Page 45 of Hesi-Dating
"The one where Henry hurt himself?"
He nodded.
"How is your dad's old place holding up?" asked a woman behind us.
The way Seth's face froze into what I'd come to recognize was his public face meant the voice had to belong to his ex.
"You going to introduce us, Seth?" the woman asked.
"Kara, this is Joley. Joley, this is my ex-wife."
"Good to meet you," I said automatically.
Kara wasn't the woman I'd have paired with Seth. She was as tall as him and pretty in a European way. I bet she never had to worry about gaining a pound in her life. Hell, she didn't look like she'd eaten a cookie since she was six or seven years old. I wanted to hate her. But she didn't seem like she wanted to be intentionally petty. She looked genuinely stressed to be talking to Seth.
Kara said, "Since you won't return my calls or texts, you've forced me to talk business here. I think you packed my mother's serving dish with your stuff. The one with the seashells on it."
"I didn't take any kitchen stuff."
"Oh. Well, if you could look through your stuff when you unpack, that'd be super. You know it's important to me. I was looking for it the other day. Are you two dating?"
Seth flattened his lips but didn't answer.
"She seems young. She won't do anything for your career." Kara gave me a judgmental once over. "What are you doing with him?"
"I'm in it for the sex. He's not up for re-election until next year. He can find a new political dynamo to be his behind-the-scenes powerhouse." I grinned and gave Seth a hot look, enjoying his face flushing. "He's a beast in the bedroom, but you know that. I have no clue how you could let that kind of skill go."
"Oh?" Kara's eyes went wide.
"I thought you said we needed to talk to the married couple?" I took his hand and stood.
As we strolled toward the front of the room, the DJ announced the bride and groom would be doing their special dance.
Seth pulled me to stand in front of him with a hand around my waist to watch the dance. He leaned in to whisper, "You didn't need to say that."
I leaned back to feel how turned on he was. "You liked it."
"I liked it for the thought of you and me in a bedroom."
Two hours later, we'd danced a few times, had too many drinks, and threw birdseed at the bride and groom as they left.
His limp had become more pronounced as the evening went on.
As we walked to his car I asked, "Is your leg okay? I noticed it's bothering you."
"It always acts up if I'm active on my feet for too long." He glanced down at it. "Got shot a little over a year ago."
"You what?"
He shrugged. "Hazard of the job."
"I'm glad you didn't lose your leg, but that's awful."
"It's fine." His pinched look wasn't selling his assurance. "Want to meet my horses?" He held open the car door for me.
"Is this your way of asking me over to your house?"
"I'm only asking you to meet the horses on the way back to your place. It's on the way. I need to feed them."
