One Night Hand Stand by Julia Kent

Author:Julia Kent [Kent, Julia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-03-04T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Case

The next day

“I’m such a fool.”

Jared nods. “Yes.”

“Thanks for your support.”

“I am being supportive. I’m agreeing with you that you were a fool. I’m reinforcing reality for you.” He takes his beer and clinks the neck against mine, as if we’re toasting my foolishness.

“That’s not helpful.”

“Why didn’t you tell her?”

“About Stacey? And the money to help you and the kids?”

He makes a face. “I hate when you say it that way.”

“Sorry.”

“Just because I hate it doesn’t mean I won’t accept the money. Molly and Corey deserve better than I can give them.”

“Good.” Haunted by the implications of that last part, I can’t let it go unchecked. “You give them more than enough of what really counts.”

His long, slow sigh makes me feel even more foolish.

Jared scrubs his face with his non-beer hand, then strokes his chin.

“I meant, why didn’t you tell her you knew who she was when you met her in the bar that first night, and why haven’t you told her about your financial reason for needing to cash out?”

“I did.”

“You did? And?”

“She accused me of manipulating her. I couldn’t even convince Slot B!”

“Did you just call her a slut?”

“What? God, no. Of course not.”

“You said the word slut.”

“I said slot.” I go American and draw out the O.

“What’s a slot bee?” He makes a buzzing sound.

“Never mind.” Now I have the image of a bee hovering around Sarah’s delightful vulva and Jared’s ruined that.

“I thought if she understood your motivation, she’d be more likely to hold the story. You’re only asking for eighteen days now, right?”

“Right.”

“That doesn’t seem very long.”

“Tell her editor that. Some other story got killed and now Sarah’s big chance is here.”

“Except her career-maker is your deal-ender.”

“Exactly.”

“What a clusterfuck.”

“Tell me about it.”

“And you both lied to each other.”

“You know we did.”

“But the lies came out in the heat of the moment when your priorities collided.”

“I guess so.”

“It’s like me and Stacey and the Ziplock bags.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’ve never heard the story about the Ziplock bags that nearly ended our marriage?”

“How does a plastic bag destroy a relationship?”

“Get another beer. This is a two-beer story.”

I stand, reflexively following his orders as he casually says, “And get one for me, too.”

“You tricked me,” I call out from the kitchen, opening the fridge to find exactly two more beers in there. Jared’s fridge is filled with neatly stacked food storage containers with three different color lids. Red for Molly, blue for Corey, and green for Jared. Stacey had always been extraordinarily organized. In her later months before dying, she watched TikTok organization videos with the fervor of a Taylor Swift fan chasing concert tickets.

Every Sunday, Jared goes grocery shopping and gathers the kids in the kitchen. They meal prep all breakfasts and lunches for the week, each person with their own color for the lids to their storage containers.

Stacey’s was orange. All the orange lids sit in the drawer now, unused.

When I return to the couch, Jared gives me an odd look.

“You ever have something bothering you,

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