Page 89 of Succeeding Love

“Did I?” I raised my eyebrows. “I didn’t know I was being tested.”

“Sure you didn’t,” she smirked. Then she sighed while looking me up and down. “You’ll do. You’ll do nicely.”

“Thanks.” I twirled my keys around my fingers, then stared off toward Lynn’s house. “So that woman in her living room right now? Would I fail your test if I asked who she was?”

I know I’ve seen that woman before. She was the snobby husband-grabber from Milton’s office. She gave me nothing but bad vibes before, and that wasn’t much different this time.

“You wouldn’t fail, per se. I guess that would depend on why you were asking.” Kate stared pointedly while waiting for my answer.

Even not knowing why that woman was there, I felt honesty was the best answer here. “I met that woman once before. She didn’t give a good first impression.” I looked at Lynn’s windows, trying to glimpse them. “I’m worried about my girl. Leaving her with a snake.”

Kate threw her head back, laughing wildly. “Snake,” she scoffed, slapping her knee. “Oh, that’s great. That’s what she is. A flipping snake.”

Concern settled in me, and my feet moved towards Lynn’s without even telling them to.

“Hey, it’s fine,” Kate grabbed my arm and stopped me, still trying to control her laughter. “My sis can handle her.”

“Who is she?” I asked again.

“Oh,” Kate waved her hand, “Just the snake that stole her husband.”

My eyes grew wide. “And she’s having tea in her living room?!”

“I think it was coffee. Not tea,” Kate smirked.

“I’m serious. That’s Nick’s mistress?! What if she tries to hurt Lynn?!”

”That won’t happen,” Kate shook her head. “Feighlynn’s always handled her ex and his mistress amicably. No one can hate her, even that snake. I think Arlene just wanted to clear the air.” She followed my worried gaze to the house. “She couldn’t say much with me there. As my sister’s official ‘bad guy’ stand-in, Arlene wasn’t talking while I was listening in the other room. I wanted to give them a second so she could finally spit whatever she came to say out and then leave.”

Kate looked worried too, despite what she said.

“She won’t hurt her?” I asked. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” Suddenly, there was a glint in her eyes. “My sister can hold her own. I’m telling you. You should keep that in mind.”

I scoffed, imagining my little bitty girlfriend trying to fight anyone, let alone me. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

We stood out front on my lawn for about ten more minutes, Kate shooting more questions at me. Nothing too serious, until she got to the questions about my previous relationships. I don’t make it a habit of talking about my ex-wife, but Kate really dug in on the subject, seeing I was hesitant to answer every question.

Lynn and I had already talked about everything concerning my divorce. I also knew how close Kate and Lynn were, so I was impressed that Kate didn’t already know all this information. Lynn didn’t share my personal information, which made me fall for her even more.

Kate was Lynn’s sister. As much as I didn’t enjoy talking about my ex to strangers, I felt like I could to placate her. So, I let Kate know about my ex cheating on me and the events that unfolded afterward. I was deployed and came back to her with another man, and all the dirty tricks she tried to pull to get my paychecks after I kicked her out. It made me not want to date seriously again for a long time. A very long time.

Not until I met Lynn.

Kate seemed happy with my answers, and I felt I had passed another test of some sort.

Eventually, the mistress, Arlene, came out of Lynn’s front door, Lynn hanging back in her entryway. It looked like the mistress had been crying, but Lynn looked absolutely fine. Her smile was as kind and genuine as ever.

Kate was right. Lynn was fine.

The door closed, and that snake-like mistress started back a bit, seeing Kate and me watching from my front lawn. She hung her head, wiping under her eyes, and headed for her car.

Kate sighed. “I guess that’s my cue. Go get ready for the gym, action hero. It was good to meet you.”

“You too,” I said as she pulled me into a hug. “Get home safe.”

She waved as she ran across the street.

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