The Divorce Club (30 page)

Outside, the air's thick with moisture. A
soft wind whips the last leaves across Shannon's immaculate
lawn.

Jamie stops arranging objects on a picnic
table and smiles. "Had a good night?"

"About that, the girls and I had so much fun
and I just—"

"No need for explanations. I figured as much.
You deserve some girl time. Besides, you called." He cocks a brow,
amused.

"I did?"

"You don't remember what you said?" His lips
stretch into a lazy grin.

I'm mortified. What did I tell him in my
drunken stupor? "I've no idea. Tell me the truth."

"You can't handle the truth."

I bite my lip, fearing the worst, my eyes
imploring him to just spit it out.

"Okay, if you insist. You said I'm hotter
than fire and colder than ice. You were mad I didn't come to the
hospital. A work meeting came in between, and then you were
released."

I huff, my cheeks are on fire. "I'm over
that. Please don't hold me accountable in my drunken state."

He kisses my hand. "Never."

"Did Greg come back to the house? I'm so
sorry I left you in that predicament."

"He didn't show up," Jamie says. "I think he
knew I'd be there. Maybe he wasn't willing to take me on."

"Thank you," I whisper.

I forgot I'm still wearing the little black
nothing and my cleavage is hanging out. I try to adjust the top.
The material's too thin; I fear it might rip so I wrap my coat
around me. "Don't fix it on my account." Jamie smiles and I know he
just got more than an eyeful.

"Is Sam all right?"

Jamie nods. "Her friend came over. Last I
looked, they were trying on clothes and giggling up a storm. She
asked me to make sure you have fun and don't turn up before
noon."

His eyes glint, so I'm not sure whether it's
all a joke.

"We're ready," Shannon shouts. "Let's seal
some major sales here."

For a moment, I close my eyes against the
noise. When I open them again, Jamie's standing next to me. "Why
don't you sit down while I get you something to eat?"

"No, thank you." Nausea bubbles inside my
stomach at the thought of food. Several cars pull up and people get
out. Shannon greets them and they start rummaging in the husband's
stuff.

"How did she pull this off so quickly?" I
mutter.

"She used to work in event management," Jamie
whispers. "You didn't know, did you?" I shake my head. He leans
forward, his cheek almost brushing mine. "I found out this morning.
It seems like you have a good eye for recruitment after all. She'll
be an asset to your business."

"Come on, guys. Start selling," Lucy
yells.

Jamie wraps his jacket around my shoulders
and we begin to mingle, getting into the vibe as we approach the
first visitors. Shannon's put up price tags, but it doesn't look
like she's taking them very seriously.

"Are you sure you want to sell this?" A guy
holds up what looks like a set of football cards. Whatever these
are, I wouldn't sell them. I'd just chuck them into the bin.

"You can have them for thirty," Shannon
says.

"Really?" The guy laughs uncomfortably. "You
know I never liked Miles, but these are worth at least two hundred.
You should sell them on eBay."

"They're worth crap to me. Look—" Shannon
pauses to take a deep breath "—I don't have much time so I'll make
you an offer. Twenty-five."

The guy's eyes almost pop out of their
sockets as he shakes her hand. "Done."

"Shannon, haggle," I hiss. "You need the
money."

She snorts. "I don't want money from all his
stuff. All I want is the last twenty-four months of my life back."
Shooting a smile at me, she turns back to the guy. "You know what,
it's your lucky day. You can have them for twenty."

I roll my eyes at Jamie who just shrugs and
turns to inspect the dartboard as though it's nothing special, but
the sparkle in his eyes gives him away. He wants it badly.

"How much for the dartboard?" I whisper to
Shannon.

She shakes her hand. "Just take it. I owe you
for getting that ugly thing out of my house."

The woman must be an emotional wreck if she
can't even be bothered to consider the financial potential here. If
she continues this way, she'll end up with no stuff and plenty of
favors to repay. I pull her aside, my gaze imploring her to get
back to her senses as I say, "No, please. I insist."

She sighs. "All right. A tenner."

Even I see that's a deal and within my
budget. I feel bad for taking advantage of a friend, but if I don't
do it then someone else will. "I'll take it." I pull out my purse
and pay, then walk over to Jamie and whisper, "That's taken."

