Starter Wife (The Jilted Wives Club Book 1) Read online

  “Yeah, that’s fine,” Stella replied as she finished putting out the last place setting.

  “So, uh, do you guys play any sports or anything?” I asked once the wine was in the chiller.

  “No, not anymore. I used to play volleyball, but now I have a job, so with that and school I don’t really have time anymore,” Stella answered.

  “Oh, where do you work?”

  “I’m a hostess at Lazy Dog.”

  “Nice, do you like it?”

  Stella shrugged and said, “The people I work with are cool, but I can’t wait until I’m old enough to be a server so I can make tips.”

  I nodded in understanding and turned to Silas, “What about you?”

  “Lacrosse,” he said, his eyes darting back toward the kitchen. “You think the food’s almost done?”

  “He’s always thinking about food,” Stella said with a sigh. “Just keep your shirt on, Si, Mom’s working on it. Go take over mashing if you want it to go faster.”

  “It’s done,” Whitney called back, and I realized she could hear everything perfectly from the next room. “Come grab a dish and we can get started.”

  We went to help and came back carrying dishes heaping with food and settled in to eat.

  “I hope family style is okay,” Whitney said from her seat across from me. She looked a little unsure, which was very sweet. I could tell she was putting a lot on this dinner and really wanted everything to go well.

  “It’s perfect. That’s how we eat all our meals at home,” I said.

  “Do you have kids?” Stella asked, and I realized how she would have misconstrued what I’d said.

  “No, I don’t,” I replied as I piled mashed potatoes on my plate and passed the bowl to Si. “What I meant was at my parents’ house. I don’t live with them, but my ma always puts on Sunday dinners, and we go there for holidays, of course. So every Sunday my family meets there, and we enjoy a big meal together … family style.”

  “Luca comes from a pretty big family,” Whitney told them.

  “Yeah, my older brother and sister are both married. My brother has two boys, and my sister has a new baby girl. We are constantly growing bigger, the quintessential Italian family.”

  “Are you from Italy?” Silas asked between bites, and it felt like a win having him ask me a question about myself.

  “My family is but I was born here. My parents just took a trip to Italy actually, and I haven’t told you this yet, Whit, but they bought some property there. A house on a working olive grove. It’s going to be our family vacation home. We’re going to all go there and see it for the first time this summer.”

  “Wow, a house in Italy? I’ve always wanted to go to Europe,” Stella said with a wistful sigh.

  “That’s amazing. I’m sure you’ll have a lovely time,” Whitney added.

  “So, does that mean if you and my mom are still going strong, we could be spending our summer in Italy?” Silas asked with a mischievous grin.

  “Silas,” Whitney warned, at the same time I said, “Absolutely.”

  Twenty-Three

  Whitney

  “Sorry, Steve, I’ll have it to you in the next five minutes. I just need to finish up.”

  “You were supposed to have it to me five minutes ago,” Steve said with a shake of his head, then as he walked away from my desk I heard him mutter, “This is what happens when they give the job to some housewife off the streets who hasn’t worked a spreadsheet in over a decade.”

  To say Steve was not my biggest fan would be an understatement.

  I took a deep, cleansing breath and finished what I was working on so I could get it to Steve quickly and hopefully not have to interact with him again today.

  I got along pretty great with everyone at the office, except Steve. At first I was confused as to why he didn’t like me when he didn’t know the first thing about me, but then Pam in payables told me his nephew had been up for the job I’d ended up getting and he was pissed about it.

  Since there was nothing I could do about it, I mean, short of giving up my job, which was not going to happen, I tried to kill him with kindness whenever I saw him but avoided him when I could.

  I finished up the spreadsheet and sent it off, then pushed back from my desk and stood up. After a short stretch, I decided coffee was in order and headed down the hall toward the break room.

  When a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me into a supply closet, I let out a yelp of surprise and turned around in time to see Luca shut the door and lean back against with a sly grin.

  “Oh my gosh, you scared me,” I managed, placing a hand on my chest.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I was in here getting some staples and saw you coming down the hall and went on impulse.”

  He reached out to grasp my waist and drew me to him.

  When his lips nuzzled my neck, my pulse quickened for an entirely different reason.

  “I missed you,” Luca murmured.

  I let my head drift to the side and my eyes close as the feel of his hands caressing my bare arms mingled with the heady sensation of his lips on my skin.

  “That feels lovely,” I said with a soft sigh. It had been getting harder and harder to be satisfied with only making out. My body seemed to be ready to ignite at the simplest touch from Luca and I was once again reminded of how incredibly long it had been since I’d found pleasure with a man.

  Lord, the last few years of my marriage had been anything but sexually fulfilling. Marcus had been using up all his energy with his affairs, leaving me to take things into my own hands.

  “Come over tonight,” he said as he did something delectable to the spot just under my ear.

  “I am … We have dinner plans, remember?” I said, a little confused. We’d texted about it last night after I’d told him the kids were both going to be out with friends all night.

  “No, I mean, not just for dinner … Stay with me tonight.”

