“What finally convinced you to leave?”
“Wanda, of all things. Dennis never liked her. I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual.”
“Smart cat.”
Fiona paused to sip her wine. “Dennis claimed he was allergic to cats. Anytime she was near, he complained about his sinuses, though it never seemed to happen when we visited his buddy who had two Persians. When I moved in, I agreed to keep her out of the bedroom, but then I’d come home from work and find her locked in my office. He’d totally deny putting her in there, but how else could it have happened? Then one day he announced we had to get rid of her because his allergies were getting worse, and if I didn’t agree, then I didn’t really love him or care about his feelings.”
Joe scowled. “What a manipulative ass. What did you do?”
“I cried myself to sleep that night, because I didn’t know how I was going to bring myself to give her up. I adopted her when she was a kitten after I got my first teaching job. She’s a member of the family. The next morning, I was watching Dennis eat breakfast, looking so smug and pleased with himself, and I just…I don’t know. I guess something snapped inside me. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that angry. At him for being such a jerk, and at myself for putting up with it for so long. But I also realized that I had to get out of there before things got any worse. So as soon as he left for work, I called in sick. Then I packed as much as I could fit into my car, got Wanda into her carrier, and got the hell out.”
“Good for you.” He raised his glass to toast her actions. “Where did you go?”
“I spent the first night at a hotel. I felt so stupid for letting things get so bad, for not listening to the people who’d warned me over and over again. I was too embarrassed to ask them for help. Liz called me the next day after Dennis showed up at her apartment, looking for me. We’d barely spoken for months because Dennis hated her. She’d never been fond of him either.” Fiona chuckled. “She didn’t judge me, or say I told you so, just welcomed me into her home until I could get back on my feet. She also put in a good word for me with the management company, so when a unit opened up, I got first dibs.”
He smiled. “Remind me to thank Liz the next time I see her.”
Fiona slumped in her chair, suddenly feeling exhausted from revisiting her time with Dennis. “I just don’t understand why he’s acting like this now. He was like this right after the breakup, but after a few weeks, he gave up and left me alone.”
“Maybe he never really gave up.” As he stood, Joe collected their plates and brought them to the kitchen. “Is it possible he’s been licking his wounds all this time and finally decided to make one last attempt to get you back? Or maybe something happened in his life to trigger his newfound fixation.”
“Could be.” She wasn’t fond of either possibility. “I can help with that.”
“I’m sure you can, and I appreciate the offer, but it only takes one person to load the dishwasher. I’ll take care of the pan after it cools a bit more.”
He moved back to the table and reclaimed his seat.
“Thanks again for dinner,” she said. “It was delicious.”
“My pleasure; I aim to please.” He gave a smile that reached his eyes, and a ripple of warmth went through her that had nothing to do with the merlot. “How about we lighten things up with the lightning round?”
She gave him a questioning look. “What’s that?”
“It’s a way for us to learn more about each other. I ask you a question—nothing too personal—something like what’s your favorite dessert or how many times have you watchedStar Wars. Once you give me an answer, you get to ask me a question in return.”
“How will you know if I’m telling the truth?”
He raised a brow. “Are you planning to lie to me?”
“Well, no. Not really. But what if there’s a question that I don’t feel comfortable answering?”
“Then I keep asking questions until we get to one you’re comfortable with. This isn’t supposed to be an interrogation. It’s meant to be fun. Fair enough?”
“I suppose.”
“Good.” His smile returned. “We’ll start off with the easy stuff, things that most couples would know about each other. What do you normally have for breakfast?”
“An Oreo Pop-Tart and a can of Diet Cherry Coke. What?” she asked when his upper lip peeled back.
“I think a Snickers bar has more nutritional value.”
“Oh, and what do you eat?”
“Breakfast bar and a cup of coffee.”
She barely held back a shudder. The only way she’d ever been able to stomach coffee was if she added so much cream and sugar it probably didn’t qualify as coffee anymore. And breakfast bars…blech. The ones she’d tried tasted like cardboard.
“Next question,” Joe said.