He blinks, jaw set, then shrugs. "I wouldn't
have the time to play anyway."

"Never say never." I smile.

"What?"

"It's yours," I say. "You didn't look like
you could make up your mind, so I just got it for you before
someone else beat me to the deal."

He shakes his head. "I can't."

"Please. After France, this is the least I
can do for you."

He wraps his arms around me and pulls me into
a tight hug. "Thank you."

I laugh. "You're cutting off my air supply."
From the corner of my eye I notice another car pull up. Like in
slow motion, a guy that seems strangely familiar jumps out. For a
moment, he's just standing in the middle of the street, staring,
then his face turns red and he stomps over.

"Miles's here. Quick!" Shannon shouts.
"Everyone grab what you want and run. It's all yours. I repeat,
it's all yours, free of charge."

"Hey, Jamie, you might be needed." I point at
the guy who starts shouting.

With drama unfolding, it becomes obvious that
no one wants to play a part in it. The crowd's starting to
dissipate, people carry their items to the cars behind Miles's back
while he's shouting at Shannon at the top of his lungs. The man
reminds me of a Neanderthal. No wonder poor Shannon wants a
divorce.

"You must be knackered. Go home," Jamie
whispers. "I'll make sure the guy leaves."

I shoot him a doubtful look. "What if he's
dangerous?"

Jamie smiles and points behind my back. "I
have Lucy for backup."

With a sudden sense of dread, I turn and
gape. Lucy's running toward Miles, holding what looks like a broom
in her hand, a mean frown perched between her brows.

"Just don't let her kill him," I whisper and
turn to leave, shaking my head. Jamie starts to laugh and says
something, but I don't stop because my head's throbbing again. I've
almost reached my car when I feel someone's hand touch my shoulder.
Shrieking, I turn, ready to kick, then my gaze meets Jamie's.

"I called you," he whispers. "You didn't
reply." Standing so close to him makes me self-conscious. I barely
dare breathe. "This must've been a hell of a day for you," he
continues. "Get some rest because we need to talk. I'll pop over
once the madness here stops."

I nod even though I've no idea what he's
talking about. His eyes glaze over and he moistens his lips. I can
sense what he's about to do, and yet I can't force myself to halt
the moment and leave.

"Sarah—" His voice breaks off as his lips
lower onto mine, barely touching, then pressing harder. I hold my
breath, my head spinning. I take in every detail: the faint whiff
of aftershave, the softness of his lips, the stubble chafing my
skin. And then he pulls back, a crooked smile playing on his lips,
his voice sounding just as confident as before. "Drive safely. I'll
be there as soon as I can." I stare at his back as he walks over to
Shannon, taking charge of the situation as though it's something
he's doing on a regular basis.

What's there to talk about? Confused, I haul
myself behind the wheel and force my body to turn on automatic. My
blood must be still spiked with last night's alcohol, so I drive
slowly, paying more attention than I'd usually do because I can't
let my mind wander back to Jamie, our first kiss and the mystery
surrounding what he has to say.

The streets are busy. It takes me a while to
get home. I park the car and take a moment to just sit there, all
thoughts coming back to haunt me. It's amazing how my life's turned
from boring housewife routine to this chaos in a matter of weeks.
It's been a mess so far, and yet I wouldn't want it any other way.
I could never return to what I had before, so I hope Greg got the
message. My brain's too tired for any more arguments and
explanations.

I know something's up the moment I arrive at
the house. Even though I wish I could just turn on my heel and
disappear again, I stop only to catch my breath and then enter the
living room. My daughter's sitting on the sofa, her leg's stretched
out in front of her. Kendra's not around, but someone else occupies
the place opposite from Sam.

The woman, dark-haired with hazelnut eyes and
a body to die for, stands and holds out her hand, smiling. "Hi, I'm
Chloe."

What's Jamie's wife doing here? I blink
several times because I must be seeing a ghost. When I open them
again she's still standing in front of me. My knees threaten to
buckle. She must know about the kiss. How could she find out so
quickly? Maybe Jamie called her and confessed. Sweat starts pouring
down my back. My mind's trying to come up with a response, but it's
all mushy in there and my lips can't from the words. I frown,
peering from Chloe to Sam.

