kept it under wraps this long. But I had seen no reason to announce it, and Robert, of course, would never have let it slip.
Her hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes filled with tears. You would have thought I’d just announced I had only months to live. I waited for her to gain her composure.
“Oh, Lyssa!” she finally squeaked out, “I am so sorry! That’s awful!” Except it wasn’t awful at all. But hey, that was her reality. “When did you decide all this?”
“I don’t know when Scott decided, but he decided to tell me in January, the day after he’d signed a lease on a house,” I said dryly, “for him and his girlfriend.”
“Oh my goodness, Lyssa. I… I don’t know what to say,” she shook her head sadly. “Was it… I mean, did he leave you because of Mr. Sellers?”
I was flabbergasted. “What? No! Today was the first time I’ve ever laid eyes on Aaron,” I said. “No, Scott leaving me was all about Scott. It shocked me, but it wasn’t exactly a surprise. Ever since Danny left, I think he and I both knew it was coming. It was time,” I said with finality. I knew Jean would not understand that: in her world, you married for life. I didn’t know much about her husband, but it didn’t sound like marriage to him had been terribly exciting. But to be fair, that was probably exactly what Jean had wanted, anyway.
“You’ve never met Mr. Sellers before?” I was shocked she’d latched onto that.
“No. He came in to interview, and today was the first time I’ve met him.” Jean looked disbelieving, which irked me. I did not need to explain myself to her. “Well, Jean, now that the cat is out of the bag, I guess I should send out an email, let everyone know that I am divorced. Stop the rumor mill before it starts, you know,” I said pointedly. I’d never known Jean to gossip, but this might prove too juicy even for her level of restraint. I stood up and said, “If there’s nothing else, Jean?”
“No, nothing else. I’ll… I’ll put up a sign in the bathroom. In case anyone finds your wedding band.”
“Thank you. That’s very thoughtful.” Just then, my phone rang. Thank god! What perfect timing.
I smiled at Jean as she closed the door, and grabbed the phone off its cradle.
“Lyssa Masters, how may I help you?” I said automatically.
“Lyssa! What the hell?” Molly practically shouted at me. “What happened? You haven’t answered my texts! Did you flirt your ass off? Tell me you flirted your ass off!”
“Oh my god, Molly. You have no idea.”
“Well, TELL ME!”
“Come over tonight. We can open a bottle of wine and I’ll give you all the details.”
“Let’s go shopping. You need another sexy work outfit for his second interview.”
“No second interview.”
“Oh man! Really? Robert already rejected him?
“Nope. Hired him on the spot.”
“WHAT?!?”
“Jesus, Molly! My eardrum!”
“Hired him on the spot? Did he consult you at all? Robert has never done that. He deliberates for days, sometimes weeks, before he hires someone.”
“I know, but the kid’s got great references.”
“Crap! My next class is starting. OK, Primativo tonight. Your house. Six. I. want. details!” Molly hung up as I sat there chuckling. She and Robert could not be more different – which was probably why they’d always been so close.
I was already looking forward to sharing all the details of my day with her. I shook my head and saw, out of the corner of my eye, a new email in my inbox.
The subject line said: “I can’t wait after all.” Return address was sellers.aaron. He’d already pulled my email off the business card Robert had given him. He must have been emailing me from his phone. Intrigued, I clicked on it.
Lyssa,
I have to get back down to school tonight. But I can’t stop thinking about those long legs of yours, and that million-dollar smile. If I come up this weekend, will you let me take you out?
--Aa
I stared at the computer. If he was
Her hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes filled with tears. You would have thought I’d just announced I had only months to live. I waited for her to gain her composure.
“Oh, Lyssa!” she finally squeaked out, “I am so sorry! That’s awful!” Except it wasn’t awful at all. But hey, that was her reality. “When did you decide all this?”
“I don’t know when Scott decided, but he decided to tell me in January, the day after he’d signed a lease on a house,” I said dryly, “for him and his girlfriend.”
“Oh my goodness, Lyssa. I… I don’t know what to say,” she shook her head sadly. “Was it… I mean, did he leave you because of Mr. Sellers?”
I was flabbergasted. “What? No! Today was the first time I’ve ever laid eyes on Aaron,” I said. “No, Scott leaving me was all about Scott. It shocked me, but it wasn’t exactly a surprise. Ever since Danny left, I think he and I both knew it was coming. It was time,” I said with finality. I knew Jean would not understand that: in her world, you married for life. I didn’t know much about her husband, but it didn’t sound like marriage to him had been terribly exciting. But to be fair, that was probably exactly what Jean had wanted, anyway.
“You’ve never met Mr. Sellers before?” I was shocked she’d latched onto that.
“No. He came in to interview, and today was the first time I’ve met him.” Jean looked disbelieving, which irked me. I did not need to explain myself to her. “Well, Jean, now that the cat is out of the bag, I guess I should send out an email, let everyone know that I am divorced. Stop the rumor mill before it starts, you know,” I said pointedly. I’d never known Jean to gossip, but this might prove too juicy even for her level of restraint. I stood up and said, “If there’s nothing else, Jean?”
“No, nothing else. I’ll… I’ll put up a sign in the bathroom. In case anyone finds your wedding band.”
“Thank you. That’s very thoughtful.” Just then, my phone rang. Thank god! What perfect timing.
I smiled at Jean as she closed the door, and grabbed the phone off its cradle.
“Lyssa Masters, how may I help you?” I said automatically.
“Lyssa! What the hell?” Molly practically shouted at me. “What happened? You haven’t answered my texts! Did you flirt your ass off? Tell me you flirted your ass off!”
“Oh my god, Molly. You have no idea.”
“Well, TELL ME!”
“Come over tonight. We can open a bottle of wine and I’ll give you all the details.”
“Let’s go shopping. You need another sexy work outfit for his second interview.”
“No second interview.”
“Oh man! Really? Robert already rejected him?
“Nope. Hired him on the spot.”
“WHAT?!?”
“Jesus, Molly! My eardrum!”
“Hired him on the spot? Did he consult you at all? Robert has never done that. He deliberates for days, sometimes weeks, before he hires someone.”
“I know, but the kid’s got great references.”
“Crap! My next class is starting. OK, Primativo tonight. Your house. Six. I. want. details!” Molly hung up as I sat there chuckling. She and Robert could not be more different – which was probably why they’d always been so close.
I was already looking forward to sharing all the details of my day with her. I shook my head and saw, out of the corner of my eye, a new email in my inbox.
The subject line said: “I can’t wait after all.” Return address was sellers.aaron. He’d already pulled my email off the business card Robert had given him. He must have been emailing me from his phone. Intrigued, I clicked on it.
Lyssa,
I have to get back down to school tonight. But I can’t stop thinking about those long legs of yours, and that million-dollar smile. If I come up this weekend, will you let me take you out?
--Aa
I stared at the computer. If he was
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