The Do-Over(37)

Moving the phone from my mouth so that she wouldn’t hear my snickers, I took a moment to collect myself before speaking again.

“Oh, that sounds terrible,” I managed, picking at a thread on my comforter.

“It was. It was horrible. I was so worried and it ruined my parent’s whole anniversary celebration,” she was now whining.

Seriously? Did she really expect me to commiserate with her on her ruined party plans after what she and Frank pulled on Scarlett? Could she be that clueless?

“It is really hard to have to handle all the health issues you older people have.”

You older people? Did she just call me that?

“Okay Crystal, I’m hanging up now. Tell Frank I hope he feels better and have a fabulous rest of your trip.” Click.

Two kidney stones. Two pin stabs. Holy crap, this was truly getting scary. First Crystal and the toe stub. Now Frank and the kidney stones. Maybe that old toothless lady in Dominica wasn’t kidding, maybe these dolls had voodoo powers. These coincidences were crazy. Could it be just putting the thought out there in the universe was creating the energy to make these things happen?

Holy shit! I was slightly freaked out, but at the same time loving it. Take that, Frank. Hurt your daughter and I’ll stab your dick again, you coward.

Curling back under my covers, I couldn’t help but smile. Scarlett had a wonderful night at the Father/Daughter Formal with Wes and Frank’s dick basically went up in flames in Paris. It was a good night. A very good night indeed.

I couldn’t wait to tell Laynie and Jill.





Chapter 13


“Tara, Tara, Tara.” There was a mocking tone in his voice as he entered my office and slithered into a guest chair across the desk. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to calling you that.”

“I know the feeling, Matthew. I mean Julien.” I smiled, as I turned from my computer screen to face him.

“You’re really not quite as amusing as you think.”

While maintaining my smile, I began chanting in my head, “He’s a client. He’s a client. He’s a client.”

“So, what’s up?” I knew he wanted something. Julien Matthews was not parked in my office for a social visit.

“You tell me, Tara.” The emphasis was on my name.

“Your visit. Your agenda.”

Picking up the frame with Scarlett’s picture, he looked at it, then at me. “Cute kid.”

“Thank you.”

Without putting down the frame, “Pretty sleazy move there to use your kid to hook Wes.”

“What are you talking about?” I could tell there was a look of disgust on my face and I immediately tried to get back to neutral. I was reacting and that was just what he wanted.

“Wes has done well with the ladies over the years. You’ve obviously seen Keiko so you know he attracts beautiful women. You don’t stand a chance. So, to use your kid as bait is really a desperate move, Tara.”

Reaching across the desk, I plucked the picture frame out of his hand.

“Julien,” I shook my head, “do not take a really lovely gesture on your friend’s part and turn it into something ugly, because there was no underlying evil or nefarious scheme attached to Wes helping out.”

And with a sneer on his lips, the man rolled his eyes at me. Choosing not to continue down that road, I pivoted.

“You know those weeks we talked, I really enjoyed our conversations. We appeared to have a lot in common and quite a bit to talk about.”

“Appearances can be deceiving.” He smiled at his success in turning my words on me.

“Yes, they can.” I paused to let that sink in. “But, you know, I really think we do have a lot in common.”

“So what? You want to be friends?” Venom dripped off the last word.

“I don’t know if that will ever happen. I do know never say never. But we are colleagues and what I’d love to see is a good professional relationship and maybe peaceful co-existence on a personal level. Julien, we have no reason to hate each other.”

“You got off the dating site pretty damn quickly.”

So, that’s what this was all about. Even though he’d “dumped” me, he wanted me to come back for more and had obviously looked for me and I was gone before he “released” me. I didn’t come begging. What a flipping control freak this guy was.

“Oh Julien, it wasn’t for me.” I decided, let’s see how the man reacts to honesty. “I really enjoyed talking to you for those few weeks and you lose friends as quickly as you make them on those sites. I can’t do that.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t hook up with everyone.” His sneer was saying checkmate.

As I maintained direct contact with his icy blue eyes, I certainly was not going to tell him he’d been the only one. The last thing this dude needed to know was that he and my ex were the only two men I’d had sex with in over fifteen years.

As he got up to leave, I cursed myself for wasting the male poppet doll on Frank.





Chapter 14


I shouldn’t have been this emotional. Scarlett had been attending this sleepaway camp since she was ten. But for some reason, being alone for the first time in the new condo was making me feel as empty as the space I was inhabiting. I missed my daughter. Her laugh, her eyeroll, her obsession with the boys in Five Seconds of Summer.