Page 63 of Sex. Love. Marriage.

“What?”

“I have something lined up,” I repeat, and then realize that’s not what she asked. Maybe I should have skipped the fifth beer? I step toward her and wrap my hands around her waist. “Jason knows a guy with a shop. I’m gonna start up my own place.”

“Okay.” She nods, but there’s a tightness to her face, as if she wants to believe me that everything’s going to be okay and knowing deep down, we have absolutely no control over that. “What happened?”

I look around to see if the kids are near. They’re not. “I walked in on him and Ava this morning. I told him if he didn’t tell Xianna, I was walking out. So I did.”

“So you quit because your brother is morally challenged?”

Drawing in a deep breath, I think about why I did quit. “I think it was more than that.”

Kelly nods but doesn’t say anything. I can’t tell if she’s disappointed I didn’t talk to her about it first. I’m sure she is, but what’s that saying? Better to ask for forgiveness than permission? I’ve always hated that term.

“Are we really going to dinner with Kate and Jason?”

Again, she nods and pushes away from me to reach for the pizza on the counter. “We are.” Pausing, she unwraps the plastic from around the pizza and places it on a baking tray. “There’s this restaurant downtown Charlee wants to try with us all.”

I lean into the counter beside her and cross my arms over my chest. “Allmeans?”

Kelly reaches around me and then presses the button to the stove. “Us, them, and Charlee.”

“What about Steve?”

Her back is to me now, and yes, I check out her ass. She’s wearing jeans. A change from those Lululemon leggings she had to have, and though I’m not saying they don’t look great on her, I’m still not wild about their price tag. “He’s working in Tampa this week,” she tells me, filling the kids’ cups up with water and ripping open a package of paper plates.

I take the paper plates from her and set them on the island where I assume she’s having the kids eat. “Oh. And no Bonner and Ashlynn?”

Her eyes don’t meet mine. “Bonner’s coming, I guess, but Ashlynn’s working tonight.”

I fight off a smile. For some reason, I can’t possibly think of Ashlynn’s job asworking. Shouldn’t she just say she’s fucking tonight? Speaking of fucking, I think I remember us having plans tonight. “But I thought we were going to have car sex.”

Placing the pizza in the oven, Kelly’s eyes find mine and she winks, one hand on her hip. “Maybe we still can. Kate has a minivan.”

“I—” I get cut off. I was just about to tell her I’m game, but she’s looking past me into the backyard where Hazel and Oliver were playing.

“Why is she walking like that?”

I look over my shoulder to see Hazel walking up the steps to the back porch with her arms out like she’s carrying a glass bubble. Oliver’s beside her looking a bit guilty with his pellet gun in his hand.

My first thought is that he shot her with it. And I pray it’s not that. I don’t see any blood but then again, a pellet gun wouldn’t pierce the skin.

I rush out to see what’s the matter. “Hazel, why are you walking like that?”

Her nervous eyes find mine. “I might blow up.”

“What?” Kelly asks, running to her side. “Why?”

“I swallowed BB’s,” she whispers, carefully stepping toward us.

My eyes widen in disbelief and immediately I’m looking at Oliver, who’s white as a ghost. “It was an accident.” Dropping the pellet gun to the ground, he holds up his hands, his cheeks red as sweat glistens on his forehead. “I swear.”

I kneel to Hazel’s level holding her face in my hands. “Why did you swallow them? What would make you put them in your mouth?”

Tears slide down her flushed cheeks and she hiccups. “We were climbing a tree so we could shoot the coyotes,” she explains through another round of hiccups. “Oliver told me to put them in my mouth until we got to the top, and then I was supposed to spit them out.” Her eyes widen. “I didn’t.”

My eyes slide to my son and I don’t know, but I think I’m glaring at the little shit. He promised he’d be nice to her. “Why did you do that?” I snap.

He swallows, blinking rapidly. “I smacked her back thinking she’d spit them out, but she swallowed them all!” Oliver explains, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as if he has to pee, or he knows he’s in trouble. “I didn’t do it on purpose. I didn’t think she’d swallow them. I swear. Please don’t ground me,” he begs. “I really want to go fishing.”

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