Ex and the Single Girl

by Lani Diane Rich

  “Bridge!” I said, raising my arms and throwing them around his neck. “I’m so glad you came.”

  Bridge hugged me back, but I caught an uncomfortable expression on his face when I pulled away. I put my arm through his.

  “Don’t look so scared, darlin’,” I said in honeyed tones. “The night is lovely, the drinks are cold, and the party’s just getting started.”

  “You can hardly ask for better,” Mags commented.

  “I ain’t scared,” he grumbled, raising an eyebrow at Mags. “But I have a feeling I’m being worked on pretty good.”

  I gave him a playful smack on the arm and started to say something when his face went slack. I looked up.

  Vera stood frozen at the back door. She looked beautiful, wearing a long blue dress which, unlike most of her drapery- style clothes, clung in all the right places. Her eyes were locked on Bridge, and his on her. I leaned over and grabbed Mags’s arm, pulling her close.

  “You better go get her or she’s gonna run,” I whispered. Mags grabbed Bridge’s almost-full beer.

  “Let me get you a fresh one, Bridge.”

  Bridge didn’t even notice. Mags hurried toward the house. When she was about halfway through the throng of partygoers, Vera took a step forward. Mags froze and looked at me. I exchanged glances with Bev, who was smiling.

  “Vera,” I said when she reached us. “Look who decided to show up for my going-away party.”

  “What a surprise,” she said, giving me a long look. Finally, she raised her eyes to Bridge, and smiled. “Hello, Bridge.”

  “Vera.” Bridge lifted his hand as if to take a drink, but there was nothing there. He stared at his empty hand for a second, then lowered it.

  “Where is Mags with that beer?” I said, moving away. “Honestly, that woman would lose her head if it wasn’t attached. I’ll be right back. You two...talk.”

  I rushed away, waving Mags over to the liquor table.

  “I don’t want to be too obvious,” I said when I reached Bev, keeping my back to Bridge and Vera. “How does it look?”

  Bev leaned to the side, peering around me, then returned and gave me a smile. Mags scurried over.

  “What do you think? Success?”

  Bev gave a serene smile. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

  “Give him his beer back,” I said to Mags. “He’s gonna need it.”

  “Oh! Yes, of course,” Mags said, hurrying off.

  “And report back!” I called after her. She gave me a thumbs-up and headed over to where Bridge and Vera were talking, each of them wearing a tentative smile. I turned back to Bev.

  “I think this might actually work,” I said.

  “It just might,” she said.

  I sat back and crossed my arms over my chest, staring at Bev. She glanced at me sideways.

  “Stop eyeballing me, child. You got something on your mind, speak up.”

  I smiled, suddenly overwhelmed with love for the cranky old bat.

  “I was going to give you a big lecture, actually,” I said. “All about how I have to live my own life, do my own thing, and you can’t hold that against me.”

  She raised an eyebrow, but was no closer to a smile. “You been talkin’ to Mags, I see.”

  I leaned forward. “I’d be right to give you that lecture. You’ve been acting like a pissy little kid this whole summer.”

  Her eyes flared and she turned to face me. I held up my hand.

  “But, as it turns out, I’m not going back to Syracuse. Not right away, anyway. And it’s not because of you being a big brat, so don’t go thinking I’ll let you get away with this kind of crap in the future.”

  Finally. There it was. A small smile. She turned her eyes back to Bridge and Vera, who seemed to be relaxing as they talked.

  “So, what are your plans, then?”

  “Vague. I’m changing my dissertation topic, so I’ll never finish in time for the faculty job. I called Rhonda and she’s going to assume my lease in Syracuse.”

  “I see,” Bev said.

  I paused for a moment, then went on. “I heard y’all were in the market for a business manager, so if it’s okay with you, I thought I might do that for a while. Maybe live in the apartment over the Page. Figure out my life. Have some fondue.” I wagged a warning finger at her. “But it’s not a promise of forever, so if I end up leaving again, you’d better take it like a lady and be gracious. I don’t want any more of this cranky shit between us, you hear?”

  Bev nodded slowly and leaned back in her chair. She was quiet for a long time, and I was about to give her a good nudge to her ribs when she nodded toward the gin bottle sitting to my left.

  “Sounds like a drink is in order,” she said.

  I smiled and got two glasses, scooped ice into them, and covered them with gin and a splash of tonic.

  “To the Miz Fallons,” I said, holding up my drink. Bev smiled, picked hers up, and clinked it to mine.

  “May we reign forever.”

  I put my arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek.

  “I love you, Grandma,” I said.

  She gave a good-humored scowl and held up her drink to me in a warning fashion. “Who you callin’ Grandma, child?”

  ***

  It was two in the morning by the time we finished preliminary post-party cleanup. Although Bridge and Vera hadn’t fallen into each other’s arms and made immediate use of the Love Kit, we did get a promise from him that he would join us for dinner on Sunday night. And Vera had been smiling when she tottered off to bed. That was something.

  It was more than something.

