Starter Wife (The Jilted Wives Club Book 1) Page 7

  Whitney nodded and said, “I really like her. I already feel like I’ve learned so much.”

  “I know she’s happy to have you on the team.”

  “How about you? Have you made any headway?” she asked.

  “I have, finally. Luckily my dad’s files are flawless, so it’s made things easier.”

  “Have you heard from your parents? Are they enjoying themselves?”

  “My ma is in heaven. She could not stop talking about the olive groves and the cobblestone pathways,” I replied with a chuckle. My mom hadn’t wanted to be on the phone for long, she said it was a waste of her precious vacation time, but she couldn’t not call each of us daily for a few minutes to check in.

  “I bet. I’ve always wanted to go to Italy.”

  “You’ve never been?” I asked.

  “No, not yet, but it’s on my list.”

  “List?”

  “The list of places I want to visit before I die,” she said, cocking her head to the side as she asked, “Don’t you have one?”

  “Not an actual list. I guess I do have places I intend to visit, but I’ve never written them down, I just keep them all up here,” I said, tapping my temple with my finger.

  Whitney smiled and shrugged. “I can’t help it, I’m a lover of lists.”

  “I know, and I love that about you,” I replied. When I noticed her eyes widen a fraction, I caught her gaze and asked, “Can I mention something without freaking you out?”

  “Um, sure…”

  “I know you want to take things slow, and I hope the pace we’ve been keeping has worked for you. But, Whitney, these last few weeks have been great. I really like you and I love spending time with you, so, with the risk of scaring you a bit, I’d like your permission to slap a label on this thing.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Exclusivity,” I told her, watching her closely for any indication she was about to bolt. “I don’t want to see anyone else, and I’d like it if you didn’t see anyone else either.”

  “I’m not seeing anyone else,” she said quickly.

  “Me neither, not since the moment we met,” I told her honestly. “And I’d like to keep it that way. I’d also like to meet your kids, if you’re up for it.”

  Whitney took a deep breath and paused, before asking, “Can I think about it?”

  “Of course,” I said easily, because frankly, I was just ecstatic her answer hadn’t been no.

  Seventeen

  Whitney

  I moved through the house, picking up discarded sweaters, notebooks, and anything else the kids had left lying around throughout the day.

  It was my nightly ritual and I found it soothing.

  I liked to make sure the house was straightened, all the dishes were done, and everything was in its place before I went to bed, because I enjoyed waking up to a clean house. It helped me start my day off on a positive note.

  I discovered this little tidbit about myself during the last year. When I’d wake up to a mess, I was generally grumpy and annoyed from the get-go. I’d found this out the hard way, because after Marco had moved out, there had been many days of lounging in my pajamas, eating junk food, and binge watching tv. The house was always a disaster and I was always in a bad mood.

  Sure, the fact that I was going through a divorce also played a part in my sour mood but being dirty and living in filth didn’t help.

  One day I woke up and decided the days of wallowing were over and that’s when my new routine had begun, and I’d honestly been much happier since. Sure, there was the odd day where I was run ragged and fell into bed exhausted without making my rounds through the house, but since I maintained the cleanliness, it wasn’t a big deal.

  The kids were pretty good about picking up after themselves, but their standard of clean wasn’t the same as mine.

  I blew out the candle I’d lit in the living room while I was reading on my chaise and turned off the lights as I exited the room. Once up the stairs, I popped my head in the media room to see both Stella and Si sitting on the couch watching TV.

  It wasn’t unusual for them to hang out together, but now that they were older and constantly busy, it was rare.

  “Hey, what are you watching?” I asked as I stepped inside.

  “A scary movie,” Silas said, without looking away from the television.

  “Us,” Stella clarified.

  “Is it good?”

  They both gave noncommittal replies, so I knew I was probably bothering them, but because it was hard to get them together at the same time, I asked, “Can you pause it for a sec?”

  Stella reached for the remote and stopped the movie and they both looked at me expectantly.

  “What’s up?” Silas asked.

  I crossed the room and sat on one of the foot stools.

  After clearing my throat nervously, I folded my hands in my lap and said, “I wanted to let you both know that I’m seeing someone … dating someone … a man.”

  Stella laughed at my awkward delivery, but Silas narrowed his eyes.

  “Like, seriously?” he asked.

  “Well, it started out very casual. In fact, I wasn’t sure I wanted to see him, or anyone for that matter; I didn’t feel ready. But we took things slow and went on a couple dates, and now, I really like him.”

  “Okay, so you’re just dating,” my son clarified.

  It took me a second, but I realized what he must have been concerned about. Since his dad had jumped right into marriage, giving my kids an immediate stepmom, Silas was probably worried a new stepdad was next.

  “Yes, sweetie, we’re only dating. I’m not ready to get married again … I’m not even sure I ever will be. But I’ve been seeing Luca and we’ve decided to be exclusive, so I figured it was time to let you both know about him.”

  “How did you meet him?” Stella asked.

  “We work together, but I actually met him the week before I started at the firm. The first night I was out with Margo and Summer.”

