The Art of Being Grumpy by Mercer Scott

Author:Mercer Scott [Scott, Mercer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penelopiad Publishing
Published: 2022-07-14T16:00:00+00:00

chapter seventeen

brand

Suddenly, a wave of familiar perfume hits me like a tsunami and then there’s a set of lips every bit as familiar pressed against mine. Naomi. My ex-wife. Her lips move against mine in a familiar rhythm. When I don’t give in to old habits, eventually she stops.

“What the hell are you doing here, Naomi? You hate places like this as much as I do.”

“Don’t be rude, darling. You know how much I love this gallery and any chance to see your work! Aren’t you going to introduce me to your little friend?” Naomi stares at me out of light brown eyes that I used to know as well as I knew my own face. When you were with someone since you were sixteen, it’s a kind of familiar that doesn’t just go away after some months have passed. She’s even more beautiful now than the day I met her, the line of her jaw and cheekbones sharper now and more defined. Deep brown curls surround her beautiful face before flowing over her shoulders. The last time we broke up almost broke me. I don’t want any of it back now.

“Wasn’t planning on it,” I mutter under my breath, avoiding her gaze.

“Well, that’s no fun. Hello there, I’m Brand’s wife, Naomi. And who is this little mouse?”

Maddie’s lips are open in the prettiest little Cupid’s bow of surprise as she stares up at Naomi, who has a good six inches on her.

“It’s nice to meet you, Naomi. I’m Maddie. Madeline Wright.”

Naomi studies her for an excruciatingly long minute. “Hello Maddie Madeline Wright. How do you know my husband?”

“Your ex-husband,” I mutter through gritted teeth, louder now. I want Maddie to hear me this time.

Naomi waves her finger in a silent ‘no’ at me. “I haven’t signed the papers and neither have you, love.”

“My pen’s at the ready whenever you and your asshole lawyer finally agree to be sensible. Becks’ number hasn’t changed. I’m ready for our marriage to be as legally dead as it is actually dead, any time you are.” Unfortunately for me, when you elope at eighteen and don’t have a thousand bucks to your name, you don’t bother with a pre-up. Things have changed significantly for both of us since then and nothing about the divorce is simple.

Naomi narrows her eyes at me dangerously, and then turns away from me to face Maddie. “You never said how you knew my husband, little mouse.”

“Ex-husband,” I say again, even though I know it’s pointless. Naomi hears what she wants to hear and nothing else. I used to love that about her. She could be single-minded to the point of self-harm. Nothing was more important than her work. I respected that. Until I was slapped in the face with the fact that it wasn’t that nothing was more important than her work, it was that I wasn’t more important than her work. There were lots of other things more important than me.

Maddie shifts uncomfortably, but doesn’t look away from Naomi.

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