Page 47 of An Ex Affair

I waved my hand in the air between us. “No, no. It’s not that. It’s just that I don’t really have any Hollywood friends.”

Gabi sat back abruptly. “What do you mean? You lived there for twenty years and dated that guy from CSI. Oh! And the guy from that soap opera!”

I nodded. “Yeah, I did, but we aren’t friends.” I felt a lot of shame about giving so much of my life to a place that spit me out when I was down. Then again, Gabi deserved the truth. “Hollywood’s not a place where you can make real friends, a hard lesson I learned when I was fired from my show.”

Gabi worried her lip. Then she shot to her feet. “Well, then their Botox has eaten their brains! You’re a good friend—when you aren’t ditching people for fame and fortune.”

I barked out a laugh that held zero humor. “Everyone in Hollywood is seeking fame and fortune, which is why there’s no true friendships.”

The hiss and squeak of a bus braking a few houses down caught our attention. Gabi looked back at me. “Prepare yourself. They’re a lot.”

I stood, watching loud kids stream off the bus. “What are their names?”

“Beth, Daniel, and Frankie. Senior, junior, and freshman. Why I thought having three kids back-to-back-to-back was a good idea is beyond me.”

Two girls and a boy headed our way, all with black hair and various shades of dark skin. The tallest girl saw me first, her face breaking into a big grin. “Tully Starling!”

“Oh my God, Mom. I thought you were lying when you said you used to be friends with her!” the shorter girl said hurrying to catch up to her sister. “What are you doinghere?” The sneer in her voice was obvious.

The boy just gave me a once-over and shrugged. He lifted a single finger in a half-ass wave and headed inside, music blaring from his headphones. The two girls surrounded me, talking all at once. Gabi rolled her eyes, but I could see the pride on her face. I’d missed my best friend becoming a mom. I’d missed a whole town rallying around one of their own. I’d missed a lot of things.

We went inside and chatted. The girls finally calmed down enough and we even had a normal conversation as I helped Gabi make dinner for the crew. Joey was working tonight, so he wouldn’t be home. When Gabi asked me to stay, I happily accepted.

Over dinner, Frankie, the youngest, expressed interest in leaving Blueball. Gabi’s lips tightened when Frankie asked me all kinds of questions about LA. I was honest with her, telling her that the weather was nice, but that was about the best thing it had to offer. I saw so much of myself in Frankie, bright-eyed and vivacious, ready to take on the world. She didn’t even stop to consider that she had everything that mattered right here in her hometown.

By the time I left, the streetlights were on and my friendship with Gabi was reestablished. She hugged me goodbye and Ipromised to be back soon. As I drove through downtown to get back to Gigi’s place, I looked at every storefront with new eyes. Shopkeepers waved goodnight as they closed up. Families stood in line at the ice cream shop and older couples sat on park benches under the huge oak trees. There wasn’t one spot of graffiti or trash to be seen.

On impulse, I pulled into an empty spot at the south end of the park and got out. I just wanted to soak up the sights, sounds, and smells of my hometown. I had a new appreciation for the place, one I hadn’t been able to feel when I was younger. I was so busy looking to make something of myself, I hadn’t realized that I already was somebody to everyone here. They all knew my name, my family, and would have supported me through anything if I’d just asked. Instead, I ran, looking for validation from strangers who only appreciated me if I offered them something they wanted.

An older couple stood on the bridge sharing an ice cream cone. I could barely see them as the night sky took over. They laughed at something and kept eating their ice cream like they were best friends. I pulled out my cell phone and snapped a quick picture. It was blurry and probably too dark, but I wanted to remember this night. I wanted to remember the answer that screamed in my head when Frankie asked me her question.

What are you doing here?

I was finding myself for the second time.

I posted the picture to my social media, the first time I’d posted since the morning I got fired. The caption was simple.

Home.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Colson

“Mama! Are you ready?”Tully swept through the carriage house door like a tornado, eager to show off all the upgrades she and her new coworkers had worked on for almost two weeks. Pip and Savannah had just cleaned up the place and headed out after completing the project.

I was eager for Sofia to see her new, fancy kitchen too, but I was mostly checking out Tully’s ass in those new jeans of hers. She’d gone on a shopping trip with Gabi yesterday, loading up on work clothes that “don’t have a designer label.” Tully had said that exact phrase a couple times, like she was trying to convince herself that purchasing off the rack was perfectly normal. Pretty sure Hollywood wouldn’t accept it, but here in Blueball, that was the norm. I was inordinately happy to see Tully conforming to the small-town ways. Like she had actual plans to stay long term like she said…

“I’m coming!” Sofia called back, shuffling her way to the front of the little house, Hayes trotting behind her like he was her personal bodyguard. “I’m going to miss this sweet boy.” Shestopped at the door and patted Hayes. His tail swished so hard and fast it whipped our legs.

“We should talk about getting you your own dog, Mama,” Tully offered, looping her arm through Sofia’s and helping her down the step and over to the truck. She could walk all the way to the main house, but the ground was uneven and it didn’t seem like a good idea. Sadly, it seemed like Sofia aged a bit more every day, a topic I did not want to bring up to Tully, though I knew she saw it too.

I helped them both into my truck and got us over to the main house. Tully took her mama through the front door, covering Sofia’s eyes.

“Well, how can I walk in there if I can’t see anything, Tully Cassio?” she lectured her daughter. I smiled at Tully’s reaction, noticing how Tully didn’t seem to be irritated with her mother lately. She just smiled in return and teased her about trusting her own daughter. Then with a lot of fanfare she must have learned on her Hollywood television set, she dropped her hands and let Sofia see the work that had been done.

Gone were the mismatched appliances and green Formica counters. Gone were the dark brown heavy cabinets that probably would have survived another hundred years with the way they were built to last. Instead, Tully had gone with a soft hunter-green cabinet, granite countertops, a farmhouse sink, double ovens, and a matching industrial mixer so Sofia could continue to bake her delicious treats for the town.

Sofia gasped, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she took in her new kitchen. Tully put her arm around her shoulders and guided her around, pointing out all the touches that would make baking easier for Sofia. I snapped a few pictures on my cell phone, staying out of the way. This was a moment I knew meant a lot to Tully and Sofia. Tully hadn’t been around much over the last two decades and Sofia had missed her daughter.

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