  I let out a moan of protest when he stopped what he was doing so he could look into my eyes.

  “What do you say?”

  I bit my lower lip and nodded maybe a little too enthusiastically.

  “Yes. I’d love to.”

  Luca’s face seemed to radiate happiness at my response. He gave me a quick kiss on the lips and said, “Fantastic. I have to get back out there, but I will see you tonight.”

  I nodded again as he opened the door and slipped out of the room.

  I was frozen as all of the things I would need to do flashed through my mind.

  I tried to remember if I still had any sexy underwear, just as the realization that Luca would probably want to see me completely naked hit.

  When was the last time I’d shaved my legs? I’d have to go home to shower and do a complete body polish before dinner. Shave, lotion up, maybe put concealer in certain areas. I was pretty sure I still had some bronzer with glitter I’d been saving for a special occasion. Should I use that, or would it be too much?

  “I need to call Margo,” I whispered, and finally unstuck myself enough to open the door and hurry back to my desk, where my phone was currently sitting.

  But when I rounded the corner, I came up short when I saw Silas sitting in my chair.

  I racked my brain, and when I couldn’t come up with a reason why he’d be there, I automatically went into panic mode.

  “Did something happen? Is Stella okay?” I asked in a jumble of words before I’d even reached him.

  “Huh?” he asked, stopping the chair mid-twirl and giving me a puzzled expression. “Where were you?”

  I ran my hands through my hair and hoped I didn’t look freshly kissed. It was my place of work, after all, and although I should be ashamed, I wasn’t. Still, it wasn’t the kind of example I wanted to set for my son.

  “The supply room,” I replied. “So, everything’s okay?”

  “Yeah,” Silas said, his gaze on my empty hands. “Geo and the guys decided they wanted to come downtown for dinner and the movies, so
I was hoping you could give me some money.”

  “Oh, yeah, of course,” I said with relief. I bent to open the drawer and get out my purse, then handed him a credit card. “Just use this. Are the guys with you?”

  Si nodded and said, “Outside. I didn’t figure you’d want all of us coming into your office.”

  “Good thinking,” I said, then, since he was alone, I pulled him in for a quick hug. “I love you. Have fun tonight and be good.”

  “Love you, too. Thanks for the card.”

  I nodded and smiled as I watched him walk away. My growing boy who was no longer a child, but not yet a man.

  I was about to sit back at my desk when I remembered, “Coffee,” and turned to go back in the direction I’d come.

  Twenty-Four

  Luca

  I looked around my office to make sure everything was shut off and I was good to go for the night.

  Now that I knew Whitney was coming not just for dinner, but the night, I needed to give myself time to stop at the store to pick up a few things, then go home and straighten up and get everything ready for her arrival.

  I was whistling as I moved down the hall and got in the elevator, so caught up in my own intentions that I didn’t realize Silas was also on the elevator until the door closed.

  “Hey, Si, how’s it going? You just visiting your mom?” I asked good-naturedly.

  I was honestly happy to see him.

  Silas looked over at me, his gaze taking in my loafers and suit before settling on my face.

  “Yeah, just for a minute,” he replied, his tone nowhere near as friendly as it had been at his house.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, but since it’s just the two of us, I have something I wanna say.”

  “Okay…”

  “You seem like a nice guy and all, but we all thought my dad was a nice guy too, and, well … he isn’t. She had a really hard time when my dad left. She tried to hide it from us, but Stella and I both heard her crying when she thought we weren’t around. It took a long time for her to be happy again. Now she has her job and Summer and Margo … and you. But she’s never gonna get married again. I’ve heard her say it. And she doesn’t need you around if you’re going to end up leaving and breaking her heart. She doesn’t need you at all.”

  His jaw clenched and his eyes were glassy, so I knew he was trying not to get emotional and was failing.

  I thought about what he said and tried to put myself in his shoes, to really understand what he was feeling.

  “Silas,” I began, keeping my tone gentle. “I really like your mom. I think she’s strong, funny, smart, and beautiful. Just all-around amazing. And we are still getting to know each other, but I do know a bit about what she went through with your dad, what you all went through, and I’m sorry you had to deal with that. It couldn’t have been easy. And I get that your family is finally in a good place again and you probably resent the fact that I’m here and inserting myself into your lives. But I’m not going to hurt your mom, okay? And I’m not going to try and replace your dad.”

  “I’m fourteen,” Silas said indignantly. “I don’t need a dad. And I’m pretty sure everyone says they aren’t going to hurt the person they’re with, right before they do.”

  “You’re right, and you’re a smart kid, but I hope you’ll believe me when I say my intentions toward your mom are honorable. I really enjoy spending time with her, and getting to know you and your sister, and I hope you’ll be open to me being around more. I’m not trying to rush anything, and I would never intentionally do anything to hurt any of you, okay? Can you give me a shot?”

  It was like I could see the tension leave his body as he watched me pensively and seemed to make up his mind.

  “Okay, I can do that. But if you do anything to hurt her … anything … I’ll be coming back here.”

