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fuck your whole life, don’t you? Well, go for it.
But in case you ever change your mind, do not come running to me.” Her
forefinger was a gun pointed at his face. “Are we clear?”
    Yes,
ma’am . “Clear,”
he croaked.
    “Good.”
She turned away once more, only to swivel back and grab the sub sandwich from
his hand. She smacked the hell out of him with it, whapping him on his head and
shoulders. The wrapper tore and bread, cold cuts, and shredded lettuce flew
through the air and fell onto the sidewalk.
    Satisfied,
she thrust what was left of the sandwich into his hand and stalked off.
    Adam
flicked a slice of tomato off his shirt. All right. He had it coming.
    People
inside the shop and those happening by were staring, their faces reflecting
curiosity, alarm, or amusement. A couple of women who witnessed the entire
scene glared at Adam like they wanted to finish what Kim started.
    For
the second time in one day, he had created a public scene. Good goin’,
Vostek.
    He
stuffed the remains of his lunch in a trash can and got into his truck. He knew
when to beat a hasty retreat.
    But
he still didn’t know what to do about Elyse.

 
     
     
     
     
    Chapter
Four
     
    Elyse
and Jason sat at a picnic table outside Daddy’s Bar-B-Q, eating lunch. The
aromas of smoky barbecue and hot grease enveloped them.
    “I
didn’t expect you back so soon.” She squirted some ketchup on her French fries.
“I figured you’d be occupied all day.” She allowed a bit of snark to
creep into her tone. She still thought it was a bad idea for Jason to go back
to his old boyfriend.
    Jason
lifted an eyebrow. “Be nice,” he purred. He was dressed casually but
impeccably, as always. Today it was preppy chic—he might have stepped right out
of an L.L. Bean catalog. It was a marvel how he managed to eat a sloppy pulled
pork sandwich without getting even a speck of sauce on himself. Elyse, though
she’d stuffed a wad of napkins in her neckline, still succeeded in getting
mustard down her front.
    “Coop’s
meeting with his attorneys this afternoon, so he’ll be busy the rest of the
day. He wants us to have dinner, though. I told him to call me, and I’ll let
him know what my plans are.”
    He
looked at Elyse, a question in his expression.
    “I
don’t need you to babysit me,” she informed him. “You go ahead and do whatever
you like.”
    “I
dragged you along on this trip,” he said. “I don’t want you to feel I’m
abandoning you.”
    “I
don’t feel abandoned. After all, you’re here eating lunch with me, after which
I am going to whip your ass at miniature golf.” Daddy’s offered not only
barbecue and soft-serve, but an impressive miniature golf course as well.
    “In
your dreams.”
    Elyse
chewed a bite of her hot dog, the spicy mustard tingling on her tongue. “So
tell me,” she said once she swallowed, “how did your breakfast with Coop go?”
    “Well,
he didn’t choke to death on his English muffin, if that’s what you’re hoping to
hear.” Jason’s tone was sardonic.
    She
snapped her fingers in mock disappointment. “Darn it.” Not that she actually
wanted Coop dead. She only wished he’d decide to move to Tibet and become a
monk. Or maybe get abducted by aliens, and become some three-eyed Martian’s
pet.
    Jason
turned serious. “Actually, it went well. Coop’s sorry about hurting Debra, but
he realizes it was wrong to marry her in the first place. This divorce is best
for both of them.”
    “Uh-huh.”
Elyse tried to keep the judgment out of her voice. Jason knew how she felt. Now
he needed someone to listen.
    “He’d
like to keep things as civil as possible. Mediation, if Debra agrees to it.”
    She
nodded. “That sounds like the best option.” She waited. “Is he being honest
about why he really wants the divorce?”
    Jason
stiffened and her heart sank like a cement block. “He doesn’t want to get me
involved. Things might get messy.”
    “He
doesn’t have to involve you to admit