Page 49 of Six Month Wife

Her voice is a burst of energy, light, and teasing, and I can almost picture her lounging on her patio in LA, probably sipping on one of those green juices she’s always trying to make me drink.

“Oh, you know. Just another casual rejection from a billionaire fashion icon who could crush me with a glance and still look good doing it. Regular Saturday.”

“That spectacular?”

“It’s fine. I love humiliation. It builds character.”

“Fuck her, then,” Jenna’s voice sharpens.

“It’s not official yet, so don’t pull out the voodoo doll yet.” I drive my car out of the parking lot, keeping my voice steady even though my chest still feels tight.

"Okay, then I’ll have her on standby. You give me the word. Who were you meeting with, anyway? Do I know the name?"

"Evelyn Thatcher. Ex-Florida governor turned female-owned-business queenmaker. She said she’ll have her financial advisor look over my pitch deck and numbers, but it wasn’t exactly a glowing endorsement. Let’s say she’s not rushing to invest."

“Okay, but did she say the products were bad?” Jenna presses.

“No,” I admit, reluctantly. “She said she’d have her people assess them. Which is rich, considering she looks like she drinks the blood of twenty-year-olds for breakfast.”

She laughs, then her voice softens. “She'll come around. Hey, not to change the subject, but you left me hanging about that ER doctor. I need the deets.”

I blink. “What about him?”

“Well, you were super vague about seeing him after our afternoon in the ER. Why are you holding out on me?”

I pause, letting out a breath. “I like him. You were right, there's some chemistry there. He's nice, but we are still getting to know each other.”

“Nice? That man looked at you like you were dessert. Don’t ‘nice’ me.”

A reluctant smile tugs at my lips. “Fine. He’s been off-the-charts hot. Better?"

"Don't sass me."

"I don't know what to say. He's supportive and hot in that ‘shouldn’t-touch-the-stove’ kind of way.”

God, she's not going to let this go.

“And?”

Think of something to give her enough to satisfy her, but still doesn't give away the whole sorted details.

“And I kind of ghosted him today.”

“What?”

“I didn’t mean to. He called and texted multiple times. I ignored them. I don’t even know why—well, I do. I just... couldn’t deal. I don't want to admit to anyone about Citrine, but I didn't want to lie, either.”

Jenna’s quiet for a second before asking, “You okay?”

Bingo. That did it.

“It’s not like he did anything wrong. He’s been great. That’s the problem. I’m trying to stay focused and keep my head straight.”

“Okay, but Adair, do you want to see where it goes? Or are you already shutting it down because it’s easier to pretend you don’t care?”

If only she knew all of the pretending going on here.

I glance out the windshield. “I don’t know. I like him. I can’t afford to like him right now.”