Page 41 of About that Fling
“What?” Jenna whirled around to see Mia with two margarita glasses and a bemused expression.
“The big glass.” Mia smirked. “What did you think I meant?”
“The glasses, of course. I’ll take the green one.”
She laughed and began to pour, while Jenna put down the cheese grater and reached for the tomatoes. “Well, hopefully Adam’s techniques are successful,” Jenna said. “Seems like some of the rumbling is dying down about a nursing strike. That’s a step in the right direction.”
“True. I just hope the whole thing goes quickly. Having Adam around is just too weird.”
Jenna bit her lip. “How so?”
“Would you want to work with your ex?”
“Good point.”
Mia sighed. “I don’t know, I guess I just got comfortable thinking that part of my life was behind me. We moved 2,100 miles away, I got a new job, I started using my nickname professionally, Mark and I got married instead of being this scandalous, adulterous couple. I felt like I had a fresh start, you know?”
Jenna nodded and sliced into a tomato. “At least you only have to see Adam a few times a week.”
“True. And at least he’ll be gone as soon as this negotiation is over.”
“Amen.” Jenna swallowed back the pang of melancholy threatening to throb its way up from her chest. Part of her wanted to confess everything, to break down this stupid wall she’d built between herself and Mia.
Most of her wanted to put up a fresh coat of plaster and hope to God it held so everyone could stay safe and warm and happy.
“So what are we watching tonight, anyway?”
“I think we’ve got three episodes of The Bachelor,” Mia said, handing her a glass. “Or we could watch that documentary on women in wine—the one where we got the cameo at Sunridge Vineyards?”
Jenna laughed at the memory. “God, that was fun.” But they’d already watched it at least three-dozen times, and besides, it seemed mean to watch a wine documentary while Mia was pregnant. “Let’s stick with The Bachelor. Are you sure we missed three of them?”
“Pretty sure.” Mia snatched a piece of tomato off the edge of the cutting board, popping it into her mouth. “I think there was a double episode in there somewhere. I’d look it up, but my phone’s dead. Katie borrowed my charger and lost it.”
“Ugh.” Shifting her focus to slicing green onions, Jenna tipped her head toward the briefcase she’d dropped at the edge of the counter. “Mine’s in there, or you could grab my laptop. I’ve got that celebrity gossip site bookmarked if you just open my browser.”
“Cool, thanks. You don’t have to chop all that, Jenna. I didn’t invite you over to slave away in my kitchen.”
“It’s not a problem. Put your feet up and point to where you put the cilantro.”
“Top shelf. They’re upright in a jar of water like Gertie showed us.”
“Atta girl.” Jenna pried open the fridge and pulled out the jar while Mia flipped open the laptop and hit a few keystrokes. As Jenna set the cilantro on the counter, she heard a gasp from her friend.
She looked up to see Mia’s eyes glued to the screen. She wore a look of horrified fascination that sent Jenna’s stomach plunging to her knees.
“Oh my God, Jenna. What the hell is this?”
Chapter 7
Jenna’s heart lodged thick in her throat as Mia stared unblinking at the computer screen. Had she seen the shirtless photo of Adam? The Facebook exchange from last night?
When Mia lifted her eyes, Jenna struggled to read her expression.“Wh-what’s what?” she stammered.
“This article about bestselling author G.G. Buckingham and her Panty Dropper series. That’s Aunt Gertie, right?”
“Right,” Jenna said, sagging against the counter in relief. “I mean, no one else knows that, and I haven’t talked to her about the bestseller thing, but?—”
“This article says someone’s outed the author—that they’ve discovered her secret identity.”
