“Wish I had an old friend who was a hot stripper who would drink wine in bed with me and give me comfort –“ “I bet you do!” I call over my shoulder, heading into the kitchen to start the coffee. “Don’t you have a job to do, Frank?” “Hmm?” he says, peering after me into the kitchen, and then he s
Christian climbs out of the shower and wraps a towel around his waist, still dripping wet as he reaches for his phone on the bedside table. There, he texts Bianca. Christian: Have time for your favorite step-son today, B? Her reply is almost instant, as it always is. Bianca: Anytime, boy. Com
Frankie watches the elevator doors slide shut and then he sighs, turning back to the house, wondering how he’s going to keep Iris from going stir-crazy for days on end. “A nice girl, hmm?” Bianca asks, handing a cup of espresso to Nico and then sliding another in front of Christian as he sits at t
All day, I try to keep my mind busy. All day I fail, and my eyes continually drift back to the door, even as I clean the entire kitchen from the mess of baking yesterday. Even as I clear up the entire mess we made of Christian’s room last night and then go on a laundry rampage, washing every singl
I sit up straight, knowing that whatever comes out of his mouth next is going to be bad. “But…” he continues, “you’re acting just like the thousand other women who develop feelings for Cristian Romano and who get left behind when he moves on.” My mouth falls open as I stare at my friend, feeling
Christian is gone…for days. By the end of the third, I can tell that Frankie is miserable and worried too, even if he is in touch with Christian all the time via phone. “Will you please let me read the text messages?!” I beg, lurching for the phone as we stand together in the kitchen. Frankie
“On your eyelashes,” I murmur, concentrating. “It’s very delicate – don’t mess with it, you’ll get it everywhere.” “How do you girls know all this stuff,” he murmurs, fascinated. “Mascara, eye liner, bronzer, foundation, blush, highlighter…” he shakes his head, baffled. “Frank!” I laugh, grabbin
“Well,” Christian says, crossing his arms as he continues to smirk at Frankie and me. “Isn’t this…cozy.” Frankie finally comes back to himself, jumping to his feet and spilling me out of his lap. I fall back onto the couch, mercifully, though I yelp and spill my entire makeup bag as I go. “Oh my
A small smile creeps on Leo’s lips. “Yeah, okay,” he says, relaxing back against our chair. “Our secret.” I grin at my baby, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek, because my boy can’t resist a secret.“What’s all this?”I turn to see Christian standing at the open door, peering into the dining
The danger. It’s…it’s far too poignant.My heart breaking, I open a private browsing tab on the web browser and quickly search for Craigslist in both this city and Athens, Greece. As I do my memory goes back to a conversation I had with Frankie, when he told me that this is the best way he knows for
I stand frozen, staring down at the letter as it sits on the little hall desk, my breath coming in fluttery little gasps.The words are very simple.There are vineyards in Greece as well. I’ll take you there.I read it again and again as my heart pounds in my chest, each beat echoing with a mix of h
“You don’t know anything about my life,” I whisper, my voice barely audible, turning my eyes back down to the dishes. “I had no choice.”“You think you’re the only one who suffered?” Lucy whispers. “You think I wanted to be in this position? We were friends once, Iris. We were good to each other. Bu
“Mommyyyy,” Leo says, looking anxiously towards the kitchen door, shifting from foot to floor. “Hurry up! Aunt Bianca says we have to go!”I laugh, glancing down at my little boy, who looks so adorable in the private school uniform he wears to Kindergarten – crisp white shirt, navy blazer, his dark
But…was it? Was it me, missing Chris? Wanting to have yet another piece of him, even if I long denied wanting any ties to my past life?I look down, my heart heavy, not truly understanding what I think or what I feel.“I mean it, Iris,” Chris says, his voice steady and cool. “I’ll be a father to her
My heart sinks as I look Christian in the eyes – because beyond all hope, I had been praying that he hadn’t noticed that Leo is his son. But how could I have been so naïve? Leo looks just like him - dark hair, striking grey-blue eyes. The resemblance is unmistakable. I feel a wave of guilt crashing
“Yes,” he answers, a growl in his voice. “That should suit just fine.”I laugh at the irony in this and shake my head, looking away. “So now you want me to come back, to pretend as if nothing ever happened? You expect me to just accept this, the way things are now?”Christian opens his mouth to resp
Disappointment floods my chest, a sense of disbelief washing over me. “You think I would trust you again after everything? After how you treated me? You expect me to just come back and forget?”His eyes narrow, disappointment etched into his features. “You were faithless. I thought you’d be loyal. I