Page 63 of Mother Clucker

Lucy’s being right still didn’t make me happy. My insecurities were running full speed ahead.

Was there a woman he dated back in Texas? Or women, plural? A hot rich guy wouldn’t be without all the companionship he wanted.

And that comment he’d made in bed that last night—that he was going to miss sex with me after he left for good—didn’t exactly bode well for our continued relationship.

Relationship. More like a two-night stand, with some verbal sparring thrown in as foreplay and one damn coffee date.

We had gone out dancing. That felt like a date even if technically it hadn’t been.

Nope. All of the evidence that we were actually a couple was weak at best. We weren’t in a relationship and there was no reason for David to ever call or text me again.

Except that he was supposed to be at the event on Saturday.

My mind was spinning out of control. I felt out of control. I hadn’t felt like this in years. I’d sworn I’d never let myself feel like this again.

“He’s not Larry.”

The sound of my ex’s name on Lucy’s lips brought back the familiar feeling of nausea to the pit of my stomach.

I didn’t talk about Larry. I didn’t even let myself think about Larry. At least not usually. I was sure thinking about him now.

My getting this job at New Millennia Media had come at just the right time. I’d moved here to escape the memories of him. My first—my best—friend here immediately upon my arrival had been Lucy.

We’d had one long bitch session at my place. That had turned into a cry session that also entailed lots of wine and a killer hangover the next day. But we came out of that night with one rule. We’d never speak his name aloud again.

That Lucy had broken the rule told me she knew that I might not be speaking Larry’s name, but I sure was remembering.

We’d dated for years. All through college, and through the years right after graduation. But he had a high school sweetheart he’d apparently never gotten over.

It began with trips to visit his parents in the hometown where his ex still lived. Then it became texts and calls between them—but they were just friends, he insisted.

Long story short, it turned out he’d gotten back together with her, but was too much of a ball-less chicken to tell me. So he’d tried to balance us both. For longer than I cared to imagine.

How long had he been spending weekends with her and then driving back to spend the week with me? I cringed at the thought.

Finally, I guess he couldn’t take the juggling anymore, and he made his decision. I was not the one he chose.

As Lucy had said, that had been a good thing. Why would I want a man like that? A liar. A cheater. A coward.

Knowing that on a cerebral level was one thing. Feeling that in my shattered heart as the darkness of depression and insecurity slowly engulfed me after the breakup was another thing entirely.

I was quiet for long enough Lucy stood and walked to my desk.

“Don’t.” All she said was that one single word.

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t let yourself go there. You need to give David the benefit of the doubt.”

I blew out a bitter laugh at that suggestion. “That hasn’t exactly worked out for me in past.”

I’d wasted too much time giving Larry the benefit of the doubt. I’d put my faith in him and it had bit me in the butt. It should be understandable I was running a little short on trust at the moment.

“Want me to call Drew?” she asked. “I can feel around. See if I can get any info.”

Yes. I wanted that more than anything. But I wouldn’t let her do it. The two men were friends. Drew could easily lie to Lucy to cover for David. Or worse, he could tell her a truth I might not want to hear.

And I really needed to separate my personal life from work. Particularly now when it looked like the sizzle reel we’d filmed at the farm could get the project the green light.

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