"You said he signed the contract that night?" The red flags in her head were not only waving but were now being twirled by a color guard followed by a full-piece marching band.
"He did, but there were a few amendments he wanted us to make, and we need to go over them before it becomes official."
If he were lying, he was the best liar in the world and could've been fooling her their whole marriage and she wouldn't have known it. She nodded, choosing to believe him. The alternative was unacceptable. "Okay, but call me if you're going to be too late. You know I worry."
He gave her another quick kiss. "Babe, I don't have a phone."
Oh, yeah.
≈≈≈≈
"I'm at the phone store," Ali reported to Mia, her phone to her ear as she waited in line for her turn. On her hip, a squirming Emma was getting restless andheavy.
"That doesn't sound good. I take it things didn't go according to plan last night."
Looking down at her feet and speaking low, Ali told her the whole embarrassing story.
There was a moment of silence before a burst of laughter filled her ear. "You've got to be fuckin' kidding me."
"I wish I were." She bounced Emma higher on her hip. "Don't overlook the fact he changed his password."
"Oh, believe me, I didn't."
"So what does that mean?"
Mia sighed. "I don't know. But it doesn't mean he's hiding something fromyou."
"Who else would he be hiding it from?" She'd said the last pretty loud, and the guy in front of her turned his head to look at her. Ali gave him a small smile and lowered her voice when she continued, "It's not like there's anyone else in the house that would care what's on his phone."
"Maybe it's someone at work?"
Ali snorted in disbelief. "Why would anyone at his work want to snoop through his phone?"
"Who the hell knows, but it's a possibility. One that shouldn't be overlooked."
"Yeah, okay," Ali sighed, not sounding the least bit convinced.
"So the phone idea was a bust. What's the next plan?"
"I don't know." Arm breaking, Ali set Emma on her feet but held her hand, so she wouldn't wander off. Through the glass window of the phone store, her eyes landed on a spy shop across the way. "I guess I could bug him," she said half in jest.
"I don't see how pestering him to death will give you any useful answers."
"Not that kind of bug, you know like a listening device."
"Jeez, Ali, this isn't Mission Impossible or a James Bond movie."
"We could totally pull off being Bond girls."
"Maybe you could, but I don't think I can run in heels."
Ali laughed. "We'll work on that next week." She looked up and saw she was next in line. "I've got to go. I'll call you later."
"Don't forget yoga at ten on Sunday."
Shit, she had forgotten, just as she'd forgotten last week. She couldn't ditch her friend two weeks in a row. "I'll be there."
"Be there or be square."