  The door opened and Silas hurried out of the elevator without another word.

  It was a pretty good closing statement and exit, so I let him get a good distance away and have his moment before I exited the building. I could see him joining a group of friends and talking to them excitedly, his hands gesturing wildly as he probably regaled them with the tale of handing me my ass in the elevator.

  I chuckled as I walked to the parking garage and hoped some of the things he’d said were inaccurate.

  By the time I got to my car, I decided to put the conversation away for now and focus on the night to come. It was a big night, one it felt like I’d been waiting on for centuries, and I wanted everything to go perfectly.

  I’d decided I wanted to put all of my attention into Whitney and our night together, so I put in an order for takeout from my favorite restaurant and stopped at the store to get some candles, roses, and new high-thread-count sheets.

  By the time I was done shopping, the food was ready for pickup, so I grabbed it and turned my car toward my apartment.

  I was shuffling everything to one hand so I could use my key to open my door when I heard Mr. B’s door open and looked over to see his head sticking out.

  “Smells good, Luca. Got a hot date?”

  “The hottest, Mr. B.,” I replied with a grin as I turned the key and pushed the door open.

  “Make sure she finds her pleasure, too. Don’t be greedy, son.”

  What the … Tell me he didn’t just say that.

  “Uh, you got it. Have a good night.”

  “Not as good as you, but I’ll try.”

  Unable to stand any more, I rushed into my apartment and shut the door.

  “Jesus,” I said with a light laugh, then moved to put the food in the oven to keep warm, before getting the rest of the stuff out of the bag and setting it up.

  I turned on a smooth jazz station on my phone and switched on my Bluetooth so it would play through the stereo, then got to work.

  I scattered the flowers and candles around the house in the places we’d be … the living room, the dining room, the bedroom. Then changed the sheets and went to make sure the bathroom was clean.

  Once I was satisfied everything looked and smelled great, I changed out of my work clothes, took a quick shower, and got into something more casual.

  I wanted to look like I’d put some effort in but wasn’t trying too hard.

  And then, all I could do was wait.

  Twenty-Five

  Whitney

  As I waited outside Luca’s apartment for him to answer the door, I thought I heard movement down the hall, but when I looked, there was nothing.

  “Calm down, Whit, you’re just feeling anxious and jumpy,” I murmured to myself, before knocking again.

  “Coming, sorry,” I heard Luca call out from inside seconds before the door opened and he was smiling before me. “Hey.”

  “Hi,” I replied, walking past him when he moved to let me in.

  I glanced around the room, noting the flowers and candles, and was touched by the effort he’d gone to to make this night special.

  “It smells wonderful,” I said as I moved to put the wine I’d brought on the counter. I wasn’t sure if it was the candles, the roses, the food, or a combination of the three, but every scent seemed tantalizing.

  “I picked up food from that little French place by the office. Are you hungry?” he asked. “Or would you like a drink? I have bourbon, or we can open the wine.”

  I watched him shuffle his feet, his hands moving as if he couldn’t keep still, and I realized he was nervous. Which, funnily enough, made all my nerves disappear.

  “A bourbon sounds nice. Two fingers, one ice cube.”

  Luca looked at me with surprise. “That’s just how I drink it.”

  “Marcus is a big bourbon drinker…” I slapped my hand over my mouth when I realized what I said and moaned. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bring him up. And I shouldn’t have, especially tonight.”

  “Hey,” Luca said as he crossed to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. “You have nothing to be sorry about. There’s no rule b
ook here. He’s a big part of your life and is bound to come up. And as far as tonight goes, I hope you know just because you are sleeping over doesn’t mean I have any expectations. Let’s just play things by ear and see how the night goes. I’m just happy to have more time with you.”

  “You are so sweet,” I said, lifting my hands to cup his face. “But I have to warn you, I’m fully expecting to go all the way tonight.”

  He chuckled and shifted to kiss my palm. “I’m here for you to use in any way you see fit.”

  “Hmmm,” I murmured. “Sounds too good to pass up.”

  Luca kissed me lightly on the lips before returning to the kitchen to pour the bourbon.

  “Want me to take the food to the table?” I offered.

  “Sure, it’s in the oven.”

  I opened the door to the oven and took out the to-go bags, inhaling as I lifted them out.

  “Oh my gosh,” I said as my stomach growled in response to the delectable scents coming from the bags.

  “Have you ever eaten there?”

  “No, but I’ve always wanted to,” I replied as I took cartons out of the bags and placed them on his table.

  “You are in for a treat,” Luca promised as he brought our drinks over.

  “Tell me what everything is…”

  “We have risotto with mushrooms to start, then we have chicken with beurre blanc and French fries and a braised beef in red wine sauce with mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts, and finally, crème brulée for dessert.”

  “Wow! It all sounds delicious,” I said, even as I thought how decidedly unsexy I would feel after eating all of that food. I started rethinking my decision to set out dinner at this point and suggested, “Maybe we should start with the drinks and risotto and have the rest in a bit. Kind of do it in courses.”