CHAPTER 5
With a yelp of delight, Shaundra fell into Jacyn’s arms. Although her friend was always back and forth between France and the States, she’d been spending more and more time in Provence, since she seemed to want her daughter, Alicyn, to grow up in her father’s homeland. Hence, whenever Jacyn was Stateside, they got together.
Shaundra laughed as Jacyn pecked her on each cheek, as if she were a Frenchwoman born and bred. “I see France is rubbing off on you!”
“That’s not the only thing rubbing off on her,” came a familiar, saucy voice behind her. “Her and Alex are rubbing all sorts of things on all sorts of other things!”
The two women turned around to greet Sienna, Jacyn’s best friend, who was standing in the doorway, sporting a new waist-length hairdo of sapphire-blue passion twists, a leather jumpsuit and a wicked grin.
“Girl, why’re you spreading my business all over the place?”
“Huh. Like it’s a secret! All you need to do is take one look at your face to know that y’all be doing more wrestling than the WWF. Only a matter of time before there’s another little Dubois on the way!”
Jacyn tried to look offended at Sienna’s observation, but clearly she was pleased. The women fell into a three-way hug, and then proceeded to the spacious sitting room, where Jacyn already had platters of hors d’oeuvres and an enticing-looking array of refreshing drinks. Shaundra opened her mouth to remind her that she wasn’t having any alcohol since she was breastfeeding, but her hostess was already ahead of her, lifting a jug of what looked like a cantaloupe mocktail and waving it about in an unspoken question. Shaundra nodded her thanks and then accepted the glass.
She turned to Sienna. “Haven’t seen you in ages. How have you—”
In true Sienna style, the other girl cut her off, holding out her hands and wiggling her fingers in a gimme-gimme gesture. “Never mind that! Where is he? Auntie Sienna’s dying over here. Hand him over!”
She shook her head. “Benji’s home with the nanny.”
“What?”
Jacyn stepped in, standing up for her sister-mommy. “Cut her some slack. She’s barely been out of the house, much less away from her baby, since she had him! We moms need some time off too. Alicyn’s off with Alexandre since our nanny is on vacation. I needed a break.”
Sienna poured herself a glass of something that was certainly not alcohol free and made a big display of disappointment. “Aww, man!”
Shaundra patted her on the shoulder. “When you have yours, you’ll understand.”
“Oh, honey. The guy worthy of perpetuating this fabulous gene pool,” she pointed at herself with a flourish, “has not yet fallen from heaven.” And she had another sip.
Jacyn’s face grew a bit more serious as she addressed Shaundra. “What about you, babe?”
“What about me what, exactly?” Shaundra hedged, because she knew exactly what Jacyn meant.
“You and Nathanael. Did you two have a chance to talk things through?”
Shaundra immediately felt the flames rise to her face, and hoped to God the girls hadn’t seen it, or guessed what it meant. It had only been a week since that catastrophe of a dinner at the Belgian restaurant, when she’d allowed him full access to her body in the bathroom.
Shameful. Utterly and unquestionably shameful. The way she’d thrown open both her arms and legs and let him in. Wasn’t she supposed to be mad at him? She’d berated herself for days afterward, while simultaneously admitting that her body felt wonderful, all the way to the core, after what that man had done to it. Her only consolation for being so incautious was the knowledge that Nathanael had gotten another vasectomy within days of her positive pregnancy test with Benji, so at least there was no risk of another pregnancy. She hoped!
She realized both women were waiting for an answer, watching her intently. “Uh. Yeah. Sort of.”
“And?”
She looked guilty as sin. “And what?”
“And has he shown any interest in Benjamin? Anything at all?”
Shaundra felt her heart constrict with pain and looked away.
“Aw, baby,” Jacyn said sympathetically.
“Jerk!” Sienna declared.
“That’s her husband,” Jacyn reminded her softly, throwing an anxious glance Shaundra’s way.
“He’s still a jerk. Any man who would walk away from his own flesh and blood, his wife and newborn baby, is no man at all. You’re well rid of him.” Sienna narrowed her eyes. “Matter of fact, you should make it official. If I were in your shoes, I’d clean out all his accounts and then file for divorce. I’d get a good lawyer and take all the other shit I couldn’t withdraw from a bank. Then I would demand alimony and child support too. Let you and your baby live happily ever after on that dickhead’s dime—”