Page 19 of Double Obsession

Sheharrumphed.

“Can’t Kylie take care of the younger kids overnight?”

Jenna called out a big fat nonnegotiable, “No!”

“You’ll figure it out. I’m booking you on the train for Friday night so that we can prepare for your meeting. I’ll reserve a room for you at The Lancaster.”

Berta disconnected.

“What’s wrong, Mommy?” Ethan asked as his fork wentsmoosh, smoosh, smoosh.

At least Ethan The Destroyer was empathetic. That meant he wasn’t going to end up a psychopathic serial killer. Right?

The phone twanged again.

Ethan popped up from the table and grabbed the device. “I knew it. It’s Daddy!” He propped it against his ear and hopped from one foot to the other. “Hi, Daddy. Can I come visit you this weekend?” Then, Ethan’s normally wriggling body stood absolutely still as he listened.

Conflicted, Jenna held her breath. She needed Matt to take the kids so that she could deal with her agency, but there was no way he would come through. He would break their hearts, especially Ethan’s, when he made a million promises about “the perfect weekend” and then dropped them off with Grandma, queen of Club Bitchy Cunt.

“Yeah!” Ethan called out. “I’m going fishing with Daddy.” He handed Jenna the phone and then ran to the highchair. He stuck his face an inch from Lisa’s. “I’m going fishing with Daddy, and you can’t come.”

Lisa frowned and tapped a sticky finger on his nose.

“Yuck,” he screamed while frantically wiping at his face. “Lisa’s stinky, and she isn’t invited.” He ran a circle around the first floor before hopping up the stairs.

Once Ethan was out of earshot, Jenna let loose. “Don’t you dare make him promises you don’t intend to keep. Last time you dropped the kids off at your parents, and your mom terrified them with all of that fire and brimstone nonsense.”

“Cut the shit, Jenna. Your dad tells them those stories about the criminals he arrests.”

“Totally different. Dad’s stories are funny and have life lessons in them. He doesn’t tell them they’ll be burning in hell. And if I remember correctly, you used to enjoy listening to him.”

“Yeah, well…”

Although Jenna tried clenching her lips, a question escaped. “I’m curious, what happens to a man who messes around in this holier-than-thou world of your mom’s? Does he burn in hell?”

“Fuck you, Jenna,” Matt growled. “Maybe if you’d paid more attention to my needs.”

“Augh!Maybe if you’d helped with the kids.”

“You were obsessed with your writing. You let everything else go to hell.”

An angry fire consumed Jenna. “So, when you worked ten-hour days at the firm, it was fine since you’re a man. When I worked seven-hour days defying the odds and selling millions of books, I was a shit wife and mother?”

“Climb off your misguided feminist soapbox. That’s the way the world works, Jenna.”

She huffed out, “Fu—”

Kylie skipped into the kitchen. “Ethan said Dad is on the phone.”

Jenna’s finger hovered above the disconnect button.

Kylie’s eyes pleaded as she held out her hand.

Sighing, Jenna handed the device over.

“Hi, Dad. Can I come visit for the weekend too?”

Jenna bit the inside of her cheek.