Page 37 of Just My Ex

I swallow down the desire that is inevitable whenever I’m around her. I remember the dress and when she wore it—trivia night with some of her friends from work on a weekend. I also very distinctly remember what happened the rest of that night.

I thought divorce meant your feelings for one another grew cold? It seems cruel that I love her more than ever before.

“Henry?” Quinn scowls, but something in her eyes belies an element of … what? Relief that I’m here?

“Is Navie okay?” Marley asks, but her posture is rigid, too.

“She’s fine. Asleep. I was just … checking in with the two of you.”

Quinn’s eyes stretch wide a moment before she recovers, blinking rapidly. “Do you want the rest of this?” She points to the steak and baked potato on her plate. If she’s inviting me to stay, I’m going to stay, and not only because of the steak.

Although that’s not nothing.

Sitting here might help me understand why Marley came, what her end goal is. I have my suspicions, but I don’t know for sure.

And being around Quinn is a sick kind of torture I can’t seem to get enough of. There’s that, too.

I check the baby monitor app again and see that Navie’s still asleep. I pull up a chair from a neighboring table and assess Marley’s body language—uneasy. But I make my words about the food. “This looks good. Are you sure you’ve eaten all you want?”

Quinn nods, frowning.

“She’s not real happy and neither am I.” Marley adjusts her glasses. “I just had some questions about what she’s going to do with Grandpa’s money if she gets it.”

Quinn’s posture sinks and her eyes are dull. She doesn’t respond, instead taking a sip of her water.

“If she gets it? My understanding is it’s a done deal. Probably within the month.” My gaze never leaves Marley’s.

“There’s so much that could happen between now and then, though.” Marley reaches out for Quinn’s hand, and Quinn blinks twice before accepting it. “Quinn might decide to split it up amongst the other family members.”

“Grandpa asked me not to,” Quinn says. The rapid blinking starts up again. Glazed eyes, hands clutching her fork, even though she told me she didn’t want to eat anymore. Maybe I better not murder this steak in case she changes her mind.

Except, that’s not what clutching the fork is about. She doesn’t even realize she’s doing it.

Marley chugs her drink and then keeps going. “It’s not like he would know though, right?” she says to me, grinning, and then she looks at Quinn, her ponytail bouncing. “Grandpa was amazing, and we all loved him, but there’s nothing that says you can’t spread the love once you’ve gotten the money. A gift.” Marley faces me. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.” Marley leans in conspiratorially. “We wouldn’t want Quinn to become all rich and snooty, would we?”

I feel the animosity, the jealousy.

Why did Quinn think this woman was harmless?

I take a careful bite of steak, willing myself to stay calm.

Once I’ve chewed and swallowed, I respond to Marley. “So, how did the family react to the news that Quinn inherited?”

If I can get Marley to talk some more, I can better assess the threat level we’re dealing with.

She takes a deep breath—like she’s trying to reset, to shift her approach. She lifts her palms and offers a smile. “Hey, you know, I’m happy for her. I don’t care very much about the money, honestly. Grandpa was a decent guy. Now, if my father wanted to pass along some money to me, I would never accept it. On principle.” She scratches her nose. “But no. I’m happy for Quinn. She deserves something good since the divorce and all.” She cringes, then bats her eyes. “Sorry, not sorry! None of us wanted you guys to divorce, but we understand these things happen. And hey, if Quinn wants to keep that money, more power to her.”

Quinn’s response is sharp. “I’ll donate a large sum to Alcoholics Anonymous, like Grandpa wanted.”

“That’s great, Quinn. If it’d been me, I would have divided it up evenly amongst everyone and called it good.” She’s smiling, and to some, it might seem she’s about as concerned about the will as what she ate for breakfast this morning. But there’s an edge to her voice. And I know body language, so I know better.

“Sounds a lot easier, I guess,” she continues. “But hey, now with this money, you can take a good long time finding a new job.” She clicks her tongue and shakes her head. “Lucky.”

“I’m not planning on using much of the money when I get it. I’m talking to a financial advisor.” Now Quinn’s face is flushed, lines forming on her forehead.

“Ooh. A financial advisor. Now that’s legit!” Marley takes another long drink. “Smart, though. Either way, you’ll have Grandpa’s money to tide you over for a good long while.”

“I’m not going to access it for a long while, if I can help it.”

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