Dear Future Ex-wife

“Don’t bother. My Tesla’s parked in the lot around the corner.”

He holds out his palm. “Give me your keys.”

Annoyed, I hand my keys over. “I was planning to get an Uber, anyway.”

Ollie pockets my keys, and then the corners of his mouth turn up into a smile as he raises his hand. “What are you drinking?”

“The usual,” Callie says from behind me. Then she slides her arm across the back of my neck and speaks against the shell of my ear. “And who do we have here? A King in my court,” she jokes, digging her long nails into my shoulder. “Is the King of Scandals hanging out with the commoners tonight?”

I glance over my shoulder at Callie Bloom. She’s one of my oldest friends. Well, she’s more Harley’s friend than mine, but we’re still cool. Callie writes a column called The Gossip Queen at Market House, a popular women’s magazine in the city that’s similar to Cosmopolitan. She earned the nickname back in high school after ruining more than a few reputations.

Nothing gets past The Gossip Queen.

“Hey, Bloom,” I slur. “What are you doing here? Did Harley send you to give me more shit?”

She giggles. “No, you idiot.” Callie shrugs off her coat and drapes it over the back of the chair next to me. “I’m meeting the girls here.”

Jules, Lola, and Amelia work with Callie at Market House, which is only a few blocks away from The Fox Hole.

“I could use some of Jules’ help,” I admit.

Juliet Frost writes a column called The Date Diva. She’s an expert when it comes to dating and relationship advice.

Callie raises a curious eyebrow. “You must be drunker than you look.”

“I don’t know what to do. Got any ideas on how I can fix this mess I’ve made?”

“You could ask the real girl to do you a solid and pretend to be your wife.”

I shake my head. “No can do. She’s not an option.”

No one can know about her.

I had just found out that Harley was dating Kevin Frederick, a real estate developer from Beverly Hills. He could give her everything I have and more. I was jealous of him, wishing I could take his place. For a second, I even considered flying to Los Angeles to confess my feelings for her. Luckily, I talked myself out of that one. Harley would have slammed the door in my face, right before laughing at me.

I couldn’t stand sitting inside my apartment, thinking about Harley and Kevin. So, when I ran into Alexa at a wine bar, she was a good escape for the moment. One night wasn’t supposed to be the downfall of my family’s company.

“You’re a mess.” Callie nudges me in the arm with her elbow. A silly smirk plays on her face. “I don’t think even Jules can help you. What did Harley say about all of this? Did she ream you out?” When I don’t answer right away, she chuckles. “I know she did. C’mon, Nate, tell me what she said. I bet she gave it to you good.”

“In so many words, Harley told me that she hates me. And like an idiot, I made a few remarks she didn’t appreciate.”

Callie frowns, tucking strands of brown hair behind her ears. “You’re such a bonehead. When are you going to get it through your thick skull that women don’t like guys who only talk about sex? Harley, of all people, would never go for that.”

“But you would,” I point out.

She holds her hands up and gives me a mischievous look. “Hey, I’m open to new things. I like to live on the wild side. But Harley isn’t like us. She’s a nun compared to me.”

I laugh. “Yeah, but that’s what I’ve always liked about her. Harley is good, like really good. Not like I was ever good enough for her, anyway.”

“You guys used to be so close,” she says with a serious tone. “I thought Harley was the girl from the pictures. For a second, I was all excited that you two finally got it on. You and Harley have enough chemistry to burn down a house.”

I tilt my head back and laugh. “Try telling Harley that.”

“Of course, she denied it was her. But you have to admit that the blonde looks an awful lot like Harley from the side.” Callie pats my knee, tapping her long fingers in the most annoying fashion. “Tell your oldest friend the truth. Were you with Harley?”

“Technically, Harley is my oldest friend,” I shoot back to avoid her question.

She waves her bony finger in front of my face. “Play nice, Nate. You don’t want to get on my bad side. I have too much dirt on you.”

“You would never,” I challenge.

An evil grin tugs at the corners of her mouth. “Try me.” Callie sips from the beer Ollie slides in front of her and then sighs. “Anyway, back to Harley. I need to know. Was it her?”