Page 27 of About that Fling
What the hell were you thinking?
Mia smiled and stepped around a fluttering page of newspaper with a hand shielding her eyes. “I thought that was you,” she said, dropping her hand from her brow to rest it on her pregnancy bump instead. “Didn’t realize that was Adam sitting there. God, the glare up here is awful. Why the hell would they paint a roof silver?”
Behind her, Adam rose to his feet. “The aluminum particles have reflective properties designed to resist ultraviolet rays and keep the building cool, plus the material is used to fill small cracks and extend the lifespan of a flat roof.”
Both Jenna and Mia turned to blink at him. His lower lip looked swollen, and Jenna wondered whether to blame the kiss or the dental collision. She ached to reach out and touch the spot with her fingertip, but instead she edged closer to Mia.
“Right,” Mia said, nodding at her ex. “I forgot your fondness for useless trivia.”
“It wasn’t that useless, since it answered your question,” he pointed out.
Jenna took a step closer to Mia, not sure who she wanted to shield from the tension rising between the two exes.
“Anyway,” Mia said, “I needed to get away from those beasts I share DNA with. What are you two up to?”
Jenna swallowed, hoping the guilt didn’t show on her face. “I came up here to get some air and found Adam working. He startled me and I spilled wine on myself, so he was helping me get the stain out.”
“Oh—that’s why you were sitting like that?”
“Salt,” Adam announced, holding the shaker out like some sort of talisman. “Works magic on wine stains. Learned it from that book.”
A grin broke over Mia’s face, and she pushed a shock of red hair off her forehead. “God, that’s right—101 Ways to Clean Everything! The most romantic wedding gift ever, courtesy of my mother. What ever happened to that, anyway?”
“I got it,” Adam said, his tone unreadable. “Remember? I got all the cookbooks and how-to manuals, you got the small kitchen appliances and silverware.”
“Right, right. Except the knife set from your Nana because she bought it on that trip to Germany. How’s she doing anyway?”
“She’s had a rough year,” Adam said, running his fingers through his hair. “Nearing the end stages with the Alzheimer’s. She doesn’t remember anyone in the family most of the time, not even Gramps.”
“Oh, Adam—I’m so sorry. Tell everyone I said hello?”
Jenna looked down at her bare feet, suddenly feeling like an outsider instead of like the woman who’d helped Mia shop for nursing bras the day before.
Or like the woman who swapped spit with Adam five minutes ago.
God, what had she been thinking? Guilt surged through her like a hot rush of poison, and she swallowed hard to keep it from drowning her. No matter how long ago Mia had divorced Adam, this still felt like a betrayal. The fact that Mia wasn’t freaking out must mean she didn’t see the kiss, or if she had, the rooftop glare had been sufficient to disguise groping as innocent stain removal.
Seeming to remember the third party present at their discussion about custody of the toaster, Adam and Mia turned back to her.
“Good thing you were drinking white wine,” Mia said, eyeing the front of her dress. “At least you look more like an inkblot test than a knife-fight victim.”
Jenna nodded, wondering if her friend suspected anything. “I’ll have to see if my dry cleaner can save it.”
“You’re lucky Adam was here with his geeky knowledge of fabric cleaning,” Mia said, linking her arm through Jenna’s. “Come on, I’ve got three bags of clothes in my trunk I meant to haul to Goodwill before the reception. None of it fits me anymore, but there’s bound to be something you can change into. There were a ton of really cute dresses in there—even that yellow silk one I wore on our girls’ getaway to Sunridge Vineyards.”
“I love that dress.” Jenna let Mia tow her away, trying not to look back at Adam. They’d almost made it to the stairs when Jenna gasped.
“The door!” She closed her eyes, overwhelmed by the prospect of being stuck on a roof for even five more minutes with her secret fling, his ex-wife, and her own best friend—no matter that two of those people were one and the same. Christ, could this be any weirder?
“The door,” Jenna repeated, frantic now. “The door locked behind you. We’re all stuck up here and?—”
“Relax, girl,” Mia said, giving her arm a squeeze in the crook of her elbow. “I used my wedding program to prop the latch open. We’re fine. Come on, let’s get out of here.”
Relief flooded Jenna’s limbs as she let Mia drag her away. She could feel Adam’s eyes on them, and wondered if this was as weird for him as it was for her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw him watching them with an unreadable expression.
“Thank you for the salt,” she called.
“You’re welcome,” he replied evenly, shaker still clutched in his hand. “Call me anytime you need cleaning tips.”
