I can’t believe you left like that. Honey, you didn’t even say good-bye. We didn’t get to talk. There are things that needed to be said, things that were happening you needed to know, things that had changed. We needed to talk. Didn’t you get my messages before you left?

I need to speak to you, Ree, urgently, honey. When you get this, call me or tell me where you are.

I made a mistake, darling and I need to explain.

All my love,

B

He made a mistake? What mistake?

He needed to explain? Explain what?

Things had changed? What things?

All my love? What the f**k was that about?

I stared at the e-mail.

I got his messages before I left, I just ignored them. He had his nose so far up my ass in an effort to make our split amicable and not do anything to make me get angry that it’d take surgery to extricate him. I didn’t need his fake concern when he was not only f**king my best friend but had been for years and had left me to move in with her and had already started his new happy bubble life.

I needed to get out. So I got out.

Where in the Divorce Rulebook did it say I had to say good-bye? All the good-byes that needed to be said were said that night he told me he didn’t love me anymore but he loved the woman who I’d spent two years confiding in that I was worried something was wrong in my marriage and I would rather die than lose my husband.

I hit the cross at the top of the screen and closed the e-mail. Then I hit the cross on the viewing panel and closed the program. Then I shut down the machine and slapped the laptop closed.

Then my cell rang.

I picked it up and looked at the display. It said “Wood Calling”.

I hit the button to take the call and put it to my ear.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey baby,” he greeted in his gentle voice and my toes curled. “What chance I got that you’ll finish work tonight and drive to my place?”

I smiled into the phone. “I’m not done until after three in the morning, Wood.”

“Know that, Laurie.”

“I’ll be dead on my feet and only want to sleep.”

“I got a bed.”

“Yes, and you have a job where you go to work at seven. I have a job that I sleep until noon.”

“You’re tellin’ me this because…”

“I’ll crash and three hours later you’ll be gone.”

“And?”

“And Ned and Betty’ll worry about me.”

I listened to him laugh. He had a great laugh.

“I’ll swing by while you’re at work. Explain to Momma Betty and Poppa Ned that Baby Laurie’ll be safe with Uncle Wood.”

I asked through a light giggle, “Will I be safe?”

“Fuck no,” he answered and my giggle was no longer light.

Then I whispered, “I’ll come over.”

“That’s what I wanna hear, baby,” he said in his gentle voice.

I didn’t know why I did this dance. For the past week, nearly every night I ended my shift in Wood’s bed. I was not lying, all I wanted to do by the time I got there was crash which was all I did. And he got up and went to work before seven, half the time I didn’t know he left me.

He didn’t seem to mind about any of this. Then again, Krystal had hired two new girls and my constant work would end very soon since they both were starting the next couple of days. I figured Wood was hanging around, waiting for his reward.

“I’ll leave the door open,” he said and he would, he always did.

“I’ll see you later,” I replied.

“Later.”

Then he hung up.

I hit the button on my phone, threw it on the bed, looked at my alarm clock and swung my tanned legs off the bed.

It was time to get ready for work.

* * * * *

My life took another veer the day after Tate’s kiss.

I was on nights so I had all day which wasn’t a good thing because having all day meant having all day to think about Tate’s ride and then Tate’s kiss and, when there was time left over, to think of all the other things about Tate.

So I went about the business of filling up my day so I wouldn’t think of Tate. After coffee and a chat with Betty, I swung by La-La Land for a different kind of coffee drink, another slightly weirder chat (since I suspected both Sunny and Shambles were a wee bit high) and a sampling of more of Shambles and Sunny’s wares (blueberry muffin with those crunchy bits on the top, divine, Shambles might be stoned but he still could bake). Then I walked down to the mechanics to belatedly get my car.

Wood wasn’t around so I paid an older but definitely still cool and sexy lady in the office who had obviously given half of the female population of Carnal their style training. She was biker babe times a thousand and I loved her look so much I told her so.

“Dominic, darlin’,” she replied. “Carnal Spa. It ain’t no spa, he just does hair and manis and pedis, none of that facial or massage shit, but he’s g*y, as in flamin’, so he does great hair.”

She was right. Her hair, dark with fabulous blonde highlights and a wicked-cool cut, was perfect on her.

“Tell him Stella sent you,” she finished.

“Thanks,” I replied, smiled and waved my good-bye.

I was walking to my car when Wood pulled in on his Harley. His wasn’t black, though it looked to be the same model as Tate’s, it was silver.

He rounded my car and parked by it, swinging off the bike and standing there waiting for me in the space between his bike and my car.

“Hey,” I smiled but he didn’t smile back.

I knew why when I got close.

“Saw you ride out with Tate last night.”

I pulled in a quiet breath then said, “Wood.”

He looked away, running his hand along his hair, muttering, “Jesus, Lauren.”

“I –”

He looked back and cut me off. “He’s f**kin’ my sister.”

I felt my body still.

But he wasn’t done. “And she’s married and not to Tate.”

I went back on a foot like he’d struck a blow.

He took two steps toward me, claiming my space.

“You’re new in town but you’ll hear about it. Everybody knows. It’s better you hear about it now rather than later when he plays you and makes you look like a f**kin’ moron.”

“Wood –”

“Those two, f**k, it’s been so long, feels like forever those two been wound up, doin’ stupid shit, causin’ trouble, walkin’ all over people, breakin’ hearts while they went their merry f**kin’ way.”