Already Home. Susan Mallery
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She hesitated. “I used to be so inventive in my cooking. Aaron would pick my ideas apart, make me feel they weren’t any good, then a few weeks later, they would show up on the menu. When I asked about that, he said he’d made changes, improved them. But I wasn’t ever sure he did. I used to take chances.”
She pressed her lips together. “Sorry. Too much information.”
“It’s not. What you’re saying makes a lot of sense.”
“You mean it explains why I’m not willing to do anything without charts and a plan? Structure makes me feel safe. It wasn’t always that way.”
Violet eyed her over the glass. “Don’t take this wrong, but I don’t think you started it. I’ll bet it was Aaron.”
“You think?”
Jenna thought about their relationship. She wanted to say he’d always been there for her. That he was supportive. But she knew it wasn’t true.
“He wanted me to be less than him,” she said slowly.
“Maybe you scared him.”
“Nothing scared Aaron.”
“Everyone is afraid of something.” Violet spoke with a confidence Jenna envied. “If a guy pretends he’s not, he’s faking it. Trust me. I have experience when it comes to lousy guys. Show me a nice guy who wants to take me out and treat me well and I yawn. Parade a few losers in front of me and I can’t get there fast enough.”
“That’s not good,” Jenna said.
“Tell me about it. I have a whole list of wonderful men I’m not the least bit interested in. When you’re ready for rebound guy, just let me know. I can suggest a couple dozen.”
Jenna laughed. “I’m not the rebound guy type.”
“Sure you are. Everyone is. It’s kind of required. You’ve ended one relationship and you need to think about starting the next. Rebound guy gives you confidence.”
“What does he get out of it?”
“Sex with minimal effort. Guys love that.”
Jenna shifted in her seat. “I’ve never been much of a guy magnet. I’m not sure rebound guy will be worth the effort it’ll take to get him.”
Violet raised her dark eyebrows. “Have you looked in the mirror lately? The effort we’re talking about is little more than wearing a short skirt and smiling.”
If only, Jenna thought wryly. “I’m not good with guys.”
“I doubt that, but even if it’s true, it doesn’t matter. The rebound relationship is about having fun. You get out there and remind yourself that yes, you can have a good time with someone else. You go out a couple of times, have hot sex, wake up feeling refreshed and move on.”
Jenna wondered what Violet would say if she confessed to the fact that she’d only been with one other guy before Aaron. The thought of sex with a stranger was terrifying.
“My parents met in college,” she said. “They knew right away that they were meant for each other. I always thought it would be like that for me.”
“I didn’t know it was like that for anyone,” Violet murmured.
“I was holding out for perfect. Instead I got Aaron.”
“Maybe it’s time to try fun instead.”
“I’ve never thought of dating as fun,” Jenna admitted. “I guess I was doing it wrong.”
“You’re doing it again,” Violet said.
“Doing. Oh, right.” The put-down thing.
What was with her? When had she become that kind of person—always seeing the worst in herself?
“Okay,” she said, straightening. “Rebound guy. You swear it’s fun?”
“It can be. Give it some thought and when you’re ready, I’ll hook you up with Mr. Blow Your Socks Off.” Violet grinned. “Unless you have other things you want him to blow on.”
Jenna felt herself blush. She sipped her margarita. “It’s been a long time,” she admitted in a whisper.
“Then we’ll get going on that.”
“Business first, sex second.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to reverse those?” Violet teased.
“I have rent to make.”
“Fair enough. But when you want the sock thing, just let me know and I’ll find you someone completely inappropriate.”
Jenna laughed. “I’d like that. It doesn’t sound like me at all and I’m starting to think that might be a good thing.”
Violet pushed her cart through the grocery store. It wasn’t where she usually shopped, but after running a couple of errands in Austin, she’d impulsively pulled into the parking lot of the upscale establishment. Maybe hanging out with Jenna was rubbing off on her.
With that in mind, she ignored the frozen food aisle and walked purposefully toward the produce. The area was huge and well-lit, with rows of fruits and vegetables neatly arranged. She saw more types of lettuce than she’d ever seen in one place. Tomatoes were yellow and nearly purple, as well as red.
She quickly collected salad fixings, grabbed a gourmet salad dressing from the refrigerated shelves, then headed for the fresh pasta section. Tonight she was going to cook herself a real dinner. A real easy dinner, but still, it was progress.
As she maneuvered her cart, she noticed how nicely everyone was dressed. Men in suits. Women in expensive-looking jackets, with tailored skirts and great shoes. She saw a flash of red sole and stared, wondering if someone really was wearing Christian Louboutin shoes in a grocery store.
Trying to see the side of the shoe to decide if she liked the style, she wasn’t looking where she was going and came to a shuddering stop as her cart collided with someone else’s.
She glanced up. “Sorry. I wasn’t looking.”
The cart’s handler—a tall, suit-wearing guy—smiled at her. “I could tell. What was more interesting than—” he looked to his left and picked up a bottle “—imported olives?”
She smiled. “Shoes. A female cliché, if there ever was one.”
“Shoes, huh? Your thing?”
“I’m more a looker than a buyer. Sorry about the cart attack.”
She started to go around him, but he maneuvered himself in front of her and gave her a smile.
“Wait. I have a question about these olives,” he said.
“What makes you think I know anything about them?”
“Women always have knowledge about anything mysterious.”
“You think of olives as mysterious?”
“And you don’t, which proves my point.”
He had sandy brown hair and hazel-brown eyes. His expression was friendly and interested without being too aggressive. His suit looked expensive but not crazy. He was clean-shaven, broad-shouldered and normal-looking. Not at all her type.
She would have excused herself and walked away except she was tired of always getting it wrong. Every guy in her life had been a disaster, probably because when it came to men, her gut didn’t know what it was talking about.
So maybe she should ignore her lack of interest and see what else the nice man had to say. It was unlikely this one would steal her credit card or buy a car in her name, then not make payments.
“Olives can be difficult,” she said, moving her cart to the side