Page 22 of Piece Of Me

“You don’t have to explain.” Taz guided her off the dance floor, his hand at her elbow as the two of them walked back to the table. Lacey, Donna, and Presley were sitting with their husbands, which made the idea of a girl’s night kind of ridiculous.

She watched Donna whisper into her husband’s ear and smile when his hand dropped to her lap. It was such a small thing, but it brought a yearning that cut deep. No matter how many times Scarlett told herself she was fine on her own, she knew she wanted what they had. But how in hell did you get that when you were too bruised to trust?

Lacey hopped off her seat and announced that she had to go to the bathroom. She didn’t give Scarlett a choice in the matter, her arm snaked out and grabbed a hold of Scarlett’s wrist. She followed Lacey to the ladies’ room, which, thankfully was empty.

“Okay, what’s up with you and Taz Pullman?”

The door had barely closed behind them. Lacey, Scarlett was learning, was quick to the point.

“You made it seem like you barely knew him but honey, from what I saw, if you don’t know that man in the carnal sense, you sure as hell want to.”

“I barely know the guy.” Scarlett leaned against the sink and looked in the mirror. God, her color was high. “I’ve only met him twice.”

“I knew you were lying.”

“What?”

“You told us you’d met him once.”

“I didn’t realize you were keeping count.”

Lacey chuckled. “I don’t miss a thing. It drives Johnny crazy.” She paused. “When was the first time?”

“In the post office.”

“The day you sashayed around town half naked?”

“I wasn’t half naked.”

“That’s not what I heard, but it doesn’t matter anyway,” Lacey said, whirling away from the mirror. “You’re obviously attracted to him.”

Exasperated, Scarlett leaned over the sink and angled her head a bit. Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked more bothered than she’d like. “It doesn’t matter. My life is a mess.”

“Whose isn’t?”

“Yours seems pretty damn great.”

Lacey’s gaze dropped and she picked at a button on her blouse. “It hasn’t always been like that.” She sighed and looked up. “I’ve never told anyone this. Not even Donna.” She paused, the weight of her thoughts obvious. “I almost cheated on him, back before I got pregnant with Punk. I don’t know if it was because we’d been together so long, or that we’d settled into some kind of routine. But I was in New York for a work thing and had one too many cosmopolitans when this handsome man started flirting with me. He wasn’t even particularly attractive, but he was paying attention to me. Saying the right things, you know? It was probably the booze, but I was leaving with him. Then Johnny called. It’s like some angel whispered in his ear and told him to reach out.”

“What did you do?” Scarlett asked.

“I left the bar, alone, flew home and told Johnny what happened. He wasn’t happy with me. In fact, he was so pissed he took a ten day fishing trip. But we love each other, and we worked on things. Being honest is your best shot at a happy marriage.” She made a face. “My point is, no one has their shit together even if you think they do. We all have stuff going on. We all make mistakes, but most of us deserve a second chance. I say most, not all, because the ones who hurt without conscience, the ones who use without remorse, they only deserve a kick in the nuts.” Lacey winked but stopped short of opening the door. “Can I just say one more thing?”

“Do I have a choice in the matter?”

“No.”

“Go ahead.”

Lacey bit her lip as if she were pondering her words.

“You don’t need to use a filter now,” Scarlett said dryly. “Say what you mean.”

“I don’t know the details about your baby daddy. I don’t know his name or what he looks like or where he’s from exactly. What I do know is that you’re still the fun loving, kind, crazy girl you were back in the day. And I hope you don’t hide your light, or give up someone as delicious as Taz Pullman because you’ve got one foot stuck in Europe. It’s natural to have second thoughts when you’ve been hurt. Just don’t give them power.” She shook her head, eyes earnest and true. “Life is short, Scarlett. I know it’s a cliché but live your life while you can. Throw away the things that hurt, the ones that don’t fit, and accept the gifts given to you.”

“Sounds like solid advice.”

“It is. Now let’s get back out there before Johnny thinks I’ve up and left.” Lacey opened the door, a devilish grin on her face. “One more thing. If you do happen to have a tumble between the sheets with Taz Pullman, I want details. I hear that he’s um,” her eyes widened, “well, let’s just say I’ve heard he’s very attentive.”

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