Blank Slate Kate

Chapter 18

"So do you remember it all yet? You and him and your perfect marriage?"

"Of course I do, Jake. That's why I'm sitting here in Toronto with you guys while he drives back to Ottawa."

Hannah chuckles and Jake says, "No need to be obnoxious. Your mother-in-law has that one covered."

"Jake!"

I smile at Hannah. "Actually, he's right. And he doesn't know the half of it." I tell them about the various cracks she delivered then say, "And she called him five times while we had breakfast this morning, with five equally stupid excuses."

"Like what?"

"Was he sure the hotel checkout was at eleven? Did he think she should wear her black sweater or would that be too warm for the drive? Would he like her to pick him up a bagel so he could eat it in the car?"

"But you were at that amazing waffle place. He hardly needed more food."

I laugh. "She wanted him to admit where we were so she could come and pick on me some more. And it was amazing, so thanks for the recommendation."

Not just the food had been great, frankly. With the secret, the saga of Colleen, he'd obviously been trying to hide before out in the open we were able to talk more freely. He told me all about our daily lives together back in Ottawa, and I liked what I heard, and I also liked the feel of his strong arms around me and his lips against my forehead when we said goodbye. He'd promised to come see me the next weekend, without Claire, and I'm surprised at how much I miss him already.

"No problem." Hannah smiles at me. "So, is he cute?"

Jake snorts.

"What?" Hannah and I say in near-unison.

"I'm right here."

"Why does that matter? We're talking about her husband. He's obviously got great taste in jewelry." She taps my right hand where my wedding rings are. "I want to know if he's cute too."

Jake rolls his eyes but Hannah ignores him and looks at me expectantly.

"Well," I say slowly, not sure how to describe him in front of Jake, "he's tall. And blond with blue eyes."

"Taller than Jake?"

"By an inch or two," I say, and Jake mutters something about high-heeled shoes.

Hannah looks shocked. "He wears heels?"

I elbow Jake. "Of course not. When we met him he was wearing a suit so of course he had on dress shoes. Typical businessman stuff. For the weekend it was pants and loafers with button-down shirts. No jeans, at least not when I saw him."

"Stuffy jerk," Jake mumbles but Hannah gives me a dreamy smile. "I love men who dress up a little even on the weekend. It's so nice to see one out of ripped jeans and dirty t-shirts."

We all look at Jake's knee peering from the rip in his jeans and Hannah and I laugh.

Jake doesn't. "So he dresses well, big deal. He's a jerk, though."

"You hardly know him," I say, stung. "You saw him once. So what do you know?"

"What do you know," he snaps back, "really? He's telling you what supposedly happened but you have no way to know for sure. He could be making it all up."

This could be true, but what sane man would make up an affair? "I don't think so. And anyhow, I'll talk to my brother tonight and find out more."

After I got home the previous afternoon, I'd emailed Ethan again using the 'monkey butler' code phrase. He answered within an hour, saying he could talk to me via Skype the next night at nine my time if I wanted. Once I used the ever-helpful Google to figure out what Skype was and asked Hannah if she could lend me a headset, I wrote Ethan back and said that'd be great. Hannah had come over to deliver the headset and see my apartment and chat about how my life had changed since I saw her last weekend, and Jake had apparently come over to bitch about Ryan.