An Imperfect Love Story - Book 8

What Now?

LENA POV

Today had been a rather interesting day. It wasn't a bad day so to say, but after my talk with Denni last night, I wasn't fully sure how to feel. The conversation we had over dinner that somehow dug into my past, a subject I had been trying to dodge, had almost sent me over the edge. Before I let it fully take control of me where I could easily fall back into old habits of taking off and running, I refused to let it and just excused myself to the bathroom to try to get a grip! Which I did, and I stayed and faced it the best I could even revealing the reason I was fired from my teaching job in La Jolla.

Telling Denni that alone was rather big for me to reveal considering I was still trying to process that in therapy, that along with many other things. I had come close to just spilling about my gambling but I just couldn't. I couldn't find the words because well, I was just still much too terrified to admit that giant failure and embarrassment.

Denni had been very supportive of course to the point that I wondered sometimes if she was still too good to be true. Maybe my life had been a tad narrow to some extent, or I had simply forgotten that there were people like her in the world: patient, kind, understanding and nonjudgmental.

Truthfully, I realized since being with Stef all those years I hadn't truly broadened my horizons in quite some time in terms of meeting new people or actually people in general. In some sense I had forgotten that individuals like Denni existed in this world, and honestly the reminder was like a breath of fresh air to say the least, but I was still cautious.

As I pull up to Stef's house to bring Corey his Walkman back that he left in the clothes hamper and to talk to her about Frankie's new job at the Round Rock, I shut my car off and sigh. When I left work I told Denni I may stop by her place again this evening for dinner and stay over, but I wasn't fully sure yet. I honestly needed to clear my head and maybe paint a little while trying to gather my thoughts.

Exiting my car I head up the walkway and ring the front doorbell. I always feel strange doing so despite the fact that this has been going on for almost a year. It just still felt so foreign at times that we had separate lives despite the fact that our children in some sense forced us to talk and communicate, and that in itself could be challenging.

Hearing the door unlock Stef answers it in her uniform, and I smile and wave as she pushes open the screen door.

"Hey, Stef. I know this is unexpected, and I didn't mean to just drop by without asking but Corey left this in his clothes hamper. I'm sure he is probably wondering where it went," I laugh softly as I hand her the Walkman and earphones as she looks at me rather strangely.

"Ya? I could have sworn I smashed this. You were there, right?" She takes the electronic as I nod and rearrange my purse on my arm.

"Of course. I...he said your mom got it? You were giving him a trial run?"

The look on her face says everything as she slams it on the front table by the door and looks back at me. "Did he now? Interesting." Her jawline tightens as I sigh and shake my head as I rub the bridge of my nose for I can now fully see Corey was lying and I had not caught on.

"Okay, I should have known, Stef. Of course you didn't tell him that. How could I be so damn naive?" Looking back at her, she is scratching the back of her neck and motions me inside as I let out a frustrated sigh for was Corey really serious? Why the hell did he behave this way?

"Come in. Come in, Len. Don't worry about it I'll handle his lying ass."

Nodding my head I step inside as I set my purse by the door and slide off my sandals as I follow her to her kitchen. "You thirsty? The kids are still at the bakery, and my mother took Jude over there as well." She says over her shoulder as I clear my throat. Her kitchen really was sweet as I see new photos of the kids on the fridge with her along with a few drawings Jude did. There still is the one with the both us and our children as I look at it and smile.