I swear to God. A long weekend even peeks around the corner and there's Sophie, arriving like a queen without a court because she has nothing better to do than hunt for her perfect future in my front fucking yard.
God, I don't hate many people outright but I hate her. I don't know what Jacob saw in her. He was never shallow enough to settle for perfect. I wonder if she's maybe only a shell now being run by an alien life form here to detail how we do polyamory, how we do communes.
How we do life after Jacob.
Maybe she turned cold, bitchy and singularly-focused because he died. Maybe she has regrets too.
But she can't have Caleb. And once again he leaves me to deal with her. He isn't home. Later he will message her with his excuses, whatever lets himself off the hook. So she rings my bell to ask if I can let her into his house.
Why would I do that? He's home. Maybe he doesn't want to see you. That's what he gets for not protecting me from her.
I heard through the grapevine that you're together now.
I shrug. What grapevine is that?
People talk about you, Bridget. I know you like to pretend you can get away with anything you like here but people still talk. Supposedly you have two husbands and a boyfriend now?
I have, like, five boyfriends. Your grapevine blows.
I thought she was choking and I was going to watch her die but then she found her verbal footing again and asked me if I could have Caleb call her when he was free, that she's only in town until early Monday morning.
Did you leave a voicemail for him?
Yes, but-
Then if he wants to call you back, he will.
You can't have them all, Bridget.
I don't 'have' anyone. They're not toys, Sophie. They're grown men. And I don't know why you keep showing up on my property since Caleb has a phone and he has email too. I'll suggest now that on Labour Day, you stay the fuck away because next time you come around harassing my family I'm calling the police.
He's not your fami-
Oh yes he is.
The door slammed in my face right then, and in hers too I supposed. I looked to the right and there's Lochlan with his arm out, standing just behind me in the front hall.
I wasn't going to wait for teeth and claws.
Well, you're no fun.
But boy, you sure are! I think she thought you were still going to be tiny helpless Miss Mess and instead you were a snarling ball of...of....protective awesome.
Protective awesome?
I don't know what else to call it, but it's long overdue and I am proud of you. You stood your ground.
I hear a car door slam and the engine roar to life and she's gone again. I'll find out who keeps leaving the gate open later.
I grin at him. I'm proud of me too.
Though your boundaries are completely misguided and fucked up.
But I'm getting better at it, right?
Don't get ahead of yourself, Bridget.
Because I have no boundaries. Caleb is upstairs in my bed, sleeping in today. Because it's Friday and it's a long weekend and I can be tiny helpless Miss Mess whenever I damn well please.
