An Imperfect Love Story - Book 8

Meeting for Dinner (Part Two)

DENNI POV

Stefanie Foster was something else, and the longer this dinner continued, the more I could see what a bully she truly was. Not one part of her did I like, and I could clearly see why Lena was so hesitant to share a thing with me when we first met because who I was looking at was the reason. It is clearly evident to me that Stefanie Foster had a knack for trying to intimidate people, and she was used to doing it. She practically tried to railroad me as well as Mike, who was such a lovely man, and I wondered how he could stand her, much less work with her.

Being that no part of me cared for this woman, I was doing my very best to calm this situation down because Stefanie Foster was an angry child who clearly was very much still in love with Lena, like I had expressed to her out in the driveway a few weeks back. But sadly for her, Lena was no longer a free woman, and she was no longer her wife, and I was very pleased about that considering I felt this woman somehow verbally abused Lena whether she was drunk or not. It was possible she was a good mother, and I had no doubt she loved her children, but goodness, there was not one pleasant thing about her at all. Not one single thing.

"Yes, Frankie loves to bake. She picked it up when we lived in New York actually." Lena says as I turn to look at her and smile. I felt terrible that she was so nervous about this dinner which was one reason I was trying very hard to turn the conversation around. I can also see that Stefanie has a horrific effect on her. "Right Stef, she started then?"

"Yeah, love, she did. Now she's better than me," Stef replies as she barely looks at anyone right now.

"Oh, you taught her to bake then?" I ask feeling slightly annoyed at the affectionate word she used toward Lena as Stef glares right at me again with that cold stare that only a two year old would have.

"Yes. I taught her. I teach many things to our kids. Baking, basketball, sports, music...ya know, an assortment."

"I never implied you didn't." I snap back as I can see she still wants to continue this debate with me, one she is going to lose and very badly as she smiles once again at me and the tension continues to grow between us.

"She won a few contests and stuff right, Stef?" Mike asks as she nods her head.

"She did, and since she works at the bakery, Julius allows her to make up desserts and experiment. Her things sell so well." Lena chimes in. "But she also sketches. She's actually very good at it, and I'm not just saying that."

"That's wonderful. You must have taught her well, Stef." I try to compliment as she lights a third smoke and looks right back at me clearing ignoring the fact that I was trying to be nice.

I turn to Lena now and smile, "I didn't realize she liked to sketch. I'll have to ask her to show me her work once I meet her, of course."

"So what about you, Denise?" Stef interrupts me as I look back at her. "Any children back home in Chicago?" She asks as I smile and I take a bite of my cheesecake.

"I have one daughter, Ivory. She's in college though."

"Nice, whereabouts?" Stef asks as I see the fire in her eyes, and it is annoying me more and more. It's as if she is trying to find something she'd love to debate about further, and I was not going to allow her to gain the upper hand, if it was the last thing I did.

"Not too far from here actually which is why I took this summer teaching job so I could be close by, and we could spend time together. She's an art major as well as history."

"Following in Mom's footsteps, huh?" She says smoking her cigarette as all I hear from her is a condensing tone one that is irritating me more than I would like it to.