Page 113 of Lyrical

A knock on my front door made both of us jump. “What I wouldn’t give for that to be Cassie right now,” she said.

I got up and peered through the top window. “It’s Mike.”

“Just what we fucking need right now.” Yes, that pretty much echoed my sentiments exactly.

I opened the door, and my eye went directly to the waterlogged pink floral box in his hand. I had completely forgotten about that.How many times did it rain this week?

“Hey, Jillian. Here,” he said, holding the box towards me. “You had this sitting by the side of your house.”

I looked over my shoulder. “Cassie left a gift for you outside. Do you want it?”

“Hell no.”

I turned back to Mike. “I guess it’s yours.”

“Why would I—”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Look, I don’t really care what you do with it. I just don’t want it here.”

He stepped inside and gave us both a strange look. “I found out that Daniel’s no longer living here.”

“That’s correct.”

“What the hell’s the matter with you, Jillian?”

“It was his choice to leave, Mike.”

“Because you’re putting your boy toy in front of your own son. How is he supposed to feel? I told you something like this would happen. I warned you that you’d end up losing Daniel if you didn’t get your priorities straight.”

Mike couldn’t even rile me up with his idiotic words. I wasn’t in the mood to fight back.

“Fuck you, Mike,” I heard Perry yell. Fortunately, she was in the mood. For not operating at a hundred percent, she was still feisty. She got up and into his face. “Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.”

“What?” He scrunched up his mouth and glanced outside. “I don’t have a horse.”

“Never the fuck you mind. You need to stop talking about shit that you know nothing about.”

Mike ignored her, putting his attention on me. “I’m not trying to hurt you, Jillian. I feel bad for you. I really do. For the first time, you and Daniel are estranged, and I know that must be killing you. But I also know that family means everything to you, and when push comes to shove, you’ll make the right decision.”

Perry snatched the present from his hand and punted it out the door. “Go fetch, Mike.”

“What the fuck, Perry?” he said.

“Yeah, Mike, you should go.”

Perry smiled and waved bye-bye. He opened his mouth, then shut it, shaking his head. He left and I watched him go to his car, at least picking up the box along the way.

I shut the door, leaning my head against the wood. “He wasn’t right, Perry. But he also wasn’t wrong. Let’s say something happens and Cassie and Daniel split up in a month, but I’d chosen Chase now. How could that not affect mine and Daniel’s relationship knowing I picked a guy I knew less than a year over him?”

“A guy who also happens to be your soul mate. I know you’d never recover if you walked away from him either.”

“Yes, but Daniel’sfamily, and that’s forever. As much as I love Chase and consider him family too, it’s not exactly the same. It’s not like we’re married or engaged or have a child together or have even been together ten years already. I’m not saying it’s likely, but Chase and I could break up tomorrow, and then what?”

“I get everything you’re saying, Jills, and yes, it makes sense, but… argh!” She balled up her fists, stomping the floor.

“What’s the matter?”

“Just argh, okay?” She stomped twice more for good measure.

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