Page 39 of About that Fling
As she rounded the corner to her aunt’s room, Jenna’s gut flooded with relief. The old woman was sound asleep, her chest rising and falling as one hand rested on the laptop folded shut on the bed beside her. Jenna watched her breathing for a few beats, moved by the faint smile etched into the creases of the older woman’s face. She looked peaceful and serene, with her gray halo of hair feathered out across her pale yellow pillowcase.
Jenna turned and moved back toward the kitchen, setting her handbag by the door so she wouldn’t forget anything when she left for Mia’s house. In the middle of the table sat a note anchored by the salt and pepper shakers. The neon pink stationary was adorned with Gertie’s flawless cursive.
Jenna,
I had a busy day today, so I’m taking a little nap. I know you’re having girls’ night with Mia, but I made a big pot of soup for my book club luncheon today. There’s plenty left if you want some. Please take a couple slices of cherry pie to Mia. I saved some just for her. Love you!
Jenna smiled, and glanced back down the hall, pleased Gertie had formed such a busy social life in Portland. Did her book club even know they had a bestselling author in their midst? Jenna touched the note, wondering how Gert’s call had gone with her agent.
She turned away and busied herself slicing pie and tucking it into a Tupperware container. By the time she arrived at Mia’s place, it was two minutes after six. She’d just raised her hand to knock when the door flew open.
“Hey, Jenna! Great to see you again.” Mark beamed in greeting, then turned and leaned back into the house. “Hey, Mia—Jenna’s here. Come on, Katie—we’re gonna be late.”
Jenna stepped aside as a mousy-looking preteen slid past her with a nod of acknowledgment. Katie shrugged her backpack higher onto her shoulders and moved into step behind her father. “Hey, Jenna. Good to see you. Gotta go.”
“Hey, kiddo,” Jenna said, shifting her Tupperware to the other hand as she leaned down to give Katie a one-armed hug. “You’re getting so tall. You’re headed back to your mom’s?”
“Parent-teacher conferences. It’s pretty lame they make the kids come.”
“It’s a good chance to be accountable for your academic life,” Mark said, resting a hand on his daughter’s shoulder as they headed down the front steps. He smiled again at Jenna. “Not sure what she’s worried about anyway—she’s got straight As this term.”
“Way to go, girl,” Jenna said, waving to them as they reached the car. “Have fun.”
“Good luck!” Mia called, and Jenna turned to see her friend standing in the doorway with a wistful expression. She waved as her husband and stepdaughter slid into the car. “I’m proud of you, Katie-cakes.”
“Thanks,” Katie said, smiling faintly as she closed the car door and clicked a seatbelt over her small frame.
Jenna stood there watching, eyes on the car, her shoulder brushing Mia’s. She waited until the car drove out of sight to turn back to her friend.
“Don’t you usually go to those parent-teacher things with Mark?”
“First one I’ve missed in two years,” Mia said, stepping aside to wave Jenna into the house. “But Ellen called last night to say she’s uncomfortable having me there.”
“Mark’s ex gets a say in whether you attend school conferences?”
Mia shrugged. “Mark scrambled to see if we could arrange separate conferences for us and for her, but it was too last-minute. I didn’t want to make a big deal about it and risk embarrassing Katie, so I said I’d sit this one out.”
Jenna rolled her eyes. “You’d think she’d be happy that you want to be involved in her daughter’s life. That you’re a supportive stepmom.”
“You’d think.” Mia shrugged. “I don’t know. They’d been divorced for two years before Mark ever met me, but I think she always hoped they’d get back together.”
“Katie or Ellen?”
“I meant Ellen, but maybe Katie, too. Not that she’s ever been anything but sweet to me. She’s a great kid,” Mia pushed the front door shut, giving Jenna a flash of the new sapphire-dotted wedding band tucked up against her engagement ring. Mia had the ring custom-made, adorned with Katie’s birthstone as a nod to her stepdaughter’s place in her life and marriage.
Jenna looked back at Mia’s face, which was still a little wistful. “She is a great kid, and I’m sensing a but there.”
Mia shook her head. “It’s nothing. Come on, let’s get going on the nachos.”
Jenna caught her friend’s arm and gave it a gentle squeeze to keep her from fleeing. “It’s not nothing. You seem upset. What’s up?”
“I’m sure it’s just pregnancy hormones. I’m fine.”
Jenna shook her head, seeing more in her friend’s eyes than the glitter of hormone-induced tears. “Come on, if you can’t vent to me, who can you vent to?”
Mia let out a long breath, and the fatigued look Jenna had noticed earlier was back in her face. “I can’t vent, that’s the thing. Do you know what Nancy Jensen said to me after the meeting today?” Mia swallowed and looked up at the ceiling like she was trying to keep tears from falling. “She said ‘I hope your stepdaughter doesn’t know you say disparaging things about her. It can be very detrimental to the stepfamily relationship.’”
“Disparaging? What the hell was she talking about?”