"Mum, what are you wearing?" Sam hisses.

Ignoring my daughter, I finally find my voice
and ask, "Chloe, what can I do for you?"

Chloe returns to her seat and turns to face
me. The smile on her face disappears. Jamie said they talked about
working things out. She's probably peeved about the kiss and that
Jamie spent the night away from home, so naturally she wants to
confront the
other woman
. For a moment, it's all so
ridiculous I feel like laughing.

"You're here because of him, aren't you?" I
clear my throat. "I swear nothing happened. It was just a kiss and
not even a long one. More of a peck between friends."

"What are you talking about?" Sam hisses.
"You don't make any sense."

My heartbeat quickens. Sam knows Jamie's
married, though she probably has no idea this woman's his wife. If
Chloe makes a scene Sam will never see me in the same light again.
Come to think of it, her opinion of me as her mother is already
tainted, and I can't afford being called the names Chloe will soon
use. Mel was right once again. I'm such a bad mother and role model
for letting Jamie into my life.

"Sarah—may I call you that?" Chloe's frown
deepens and she continues without waiting for my answer, "I'm
really worried about Sam."

Huh? A pang of anger hits me. She's trying to
make me look bad in front of my daughter. "Whatever's going on
between—"

Chloe holds up a hand, stopping me in
mid-sentence. "I know you only wanted to help her, but the trip to
France and her broken leg—"

"It's my fault, I get it," I shout. "Why
won't everyone stop telling me that? If I could turn back the time
I would, but I can't because I'm not Merlin."

"Please calm down," Chloe says. "It's not as
bad as it seems. Trust me, I've seen worse."

She means to tell me she's seen worse
parenting? My throat chokes up again, all heat draining from my
face. "Maybe what I did was wrong. I should've waited until the
divorce was finalized." I speak slowly, considering each word. "But
you're not better than me. Dragging my daughter into this is
conniving and despicable."

Chloe's jaw drops and for a moment the room
falls silent.

"Mum, what's wrong with you?" Sam's voice
sounds high-pitched like she's about to cry. I turn toward her and
grab her in a hug, burying my face into her hair. She pushes me
away.

"Maybe this isn't a good time." Chloe stands
and holds out her hand as if to shake mine. "I'm sorry. I should've
called to arrange an appointment rather than drop by unannounced.
When can we expect Sam back at school?"

"Wait, you know Sam from school?" I clear my
throat as I stare at Chloe. Her faint smile is sympathetic. The
creases around her eyes signal concern rather than contempt.
There's something fishy here because there's no doubt she
recognizes me from Jamie's house and yet she doesn't comment on it.
Any woman would show at least some suspicion.

"Of course she knows me from school. She's my
math teacher," Sam says.

Chloe nods. "I wanted to discuss the
possibility of tutoring with you. Sam told me about your home
status, and I thought I could help."

Pressing a hand against my racing heart, I
laugh as the weight begins to lift off my shoulders. Chloe isn't
here because of the kiss. She's here to help while I'm sort of
dating the husband. I'm such a bad person.

"That's so nice of you. Would you like a cup
of tea?" I jump up and head out the door before she replies because
I need some space. Instead the kitchen, I head upstairs and rip off
my slutty clothes, put on a pair of jeans and a shirt and then
return with tea and cookies. Sam's gaze softens a little.

"Thank you," Chloe says as I place a cup in
front of her.

I drop next to my daughter and hand her a
cookie. "I'm so sorry about before. I've been a little emotional
lately."

"Don't worry about it. Being a single mother
must be hard."

She's too sweet, I can't wrap my head around
it. Peering at her, I start stirring my tea. "So, you said you're
here to talk about Sam?"

Chloe nods. "Her math has improved a little,
but I fear missing school because of her broken leg won't do her
grades any good."

"Chloe said she could pop over after school,"
Sam chimes in.

I hesitate, unsure how to tell my daughter
there might be a conflict of interest here. Jamie's my client so,
naturally, I can't let his wife help us.