The Astrology House by Carinn Jade

Author:Carinn Jade
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria
Published: 2024-07-16T00:00:00+00:00

ADAM

I sink the eight ball in the left corner pocket. Margot is about to cry about her second loss when I hear Aimee call my name. Margot stands straight, her pool cue erect like a weapon in waiting.

“Settle down, will you?” I say, reading Margot’s nervous energy.

“What does she want?”

“I am still her husband. It’s not a sign of insanity for her to look for me.”

“Do you think she knows?” Margot whispers.

“Seriously, this has to stop. I cannot survive this weekend with you jumping every time Aimee says my name.”

As if on prompt, Aimee calls out again. This time her voice is playful. I can tell she’s been drinking. Margot’s shoulders relax.

“What?” I shout back.

Aimee follows my voice until she appears in the game room doorway. Her hands press on either side of the frame.

“There you are,” she says.

Her sweater rides up to show a sliver of her midsection. Her face is flush, but not blotchy like after a run. The alcohol sends the blood to her cheeks, like makeup. When she drinks, she licks her lips until they’re dark pink. This is my favorite Aimee.

Was my favorite Aimee. Before I recognized her love was all smoke and mirrors.

“Can you come outside?” she asks.

“Me and Margot are in the middle of a game.”

Margot sets her cue against the wall in a reluctant gesture of surrender. She probably wants us to talk. Or at least it’s better than me being around Eden in her mind.

“Can you come outside now?” Aimee asks.

She laces her fingers through mine and leads me down the hallway, but I drop her hand as we walk through the dining room. Aimee glances back at me when I let go. I point to the bar cart but Joe walks in the door, looking for Farah.

“No, no, I’ve got wine outside waiting for us,” Aimee says to me. She doesn’t want Joe to distract me, I’m sure.

Outside I turn back toward the house and spot Eden sitting on Rick’s lap in the sunroom with the screened-in porch. He’s looking at his phone and hands her one of his earbuds. Eden notices me catch her, but she doesn’t move.

Is this what she’s like with Rick when I’m not around? It makes me feel sick seeing her so close and intimate with anyone else, even her husband. I look away quickly and block them out of my mind.

“What are we looking at?” I ask Aimee.

“I need to do a post.”

She waves her hands with a flourish and I notice her romantic setup. Magic hour over the water, the Adirondack chairs, the glasses on the small table between them.

“With us?” I ask, caught off guard.

Aimee’s online persona as a momfluencer typically has nothing to do with me. She does her work with the girls, her ring-light tripod, and a self-timer. It occurs to me she’s never once asked me for help, not even in the beginning.

“Can’t be a mommy without a baby daddy. Or that’s what the advertisers who have turned me down said.

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