Page 185 of Mr. Infuriating

I was the owner of a successful business—I needed to step up and start acting like it.

So, Monday and Tuesday, instead of going home and drinking to keep my mind off Gretchen, I stayed at the shop and worked until I was ready to drop from exhaustion.

That way avoiding my feelings was at least making me money, and I wasn’t racking up ride share charges.

Wednesday morning, I woke up feeling energized. I was going to see Gretchen for the first time in nine days.

Nine, painfully long days.

The hours seemed to drag until finally it was time to pick Brayden up from lacrosse practice and Britt from Becky’s. My daughter had jumped at the chance to “watch” Jake while I put the final trim on Gretchen’s cabinets and Gretchen tutored her brother.

“I wonder how they’ve been,” Britt mused on our drive.

Brayden responded, “I’ve seen Ms. Kelly in the hall. To be honest, she looks tired.”

I knew the feeling.

“I’m sure the end of the year is as stressful for teachers as it is for students.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Brayden murmured as he looked out the window.

Britt chimed in from the backseat. “What’s your excuse, Dad?”

I caught her eye in the rearview mirror. “What are you talking about?”

Her mouth turned up in a devilish grin.

“Why do you look so tired?”

Little shit.

“I’ve been working a lot. I got a little behind when I was installing Gretchen’s cabinets.”

“Well, I’m excited to see them.”

“The cabinets or Gretchen and Jake?”

“I guess both. Although I meant Gretchen and Jake.”

Me too.

I didn’t say that out loud, but I was excited.

Until I pulled up to her house and saw the same red Jaguar from last week sitting in her driveway.

****

Gretchen

I left work the soonest I thought I could without being hauled in front of Samantha McClung, then hustled to pick up Jake.

I wanted to make sure the house was tidy, Jake’s hands, face, and diaper were clean, and there was no mascara smudged under my eyes and my hair was brushed. Okay, I’d put on a coat of lipstick, too.

I wasn’t about to open the door looking like a woman who’d been pining over the man on the other side of my threshold. Even though that’s exactly what I’d been doing.

But he hadn’t bothered to call or text, so there was no way I was going to let on how miserable I’d been.

I decided not to tell Jake they were coming, just in case it fell through.

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