Page 17 of Infidelity Rules

My mouth is full of buttery, warm lobster chunks when Elliot asks me if I’m dating anyone.

“A double date would be fun,” he says, grinning at Dezi, whose blue eyes widen as she takes a bite of her own lobster roll.

The three of us are having an outdoor lunch at Claw, my favorite food truck specializing in all things lobster and crab.

Oh boy, I think to myself. Double dating is tricky with married men.

One, we already have limited time together.

Two, our dates are often secretive. And, in the end, it seems sort of pointless and somewhat mean to parade about as if we were a normal, healthy couple, forging friendships and hosting dinner parties.

That’s just not how it works.

“I’m sort of in between men right now,” I say, side-stepping the question as best I can. “But sure. As soon as I get serious about someone.”

I’m pretty sure Dezi wouldn’t want me to offer up a double date with Zack or Marcus. Two married men? Elliot would freak out. According to Dezi, anyway.

“We’re going dancing again soon,” he says. “You should join us. Maybe you’ll meet somebody.”

“Yes, Quinn,” says Dezi, her eyes boring into mine. “Maybe you will meet someone.”

I shoot eyeball daggers at Dezi as I take another bite of lobster roll. “This is insanely good,” I say, licking butter off my fingers. “But I’m a mess.”

I wander away to fetch more napkins and avoid any further talk of double dating. The last thing I need is for Elliot to try and set me up with anyone. I return to our picnic table just in time to see Elliot’s face darken and hear him mention his sister’s, “cheating jackass of a husband.”

Uh oh.

“Should I leave you two alone?”

“Absolutely not,” says Elliot, shaking his head. “I was just talking about my sister’s worthless prick of a husband. Don’t leave on his account.”

Dezi and I watch as Elliot grinds bits of his toasted roll to dust.

“Hey,” says Dezi softly, putting a hand on his arm. “It’s going to be okay. They’re trying to work things out, right?”

Elliot nods. “As far as I know. But then we saw him out at Club Central doing god knows what. I just hope Emma knows what she’s doing.”

“It’s her life,” Dezi says carefully. “I’m sure she has her reasons.”

“Any chance they can come see you for counseling?” he asks Dezi. “If anyone can get them back on track, it’s you.”

“I’m sorry, but no,” says Dezi firmly. “One of the cardinal professional rules, we don’t treat friends or family. It can get sticky very fast. Otherwise, I would have fixed Quinn years ago,” she says, looking at me with a wry smile.

I give Dezi my best wonky eye and pray Elliot will stop talking.

“That’s probably wise,” Elliot says. “Honestly, I don’t care about him, it’s my nieces I’m worried about. I don’t want them to lose their dad, even if he’s a jerk to Emma. He’s always been good to them.”

“I can see this still upsets you,” says Dezi quietly as the two of us exchange looks.

This entire conversation is making me twitchy. I wish I had another lobster roll to focus on.

“I want to kick his ass,” says Elliot. “For Emma. For those girls. Why did he have to be one of those guys?”

“I see a lot of this in my practice,” Dezi says, taking his hand and gently unclenching his fist.

“And? Is there any hope?”

“Almost always,” she says. “It depends on the underlying problem. Most people are married to basically decent people, but stuff happens. People stop trying, affection wanes, sex slides and that opens the door to a crush. It’s hard to judge unless you know both sides.”

Elliot blows out a sigh and looks at Dezi. “Are you suggesting this is Emma’s fault? Do you think that too?” he asks, turning his attention to me.

I give Dezi my bug-eyed, please get him to shut up look. She ignores me and plows ahead.

“I’m not saying that,” she says, treading carefully. “But nobody really knows what goes on inside a marriage. I dig around in marriages every day and people still surprise me.”

“How do you mean?” he asks.

“It’s easy to blame the cheating spouse. But often, cheating husbands and wives do so because they’re missing something at home. Not because they’re evil.”

Geez. I hate this conversation. It’s making me feel like married man bait.

Elliot is quiet, nodding. “So it’s about finding that missing piece.”

“Exactly. And that’s where I come in,” Dezi continues. “I try to tease out the underlying reason and gently suggest that both parties carry some responsibility. Sometimes, not so gently. It depends on the couple.”

“So there’s hope,” says Elliot, more to himself as a statement than a question.

Dezi nods. “Yep, there usually is after an affair. As long as the cheating spouse isn’t simply a genuine selfish ass. Then all bets are off.”

“What a mess,” Elliot says. “I wish Greg had never met that homewrecker.”

I feel Dezi’s eyes on me. I return her gaze and shrug. I don’t know what she wants from me.

“You have to let this go,” Dezi says quietly. “It’s your sister’s life. And she’s choosing to work it out.”

“You’re right. I know you’re right. But answer me this,” he says, looking from me to Dezi. “What kind of woman even wants a man who would cheat on his wife and kids? And what kind of woman tries to fuck with another woman’s family?”