  After declaring the evening an unqualified success, Mags and Bev talked me into crashing at the house for the night, and we all went to bed. Despite the good feelings I had from our victory, I tossed and turned all night, my head filled with visions of Ian on his way to London. It was wrong. Didn’t he know that? Was he really that stupid? But then, who was I to be pointing fingers about stupid? Memories of working on the barn, of that first night when we’d stayed up in bed talking over two bottles of wine, of the kiss in the rain, crowded my mind no matter how hard I tried to push them out. Finally, at about five-thirty, I gave up. There would be no sleep. There would be no Ian. But at least I had the Page. I got up, got dressed, and stepped carefully over every crack in the sidewalk for the six blocks to the Page.

  I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn’t notice Ian’s SUV parked out front until after I’d walked in and started the coffee, at which point it hit me. I turned around just as the bells on the door jingled.

  And there he was. His jacket was crumpled, his hair was a mess, and his eyes were red. He’d never looked more adorable. “I heard the bell,” he said. “I hoped it was you.”

  “It’s six in the morning.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say, and just focused on trying to calm the wild tap dance my heart was performing.

  “I know.” He motioned vaguely toward the alley, then ran his fingers through his disheveled hair. “I’ve been sitting on your steps since eleven last night.”

  I blinked. It appeared he hadn’t gotten any more sleep than I had. At least we were on an even playing field. His face was taut as he watched me. Finally, he looked away.

  “I’m glad you’re all right. I was a little worried when you didn’t show up.” He looked back up at me, his eyes questioning. “I was at the Mizzes’,” I said. “We had my good-bye party.” He nodded. “And Peter...?”

  “Gone. He left two days ago.”

  A small, relieved smile broke on his face. He took a step forward. I took a step back.

  “Your plane,” I said quickly.

  “Yes,” he said, stopping where he was. “It left.”

  “Without you.”

  “Without me.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not sure I understand.”

  His eyes held on mine. “Don’t you?”

  “No.” My brain was still foggy from lack of sleep and too much thinking
. “Why weren’t you on your plane, Ian?”

  He stuffed his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels, looking like a guilty kid being called to the principal’s office. “I was all packed. I was on my way out the door. But then I realized I had...unfinished business.”

  He watched me quietly for a moment. I guessed it was my turn to say something.

  “I have no idea what that means.” That was a lie. I was beginning to get some idea. But he was going to have to spell it out for me. No way was I putting myself out there again. There weren’t enough fondue makin’s in the state of Georgia to get me through another rejection from Ian Beckett.

  “Well,” he said, pulling his hands out of his pockets, “I realized that we never did that book signing.”

  I blinked, surprised. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “The book signing. I committed to it and then never followed up on it. It was horribly unprofessional of me.” He took another step closer, his eyes growing more serious. “I should have said something earlier. I’m so sorry, Portia.”

  “I see.” I walked over to the coffee bar and poured us two mugs, handing him one. I settled on one of the bar stools and swiveled outward, facing him as he stood in front of me.

  “So,” he said slowly, putting his coffee mug down and leaning one arm on the bar behind me, his face hovering near mine, “if you could find it in your heart to forgive me, I was hoping we might, you know, schedule one.”

  I smiled. “A book signing?”

  He nodded. His face was so close I could feel his breath on my neck. “Yes. I was hoping we could schedule it soon. I’m not sure how long I can wait.”

  His lips grazed my cheek. I put my hand on his face and moved him until our eyes were level. “And how long will you be available for this...book signing?”

  He pulled my fingers away from his face and kissed them. “Well, I do have some commitments in England. A public appearance. A university lecture. I will have to leave, Monday morning at the latest, but I can be back in a week. Two weeks, at the most.” He lowered his hand, intertwining my fingers with his. “Will you still be here then? Because I’m very selective about who I sign books with.”

  I smiled. “I will be here as a matter of fact. I’ve committed to stay. Indefinitely.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “You’re not going back to Syracuse?” I shook my head. “No. I’m taking some time off. Changing my dissertation topic.”

  He pulled back a bit and smiled. “Don’t tell me. The Marlowe thing?”

  I grinned. He laughed, then his face flashed brilliance and he tightened his grip on my hand.

  “Then come with me. To London. I’m sure your family can spare you for a few weeks.” He leaned in and kissed my lips softly before pulling back again. “You can do some research. Prove me wrong.”

  “Then we’ll come back here and do the book signing?”

  He gave a salacious grin. “We can do the book signing anywhere.”

  I shook my head. “I need to know what happens next.”

  He laughed. “You’re rather into plans, aren’t you?”

  “I’m a first-timer,” I said. “Humor me.”

  He leaned down and kissed me below my left ear. “Well, the Babb farm is available for rent. Indefinitely, I’m told.”

  “So, it could be... indefinite?”

  He kissed a trail over my jaw and hovered, so close I could feel his breath on my lips as he spoke.

  “Excruciatingly indefinite.”

  That was the moment. I could almost hear it, like an audible crack in the energy in the room. The Penis Teflon was gone. He was going to stick. I put my arms around his shoulders and wove my fingers through the soft hair at the back of his neck. I guided his face down to mine and I kissed him softly, knowing for the first time in my life that there would be plenty more where that came from.

  So I took my time.

  The End

  Hi, you!

  Thanks for reading my book! If you enjoyed it, I have some others you might like:

  Time Off For Good Behavior

  Maybe Baby

  The Comeback Kiss

  A Little Ray Of Sunshine

  The Fortune Quilt

  You can find them all on Amazon, or stop by my website at LaniDianeRich.com.

  Thanks again!

  - Lani

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Hi, you! Thanks for reading my book