She blew out a breath and took another pull on her beer. “That’llbe a challenge.”
Juni chuckled. “At best. But you can’t beg forgiveness from Emmauntil you’ve taken care of the problem.” She grabbed another slice of pizzafrom the box and settled into a stool at the counter.
“And Grace is the problem.”
Juni shook her head. “Not just her. You’re in this one up to youreyeballs.”
“I’ll call Grace tomorrow and take care of it.” Dex took a bite ofthe pizza and her stomach rolled. She tossed it back into the box.
* * *
Grace rushed through the front door at Dex’s house. “Sorry I’mlate. I didn’t get your message right away, couldn’t find my phone.” She heldit up before she dropped it into her purse, which she set on the end table.“Damn thing slid between the cushions on the couch.”
Thinking maybe there was something to what Emma and Juni had said,Dex had called Grace. She needed to prove to herself that nothing was there,that she’d let go of her feelings for Grace. She also needed to set boundaries.
“I thought you were seeing Emma tonight.”
“I thought I was too. She wants to take a break.”
“Oh? Why?” Grace’s voice rose. She was putting on a very goodshow.
“It just feels like we’re going too fast, that’s all.” She didn’twant to go into the whole reason with Grace because Grace was the reason.
“Sounds like she’s having commitment issues.”
She flopped onto the couch and put her feet on the coffee table.“Maybe.” One ofus certainly is.
Grace pushed Dex’s feet from the coffee table and sat next to her.“You know I hate that.”
“Sorry. I forgot.” It wasn’t like it was her house.
“You’re going to miss her, aren’t you?” Grace’s voice was soft andcomforting as she sat on the couch next to Dex and rubbed her back.
“Actually, I am.” It had only been a few days, and she’d alreadywanted to call her a hundred times. “You don’t have to make it sound sopermanent.”
“Sorry. I wasn’t trying to. You’ve just been spending so much timewith her.” She took her hand away. “Sometimes things can get overwhelming.Maybe a break is the best thing.” She dropped against the couch cushions. “Icould certainly use one from Brent right now.”
“What?” Dex snapped her head around. “You’ve only been marriedfor, what, three months?”
“Almost four, and it’s not like we weren’t together before thewedding. Now that he’s moved in with me, he’s turned out to be a totallydifferent person.” She sighed. “He’s kind of a slob, and since I only workpart-time, he expects me to do everything around the house. And he’s totallyobsessed with money all of a sudden. Save, save, save, that’s all he talksabout. I like having the things I have and buying things when I want.”
It appeared the conversation was going to be about Grace again, asusual. “This isn’t new. You told me this before. Have you talked to him aboutit?”
“I tried, but somehow he always makes me forget what I’m trying tosay.”
“You mean, you have sex, and then everything’s great.”
She nodded. “I don’t know why that happens. It’s not like that’s perfect.I don’t even think about him when I masturbate.”
“Wow.” That was a whole lot of too much information.
She shifted toward Dex. “Is that weird?”
Dex shifted in her seat. “Kinda.”
“What do youthink about?” Grace asked the question with such nonchalance, Dex was caughtoff guard.
“Um, I think about getting off.” Until recently, she used to thinkabout Grace, but she’d pushed those thoughts out of her mind the moment she’dstarted seeing Emma. Emma.She took in a deep breath, and that thought rang in her head.
“You don’t think about Emma?”
The lump in her throat that had just begun to subside returned. I think about Emma all thetime. “No. I don’t think about her or anyone else.” Not anymore.That would only make it take longer. “What do you think about?” It was a badidea to ask, but Grace was going to tell her anyway. Because Grace sharedeverything with Dex.
“Sometimes Brent. Sometimes the guy who works out across from meat the gym. Sometimes you.” Her voice rose at the end of her sentence like itwas a delightful afterthought.
Whatthe fuck? “Me? Seriously?” She’d never shared that nugget with Dexbefore.
Grace looked at her hands before she glanced up at Dex. “Sure.Haven’t you ever thought about it? With me?”
She was way too close for this conversation. “Uh…not lately.” Dexslid farther into the couch. “You’re married now.”
“But you have thought about it, right?” Grace stared at Dex,clearly waiting for an answer.
“What the hell is going on with you, Grace?” She twisted sidewaysand pulled her leg onto the couch between them. “Aren’t you happy with Brent?”
Grace dropped her head against the couch and stared at theceiling. “I am happy for the most part. But I miss hanging out with you.”
“So you want to sleep with me and fuck up your life?”
“No.”Grace shook her head. “I didn’t say that, but I really have thought about you.”She sighed. “If it were only possible to have your personality in Brent’sbody.”
Dex threw a hand up in front of her. “Stop. Now.” Shebolted from the couch and crossed the room. “There will be no more of this kindof talk.” She went into the kitchen, took a beer out of the refrigerator, eyedit, put it back, and grabbed a soda. No alcohol tonight, not after thatbombshell conversation. This was not at all the way she’d seen this nightgoing. It was supposed to be the exact opposite. She busied herself in thekitchen making a salad and trying to settle her thoughts back to normal. Thedoorbell rang, and she thanked God that he’d created pizza-delivery guys. Whenthe evening had started, Dex hadn’t expected anything like this, not in a long shot.
* * *
When Grace got home, Brent was on the couch, filthy feet on thecoffee table, watching the game. Forget the fact that she’d asked him agazillion times not to do it. She ignored him and went upstairs. Other thoughtswere circling in her head at
