Page 35 of Melted by a Man

“What’s going on?” Violet asked.

I glanced up before replying, “My, um,traditionaldad practically walked in on my brother and his boyfriend.”

“Yikes!” Signe’s mouth dropped, and my heart rate spiked when I glanced around the table to take in everyone’s surprised expressions. Nobody seemed offended, though. They just looked at me curiously, as if waiting for the rest of the story.

“Another drop of Jacqueline’s lore,” Mary steepled her fingers together conspiratorially, “Interesting.”

I shook my head at her, “I don’t have lore.”

“You do,” Jamie nodded while playing with her salad, “You just haven’t opened up to us about it.”

“I open up,” I frowned, glancing around the table.

“You allow us to open up to you,” Signe countered, “You’re an awesome listener. But we still don’t know much about Jacqueline Williams.”

Violet grinned at me, taking a sip of her soda before asking, “Are you close with your parents?”

“Who are you, my therapist?”

“She goes to therapy,” Signe nodded. Then she turned to glance at Violet, who was sucking down her milkshake through a straw, “Do you go to therapy?”

“Off and on,” Violet lifted her hand to splay her fingers, tilting it back and forth, “It’s hard to prioritize my mental health when I have a child I want to focus on instead.”

At Violet’s words, Signe turned to me, her hazel eyes wide as she jutted a thumb over her shoulder toward the newest employee at Sun Steer, “See? That’s how you drop your lore to your friends. Violet offered additional information without much prompting. Now we all know that she has a kid.”

Violet laughed, her green eyes bouncing between us all as she continued to sip her milkshake.

“I told you that I have a brother.”

“And that your dad is ‘traditional’,” Jamie added with a thoughtful expression, “…How does your brother deal with that?”

“He kind of…doesn’t,” I furrowed my brows in thought, “Marco doesn’t hide any aspects of his life from our dad. But he doesn’t go out of his way to share, either.” I sighed, smiling at the waiter when they brought me a salad of my own. I had come here often enough that the waiter who usually works this shift remembered my order, “My dad isn’t really part of our life, though. He lives on cruise ships now that his children are grown and can take care of themselves. Occasionally, we suspect guilt gets to him, and he will show up at Marco’s to ‘catch up.’” I lifted my fingers in air quotes.

“That sounds stressful,” Mary frowned, “Does he show up and surprise you?”

I shook my head, “No. My dad only ever really wanted a son. He’s never really cared about what I’m up to. We keep in touch via email whenever he reaches out.”

Silence settled around the table, and when I glanced at all the women watching, I felt unease start to turn in my stomach.

“…And maybe I shouldn’t have lore dropped during girls’ lunch.” I started to shrink in my seat, their gazes making me nervous that I crossed a line. Perhaps my “lore” wasn’t truly worth sharing at all. I didn’t want to bring the mood down, but it also didn’t surprise me that I did, either.

Typical Jacqueline, being a party pooper.

“I’m so sorry,” Signe sighed, patting my leg once with her hand before grinning, “Your dad is missing out.”

I lifted a shoulder, “Maybe.” I didn’t want to keep talking about myself, I looked across the table to meet Violet’s eyes, desperate to pivot the conversation, “Tell us about your kid.”

Violet’s grin spread across her face, her eyes lighting up, “Oh, she’s the best. She’s going to be five soon.”

“Aww, happy birthday,” Jamie smiled. Everyone shifted, letting the newest member of the group start talking more about herself as my phone buzzed in my hand again.

Marco: Anyway, have you downloaded the new app I told you about yet?

Me: Not yet. When I’m ready to date again I might consider it, though.

Marco: Good. Unrelated, how is it working with Handsome-British-Man? Still weird as hell?

I blushed, glancing around the table to ensure no one was looking at me texting while Violet spoke about her daughter.

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