Page 96 of Steamy Ever After

“Jane, you’re having one,” I insist and nod toward the dining table. “Sit. Tell me about your day.”

She purses her lips, but sits down, dropping her head into her hands, raking her fingers through her long curls. Beneath the table, her leg fidgets, bouncing up and down. The anklet jiggles.

“A woman came in today with her two kids. Five and three. The cutest little babies. She was filling out the forms, but I noticed dark marks around her wrists and small cuts on her hands. I asked her about them, but she didn’t answer me.” Jane takes a few big gulps of her wine, delicately placing the glass back on the table. “About an hour later, he showed up.”

She swallows hard, her eyes distant, and my stomach turns.

“Her husband?”

Jane nods. “He isn’t allowed to be there. We have strict rules. So, we called the cops. Florenza had set up a safe house for the family, but they ended up leaving with him.”

“They did what?” I snap, setting the sandwich in front of her. She stares at it, obviously not interested.

“A lot of them eventually go back, but this one didn’t even hesitate. The cops couldn’t do anything. She wouldn’t press charges.” Jane drops her head and I see a tear hit the table.

“Hey, now,” I say, reaching over, squeezing her shoulder. “There’s nothing you could have done. It’s her choice.”

“I know that. I’ve seen it countless times. I just wanted to come home and forget all about it, you know? There’s so much pain and suffering sometimes.” She chugs the rest of her wine, heading to the fridge for more. She looks so upset. I wouldn’t judge her if she wanted to skip formalities and drink directly from the bottle.

When she sits back down, she takes a deep breath, releasing it slowly, then smiles up at me. “Thank you for this, Joe.”

The pain in her eyes remains, but I can tell she means it.

I wave a hand through the air. “Don’t mention it. It’s only PB and J.”

She takes my hand, squeezing it. “Still, thank you.”

We sit in silence, eating our pathetic excuse of a meal, but strangely, I’d rather be here eating this than having a gourmet steak dinner at an expensive restaurant.

Since last weekend, we haven’t talked or done anything else, unfortunately. I’ve been out a lot, busy with work, but I feel like she’s been avoiding me. Still, I want to spend time with her and can see she needs a day off, a chance to clear her mind.

“I think you need to get out of here,” I say.

Puzzled, she looks up at me, mid-bite.

“Tomorrow. What are you doing?”

She eyes the broken stove. “Stove shopping, I guess.”

“We can do that after.”

“After what?”

“I’m taking you out. You need a change in scenery.”

“What does that mean?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“I don’t do well with surprises.”

“You will with this one. But wear something sporty. Comfortable.”

“Joe…” She cocks her head, but I keep silent.

This is going to be fun.

Deep purple Lycra stretches over Jane’s curvy ass as she pulls herself up the rocky cliff side, huffing and grunting curses.

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