AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Use my office,” she said.
I walked to the counter, past Poppy, who shoved her own phone in her apron with a guilty expression. “What are you doing back here?” she snapped.
“Chill, I won’t tell your boss you’re texting at work. I’m using Lauren’s office to make a phone call.”
“Yeah, whatever,” she said. She grabbed a bottle of Windex and started aggressively cleaning the glass countertop.
I walked through the swinging door and the small kitchen/storage area to the tiny enclosure Lauren called an office. It was about the size of an airplane bathroom, but at least it was private. I shut the door and squeezed around Lauren’s cluttereddesk to sit in her small chair. Brad had left a voicemail and sent three texts:
Brad
You owe me
Don’t be like this
Pick up Rowan
My phone buzzed again with a picture of his favorite loafers filled with dog poop. Picture after picture arrived: Poop on the bedsheets, poop on a stack of dishes, poop inside a cereal box, and finally, eight pictures of poop in different HVAC vents.
Poppy would have had to unscrew the covers for those, which made me laugh so hard I snorted.
I haven’t sent these to my lawyer. Yet. CALL ME
I knew Poppy’s prank was going to come back to bite me. I dialed Brad, and he picked up on the first ring. “Why are you sending me pictures of poop?”
“Quick,” he said. “How do you run the monthly report you put together for Gwen?”
Not “How are you” or “Sorry for being a dick.” He didn’t give a damn about me. I wondered if he ever did. It didn’t feel great to realize how little affection I’d accepted in my marriage. I couldn’t do anything about the years I’d wasted or the woman I’d been with him, but I didn’t have to be her now. “What?”
“The report, Rowan. The one you ran every month for her.”
“Ah,” I said leaning back in the chair. “You mean the one Kelli re-saved with her credentials, so it looked like she made it.”
“Yes, that one.”
“Sorry,” I said, “I can’t remember. Stop calling me and sending me pictures of poop, or I’ll be forced to contactmylawyers.”
“Those are evidence of what you did to our apartment.”
“Gross, Brad. I thought you knew me better than that. Call my lawyer if you have anything else to say.”
I ended the call and tossed the phone onto the desk just as Lauren opened the door and wiggled in.
“Were you listening outside?”
“Maybe,” she said with a shrug. “I had to make sure you didn’t let him walk all over you.”
“How’d I do?”
She put two thumbs in the air and smiled. “Now, I want the dirty details about Cal. We have five minutes before everyone arrives. Spill the tea.”
The truth was, I was dying to tell her. Everything happened so fast last night, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Physically, I’d never experienced anything so satisfying. The man had a gifted tongue. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t crave a repeat performance. But, I’d never had a casual physical relationship before. I wasn’t sure I could enjoy sex without getting attached. Add to that my inner-sixteen-year-old doing cartwheels because Caleb Cardoso was somehow attracted to me, and I wasn’t sure my heart could handle more.
“Ok,” I said lowering my voice. “But you have to swear not to repeat any of this to Poppy or Cammie or really anyone.”
Lauren gripped her hands together and gave an excited squeal.
“Promise.”
