“Shut up. Do you think I want to hear your idiotic excuses?” My blood pressure was through the roof. And best of all, the puppies had woken up and were making their sad, scared whines.
“Excuses? Excuses for what?” he asked, playing even dumber than he was already acting. “For going out for a drink with my friends?”
I gave him a forced laugh. “Yeah, that’s right, Beau. For going out with all your friends.” My eyes couldn’t help staring at his lipstick covered self. I’d never been so revolted before. I had to take a few deep breaths before I reached in to grab the puppies out. “Hey little babies,” I said, trying my best not to crack.
“Leave them, I’ll take them out,” he said, attempting to stand.
“You’ve been active enough tonight. Put your feet up, you must be exhausted,” I snapped as I grabbed the leashes and rushed out the door.
My heart was not only broken, it was stomped on. Not only from Beau, but also by stilettos worn by faceless, big breasted, small brained whores in tiny dresses. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I set the dogs down and someone called my name, “Gigi,” I heard from a few yards in front of me.
His voice made me jump. Holding my hand to my heart, I said, “Isaac, you scared me.” I’d been so mad and in my own head, I hadn’t paid attention to my surroundings.
“Sorry, girl. You okay?” he asked, stepping closer to me. “Heard the rukus.”
I snapped the puppy’s leashes on and stood back up. “Sorry about the noise. I lost my temper, I’m afraid.”
“Gigi, you okay?” his eyes were warm and sympathetic.
“Not particularly,” I said, my voice hitching.
His hand reached out and took the leashes from me. “Come on, let’s go walk the dogs.” The instant his arm went around my shoulders, I started crying. “Aww, sweetheart, it’s gonna be okay.”
We walked like that, Isaac holding me close, as I sniffled and cried like an idiot. When we were out of the gate, I asked him, “Weren’t you out tonight?” I asked, he smelled clean and not at all like booze or other women.
He chuckled so hard my body shook with him. “Not my scene anymore, G.”
“I guess it’s still Beau’s scene apparently,” I said, wiping under my eyes, wishing like heck I could stop crying.
“Nah, he just got caught up in the bullshit, again. Look, you wanna talk to my wife? She can guide you better than I can about this. I was not the—easiest person to get along with when we first started dating. To put it mildly,” he said, his tone incredibly remorseful.
I gave him a quick squeeze and said, “No, I don’t want to bother you or her. I got my hopes up. It was stupid to think he’d actually want me. Just me.”
He sighed, reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Two taps later. “Yeah, baby. I know it’s late. Look, Beau went out with the guys and came home trashed. Gigi’s beside herself. Can you—” he breathed out a sigh of relief, “yeah, you’re the best. Hold on.”
The phone was shoved in my face. Before I even grabbed it, I could hear a woman’s voice rapid firing, “Gigi, are you there? Listen to me, my girl. These boys are idiots. Complete and utter morons. Tell me what happened.”
I gave Francisca the lowdown, feeling like there was little choice in the matter. “Lipstick? Multiple colors? The damn dog. Sheesh. Sounds familiar, though. Isaac had a wild side, too. He came home more than once like that and sometimes worse. You know what I finally did?”
“What?”
“Packed my bags and left. Left a note that said, ‘It was fun while it lasted. All my best, Francisca,’” she said, then broke into a laughing fit so loud, I had to hold the phone away from my ear. Isaac cringed, a sheepish smile on his face. He took the dogs further down the walkway.
“I’ve never seen so many flowers in all my life, Gigi. He sent them to my work, to my home. To my mother’s home. My two sisters. Fucking flowers everywhere. Our homes looked like funeral parlors. But do you think I’d answer his calls?”
I took a wild guess. “No?”
“That’s right. You know what I did, instead?”
I shook my head and said, “No.”
“I went out. I danced with men. I flirted with men. Most especially when his friends were around to see.”
“Uh oh.”
She giggled so loud I had to hold the phone away again. “Yep. Isaac had an actual shit fit. One night, his best friend was at the same club I was. Called Isaac. Ten minutes later, Isaac’s punching the poor guy I was dancing with. It was a close, sexy dance, but still. He didn’t deserve a black eye.”
“What I’m telling you, sister, is do not, under any circumstances, let that idiot boyfriend of yours get away with that bullshit. Learn from me. I let it slide for too long. Thought it would get better. It did not get better.”