The Fling

13

Mia grabbed my shoulder. "So that's it? You aren't seeing him again even though you still have tonight?"

I stared at the beet and goat cheese salad in front of me. "No."

I'd made a hasty retreat from Shawn's room once it became glaringly clear that my words had upset him. After I foolishly told him I was afraid of developing feelings for him, he muttered something about misreading me, so I got dressed and left without saying goodbye.

Now I was at dinner with my friends, feeling like complete shit after sharing what went down. I could try to fix things, but what was the point? Even if Shawn and I kissed and made up, tomorrow we'd be saying goodbye all over again. Maybe it was for the best that it happened the way it did.

"I'm sorry you're sad, Abi," Eloise said softly. "I really hoped you'd be able to walk away feeling good about you and Shawn."

"I don't have regrets, but I didn't want things to end like this. I pictured us hugging goodbye and wishing each other well after one last great night of sex."

"That may have been a tad bit unrealistic," El told me. "It's easy to amicably part ways after a one night stand, but you two did it more than once."

Seven. We'd had sex seven times, and we'd done a lot of other intimate things, too. "That's a fair point. Let's move on, okay? Tomorrow we have our facials and then we check out by noon, right? Do we want to grab lunch in town before driving back home?"

Mia squealed. "Funny you should mention that! El and I were chatting by the pool and had the same idea. There's a place called Farm that is known for their crepes."

"Perfect!" I said with forced cheer. "I love a good crepe!"

As we left the dining room, I tried not to look at the next group who were waiting to be seated, but I couldn't help it. Shawn and his friends were not in the hallway, which was odd. They may have gone out to eat, or perhaps they were running late. Or he was avoiding me.

The girls and I went to our wing, changed into pajamas, and then met in Mia's room to watch a movie. Lizzie sent me several texts about their last day of vacation, and I remembered that she'd wanted Shawn's autograph or a photo. I felt guilty for not getting one before things turned sour, though explaining that I had a step-daughter might have led to me confessing that I had children of my own.

Around midnight, I crawled into bed, and once again my old friend insomnia plagued me. Funny how I'd slept soundly almost every other night at the resort. I spent hours overthinking everything from wearing a sexy bikini to the pool that second day to opening up to Shawn about my cheating husband and weight issues. I also mentally kicked myself for making it clear that I could fall for him, which probably freaked him out since he wasn't looking for more than anything casual.

The next morning, after coffee and fruit, we went to our final treatment. The universe had apparently turned on me, because I had an allergic reaction to whatever was put on my face, causing it to immediately turn red and puffy. The woman providing the service gave me something to help, but she told me it might be days before the blotchiness fully disappeared. Given my appearance, we got the crepes to go and ate them in Mia's car before embarking on the two hour drive back to LA.

I thanked my friends profusely when they dropped me off at my house. Cosmo greeted me with joyous enthusiasm when I opened the door, and once I'd given him lots of love, I made a mental note to buy something for Jared. I knew he would refuse payment for taking care of my dog but would never turn down gourmet food or a restaurant gift card.

The house was musty after being closed up for almost a week, so I shut off the A/C and opened a bunch of windows. Palm Springs had been hot, but Los Angeles was a delightful seventy degrees. I started a load of laundry, went through the stack of mail on my kitchen island, and ran the vacuum, because Cosmo was a perpetual shedder. I still had time to kill, so I did a quick spin on my Peloton, showered, and dabbed a bit of the anti-inflammatory cream on my tender face.

I was just finishing up when the doorbell rang, causing the dog to bark loudly. My excitement to see my kids was overwhelming, so I ran down the stairs and opened the door. Hannah and Bertie flung themselves into my open arms and I started to cry.

"What's wrong, Mommy?" Han asked.

"I missed you so much! These are happy tears, honey."

"Your face is all red," Bertie commented.

"It'll go away. Don't worry," I assured him before pulling Lizzie in for a big hug of her own.

"Did you get sunburned?" she asked.

"Facial gone wrong. Thank god it happened on the last day and not the first!"

My former father-in-law, Bertram, brought in their luggage and set it in the foyer. He and Gina both looked exhausted, which wasn't surprising. A wedding and then a trip to Disney World with three kids would be hard on anyone. "We should get going," he said. "It's been a long day."

I thanked them both before they headed home to Calabasas, and then I hugged all three kids again. Lizzie was staying with us until Bert and Reagan returned home from their honeymoon in Bali.

There wasn't much food in the house, so I popped a frozen pizza in the oven. While it cooked, they told me about their vacation, though they had little to say about the wedding. By the time dinner was over, they were all yawning nonstop.

"You three have jet lag," I observed, "and tomorrow is a school day, so it's early bedtime for everyone, including me."

"There are only two days left of school this week," Lizzie whined. "What's the point of going?"

"Weren't you complaining to me about the absences? You need to go so you can turn in your work. Plus it'll be fun to see your friends again."

She rolled her eyes. "I guess."

By eight, the two younger kiddos were sound asleep. I took Cosmo out to the backyard to play ball, and was soon joined by Lizzie. "We told you all about our trip, but you didn't say much about yours. How was it?" she asked.

"It was really good for me. I had two to three classes or spa treatments a day, and the food was delish and healthy. It was wonderful spending time with my besties, too."

"And you got to meet Shawn!"

"About that..." I started. "Unfortunately I never got that autograph or pic you wanted. I'm really sorry I didn't think to ask that night at the bar."

"Bummer, but I guess it's good you didn't act like a fan around him. What was he like when you hung out? Did he say if he's dating anyone?"

"He's an amazing  guy," I said honestly. "He listens to people, makes eye contact, and replies with thoughtful comments. It was also clear that he's a good friend to those close to him. As for his love life, he didn't mention it when we were at Tonga Hut."

"Is he beautiful up close?"

"Yes." An image of him hovering over me during sex flashed through my mind.

"You should have asked him to follow you on Instagram, and then maybe he'd follow me."

"I don't need a celebrity scrutinizing my infrequent posts about you kids and Cosmo," I laughed.

"He'd unfollow you after a few weeks, because your account is pretty lame."

I clutched my chest in mock-horror. "I'm offended!" She wasn't wrong, though. I rarely went on social media and posted even less.

"You know I'm joking! You're gorg, Abi, so he'd probably slip into your DMs. Imagine Dad's reaction if you started dating Shawn Mendes! He'd shit himself." She got up from her lounge chair. "I'm heading to bed."

"I love you, Lizzie."

"I love you, too." I wasn't sure what to make of our conversation, though it definitely eased my guilt a little more.

Before going to sleep, I sent Bert a quick text letting him know the kids made it home. He replied saying thanks and that he'd pick Lizzie up Monday evening. In an effort to be a better person, I sent him one more message congratulating him on his marriage. He left that one on read.