“I wouldn’t have to violate anything if you’d just stop being a little bitch and tell me where I can find Clive,” he says.
“No,” Nora says. “You got what you wanted. You’re a free man. Just go away and leave us alone.”
“I can’t,” he says, his tone desperate. “I’m walking, but I ain’t free.”
“Not my problem.”
Trix returns with her phone to her ear and several cafe employees, including the manager.
“Sir,” the manager says. “You’re bothering our customers. I have to ask you to leave.”
Alex doesn’t move. “I’ll leave as soon as Ms. Payne here tells me what I want to know.”
I reach for Nora’s trembling hand as she struggles to stay calm.
The manager steps forward. “Leave now or you will be arrested for trespassing.”
Alex bites down, his dark eyes never leaving Nora as he eases back. “This isn’t over,” he says, pointing at her.
He spins around and shoves his way through the manager and others on his way toward the exit.
Once he’s out of sight, Nora’s shoulders drop. Her knees buckle and she leans on the table to keep herself propped up, but only just barely.
I stand, quickly moving to hold her up. “Nor, it’s okay,” I whisper. “He’s gone.”
She buries her face in my shoulder. Trix picks up Nora’s toppled chair and sits it upright. We guide Nora onto it as the manager travels between the tables, assuring the other customers that everything is okay.
Nora hears his words and shakes her head.
Everything is not okay.
“I need to call Clive,” she says.
Thirty-Four
Melanie
I stab a piece of orange chicken with my fork a little too hard. “Alex finally fucked off, but...” I sigh, feeling frustration for my friend. “Poor Nora. Just when everything was going right for her, this crap happens.”
I sit with Robbie on his living room couch. After brunch, I went home to get in a few hours of work before grabbing some Chinese takeout and heading over to his place.
Robbie shakes his head, barely touching his dinner as he takes in every word. “But she’s okay?” he asks.
“Yeah, she’s fine,” I answer. “A little shook up at first, but once Clive came to get her, she was petite, strong Nora Payne again.” I smile. “It’s amazing how much of a calming effect he has on her. Just one touch is all it takes.”
“Daddy’s a good Daddy,” Robbie teases.
I chuckle. “Trix invited them over for dinner,” I say. “They will talk to Lance about it, see if there’s anything he can do.”
“They didn’t invite you?” he asks.
“Well...” I hesitate. “They thought I’d be busy with... other things...”
“Ahh...” Robbie sets his plate on the coffee table. “So, what did they have to say about us?”
I sit up and do the same. “Okay, for the record, I didn’t tell them. The voicemail we accidentally left on Trix’s phone this morning did.”
Robbie furrows his brow. “Voicemail?”
“Voicemail,” I repeat.
“Of the two of us...?” He trails off, smirking.
I nod. “Yes.”
“Oh…” He thinks for a moment. “We sound good?” he asks.
“Oh, yeah,” I answer.
He shrugs a shoulder and reaches for his plate. “No harm done, then.”
I smile as he takes a bite of rice. “Sorry it came out,” I say. “I really meant to keep you my dirty little secret for a while.”
“It’s all right. No one’s fault,” he says. “They have anything to say about it?”
“Well, they were impressed with your technique,” I joke.
He smirks. “Naturally.”
“They were a flurry of love and support for both of us,” I answer, thinking back. “Trix seemed a little weird about it, though.”
He looks at me. “She did?”
“It wasn’t anything she said, specifically. Just a vibe, I guess? Hard to say.”
“I’m sure it was nothing,” Robbie says, turning back to his plate.
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” I shrug, brushing it off.
I bat a piece of broccoli around my plate with my fork as I let my thoughts wander to various places. The last few days have come and gone with a blur, giving me the distinct feeling that I’ve forgotten something.
Robbie stabs my broccoli with his fork.
“Hey—” I watch as he shoves it in his mouth. “That was mine.”
“Yeah, well, you were staring at it for too long and I got jealous, so now it’s mine.”
He grins at me.
I roll my eyes as I try to hide my smile. “Are you that desperate for attention?”
“No,” he says, “but if I annoy you enough, your self-esteem crumbles and then we have sex. Everybody wins.”
I crack, laughing hard. “You are unbelievable.”
“Unbelievably sexy?”
“After stealing food off my plate? No. Emphatically not.”
He moves his plate toward mine. “Here, have some of my chicken. You’ll feel better.”
I claim a piece and stick it in my mouth. “Thank you,” I say as I chew. “Feeling better already.”
“Fantastic.” He leaves his plate on the table again. “You want to have sex?”
“I’ll have you know my self-esteem is fine right now.”
“Sure, but you’re full of good food and happy. When that happens, we have sex.”
I sigh. “Fine. Give me your plate. I’ll load the dishwasher and you go get started.”
Robbie hands me his plate and leans in to plant a kiss on my cheek. “This is fun,” he says. “Isn’t this fun?”
I gaze into his eyes for a bit longer. “Yeah,” I say, smiling. “This is fun.”
He kisses me again on the edge of my mouth. “Here,” he says, reaching for the plates. “I’ll load the dishwasher. You go get started.”
He takes them before I can argue and walks off into the kitchen.
I sit still, watching him go as it all sinks in.
This.
This is what I always wanted.
The best parts of us.
I stand up and walk into the bedroom. While the kitchen sink runs, I light the candles on the nightstand. I sit down on the edge of the bed, taking a deep breath as I look around Robbie’s bedroom. Seven months ago, I kicked him out. I divorced him and left him with nothing because I thought that’s what he deserved. I was lost and broken. Him
