Free The Hang Up (First Impressions) by Tawna Fenske Page A

Miriam could respond to the kid’s question, the tyke grinned up at her and shoved his glasses up the bridge of his freckled nose. “I have a penis but mommy has a fa-chyna,” he announced.
    Miriam took another step back, nearly falling off the front step in the process. “Um—yes. Yes. I’m sure she does.”
    She tried not to look at Ellie, not wanting to consider the fact that Jason was clearly quite familiar with the other woman’s fa-chyna, if his son was any indication.
    How could you be so stupid?
    “I should go—” Miriam said, but Ellie cut her off.
    “Oh, awesome—you brought my gloves back.” She pointed at Miriam’s hand, and Miriam looked down at them, trying to think of an excuse for having Jason’s wife’s gloves.
    “Right,” she said, and handed them over. “I was just—washing them.”
    Ellie looked at her oddly but didn’t question the likelihood that Jason might have hired someone to wash a pair of stretchy pink Dollar Store gloves. Miriam tried to think of something else to say, but her tongue felt glued to the roof of her mouth.
    Seemingly unperturbed, Ellie set the gloves on an end table and gestured toward her living room. “You’re welcome to come on in and wait for Jase,” she said. “He shouldn’t be more than a few minutes. I’m sorry, how did you say you know him?”
    With a start, Miriam realized she hadn’t said a word about why she’d come, but work seemed like a good enough cover. It was true, pretty much. Hadn’t they agreed to keep things strictly business?
    Never mind that kiss.
    “Right,” she said, finding her voice at last. “I’m—um—Miriam. I work with Jason.”
    Work. Is that what he’d been doing with his hand up Miriam’s shirt while his wife and kid waited at home for him?
    “Ahhh,” Ellie said, looking Miriam up and down with an expression Miriam couldn’t quite read. Was the other woman suspicious? Maybe Jason had a history of extramarital dalliances.
    Miriam cleared her throat. “I was just dropping those off, but I’d better run.”
    “Is the wine for him, too?”
    Miriam looked down at the bottle tucked beneath her own arm. Under the circumstances, it seemed like a much too intimate gift. “Oh—uh—this isn’t for Jason. I was just out for a walk and thought I’d—”
    “Get thirsty?”
    “Right.” Miriam shifted the bottle under her arm and tried not to look too guilty. “So it was nice meeting you—”
    “Ellie.”
    “Ellie, right. Have a good night. Tell Jason I said hello. Or not. Or—actually, I guess I’ll see him at work.”
    With her cheeks flaming and her gut boiling with a toxic blend of hurt and anger, Miriam turned and stalked down the steps.

Chapter Five
    Jason watched from across the boardroom table as Miriam stacked a pile of papers that clearly did not need stacking. She was smiling, but the furrow between her brows looked like someone had chopped it into her forehead with a hatchet.
    “Well, I believe we’ve made some excellent progress here today,” she announced with what seemed like forced cheer, making eye contact with everyone around the table.
    Well, everyone but him.
    Hell, she’d barely spoken to him the whole meeting, except for the occasional business-only conversation about ad campaigns and design concepts. She’d been professional enough, but definitely nothing more.
    That’s what you agreed to, dumbass. Remember?
    Beside him, the accounting director shifted in his seat. “So you think these dollar figures are a solid estimate of the cost of moving forward?” Rex flipped a page on one of the handouts Miriam had presented at the start of the meeting.
    “I do,” she said, resting a manicured hand beside her laptop. “This sort of rebranding effort doesn’t come cheaply, but I’m certain you’ll find—”
    “I’m sorry, but our board of directors will never go for it.” Rex frowned and looked at Jason. “I know you’ve been lobbying them to take a shot with a campaign of