As I walked to my car, I looked up to find either Shelly or Lynn framed in the doorway. I couldn’t tell which one it was, but my gut said it was Shelly, and it also said that Mason had just opened a big old can of stinky, smelly worms for me.
There was no way I would ever allow Shelly Punter within one hundred yards of my office.
And what was even worse was that every time I closed my eyes, I could see Shelly standing naked in that church, her hands over her nipples, and all the rest of her…well…there. Right in front of my face.
Chapter 5
Shelly
“I’m sorry I was late today,” I said to Lynn as she changed Jason’s diaper in the nursery of their home. The house was finally empty, and Lynn had exchanged hostess duties for baby duties, while Mason cleaned the kitchen.
“Why were you late?” Lynn asked, as she cooed over Jason’s naked stomach, blowing loud raspberries against his petal-soft skin. He pumped his arms and legs, his smile so cherub-like that my ovaries ached.
“Getting my dress at the drycleaner’s took forever.” I didn’t tell her about chopping the dickhead in the throat, because she would have scolded me if I did. “Then I had to change clothes.” I took a breath. “Again, I’m sorry I was late. I didn’t mean to be.”
She blew another raspberry on Jason’s stomach and said absently, “You and Clark, huh?”
“Me and Clark, what?”
She started to wrestle Jason’s legs and arms into a pair of pajamas. “I just assumed—” She shook her head. “Never mind. I read something into the situation that must not have been there.”
“What exactly did you read?” I got up and walked to stand next to the changing table so I could look at her face. She wore guilt like some women wore a bikini that was too small.
“I’m sorry. I thought you had seduced him at the back of the church.” Her cheeks flamed and she looked everywhere but at me.
“What gave you that idea?” I had to bring my voice down a few octaves, because the level of noise would scare the baby.
“Your hair was all messed up.” She put socks on Jason, his little feet flailing in the air as she tried to catch them. “And your dress was tucked into your panties. You flashed your butt cheeks at all the guests. I told you that you shouldn’t wear thongs with dresses.”
“You act like they’ve never seen butt cheeks before.
” I couldn’t contain my snort.
“I doubt any of them have seen butt cheeks at a christening,” she muttered.
Suddenly, it hit me and shame overwhelmed me. “Did I embarrass you?”
“Not at all,” she rushed to say. She took a deep breath in through her nose. “Well, maybe a little, but only because I assumed you screwed him. But now that I know you didn’t, I’m not worried about it, and you shouldn’t be either.”
“I didn’t. I wouldn’t do anything to ruin your day. Not on purpose.”
She looked up at me. Her blue eyes, so like my own, stared into mine. “I know you wouldn’t. I’m sorry I assumed.” She smiled at me. “Forgive me?”
She held a bottle out toward me, and my insides got all warm. “I can feed him?”
She motioned for me to sit down in the rocking chair, and then she passed Jason to me. He rubbed his eyes, already tired. I tucked him into the crook of my arm, lifted his bottle to his mouth, and started to rock.
“He saw me naked,” I suddenly blurted out.
She froze, where she had been folding tiny clothes on the other side of the room. “Who?”
“William Clark.” Jason lifted his fingers to my lips and absently played with my mouth, his eyelids growing heavy as he fought to stay awake.
“William Clark saw you naked? How did that happen?” She spun to face me.
I pulled Jason’s fingers from my lips and let him hold my index finger instead.
“I dashed across the hallway naked and bam! There he was.”