  “Is he nice to you?” Silas asked.

  “Yes, he really is,” I replied with a smile as I thought of Luca. “He’s sweet and funny. He’s got this big Italian family, who I have not met, but he talks about all the time. He’s a really great cook and he’s fun to be around.”

  “Cool,” Si replied, apparently satisfied with my answer.

  “He’d actually like to meet you guys,” I said, studying their faces for a reaction. “And I should tell you now, he’s younger than me. Not Crystal young,” I amended, speaking of their stepmom, “but about thirteen years younger.”

  Stella’s eyes widened a bit, but she simply asked, “Is he cute?”

  “Very,” I admitted with a grin.

  “When will we meet him?” she asked.

  “I wanted to make sure you were both okay with meeting him before I committed to anything, but I’ll let you know.”

  “Sounds good, just give me time to put in a request at work or get someone to cover my shift.”

  “I will. Si?”

  “Yeah, Mom, it’s cool. Just let me know when.”

  I released a deep sigh and said gratefully, “Thanks. You guys are the best.”

  “Sure thing, Mom. You deserve to be happy,” Silas said, melting my heart.

  “Totally,” Stella agreed. “Want to watch the movie with us?”

  I hated scary movies with a passion and would surely have nightmares that night, but I moved to sit between them on the couch, pulling up a throw blanket and saying happily, “I’d love to.”

  Eighteen

  Luca

  “Ma, you look gorgeous,” I said as I leaned down to kiss one cheek, then the other. “The motherland really must have suited you.”

  “It really did,” she gushed happily. “It’s the most wonderful place on earth.”

  “I’m glad you had a good time. How about Dad? Did he love it?” I asked, grabbing an olive out of the dish and popping it in my mouth.

  “Of course. W
hy don’t you go ask him about it, he’s in his chair,” she said, turning me and practically pushing me out of the kitchen. “No more snacking for you, you’ll ruin your supper.”

  I shook my head and chuckled, then spun around to grab another olive and ran out as she swatted at me.

  I’d come a little early so I could catch up with my parents. They’d never really left us before and I’d missed them, which seemed funny. But I was used to seeing my dad at work and my ma being home, so having them out of the country and not easily accessible had left this empty space in my life.

  It made me realize how much I needed to cherish and appreciate having them around and what they meant to me.

  “Hey, Dad, how’s it feel to be home?” I asked as I walked into the den.

  My father looked away from the game on the TV and gave me a welcoming smile.

  “Amazing,” he replied. “Italy was wonderful, and the vacation was great, but there’s nothing like that feeling of coming back home.”

  “I missed you,” I said, crossing to give him an awkward hug. “It’s good to have you both back.”

  “Everything okay at the office?” he asked.

  “Na-ah,” I replied. “We can talk about that tomorrow when you come in. No work talk at home, you know that.”

  “I know, it’s just been so long. You know I’ve never been away from the office this long, I’m dying to know what’s been happening.”

  “I’ll just say everything is great and leave it at that. Now, tell me all about your trip.”

  “The pace took some getting used to, but by the end of the trip I was moving slower and napping during the day. The food is outta this world, the countryside is gorgeous, and the people are salt of the earth.”

  “What was your favorite dish?” I asked.

  “There was no such thing as a bad meal, but my favorite had to be the carbonara at this little trattoria in town. We sat outside, had some wine, and stayed well into the night listening to music.” He stared off as if picturing himself back there, then glanced back at me. “You know how your mom is in bed by ten every night and up at six, well, not in there. We slept in, went on long walks, and stayed in town until well after bedtime.”

  “That’s awesome, Dad. I’m thrilled you both enjoyed yourselves.”

  ‘Hello, hello,” my brother called as he opened the front door and came inside.

  His greeting was followed by the pounding for four feet stomping our way as my nephews came running straight to the family room, yelling, “Grandpa!”

  I laughed as they both hurled their bodies into the chair and hugged him fiercely.

  “There they are,” my dad said happily as he held them close. “If you go into the back bedroom, you may find a couple souvenirs waiting for you to claim them.”

  And just like that, as quickly as they’d come into the room, they left it, shouting, “Thanks, Grandpa,” as they ran.

  “Don’t forget to thank Grandma!” he shouted back.

  Once everyone arrived and dinner was ready, we all gathered around the table and you could tell how happy we all were to have our parents back. As I looked around, I pictured Whitney sitting next to me at the table. I could see it. Her laughing at something my brother said, passing the bread to my sister, and my ma gazing down at us both proudly. And, suddenly, I wished she was actually there. Reservations or not, I knew she’d fit in perfectly.

  “We have a surprise for all of you,” my dad began as he piled pasta onto his plate.

  “Yeah?” Vanni asked, looking back and forth between our parents.

  “You aren’t leaving again, are you?” Charlotte asked, her tone playful, but her expression tired and serious.

  “No, not exactly, but I’ll let your mother tell you.”

  We all looked expectantly at our mother.

  She paused for effect, before saying, “Your father and I bought a house in Italy.”

