“You have a beautiful home.” Vashti flashes a smile at Josiah. “And I love hanging out with the kids.”
“They love hanging out with you too.” Josiah grabs his jacket from the back of the couch and slips it on. “But we should get going.”
He proffers his car keys to Vashti. “Could you give us a sec, Vash? Wait in the car for just a minute? I’ll be right out.”
Surprise and what may be concern skid across her expression. A quick slide that she checks before it fully forms. Disciplined, this one. A great match for him in that at least.
“Of course.” She takes the keys, and I don’t miss the small squeeze she gives his fingers. “Night, Yasmen.”
“See you tomorrow,” I say, reining in my irritation, which is probably completely out of proportion to this situation,butstillreal.
Once she leaves the living room, walks to the foyer, and closes the front door behind her, Josiah looks at me, his expression guarded. I remember how this striking face looks happy, open. I haven’t really seen him that way in a long time, but I do remember.
“Something you’d like to tell me?” I ask, perching on the arm of the couch, trying my damnedest to look harmless.
“Vashti and I—”
“What the hell is she doing in my house?”
Okay. That came out wrong.
Or maybe it came out exactly as Ifeltit, but I wouldn’t havesaidit if my emotions weren’t in freefall. He quirks a dark brow at me, his mouth tightening in the corners.
“Sorry.” I clear my throat and smooth my dress. “You were saying?”
“You have no reason to be upset.”
“Nothing makes a woman more upset than her husband telling her she has nothing to be upset about.”
“Ex-husband,” he corrects softly.
“Right.” A stiff smile takes hold of my face. “Ex-husband, amantelling a woman she should stay calm. It’s how we know shit’s happening we should be upset about.”
“Nothing’s happening that shouldn’t be.” He gives me a look from under dark lashes that hides nothing and is unashamed. “Two consenting adults—”
“That phrase usually precedes fucking.”
“And what if it does?” The release of his words is swift, sharp. A knife unsheathed like he was waiting for me to piss him off. “I’m single. She’s single. You’re acting like we corrupted the kids in some way. You’re acting…”
Jealous.
He doesn’t finish it. He doesn’t have to. I’m not jealous. I’m just…hell. Thrown.
“I thought we agreed we’d discuss anyone we started dating being around the kids.” I hesitate. “I mean, is that what this is? You and Vashti are, what…dating?”
He huffs an exasperated breath, like I’m bothering him with these basic questions and have no right to know.
Do I have a right to know?
I’ve been Josiah’s friend, lover, business partner, the mother of his children, his wife. For the first time, I’m not sure where we stand. WhereIstand with him. What I am to him.
“It’s really new,” he finally says. “We just clicked working so closely and started spending time together. And it’s not like the kids aren’t already around her all the time, so I didn’t feel the need to introduce her to them. They may have guessed, but I haven’t told them for sure.”
“But you will?”
Why am I holding my breath?
“Probably. We’ve hung out a few times.” He puts up a hand and shoots me a warning look. “And before you call me out on that, we said we’d give a heads-up for the sake of the kids. Not each other. I don’t have to tell you when I start dating someone, and I don’t want to know when…”