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“Thank you.”
Erica waved away the words. “We had a deal. No more thanking.”
“You’re giving me a job.”
“No, you’re earning the job. I’m not giving you anything. If you’re lousy, you’ll be fired.”
Allison grinned. “Now there’s the Erica we all know and love.”
“I’m not keeping a crappy employee just because we’re family.”
“I’m happy to hear that.” Allison looked at her. “I want to move into the basement.”
“No. It’s cold and damp.”
Allison rolled her eyes. “It’s beautiful and it’s a walk-out so there are windows to the backyard.” She softened her tone. “Summer needs her room back and the kids and I need our own space. I want to stay here, don’t get me wrong, but let’s have a little separation so we don’t ruin what we have.”
Erica knew she was right. Currently everything was new and shiny but over time, there could be issues. “Let’s wait until Bethany’s a month old, then make the move.”
“Agreed.”
Erica smiled. “I feel like we’re on a roll here with the problem solving. We should tackle something really tough.”
“Like you and Killion.”
She glared across the table. “We aren’t talking about him.”
“I’m just saying, you’re making a mistake.”
“I can’t hear you.”
But the words were said automatically. In truth, she missed him enough to wonder if she really did have feelings for him. At least more than she’d first thought. But so what if she did? Getting involved was too much of a risk.
“I told Peter I want a divorce,” Allison said, grabbing the last slice of pizza on her plate.
Erica would have thought the threat about moving out would have been the most shocking event of the evening, but she would have been wrong. She heard the words, but couldn’t process them. When they finally made their way into her brain, she couldn’t believe them.
“You didn’t,” she breathed. “But you love him. You’re happy together. He’s the father of your children. He begged for you.”
Allison set down the pizza slice. “He risked everything for something I didn’t want. He didn’t give me a choice about any of it. He lied to me, he abandoned me and our children. He’s a criminal and not at all who I thought. What I don’t know is whether the problem is I didn’t know him ever, or if he changed and I didn’t notice.”
Erica didn’t know what to say. “Are you still in love with him?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure the man I loved ever existed. I talked to a divorce lawyer yesterday. Assuming Peter doesn’t contest the divorce, it could be over in three or four months.”
“I thought you were happy with him.”
“My happiness was an illusion.” She blinked away tears. “Sometimes I lie awake at night and wonder how I got here. How could I have been so wrong about so many things?”
“You weren’t. You were wrong about one.”
“Yeah, and it was a big one.” Allison picked up her pizza. “So let’s talk about Killion.”
“Don’t make me slap you.”
“You are so full of cheap-ass talk.”
“Prom is Saturday,” Erica said as she drove toward the high school. “I’m worried.”
