating profile, ignore her phone, and write off the entire population with a penis. She was keeping Jake and Max. It wasn’t like they were trying to get into her pants. She would have friends. Lots of people stayed single. Single, successful, and solvent. It wasn’t the best battle cry, but it was fast food parking lot approved.
Chapter 17
“Sweetness,” Jake called from the front door.
Angelina was hoping he would knock and go home. No such luck today. He was going to find her. After ignoring Sam and Jake’s texts this morning, she knew one of them would be coming to find her. It looked like Jake lost the coin toss.
“Sweetness,” Jake yelled louder.
The door closed, and his footsteps echoed across the living room. Angelina couldn’t bring herself to care. She started the morning working. When she couldn’t concentrate, she decided to take a break. Her break was supposed to be food and a drink in the house. Hours later, she was a pot of coffee down. Half of a bottle of whiskey had gone with it. The sandwich was still on the plate in front of her.
“Angelina,” Jake dropped onto the stool beside her. “What happened, my girl?”
“He’s gone,” she managed to get out.
Dinging from Jake’s phone was a welcome interruption.
“I found her, my love,” he answered. “It’s bad. Get your sexy ass over here.”
Without another word, he hung up the phone and started another pot of coffee. Angelina waited until he sat beside her. She knew Jake would find her eventually. Now was as good of a time as any to discuss her disaster of a love life. It wasn’t like work was getting done today. She tried, but after staring at the same house for two hours, she gave up.
“Max is on his way. He will make you something to soak up all that booze.”
Angelina leaned on his shoulder. She couldn’t bring herself to cry. Her body was numb. Everything around her was dulled.
“Tell me what he did to make you so sad, sweetness.”
“Ben left. He got me in bed, decided I wasn’t what he wanted, and left. He has another woman, a whole family.”
“The bastard,” Jake groaned, wrapping her in his arms.
“He thought I was sleeping. I woke up alone in bed. He was on the porch talking to her. He was so mean. I’ve never heard him talk to another person like that. Well, the delivery guy, but he deserved it.”
“What did he say?”
“She wanted him at home. He called her a bitch and told her to sit there and look pretty until he got there to fix whatever was happening. They have kids together. One of their children is missing.”
“Asshole,” Jake sighed. “He has a missing child but was in bed with you.”
“He actually told her to do a head count to make sure everyone else was there.”
“How many kids does he have? Who doesn’t know how many of their kids are missing?”
