Totlandia: Summer Read Online Free PDF Page B

will always be your friend, and that moving on is the right thing for her to do.”
    “Even if it is, how does that justify Ally falling in love with Brady?” she countered. “Women have codes, too. If you don’t want to be seen as a home wrecker, you don’t come on to another woman’s husband.”
    “But that’s my point! Technically, Ally isn’t a home wrecker. Jade and Brady parted ways before any of you met. And besides, I thought you said that Brady and Ally haven’t, you know, ‘done the deed.’”
    “They haven’t! But what does that have to do with anything?”
    He shrugged. “Men like their women one of two ways—either sweet and slow, or fast and easy.”
    “By that, you mean you see us as either virgins or whores.”
    “Sounds crude, but yes. It’s only when we get to know you that we see that you’re a bit of both, and we learn to appreciate you for who you are. No one is perfect. But sometimes a man’s ideals get in the way of his good sense. Or maybe sharing a history with a woman isn’t reason enough to go on loving her for the rest of his life.”
    “Tell me about it.” Jillian’s bitterness came out in a forced whisper.
    She stared at her reflection in one of the shiny aluminum pots hanging over her baking counter. In the months since Scott left her and the girls, she’d earned a few more wrinkles around her eyes. At first it had bothered her. The last thing she needed was to feel older. Over time, she’d come to accept them. Each tiny line represented a hard-fought battle—getting into the club, and the members’ accolades over her challenge events; her small victories over Scott in their alimony fight; and above all, the success of the pie shop and her newfound sense of independence.
    Caleb pulled her down into his lap. She loved the way he wrapped an errant strand of her hair around his index finger. She loved his adoring gaze. If he noticed her wrinkles, obviously they didn’t matter to him.
    She loved that the most about him.
    And she loved him with all her heart when he murmured, “Jillian, if you hadn’t let go of Scott, you wouldn’t have opened your heart to me.”
    She was still wrapped in his arms, still lost in his kiss, when it dawned on her that her front doorbell was chiming.
    The haze of happiness that enveloped her faded completely when whoever it was started pounding on the door.
    Reluctantly, Jillian climbed out of Caleb’s lap. “The girls played hard at the park this morning, but I better get that before they wake up from their naps.”
    She ran to the front door. A cold dread washed over her as she glanced into the peephole.
    Scott.
    What the hell was he doing here?
    “Open up, Jillian. I know you’re in there.” He practically screamed his threat.
    “I don’t have to, Scott. In fact, if you keep up your shouting, I’ll call the police.”
    “Good! Do it! That way, I’ll have a proper escort into this monster mansion. I’m not leaving until I get my computer files, even if I have to tear this damn place apart, board by board.”
    Oh…hell. The files.
    The last time she’d seen him was right before Christmas. He’d come calling with gifts for the girls—which, he blithely admitted, had been chosen by Victoria.
    Jillian took joy in tossing them back in his face, along with the real reason for his visit: an old computer, which had been left behind when he’d moved in with Victoria.
    But before handing it over, she removed some of the files it contained—some client’s old financial statements, work-related correspondence, not to mention Victoria’s money shots.
    Except for the private porn stash, she’d uploaded the rest into her iCloud account because she knew Scott would eventually come begging for them. “Ha! It took you long enough!”
    Scott kicked the door. “So you admit it? You have them? Why, you—you bitch! ”
    She threw the door open. “How dare you call me that! What’s wrong, Scott? Victoria won’t pose for you naked now