Page 70 of About that Fling
It dawned on him what had been niggling at the back of his brain since he first spotted Gigi in the store. He looked from the old woman to Jenna and back again, confirming they shared the same eyes, the same forehead. Jesus Christ, how had he missed it?
You’re a regular pro at missing all the signs.
“Your aunt,” he said, running a hand down his face. “Gigi is your aunt? The one you mentioned in the porn store? The one who told you to embrace your inner sex goddess?”
Jenna closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. “For crying out loud, Aunt Gertie—what are you trying to pull here?”
“Hello, dear,” the old woman said, standing up and straightening the lace edge of her apron. “Did you have a nice day at work?”
Jenna opened her eyes again and Adam watched her chest rise and fall as she took several deep breaths. The door gaped open behind her, and Adam wondered if she was considering fleeing.
“I can explain,” he said, even though he couldn’t. He managed to stand up though, figuring he shouldn’t be the only one seated at this point. “Your aunt invited me back here for legal advice and pot roast, and?—”
“My aunt invited you here because she knew exactly who you were,” Jenna said, folding her arms over her chest as she regarded her aunt. “What did you do, Aunt Gertie? Stalk him?”
Gigi—or should he call her Gertie?—shrugged and gave a who, me? kind of smile. “Really, dear, I don’t see what the big deal is. I follow him on Instagram, and saw he was shopping at Whole Foods just down the street.”
Adam blinked. “I’ve been trying to be more active on my business pages.” He made a quick mental note to return to his social media hiatus. “This just got kinda creepy.”
“‘Just?’” Jenna repeated. “As in it wasn’t already creepy enough to find out I slept with my best friend’s husband?”
“Ex-husband, dear,” Gertie offered helpfully. “They’ve been divorced almost three years, from what I understand.”
“Aunt Gertie?—”
Adam held up his hands, trying to divert their attention before things escalated too far. “I’m sorry, do you need me to leave you two alone for a minute? It seems like you might have some things to work out, and I really should be going?—”
“Stay!” Gertie grabbed his shoulder and shoved him back down onto the couch with enough force to knock the rest of the cookies off the plate. He started to pick them up, but kept his eyes on Jenna.
She sighed and kicked the front door shut. “I can’t believe you, Aunt Gertie.”
“Well I wanted to meet him, and besides—he knows something about publishing law.”
“Publishing law?”
“Yes. I’ve made a decision, dear. I’m going to go ahead and let them out me.”
“Out you?”
“I want everyone to know that the author of Panty Dropper is a little old lady.” She clapped her hands together, looking terrifyingly gleeful. “Can you imagine the publicity? It’ll be quite the scandal.”
She seemed delighted by the prospect, but Jenna looked a little sick. When she spoke, her voice was barely a whisper.
“I thought we agreed we were going to keep things quiet for now. Keep the secrets a secret and all that.”
Gert shook her head. “That’s what you agreed, dear.” Her voice softened a little. “I know it’s how your mother preferred things, God rest her soul. She was such a private woman and you get that from her, but that’s never been me, sweetheart.”
Jenna looked like she’d just been slapped. Blinking back tears, she swallowed. “I know you’ve worked hard, Aunt Gertie. And I’m proud of you for becoming an author.”
“I’m proud, too.” Gertie gave her a tender smile. “I’m tired of hiding everything. I want to take credit for my books. I’ve put so much work into them, and I deserve my time in the spotlight. Me, not just some faceless pen name.”
Jenna stood blinking back tears. “You deserve that, you do. It’s just that my career—” she swallowed. “I’ve worked so hard to build a professional reputation.”
The quaver in her voice seemed to move Gertie forward. In a few strides, she was at Jenna’s side with an arm around her niece’s shoulders.
“We have different last names, dear. It isn’t like people will make the connection right away. Adam certainly didn’t. And even if they did, you and I are completely different people.”
Jenna choked a little on a laugh. “I’ll say.”
