Who's the Boss Now (Managing the Bosses 3)

She reached up and picked up the receiver, pressing her ear to it as her thoughts moved from bad to worse. "Hey, Mom. What's going on?"

"Well, you know your dad and I both love you, right?"

Jamie rolled her eyes and stifled the need to groan. Why couldn't her mother just get to the point? She wasn't a ten-year-old kid anymore.

"Of course, Mom. What's going on?"

A sniffle caught her attention, and her shoulders stiffened.

"Your father has decided he wants a divorce." Another sniffle.

"Oh, Mom. Why? What happened?" Jamie leaned back in her chair as ice cold realization ran down the center of her. If her parents, who seemed to love each other, could get divorced after forty years of marriage, what chance did she have?

"He just came in last week and said that he was tired of feeling nothing. I have no clue what he means, seeing as how I still love him very much. I'm simply the victim here." Her mom let out an ugly sob as she started to cry.

Victim? Her mother was aggressive, mouthy, and mean. Victim wasn't at all a label she would associate with the woman. She'd been the attacker many times in Jamie's life, but never ever had she been the victim.

"I'm sure you guys are going to work it out." Jamie pressed her fingers to her mouth, catching a part of the conversation in retrospect. "Did you say last week?"

"Yes. It was last Tuesday." Her mother cried a bit more. "I've asked him to think about things again before he files for the divorce, but he sounds so cold when we talk. I'm sure there's someone else involved."

Her father had left her mother over a week ago, and no one thought to call her then? Even in the midst of wanting to comfort a woman who had never tried to comfort her, she was stunned into silence. The pain of realizing that nothing had changed between her and her mother filled her heart. She didn't matter to them. If she did, her mom would have called her immediately.

Would you call her if Alex broke your heart?

Hell no.

"I doubt Dad has another woman in his life, Mom. He works himself silly." Jamie tried hard to push her own issues back and remain in the moment. "Have you spoken to Christine?"

"Yes. I called her when it happened." More crying.

Of course you did. Who wouldn't call their favorite first?

"And what did she say, Mom?" Jamie spoke through clenched teeth, hating how badly the situation was upsetting her, and for all of the wrong reasons.

"She said that I needed to give him a little bit of space, and then play hard to get."

"Hard to get?" Jamie's voice rose. "That's ridiculous, Mom!"

"Jamie. I'm not asking for your advice,” her mother snapped. “You've never been in a long-term relationship, nor have you ever been married!” she scoffed, as if believing that was never going to happen. “I'm simply telling you what the situation is. If you're too busy to talk about it, fine. I just didn't want your dad to call you and make it sound like I was the monster. He is." Her voice went from tearful to angry faster than a race car could go from zero to one hundred.

"Right. Well, I'll be thinking about you guys. Let me know if there is anything I can do that Christine already hasn't." Jamie hung up the phone and leaned back, closing her eyes. It was amazing how quickly her mother could turn both her and her father into monsters.

And what the hell, Christine? Play hard to get? What good would that do? The man already left. There's nothing he's interested in getting or getting back.

"Incredible." She shook her head, let out a long sigh, and prayed the day would be beyond busy. A perfect distraction. Alex was out of the office, and she had plenty to do.

"Wait, now, what happened?" Gina lifted her martini to her pretty red lips.

"My father finally had his balls drop." Jamie shrugged. "He packed up his shit and left my mother. I feel bad for her, and a little traumatized by the fact the divorce is actually real, but he deserves a better life. Hell, we all do where she's concerned."

The bar was packed with people, but it always was during Friday afternoon happy hour. Sometimes the rest of the office would join then, but today they'd found a quiet table in the corner to sneak away to. Jamie wanted time with just Gina.

"My parents have always been in love and really good to each other, so I can't imagine, but kudos for your day, I think." She laughed and nodded to Jamie's glass. "Drink up. You haven't touched that Mai Tai yet. It ain't gonna drink itself."

"True." Jamie picked it up and took a long drink as her eyes scanned the crowd. "So tell me more about this new guy."

"Who? The intern?"