She, the Kingdom (She #1)(37)

Night night, Morgan. Sleep tight.

I tapped out a silent reply on the screen.

Tonight was fun.

Well I’ll make sure it happens again. Maybe we’ll go dancing after dinner.

Maybe.

Not sure I can wait ‘til Friday.

Friday is my first day free.

Damn. Good thing you’re worth the wait.

I smiled.

Good night.

It was. ;)

I put away my phone and settled against the pillows. Max moved off my thigh, replacing it with his pillow that was nearby. I lay still for a long time until I started to nod off, and then I tried to turn on my right side to get comfortable. Max woke up, and turned me flat, pressing his nose between my skin and found my clit, pulling it slowly into his mouth again. He was half asleep, and it didn’t take him long to nod off.

For the first time, I found him being between my legs an annoyance, and I had a hard time falling asleep. I grabbed my book again, reading until I could barely keep my eyes open. The last time I looked at the clock, it was half past two AM. I was tired and aggravated, and that only made it harder to fall asleep. I wanted to kick Max out of my bed, but he had paid for it, and the right to be in it, between my legs. He had paid for the right to keep me awake while he slept soundly.





Chapter Eleven

I awoke the next day, feeling groggy. The clock read 11:00, and I tossed my covers and looked around. The knit throw Max normally used was folded and on the chair in the corner of the room, with his pillow lying on top. No goodbye, no warning, even less than a polite transaction.

I rinsed off in the shower and then dressed for the day, thinking about whether I should go grocery shopping or just go grab a quick bite for lunch, maybe with Amelia, when I thought I heard someone at the door. I padded over in my socks, peeking out through the peep hole.

I jerked the door open. “Uh, hi Dawn.”

“Hi!” she said, slipping past me with supplies in hand. “Mr. Kingston asked me to come late today. He said the hormones were making it difficult for you to sleep. Hope you got some rest.”

“I did,” I said, watching her set down her caddy and pull out rags and homemade cleanser. “I make this with Thieves essential oil. You’ll notice a difference when the kids start school. Way better than bleach or any other harsh chemicals.”

“Great,” I said with a contrived smile.

I wanted to text Max and yell at him, but I was tired, and happy to see Dawn.

“Is it the flashes?” she asked.

“Pardon?”

“I get them in the night, too. And in the day. And pretty much whenever the hell they feel like it. I want to jump into an ice bath and fight someone at the same time. I look like I have a sweat mustache. If I’m lyin’, I’m dyin’.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. Dawn was full of positive energy, and her voice was comforting. I sat at the table with my coffee while she chatted about her favorite soap opera character like they were real people with real problems. She never stopped cleaning while she talked, and even yelled at me from a bedroom or bathroom down the hall if she was mid-story.

During cup number two, Dawn was elbow-deep in my tub and I was scrolling through my social media like the morning paper. Happy mothers; perfect children; perfect jobs; immaculate houses; mentally healthy and whole families. It was easy to compare a life with normal ups and downs to someone’s highlights on social media, but I knew Lisa Arnold was on her fourth marriage, Patricia Lipton’s oldest son was in rehab, and Kiki Childers and her husband hated each other. Social media was the new church—not about real life behind closed doors, but what we’d chosen to let others see.

Hannah Facetimed me, her hair getting wilder every day.

“Happy birthday, Mommy!”

“Aw! Thank you, sweet pea!”

“Happy birthday, Mom,” Josh said, his voice monotone.

“I miss you guys,” I said, refusing to let the tears come. Hannah was in a good mood, and even Josh was chattier than usual, talking to me for half of the twenty minutes they had me on the phone. They were both ready to come home, and I tried not to make them more homesick than they already were, assuring them that I was boring myself to death, and too lazy to do anything fun. After we hung up, I dressed and drove to the grocery store. As I shopped one aisle and then the next, I noticed people staring—whispering. I’d hoped it was people wondering if I was pregnant yet, because it was just a matter of time before my neighbors told someone else who told someone else that Max Kingston’s car had been spotted in my driveway overnight every night.

Max and Sophie had thought of everything, so I wondered if they had covered that base with one of their many lies, too. As I pushed the grocery basket to the parking lot, my cell rang.

“Hello?” I said, pressing the phone against my ear with my shoulder.

“Ms. Clarke? It’s Annie with Doty & Levitz. I’m afraid I gave you the wrong amount for your balance the other day.”

“Oh. Okay, what is the difference?”

“One-hundred and two dollars. Thirty-seven cents.”

“That’s a weird number.”

“I’m sorry. Geneva said not to worry about it. She knows you were on a payment plan before.”

“I’m out now. I can bring it by.” There was a strange sense of empowerment in telling her I could pay off whatever whenever. I didn’t need a payment plan, damn it. I’d meant to pay it off, and I was going to pay it off!