A Girl's Guide to Moving On by Debbie Macomber Read Free Book Online

never been a fan of Sean’s, which may have been the very reason she’d remained my best friend. I’d never know how many women at the club Sean had slept with, and frankly I preferred it that way. The one woman I trusted not to fall under my ex-husband’s charismatic spell was Kacey.
    “I’m teaching tonight and I need to prepare for class,” I explained.
    “You’re seriously enjoying that, aren’t you?”
    “I am.” More than Kacey would ever know. I loved my students’ eagerness to learn and how freely they shared during class time. They told me about their lives and how much they appreciated the opportunities available to them in America. It wasn’t unusual for them to bring me gifts to show their gratitude. Just that morning I’d made toast from the bread Nikolai had given me and it’d been delicious.
    “Okay, then we’re going out to lunch,” Kacey said.
    “At the club?” I’d prefer we didn’t. The women there were more Sean’s friends than mine. It would be awkward and uncomfortable for everyone.
    “Any place you say,” Kacey clarified.
    “We can decide that later. Come into the city.”
    “Okay.”
    After agreeing, Kacey hesitated, which could mean only one thing. Something else was on her mind, something she was reluctant to say over the phone. I waited, weighing if I wanted to know what she had to tell me. No doubt it was a matter involving Sean. Sensing her hesitation, I said, “I know you called about more than golf or lunch. Just tell me.” She’d be uncomfortable until she did.
    “Tell you what?” she said with a hint of defensiveness.
    “About Sean’s latest flavor of the month.” I knew Kacey all too well. “You aren’t going to rest until you do, so spill it.”
    “Oh Leanne, that man has everyone talking. He’s got this woman living with him and I swear she can’t be a day over thirty-five. He’s parading her around the club, and I’d be shocked if her brain was any bigger than that of a hummingbird.”
    I smiled because when it came to beautiful women, I was convinced Sean’s brain wasn’t much larger. But actually, when it came to cheating, he was a Mensa member with the clever lies he told.
    “We’ll do lunch and you can tell me more.” We set a date and I disconnected.
    I finished wiping down the counters, turned on the dishwasher, and checked the time. Nichole got a substitute-teaching job for the day and I was scheduled to pick up Owen from his preschool class at two. I didn’t have nearly as much time to dedicate to my lesson as I wanted.
    The dishwasher went into the washing cycle when my phone rang. Thinking it was Kacey again, I reached for it and held it to my ear. “Now what?” I asked cheerfully.
    “Leanne.”
    It was Sean.
    This was the first time I’d talked to my ex since the divorce was final nearly a year and a half earlier. My pulse raced and my hand automatically went to my throat. “Hello, Sean,” I said as evenly as I could manage.
    “How are you doing?” he asked in that caring, sincere way of his. At times he could be charming and gracious, which was what had made it so hard to leave him. His ability to be tender and loving was equal to his capacity to be deceptive and underhanded. He could rip out my heart and then be the first one to pick it up and hand it back to me.
    “I’m doing well.” With effort I resisted the urge to add that he appeared to be doing all right himself. “What can I do for you?” I asked, wanting to send the message that I had no intention of wasting time on idle chitchat.
    “Could we meet?” he asked.
    “Meet? Why?”
    “I need to talk to you about Jake. I’m worried about him and could use your advice.”
    That he would reach out to me couldn’t have been easy. Still, I hesitated.
    “It would be just the two of us. Let me take you to dinner.”
    My hand moved from my throat to my forehead. “When?”
    “Tonight, if you’re available.”
    “I’m not.” That seemed to surprise him, and