“Not exactly.” She chuckled. “It’s hard to be on the best terms when you find out your husband has a secret mistress.”
“Oh geez.” I winced. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay.” She waved her hand. “I had a good lawyer, so he definitely paid for it.”
“I guess that’s good?” I said, not really sure what to say since I knew it still had to be painful. The betrayal. Having to upend your life because of choices someone else made.
“It is what it is.” She shrugged. Then, glancing at the gift certificates still in my hand, she said, “Anyway, enough about my relationship drama. Did we decide if you guys are cool doing your massages together?”
“I’m game for a massage with Miles,” I offered quickly, since it sounded better than the other options I’d been worried about. “If he’s comfortable enough with his own masculinity, that is.”
“You do remember that I spend a good amount of time in locker rooms with a bunch of dudes, right? I’m pretty sure I’m more than comfortable there.” Miles chuckled. Then, pulling back his sleeve, he flexed, revealing an impressive bicep. “Just try not to feel too intimidated when you see my physique, okay?”
“Put those guns away,” I said, waving a hand at him. And then, before my brain could intervene, I was pulling back my right sleeve, revealing my own bicep and saying, “I mean, why would I be intimidated when I get to look at myself in the mirror every day?”
Amanda’s brows lifted and Nora’s eyes widened as they both took me in.
“Uh, sorry.” I dropped my arm, my cheeks instantly blazing with embarrassment. “That was way too cocky.”
“Cocky?” Miles arched an eyebrow. “Are you saying that you feelcockywhen you look in the mirror?”
I cringed.
“I mean conceited.” I squeezed my eyes shut, then exhaled. “Wow. That was absolutely the wrong word.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Amanda said, her gaze flicking over me slowly enough to make my ears heat. “I’m sure that was theperfectword. Don’t you think so, Nora?”
Nora’s jaw dropped, and I could’ve sworn I heard a small squeak escape her lips before she said, “Um, I think it’s probably best that I not comment on that right now as he’s currently my employer for the week.”
“He’s your boss?” Amanda laughed. “How scandalous.”
“She’s watching Charlotte this week,” I hurried to say before anyone could get the wrong idea. “My nanny quit.”
“Anyway…” Nora cleared her throat. “I think it sounds like we know how things will work. We just need to figure out when to do this.”
“Okay, yes. Logistics.” Amanda clapped her hands together. “When works for everyone? Are you free at all this weekend? Lia already said she could watch the kids, so I can call and see if these vendors have availability Saturday or Sunday.”
“I think I’m pretty open,” I said, pulling up my calendar to be sure. “Yeah. Nothing on there so far.”
“I have a couple of parties on Saturday,” Nora said, “but I’m free all day Sunday.”
“Sunday is wide open for me, too,” Miles said. “Off-season perks.”
“Perfect,” Amanda said. “Give me your numbers and I’ll start a group text so we can iron out the details.”
12
NORA
“Doyou see any of your friends yet?” I asked Charlotte when we reached the edge of the playground at the park on Tuesday morning.
Theo’s house was about four blocks from where Charlotte’s playgroup met, so to pass the time and give her something to do, I’d let her ride her scooter while I walked beside her.
It was an overcast day, the kind of early June morning that should’ve made the walk nice and comfortable.
Which it had been… until we were about halfway there and Charlotte decided she was done.
As in, she parked herself under a tree two blocks from the park, lay flat on her back, and announced that she was too tired to move even an inch further.