Free Ditching The Dream (Dream Series) by Isabelle Peterson Page B

and insinuations in my head, I ordered an Alabama Slammer – a good drink for when you’re mad, right? But as I sipped, a tiny part of me wondered if Greg wasn’t all wrong…
    It was true that I’d only had one other sexual partner before I got married, and I couldn’t even remember it. It was my senior year of high school, and I was totally drunk on a ski trip with my group of friends. Our group of girls met up with a group of guys from out-of-state, and several rounds of ‘Quarters’ and ‘Bullshit’ later, I went back to my room with Ron, or Rick, or whatever his name was. I only knew that I’d ‘ done the deed ’ because Julie, the girl I was sharing a room with, said she’d walked in on us. I’d sworn off one-night stands after that.
    In my first year away in college, it was clear that all the guys were pretty much only interested in one-night stands, not a relationship. So, I spent the year a single lady. Which was fine by me, actually. My roommate, Ana, got enough action for the both of us. Some of which I was in the room for when she thought I was asleep.
    Then I met Greg my second year in college. He was sweet. Made no overt gestures toward sex. We dated three months before we took things to that level. He was caring and tender. He was safe. And the rest was history, as they say. One partner I couldn’t remember, and one partner I’d spent twenty odd years with.
    I bet Ana wasn’t sitting around, alone in a bar with a drink, wondering if she should have been with more guys when she was in college.
    Finishing my cocktail, I felt somewhat better. I paid my check and made my way the three blocks back home, crawled back into my pajamas and into bed. But I couldn’t sleep. A month. Ha!
    Checking the clock, it was twelve-forty. That meant it was only nine-forty back home. I wondered if Jessica was still awake. I shot her a text:
    12:40a.m.
    Hey. U still up?
    I got my answer about ten seconds later when my phone buzzed with an incoming call.
    “Hey single mama!” she chirped without waiting for me to say a word. “How’s the Big Apple treating ya? You staying safe?”
    “Gotta say – not bad. Not bad at all. How’s the neighborhood without me?”
    “Boring. Book club Wednesday night was not the same. Our best bartender was missing,” she teased.
    From the very beginning, I had been the designated bartender of our bi-monthly get togethers. “Jodi decided to pour. Needless to say, no one was safe to drive home.” Jodi was one of the biggest partiers in our book club of eleven neighborhood gals. Refilling drinks before you knew you were low and really heavy on the spirits.
    “Did you find a job yet?” she bubbled.
    “Wanna laugh?”
    “Of course!” she replied.
    “I got a job bartending at a steak house.”
    “You did not!”
    “I did. I poured a Firecracker Martini as part of the interview process.”
    “That is priceless! But don’t you need a license or something to do that?”
    “They asked if I had one, I said no, they hired me anyway. The GM is going to get me set up with a class so I can get certified.”
    “Gotta love New York. How about a place to live? Or are you still living at the Hyatt?”
    “No, I actually found an apartment. It’s small, but clean. And has a doorman.”
    “Well, that’s good. Can’t be too careful. New York is a tad more dangerous than our little community.”
    “So, what else is new? Have you seen Greg?”
    “Not much is new.” Jessica got quiet, which was an unusual trait for her. This must be bad. “Jim called him to see if Greg wanted to go out tonight with the guys. They were all headed over to watch some baseball game and Greg turned him down.”
    Oh, yes – it was bad. I’d never known Greg to turn anything baseball related down. “Did I royally screw this all up, Jess? Am I making a colossal mistake?”
    “Absolutely not! You’ve not been in a good marriage for years. I mean, I know Jim is Greg’s best friend, but you are mine.