Page 139 of Doctorshipped
I nod. Shannon tugs me close and rubs a soothing hand up and down my arm. It calms me a bit until I try to answer Lexi’s next question.
“What happened with Grant?”
“He … heeee … heeeee … (ahhhhh) … he … (gasp, gasp) … she … she … sheeeee … (ohhhh) … (snort) … (sniff) … Theyyyy …”
“If he cheated on you,” Laura nearly growls. “I’m going over there right now. He’s going to be singing like a soprano by morning.”
I violently shake my head from side to side, afraid she’s really going to exact revenge on Grant.
“Noooo.” I take a shuddering breath.
“Stop trying to talk,” Shannon says in a super-gentle voice. It’s a tone you’d use with a rabid raccoon who just broke into your supply of energy drinks and pocket knives.
“Just eat ice cream.”
She looks around the room. “Change of subject. Talk about happy things, and we’ll resume our regularly scheduled program of getting to the bottom of what happened after ice cream and catching our breath, okay?”
Everyone nods.
“Poppy’s going to be a corn cob for Halloween,” Lexi offers up.
“So’s every child in Bordeaux,” Em laughs. “Paisley and Ty both asked to be corn cobs, but Aiden talked Ty into going as a goat.”
I smile, taking the bowl of ice cream from Laura and dipping my spoon into it.
I take another shaky breath and then slide the spoon into my mouth.
What is it about ice cream that soothes the wounded heart? Shannon still has her hand on my back. She’s rubbing gentle circles, and every so often she looks over with this deep compassion in her eyes.
“Feeling better?” Em asks.
“A little. Thanks.”
We eat more ice cream. Everyone tries to be cheery, but it’s obvious they’re just stalling until I’m able to share without waking the dead.
Ha! Waking the dead. Like Margot.
I chuckle softly to myself.
“What’s funny?” Lexi asks.
“Grant’s wife came back from the dead.”
The looks on my friends’ faces. I wish I had my camera out. Two of them look like they might sneak out to call the local psychiatric emergency team. And the other two look like they saw a ghost. Tell me about it.
“Not really,” I say. “But that was her. Today at his house.”
“He’s MARRIED?!” Laura sets her ice cream down and stands up.
“No! No. No. No. He’s not married. Sit down. Please. And promise me no one is going to go all mafia revenge on Grant tonight.”
Laura gives me a serious look like she’s not promising anything of the sort, but she sits down.
“Margot, his ex-wife, came to town after hunting him down unexpectedly. They’re divorced. She wants to see Fiona.”
“She didn’t die of cancer?” Lexi asks.
I shake my head.
