Page 68 of Seasoned
“Too soon to tell, but in all honesty, I doubt it will be. I just want to have fun. Whenever we get around to having sex, I’m sure it’ll be fantastic and memorable.”
Jackie talked like someone who had sex often, but she actually had a thirty-day rule that Adelaide could only remember her breaking once, and she’d regretted it because the relationship—if one could call it that—fizzled and died, leaving her broken-hearted and jaded for a long time.
“How about you? Dating anyone yet?” Jackie asked Adelaide.
A smile touched Adelaide’s lips.
Renee turned her whole body in Adelaide’s direction. “Spill. It.”
Adelaide laughed. “You’re not going to believe this, but Hector and I might be getting back together.” She waited for her friends’ reactions.
Jackie’s eyes widened. “Hector Flores, your ex-husband?”
Adelaide nodded.
“The husband you divorced about six months ago?” Renee asked.
Adelaide nodded again.
“Care to explain how this happened?” Jackie asked.
Her friends already knew that her son was having a baby, so she explained the tie-in with the change in her and Hector’s relationship. She told them about the kiss on the sofa, their nightly conversations, and finished with his reaction when he saw her with her cousin.
“Nothing like another man to make a man realize what he’s lost,” Jackie said, her eyebrow arched before taking a swig of lemonade.
“I believe it’s more than that,” Adelaide said. “More than jealousy or some crazy belief that he wants to hold on to me because he doesn’t want anyone else to have me. Being with Hector this time feels…different. He’s different and I’m different. We’re much more aware of each other’s needs and moods and we’re laughing a lot—more than we did the last few years of our marriage. He’s attentive and wants to spend time with me. For instance, one day last week, he came by after work and joined me in my afternoon walk around the neighborhood. He said that he’d like for the two of us to take a trip together when he wraps up the expansion of Solar Beams. Oh, by the way, he and Martin are opening a new location in Carlsbad.” She beamed with pride.
“That’s great! He’s wanted to do that for a while, hasn’t he?” Jackie asked.
Adelaide nodded. “Anyway, we have plans to go out this coming Friday night. He’s taking me on a sunset boat ride.”
“That’s so romantic,” Renee crooned with a sigh.
This was exactly what she’d longed for before their split—more time with her husband. Hector had become so busy with work, and when he came home, he simply ate dinner, maybe caught a little bit of TV, and then went to spend time in the home office before coming to bed. Some nights they barely said a full sentence to each other.
She’d felt neglected. When they did spend time together, he was always on his phone or seemed distracted—in the room but not present. The only time he paid her attention was to have sex, the frequency of which eventually dropped off and made her believe he no longer found her desirable. Now she knew that wasn’t the case, but she’d been devastated before, insecure and hurt. Getting her hair done and putting on a new outfit had renewed her confidence, and she’d appreciated the admiring glances she received from other men.
“I’m excited for you. You look really happy,” Jackie said.
“I’m cautiously happy but ready to jump headfirst into whatever this is. It’s like being in a new relationship.” And the excitement of a new relationship sent adrenaline coursing through her veins.
“It would be nice if you two get back together,” Renee said.
“I don’t see why that wouldn’t be on the table. It’s almost like we are back together again, before we started having problems.”
“Don’t get too attached to him right now,” Jackie, the voice of reason, interjected. “And make sure he doesn’t have another woman somewhere.”
Adelaide hadn’t considered that he’d moved on, and Jackie’s practical comment burst her happy bubble a little bit. “I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have anyone else, and I’m so excited! Maybe splitting up was exactly what we needed to appreciate each other. It certainly seems to have opened his eyes about me.”
“What’s going on with your cooking classes?” Jackie asked.
“I’m still going to take the classes, but I hope I’m mentally ready to meet the challenge of sitting in a classroom again.”
“I have no doubt in my mind that you’ll be able to handle the work. You love cooking, and you have time to pursue your catering dream now with the kids all grown.”
“Are you still thinking about catering?” Renee asked.
Adelaide nodded. “I used to want to work in a restaurant, but that’s exhausting work, and as I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown to appreciate my free time. I’d much rather set my own schedule and only work the events I’m interested in. Hector was so insistent that he would be able to take care of me and the kids, that I rarely envisioned going back to school. He did take such good care of us. Now I have to admit that a part of me regrets not taking classes and setting up my business earlier, but it’s not too late. Is it?”
