I can’t even wait to spill the beans to Melissa. She’s in the shower when I get home, but I just go right in anyways. We have that kind of relationship.
“You need to pee?” she asks. “Because if you have to number two, can you wait—”
“You will not believe what just happened!” I blurt out. “Grayson’s wife just came to his house and fucking attacked me!”
Melissa almost rips the shower curtain off its rings as she yanks it aside and looks at me. “Say what, now?”
“Yeah! I know, right?”
“He’s married?” she asks, puzzled. “How did we not know that?”
“What, we’re experts on his life?”
“I figured it would be online or something,” she muses. “Are you sure it was his wife?”
I frown at her. “No, you’re right, Melissa. It must have been another woman who came in screaming about her husband cheating on her.”
“Okay, okay,” she replies, raising her hands peacefully. “Looks like she didn’t actually get her hands on you, though.”
“She didn’t.” I nod. “Grayson protected me.” I can’t help but roll my eyes. It’s hard to appreciate a man getting you out of a shitty situation that he himself created.
“So…he sent you home while he dealt with her?”
“What? No! I got the hell out of there!”
Melissa nods and goes back to washing her hair. “Are you going back tonight or tomorrow?”
Is she serious? “Uh, never?”
Melissa peeks out at me again. “What are you talking about? He’s our meal ticket. Remember?”
“Not anymore!” I sigh as I take a seat on the counter.
“Oh, so you have a better idea of how to re-open my parlor and start seeing clients again?”
“Well, no, but I—”
“Okay, so then you’re going back.”
She says it so matter-of-factly that I almost don’t believe it. Here I was thinking she would take my side, but she’s actually suggesting I go back to work for him?
“Melissa—”
“Jennie, it’s really not a choice,” she says, sounding annoyed. “So a crazy bitch attacked you. I’m sure it won’t happen again. What’s the problem?”
I’m ready to keep arguing with her when I realize she’s right. If his wife showing up at the house and freaking out was the only issue, I’d wait for Grayson to handle it and assure me it will never happen again, and I’d go back to work.
But that’s really not the reason why I never want to see him again, and I don’t know how to explain that to her…
Luckily (or unluckily), there’s a knock at the downstairs door that stops me from having to explain myself. “You expecting someone?”
“No,” Melissa replies. “Maybe it’s your boyfriend.”
My heart skips a beat at her suggestion. Could Grayson really be outside? Cautiously, I leave the bathroom and walk slowly downstairs. When I reach the floor of the living room, I hear him call out to me.
“Jennie! Jennie, she’s not my wife! Are you there? Just let me explain. I can explain everything!”
Oh, bullshit. Here come the lies. Men always lie. Just another reason why I’ve never been comfortable around them.