Page 21 of If I Didn’t Have You

The whole table laughed uproariously at Lila Cross’s story. And it was hilarious, but I was so sick of talking about family all the time. Every single woman I met in this town talked about their husbands for fun and bragged about their kids like it was going out of style.

And I was done with it.

Georgia turned her attention to me. “So, Bailey tells me Liam is helping Ben tear down the wall between your kitchen and your living room. You’ll finally have the kitchen you want. Just think of all the⁠—”

“I didn’t do it so I could spend more time in the kitchen,” I interrupted. “My sole purpose was to get him off his ass and back to work.”

The table turned silent all around me, each of the women turning to me with wide eyes and their mouths gaping.

Oops. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but it just slipped free.

I was pretty sure everyone in the town heard my declaration, and worse, stopped to stare at me. I had never spoken an ill word of my husband in all the years we’d been married, and the whole town knew I would never gossip about anyone in my family.

Well, I suppose I’d gossiped about Bailey and Liam when they couldn’t seem to get their acts together.

But this was different. This was vocally reproaching my husband for something the whole town knew was happening. And when this got back to Ben—which it would in the next five minutes—he would be pissed at me.

So, I did what any good wife would do and I laughed it off as I picked up my coffee and took a sip. Like the good wives they were, they laughed along with me, pretending I was joking about the whole thing. But Georgia, the way she was eyeing me, I knew we’d talk about this later.

Cora grabbed her purse, tossing down some cash for the tip, while Ruthie walked over, bringing us the checks. “You should make a weekly gathering of this.”

“Then none of the chores would get done around the house!” Loretta Briggs laughed.

I forced a smile at the quip. I had to get out of here before my mouth got away with me. I’d already made one major error. I wasn’t about to give the town more fodder to chew on.

“Well, I’m off to the bookstore,” I announced, getting out of the booth.

“Off to find some spicy romance books?” Lila asked.

“Nope. Just to check on Ellie. Bailey tells me she’s been spending a lot of time in there, so I thought I’d pop in and see how she’s doing.”

“I’ll go with you,” Georgia said pointedly. “I need something new to read.”

I nodded and made my way to the register, handing over my ticket, all the while noticing how people were whispering while staring at me. No doubt, they were still chewing over the horrible words I blurted out just minutes before.

“Just keep walking,” Georgia whispered as I headed for the door.

I did as she said, not surprised at all when she rushed out of the diner and linked her arm through mine, tugging me quickly away.

“I don’t know what’s come over you, but I can guarantee you’ve just set the whole town alight with gossip.”

“I know,” I hissed. “God, it was so stupid.”

Mrs. Buttersworth gasped as she walked past, no doubt because I took the Lord’s name in vain. Yes, I was on a roll today, and if my luck didn’t change—or I didn’t learn to keep my mouth shut—word of my antics would be all over town.

“What were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t,” I whispered. “It just slipped out!”

“Are things really all that bad at home?”

I sighed heavily, wishing I could take it all back. But as I walked with Georgia to the bookstore, I knew I needed a friend to confide in, or I’d bust.

“I’m losing it, Georgia. I’m snapping at Ben all the time. I’m angry about everything, and I’m going on a shopping spree the likes you’ve never seen before.”

“Well, that’s normal when you’re going through the change.”

“I already went through the change,” I sighed. “No, this is different. It’s…”