“Since when do you have lunch plans?”

“Since when do you care?” I said. “Where’s Kayla? Why don’t you take her to lunch?”

“I need to talk to you about her,” he said. “Who are you lunching with?”

“A friend,” I said.

“The Thanksgiving guy?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“What’s Thanksgiving guy’s name?”

“Nicholas,” Nicholas said, walking into my office.

Dan turned around. The look on his face was priceless, a mix of surprise and fear.

“Hi, Elise,” Nicholas said. He leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek.

Dan glanced back and forth between us, still not sure how to react.

“This is Dan,” I said. “My ex-husband.”

Nicholas looked at him coolly. “Dan.”

“Whassup,” Dan said. I knew Dan well enough to know that he was intimidated. Subconsciously, he threw his chest out a little.

Nicholas turned back to me. “Are you ready?”

“Yes.” I took his hand. “I’ll talk to you later,” I said to Dan.

“Yeah, whatever,” Dan said.

Nicholas and I walked out of my office, leaving Dan standing there alone. I should have known that he’d never leave my new relationship alone.

Chapter Sixteen

CHAPTER

Sixteen

Dan’s the kid in the sandbox who always wants the toy someone else has.

Elise Dutton’s Diary

Dan was waiting on the landing outside my apartment when I got home from work.

“Whassup?” he said as I approached. “I was just in the area, thought I’d stop by.”

“What were you doing in the area?” I asked. I unlocked the door and walked in.

“I came to see you.” He followed me inside, took off his coat, and threw it, then himself, on my couch. “So how was your date?”

“What date?”

“The one I caught you on. With what’s-his-name.”

“You didn’t catch me,” I said. “And don’t act childish. You know his name.”

“Dick?”

I didn’t answer.

“Dickolaus.”

I just glared at him.

“Whatever. The Nick-man. So where’d you meet him?”

“In the food court.”

“Oh, that’s cool.”

“We met in a Laundromat,” I said. “What does that make us?”

“Divorced,” Dan said. “So what, he’s like your boyfriend now?”

“Something like that. What’s it to you?”

“Kayla’s gone.”

“Gone where?”

“She cheated on me. With some old rich guy.”

“Am I supposed to feel bad for you?”

“Would it kill you to show a little sympathy?”

“She’s a cheater, what did you expect?”

“I expected she would be loyal.”

“Like you?”

“I was loyal to her.”

For a change, I thought. I breathed out in exasperation. “What do you want, Dan?”

“I want you. I want us to be like we were.”

“That ship has sailed,” I said.

“You didn’t give me a chance. I stuck by you when you screwed up, but I slip up and you’re gone.”

“You didn’t stick by me. You divorced me.”