Page 12 of Marrying My Ex's Boss

Was I to believe that this man, who was not only wealthy but handsome, was interested in me? An almost divorced mother of three? I started laughing and couldn’t stop, and each time I looked at Monique’s face, I laughed harder; it was even worse when I looked at Carl, and I dared not look at Marcus.

“I told you about springing your shit on the unexpecting? She’s going into shock.”

“She’ll have to get used to it, Monique. Now, pay attention. The first thing I want to get started on is the daycare. Justine is the only one of us who’s been local for a while so we’ll let her do the hiring of the staff.”

“Carl, you’ll run the background checks as usual.”

“That’s like sending a fox into the henhouse.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Carl seemed a bit affronted at Monique’s assertion.

“It means that sending a criminal to fish out other criminals might not be such a smart move.”

“Listen, you infuriating pain in the ass.”

“Why don’t you two just go to bed with each other already and put me out of my misery?”

‘That’s what I’m saying. The tension is just….

Shut up, Justice. This is not your circus. These are not your monkeys.

“Eww, gross!” Justine turned her face and turned up her nose.

“I’d as soon fuck a wallowing walrus.” Carl deadpanned, which set me off again, which had Marcus coming to my side to rub his hand up and down my back while the three of them muttered and pointed at each other over my head until Marcus made a slashing motion across his throat and the other two stopped bickering.

“I guess this isn’t the right time to talk about the wedding.” I started to hyperventilate at his words, and he freaked. “Okay, babe, we’ll hold off on that.” Monique shook her head and kissed her teeth.

“I knew you were spending too much time with those Orangutans. You’ve reverted back to your cave-dwelling days. The woman hasn’t even been divorced yet; she just found out that her husband is a cheating scumbag, and you’re hitting her with all this?”

“Not to mention, I thought she had to be a dog if he was leaving her for that horse-face mutant, only to find out she’s ten times as hot, and you don’t think she’s got issues to work through that’s more important than your wedding?”

“And what the hell are you worried about? That old woman is going to plan your wedding down to the asphalt in the damn driveway of whatever place she terrorizes into giving her precious baby everything he wants.”

“You leave my Grandma outta your mouth, or I’ll tell her you’ve been talking mean about her again.”

“And? What’s she gonna do? Ring my ears again? That’s another thing, Justine, don’t let that old lady get anywhere near your ears. Her nails haven’t been clipped since the great depression, and that shit hurts.”

Why is this my life? Why did I have to meet these wonderful people at this time in my life? I would love to have been friends with Monique and get to know the ice-cold Carl and the hot and sexy but crazy Marcus.

“What time are you two supposed to get him back to the institution?”

“Like they would have him. I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but this is the shit I have been putting up with for the last five years, and it isn’t going to get any better. So buckle up and decide…. No, wait, let me not give you any false hope.” She leaned in as if she was about to share some top secret.

“If you’re into making your own decisions and having a mind of your own, you can forget it. That crustacean fool probably already imagined a thousand ways to keep you protected. You should suck up as much sunshine as you can now because I see a lot of homeward-bound days in your future.”

“Monique, I’ll cut your pay in half.”

“I’ll sell your drawers on Only Fans; try me. You know I’ll make bank.”

“Don’t listen to her, babe; I’m not that bad.”

“My ass. Carl? What does he do to things he loves?”

“Hoard.”

“That’s right. I don’t know how you hoard a human, but his groundhog ass would dig a hole and bury you in it. At least this hole would probably be lined with gold, and the nuts would be top shelf.”

“If you two are his wingmen, you’re not doing a very good job of it.” Marcus removed the plate with the now cold omelet and replaced it with a fresh one, this time with onion, bacon, and cheese. I had to smile because what the fuck else was I gonna do? Cry?

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