Page 3 of Fluke
I rest back against my chair and take a long, deep breath. I had big plans for today after work, including a walk on the beach and making a cold tomato soup with tarragon crème fraîche for my new neighbor. It’s been a long time since I made something for anyone besides Kerissa, and she has the palate of a child. I was excited to take my sweet new friend a bowl of soup and listen to her stories about years gone by.
“You ladies look like you’re in the middle of a serious conversation, but I wanted to make sure you don’t need anything else,” Hannah says.
Kerissa cups her chin in her hand and smiles at Hannah. “I’m fine. Pippa told her coworkers that she was married. For the record, she’s never sniffed a wedding veil.”
“I’m sitting right here.”
“I know,” Kerissa says. “I saved you the trouble of explaining. You’re welcome.”
Hannah grins. “That sounds like a prickly situation.”
“How do you mean?” I ask, fiddling with my straw.
“Well, don’t you work at a matchmaking company in Lakely?”
I nod.
“What if someone asks who you were married to?” she asks. “What do you say then? He’s just someone from out of town? Because Lakely is a good forty-five minutes from here, and while there’s not tons of crossover, someone might ask just to see if they know them.”
I know. Dammit.
Kerissa sits up and laughs. “No, because that would’ve been too easy. She told them that she has dinner with him once a month.”
I glare at her. “I saidsometimes, not once a month.” I shrug. “He still loves me. I can’t help it. I’m lovable.”
Kerissa rolls her eyes.
“I’m sure you are,” Hannah says, cackling. “But I think you should plot out the rest of your story before you return to work tomorrow. You don’t want to be caught with your pants down … unless your ex-husband is coming around. Maybe he was good in bed.”
“He was. I might’ve mentioned that too.”
Kerissa and Hannah laugh at the heat in my cheeks.
“You both suck,” I say, joining in the laughter.
“I’m with you on this,” Kerissa tells Hannah. “I told her she needs to find a fake ex-husband to have on hand just in case. I know people who have done this kind of thing, and it worked out very,verywell.”
“Well, good for them,” I say, holding my head in my hands. “I’m glad they found their knight in shining armor. But I have no interest in finding a man to deal with for the rest of my life, nor am I super excited about having a fake one either.”
Hannah taps on the table. “Let me know if you need anything. I have a couple of new tables to check on.”
Kerissa takes my notepad and slides it across the table as Hannah leaves.
I love my job, and Bridgit, more than any job I’ve had before. And while a part of me knows she would understand my predicament—especially since I think she dislikes Chuck too—I don’t want to give her a reason to think poorly of me.
I don’t want to disappoint her.
“Okay, I think this was a solid start,” Kerissa says. “Just look at it. You’ll feel better if you have an option in your back pocket.”
She’s right. Options are good.
She turns the notepad around, and together, we read.
SEEKING AN EX-HUSBAND
I need afake ex-husband.
Let me explain …
