Page 83 of Storm in a D Cup

‘Yes, I know.’

At that, her eyes popped open. ‘You know? I told him not to tell you.’

I bit my tongue. ‘Well, Julian and I have no secrets.’

She sat back and squared her shoulders. ‘Is that what you think? You know absolutely nothing about my past with Julian.’

‘I might not know everything about it, Genie Stacie, but it’s OK, because, as you said, it’s in the past. What counts is the future.’

She snorted. ‘And do you think you’re going to be in it?’

I didn’t take her bait. ‘I can assure you that Julian and I are more than ready to do our part for Joey.’

‘I don’t want you anywhere near my daughter. In fact, that’s my one condition: he can’t see her if you’re in the picture.’

‘I beg your pardon?’

‘Why can’t you just read the writing on the wall?’ she bit off.

I stared at her. This wasn’t how I’d envisaged our encounter. What writing on the wall was she talking about?

‘Listen to me, Erica. Julian is not interested in you anymore. And frankly, I’m surprised he ever was.’

I stared at her. She hadn’t really said that, had she? I knew that this meeting wasn’t going to be easy, but I didn’t envisage her being unpleasant. I thought she’d use subterfuge. I was wrong. Genie Stacie still wanted Julian back and was making no bones about it.

‘Look at yourself – you’re huge. You dress like you have no clue and all you do is cook and eat, cook and eat.’

I couldn’t believe my ears. Why was there never anyone around to witness these moments? No one would believe me if I tried to tell them.

‘Julian and I are getting back together again,’ she said. ‘He doesn’t want to have your child. He wants mine. As he did years ago.’

No. That wasn’t true. Julian loved me.

‘And you evenaskyourself why Julian doesn’t find you attractive,’ Genie Stacie continued smugly, tsk-tsking and shaking her head. ‘Look at yourself, Erica. You’re hopeless. You wear track bottoms, for Christ’s sake!’

‘Just around the house…’

‘Yeah, and I’ve seen how oftenyouleave this mausoleum.’

I put the coffee pot down as gently as I could, my own blood beginning to boil. ‘OK, Genie, I think I’ve had enough. You have absolutely no right to come and offend me in my own home where my children and my husband – the operative word beingmy– live in total happiness.’

‘Total happiness?’ she echoed, snarling, her face so not pretty now. ‘He’sdonewith you, Erica. How can you not understand that? Everyone can see it but yourself. So stop writing those pathetic columns about smart women because you don’t have a clue about how to keep yourownman.’

‘Stop this, Genie,’ I said softly, trying to master my anger and frustration, which was so un-typical of me. Only recently I’d have pummeled her into the wall behind her, but I’d made a promise to Julian and I intended to keep it. ‘I understand you want him back. He’s a great guy. But he’s married to me now.’

‘He was mine!’ she suddenly cried, huge fat tears splashing out of those vacant turquoise eyes and all I could see was a little girl crying over the loss of her favorite toy. ‘Mine! And we were great together! Iconic! Pictures of us go for thousands on eBay!’

I sat back and studied her. Iconic? eBay? She was talking about him as if he was an item for sale. Was she serious?

‘The whole world talked about us! I was part of something special!’

Something special.Now that she’d come right out and admitted it, I almost sympathized with her. I could understand the bond they may have had, and a woman’s efforts to keep him, because life without Julian was not the same. His love had totally turned my life around. I understood what it must have been like losing him. I wouldn’t even want to contemplate that. But she’d have to deal with it, like we all deal with our problems.

‘Why don’t you just let him go?’ Genie Stacie insisted. ‘You’re a nobody – no one will ever notice the difference. Why don’t you just crawl back into the woodwork where you came from?’

My eyebrows shot into my hair as my ears began to ring. From someone who’d made her money by appearing in magazines with half her butt hanging out, it was a mouthful. The only reason she was famous was because of the men she’d dated. On her own, she had nothing going for her except for her looks. Without Tom Jackson, or Julian, for that matter, she would be absolutely anonymous. Who did she think she was?

‘And you?’ I countered. ‘Why don’t you go back to your bottle and leave us alone?’ I said before I could stop myself. And that’s when, of course, Julian appeared on the kitchen threshold, looking at me in shock. And then I realized what I’d actually said.