Page 5 of Mine

“It hasn’t been,” I snapped. “Why is everyone on my ass about this today?”

Ally got pregnant with Paisleigh while Jeff and I were still together. She was four months along when he finally told me he wanted a divorce.

Of course, I didn’t know that part until after we signed the papers.

Everyone else knew, though. Oh, yes. That part stung the most. Well, maybe not themost, but it hurt. I was smart and insightful—but I didn’t know his intern was pregnant with my husband’s child.

Ellen hadn’t known because I hired her after the divorce. I’d met her in a spin class over a year ago and we hit it off. One bottle of wine, a basket of breadsticks, and life stories exchanged later—we became friends. She was the better version of me. She had her life together, knew exactly what she wanted, and was perfectly content with being ‘thirty-seven with all the money, all the prospects, not a burden to her parents, unfrightened, and friends with her sex toys.’

“Remember, I don’t give two shits about anyone else here but you,” she said. “Except for Tommy and Kendra. And Lee. They’ve all grown on me. Scott is annoying, though.”

“Well that’s because he’s a lawyer,” I snorted. “It’s his job to be annoying.” I slid on my camel Dior coat, tightened the belt around my waist, and pulled my purse from the bottom drawer of my desk. “I’ll be back after lunch. I need to breathe and then get back, send out emails, and?—”

“Rub one out?”

“Oh god,” I laughed. “Ellen!”

She shrugged. “Don’t be a prude. I’m just saying, it might do you good.”

“Thanks. I’ll keep your advice under consideration.”

She rolled her eyes and reached for the door, opening it for me. “Go get your caffeine fix. I’ll hold down the fort.”

Happy toddler squeals echoed from Jeff’s office on the other side of the floor. I slid on my sunglasses and steeled myself before heading to the elevators. I kept my head high, my shoulders squared, my strides long. It was times like this that having a stone-cold resting bitch face came in handy, because no one dared to bother me.

Rosethorn Records resided on floor fifteen and sixteen of a high-rise at the center of downtown Nashville. My condo was only a few blocks away, which made my life easy. When Jeff and I divorced, he took the house in Green Hills, per my request. It’d made sense then to have him take the house since it was perfect for raising a family and by that point, Ally was already pregnant.

It’d been a quiet divorce.Cold. Easy.Painful. Relieving.Humiliating.

I took the elevator down to the bottom floor, my heels clicking on the smooth marble floors. I sailed out the front doors and onto the sidewalk, autopilot kicking in as I made my way to my coffee shop.

Valentine’s Day was coming up. There was no way to escape it, either. Every storefront along the way bursted with red and pink hearts. I ignored all of them, pretending they didn’t exist, my thoughts spinning like a broken record until I made it to Adagio.

Adagio was better than any lover I could ever have. Consistent, always available, sweet and savory. The moment I stepped through the heavy wooden door, I inhaled the scent of fresh-ground coffee beans. The blend of chatter and indie grunge music instantly eased the pressure at the back of my head. Red brick peeked through the signed band posters on the walls, a sagging leather couch sat in the back corner, and patrons held onto their mugs like they were lifelines. I resonated with that a little too much. In fact, I definitely drank too much caffeine, but it was either mild forms of self-destruction or a full blown breakdown.

So, I opted for coffee.

My therapist was going to have a fucking field day with me next week.

My phone buzzed as I joined the line for the barista. I sighed and pulled it out.Jeff.Why was he calling me? Could I not escape him for five fucking minutes?

More deep breaths. Some days I was tired of breathing. I answered my phone. “Jeff. I just stepped out for coffee.”

“Hey, Pepper. Sorry to interrupt.”

“I’ll be back after lunch,” I said stiffly.

The back of my neck prickled as I heard someone step up behind me. I almost turned back to look, but that would have been rude.

Jeff didn’t skip a beat. “Well, I just wanted to run something by you real quick. The Guild of Music Supervisors Awards are coming up, and I know it was going to just be you and me going, but I was thinking Ally could come. It would be good for her to do something not mommy-related, you know? I think I’ll take Paisleigh to Mimi.”

Mimi, also known as Matilda, the mother-in-law straight from hell. At least I’d escaped that witch since our divorce. She never liked me, and I could now admit I never liked her either.

“Also, you may want to schedule an appointment with your doctor. Maybe get a little forehead touchup? You were definitely scowling a lot in the meeting earlier. Anyways, Ally will?—”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I interrupted.

The looming presence behind me inched closer. This time I glanced back, but only briefly, enough to spot a tattoo on the top of his hand. A flower with an eye at the center.Weird.

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