Page 98 of I'm Not Yours
His face was tight and pinched. He resembled a muskrat chewing a lemon. I wondered how I ever could have been attracted to him in the first place. “It’s no one to you, Grayson.” Tears ripped along my eyes.
“It’s someone to me. You’re involved with him, we’re still married—”
“I could have been divorced from you long ago, but you . . .” I clenched my teeth tight. “All these months, all this misery, all this stress, all this money, out the door because you wouldn’t let me go, you wouldn’t sign the papers, you fought. And now,” I took a deep, deep breath. I wondered if I was going to lose my mind, my grief over losing Reece about knocking me to my knees. I put a hand out and leaned against my blue cottage so I wouldn’t fall over. “How much longer are you going to wait this out? To fight it? We are over. You win. I give up.” I hated giving up. That’s what I’d done in my marriage, but I couldn’t fight any longer. Many things in life are much more important than money. Sanity, for one.
“Who is he?”
“He’s who I want to be with. He’s who I want to marry. He’s the man that I love. I am so in love with him I can hardly think straight. Now, get off my property before I call the police.” I turned and forced myself to wobble into the house, slammed my door, and reached for my phone to call the police.
Before I could dial, a blue folder slid under the door. I heard Grayson’s voice, broken. “Good-bye, June. I’m sorry.” There was a pause. “I am sorry, June.”
And there it was: my divorce. Signed, sealed, and shoved under the door.
He had also signed off on June’s Lace and Flounces; he would make no claim to my business now or in the future. Inside was a check that would equal my half of the house.
For once in his life, Grayson had done the right thing.
I banged up the stairs and threw my arms in the air. “We’re in business, ladies!”
“Yadala-hoo-hoo,” Estelle said. “Being such a spry chicken myself, I love working twelve hours a day.”
“I’m so happy!” Leoni said. “You should see the order that came in while you were outside. It’s a zoologist getting married to a zookeeper! Animals all around.”
“Cool,” Morgan said to me, taking her helmet off. “Your business is almost as cool as being an astronaut.”
Four Things I’m Worried About
I am worried that I have lost Reece forever.
I am worried that I will never be happy without Reece.
I am worried that I will be too emotionally whipped up and scared to try again with Reece.
Morgan. Still. I will give her more jobs to do and take her to tea.
I played online Scrabble for an hour that night. I spelled these words: “cattle,” “love,” “mine.”
I lost.
Again.
I ate a chocolate doughnut with sprinkles. Okay. I had two.
