Starter Wife (The Jilted Wives Club Book 1) by Bethany Lopez (a court of thorns and roses ebook free TXT) 📕

your birthday next month,” he paused for effect, “I am taking you to Italy!”

Our mother’s eyes got big, before seeming to roll back in her head as she passed out and slid onto the floor.

“Oh my God!”

“Mom!”

“Somebody help her!”

The room erupted into chaos as everyone moved and shouted. I made it to my mom first and maneuvered her so her head was in my lap.

“Here.” A cool cloth was placed in my hand and I ran it along her forehead.

“Ma,” I whispered.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked momentarily confused before giving me a sweet smile.

“Luca, I had the most wonderful dream,” she said softly.

“No, it was real, Ma. Dad’s taking you to Italy.”

My ma shook her head and said, “No, in the dream you told me you were getting married.”

I chuckled and assured everyone, “She’s fine.”

Seven

Whitney

I was running solely off of coffee and nerves.

I’d been too anxious to eat anything before getting my kids off to school and myself ready for my first day of work. Instead, I’d downed three cups of coffee back-to-back, which, in retrospect, was probably not the best idea.

Not only was I extremely caffeinated, but my full bladder made the elevator ride extremely uncomfortable.

At least I look good.

Yesterday, while my kids were off with their friends living their lives, I’d decided to splurge on myself. I hit my favorite stores and put a good dent in my saving. The result was the sharp, yet, if I did say so myself, subtly sexy pants suit I was currently wearing.

It was slate gray with beautiful lines, and I paired it with a pretty pink blouse and matching heels. The last of which I’d probably be crying about later tonight when I soaked my sore feet, but for now I felt fabulous.

Other than the bladder, of course.

I smiled absently at people when they got onto the elevator with me as I squeezed myself into the corner and prayed the next twenty stories would go by quickly. Unfortunately, the more people who got on, the more buttons were pushed, so I resigned myself to the fact that the bathroom was a good five minutes away still.

My leg jiggled periodically, and my eyes stayed glued to red numbers as I watched them increase until finally it hit twenty-five. I breathed a sigh of relief, murmured, “Excuse me,” and turned so I could push my way out.

Remembering the layout of the lobby from my interview the week before, I spun on my heel and hurried to the right toward the restrooms.

Just as I was about to reach my destination, relief in sight, a man stepped out of the men’s room, causing me to pull up short.

“Sorry,” I managed, as I started to walk around him, intent on the door to the Ladies’.

“Whitney?”

The sound of my name in that smooth, sexy voice had my head whipping up, even though I knew immediately who had spoken.

“Luca,” I breathed.

You know how your world tilts when you see someone in a place you never expected to see them? That’s how it felt to see Luca, looking hot and dapper, in the lobby of my new job, rather than in the restaurant by the jukebox.

“Hey, it’s good to see you. You look terrific,” he said with an easy smile.

My bun suddenly felt too tight as the nerves, jitters, and pressure in my bladder came roaring back to life.

“Thank you,” I said, looking longingly at the bathroom door. “You look great, too. Are you here on business?”

“Yes,” Luca said absently, his gaze snagging on my heel, which was tapping erratically. “Are you okay?”

You don’t have to pee ... You’re fine … Don’t think of the water feature by the front desk.

“Of course, but, if you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment in a few minutes, so I really should get going,” I said, hoping he’d get the hint and turn to leave.

“I have to get going as well, but I’d love it if you would join me for lunch. Say, noon?”

“Oh, uh, that’s very sweet, but I’m actually not sure what my plans are yet. Rain check?” I replied, even though I had no intention of going to lunch with him.

Not only is he too young, but he’s also waaay too good looking.

Luca nodded, lifted his phone, and looked at me expectantly.

Shoot.

I knew I could give him a fake number, but that seemed rude, so I told him my actual number.

“Thank you. I’ll text you with mine,” Luca said, his eyes seeming to twinkle with victory. Or maybe it was my imagination. Maybe I was hallucinating due to lack of brain activity. “I’m so glad I ran into you. Have a great day.”

“You too,” I called as he turned to leave. Thank God! I waited a few seconds until he was a few feet away and then hurried into the bathroom.

As I washed my hands, I vowed to stick to one cup before work in the morning and checked the watch my grandmother had given me before she passed away. Seeing I was two minutes away from being late on my first day, I moved as fast as possible without breaking into a run and made it to Human Resources with seconds to spare.

“Good morning, Mr. Michaelson,” I called as I entered.

“Morning,” he said distractedly, not looking up from his computer. “The intake papers are on the table over there.”

I moved to the table he’d gestured toward and sat down in front of the stack of papers. Two hours later, everything was filled out and I was handing them to Mr. Michaelson.

“Your immediate supervisor, Paula Dixon, is on leave this week, so I will have you working with one of her colleagues until her return. In the meantime, I’ll briefly show you around and then take you to your workstation.”

I nodded enthusiastically and followed him out of his office.

He showed me the breakroom, conference room, cubicles, and my boss’s office. I was introduced to a few people, and everyone seemed nice, except this one guy,