  There was a moment of shocked silence before the room erupted as everyone began talking at once.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You’re moving to Italy?”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Wow, that’s amazing.”

  The last was from my sister-in-law, Sara, who obviously didn’t read the room.

  “Silence,” our father said, his voice low but his tone brokering no argument. “Go on, sweetheart.”

  “We are not moving to Italy, at least, not now,” she explained. “We toured an olive grove and found out that the property was for sale. The house is gorgeous, and the olive grove is fully manned and producing, so we wouldn’t need to be on site in order for it to continue. We would, however, go at least once, maybe twice a year to check in on everything and vacation. It will be a family home, so you can all go whenever you’d like, but I’d really love it if we could all vacation there in the summers, as a family.”

  The tone of the room completely changed.

  “Oh my God, a family home?”

  “We’re going to Italy!”

  “Our own olive grove?”

  “Wow, that’s amazing.”

  The rest of the dinner was lively with excited conversation and everyone making plans about when we could all go to Italy and check it out.

  By the time I left, we were all locked into going to see it and spend our first family vacation together at the new place in July. It was surreal, but I could see how happy my parents were, hell, how happy we all were, and all I could think about was how hard they’d always worked and how much they deserved this.

  My mind was still reeling as I got off the elevator on my floor.

  Instead of going straight to my door, I bypassed and walked down the hall to knock on Mr. B’s door.

  As usual, it opened immediately, like he’d been waiting on the other side.

  “Hey, Mr. B, I got some food for you,” I said, holding up the Tupperware of leftovers my ma had put together for him.

  “Any cake?” he asked as he took it out of my hand.

  “Cannoli,” I told him.

  “Nice. You wanna come in for a drink?” he asked, like he always did.

  “You bet,” I replied.

  It was our usual ritual, at least on the days I made it to my parents for Sunday dinner.

  “How was their trip to Italy?” Mr. B asked as I followed him inside.

  “You’re not going to believe it…”

  Nineteen

  Whitney

  “I hope you don’t mind, I invited Luca to stop by for dessert and a drink. We have decided to see each other exclusively, and in an effort to include him more in my life, I’m introducing him to people who are important to me. First you guys … and then my kids.”

  “Wow, things are getting serious,” Margo said, her eyebrows going up in surprise.

  “Aww, we’re important to you?” Summer cooed, locking on to a different point than Margo.

  I grinned at Summer and said, “Of course you are. It’s funny, we’ve only known each other a couple months, but I feel closer to you two than I did with any of the women I associated with while I was married. The couples who we golfed with and had playdates with. The ones who acted like we’d gotten divorced along with my husband.”

  “Sound like a bunch of bitches,” Margo muttered.

  I chuckled as I thought of the women who talked behind each other’s backs, snuck vodka in their water bottles, and were generally unhappy with their lives.

  “Not all of them. I’d say for the most part they’re simply miserable. Waking up every day to live the same life … do the exact same things. I’ve been there, so now I just feel sorry for them. It’s hard for them to relate to me now, because I got out, and they’re still stuck doing the same things.”

  “Well, I think you’re better off,” Summer said sunnily. “You’ve got great friends who have your back, a hot boyfriend, and two great kids. Plus, a job you love. Looks to me like that divorce was the best thing that ever happened to you.”

  I’d had t
hem over to my house a couple times now and they got along wonderfully with my kids. Stella thought Margo was amazing and I was pretty sure Silas had a crush on Summer.

  “Agreed,” Margo said, lifting her glass in a toast before downing the contents.

  We were at a Thai place, so we’d all opted for draft beers to accompany the food, which we’d all ordered to be made spicy.

  “Ohmygrrrr,” I moaned after I took a bite of my panang curry. It was creamy and seasoned perfectly with a light coconut flavor. Absolutely delicious.

  “I know, right … I love this place,” Summer said as she twirled her fork in her pad Thai noodles.

  “Hey, didn’t you say you were going on a couple dates last weekend?” Margo asked Summer in between bites.

  Summer scrunched up her nose.

  “Uh-oh, that good, huh?” I asked.

  Summer sighed and put down her fork.

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she groaned. “These guys aren’t terrible or anything. Well, I mean, not all of them are terrible. A couple of them have been sweet and funny, but for some reason there’s just no connection there.”

  Summer looked between us, her green eyes wide and a little glossy, as if she was tearing up.

  “I was so excited to get back out there, you know? Once I met Jared, I thought I was done with first kisses. And I love kissing, so the thought of meeting new men, dating again, and having first kisses was one of the only positive aspects of starting over. But, out of all the guys I’ve met, there hasn’t been one I’ve wanted to kiss. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  “Nothing’s wrong with you,” Margo said forcefully. “You’re amazing. A light in an otherwise cloudy day. And if you don’t feel chemistry with someone, you can’t force it, and you don’t need to. There’s no rush. Take your time, enjoy yourself, and don’t feel like you have to kiss any frogs. Frogs are disgusting, vile creatures, and don’t deserve your attention.”

  Summer’s eyes welled at Margo’s words.