She wanted me to tell Deacon what they were doing.
Maybe this all really was a ploy to make her ex jealous.
That meant this probably wouldn’t last long…and would die out quickly.
Which was good for me.
Eleven
Deacon
A knock sounded at the door.
Cleo didn’t walk in then, so I knew it wasn’t her.
Then the doorbell rang.
That meant it was Valerie.
I left the dining table and walked to the front door, opening it without checking the peephole.
My assumption was right. “Hey, Valerie.” I looked down and saw Derek beside her. “Hey, little man. How was school?”
“Super awesome.” He moved into me and hugged me.
I chuckled and patted his shoulder. “That’s great, Derek.” I lifted my gaze and looked at her. “You need me to watch him until tomorrow?” I assumed she had another date, which was great news for me. Hoped she fell in love and got remarried—and forgot about me.
“Actually, I need to talk to you about something.” She was all business, inviting herself inside. “Derek, go to your room.”
“I just got here,” he argued.
“Derek.” She raised her voice.
“Alright…alright.” Derek walked down the hallway with his backpack on. He shut his bedroom door a moment later.
I hadn’t seen Valerie act this way in a long time, so naturally, I was concerned. “Everything alright, Valerie?”
She placed her hands on her hips, her attitude flaring. “I don’t want Cleo around our son anymore.”
I stared at her blankly, having no idea where her rage came from. It was so random. I thought she’d finally forgotten about Cleo. Unless she figured out we were together… I had no idea how she would make that assumption unless Derek told her, but he never would. “Why?” I didn’t incriminate myself by assuming she was right.
“Because she’s trash.” She raised her voice even though she didn’t want our son to hear. “She’s a homewrecker. She’s a terrible influence, and I don’t want her around you—and definitely not our son.”
I still wasn’t following. “Homewrecker? You aren’t making sense right now.”
“She’s a whore, alright?”
Now, I got mad. “Don’t talk about her like that, Valerie.”
“I can say whatever I want when she slept with my boyfriend.”
I stopped breathing, my lungs locking in place because my body suddenly didn’t need air anymore. My ribs were stuck too. My entire body shut down because I just didn’t know how else to react. “What do you mean, she slept with your boyfriend?”
“As in, she had an affair with Jake while he was married, and that was why he got divorced.”
Now, it got worse—and I felt worse.
She slept with Jake Patterson?
The man who screamed at her for not delivering his… Oh shit.
That was a lie.
She lied to me.
Fucking lied to me.
And he was married? Not only did she sleep with one of her clients, but a married one?
So, I wasn’t the only exception to her rule?
How many others had there been?
Why didn’t she tell me?
Valerie crossed her arms over her chest, furious. “See? She’s a skank.”
I couldn’t defend her because I was too blindsided.
She’d had an affair?
She’d snuck around behind her own client’s back? She knew when the wife was out of the house and took advantage of that knowledge?
Would she really do something like that?
The woman I loved?
“I always knew she was a bitch. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I knew there was something I didn’t like about her. She lies to her clients, she breaks up marriages, who knows what else she does? I don’t want that person going through my stuff, checking my mail, having my keys.”
I still couldn’t think straight. I was fucking overwhelmed.
“I’m going to make sure her ass is fired. Jake told me not to say anything, but it’s a disservice to everyone who lives here that Cleo is a liar. They deserve to know what kind of person is in their lives.”
My heart started to beat faster, realizing the one thing Cleo was afraid of was about to happen. “Don’t do that.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because even if everything you’ve heard is true, losing her job is a harsh punishment. And she’s great at her job.”
“Whatever,” she snapped. “Who else has she slept with? The women in this building need to know their marriages are at risk.”
“Valerie, come on.”
“I want her gone.” She turned to the door.
“Valerie.”
She turned back around, her hands on her hips, her nostrils flaring.
“Don’t tell anyone.”
“Why?” she snapped.
“Just don’t.”
She rolled her eyes. “Your misplaced affection has impaired your judgment.” She turned back around.
I wasn’t just pissed off. I was hurt. If this was true…I didn’t even know Cleo. But I still covered her ass, even though I didn’t owe her anything. “Valerie, please.” I moved to the door and blocked it so she couldn’t get out.
“Why?”
“We’re only hearing his side of the story—”
“Unless Jake is a psycho and made the whole thing up, I don’t see how there can be much deviation from what he said. She slept with him. Period. He was married. Period. She ripped apart a marriage. Period.” She moved to the door again.