Filed to story: When His Wife Can’t Forgive
But Cliff, aloof as always, just sat quietly off to the side, watching the news.
“Where’s Laney?” Madison asked, glancing over at Cliff. “Has she been really busy? It’s odd not seeing her around at this hour.”
Knowing the cause of Laney’s absence well, Cliff chastised himself for teasing her the last time they met. It was immature for someone his age to act like that. But there was no way he would admit that out loud. Pushing the memory of their kiss to the back of his mind, he gave his mother a calm reply. “She’s got a big competition coming up next month. She’s been practicing like crazy for it.”
“I heard from the housekeeper that Laney hasn’t been home in a while. She must be working hard,” Madison said, sounding worried. “She should take a half-day off today. It’s no big deal.”
Cliff shrugged. “It’s up to her schedule.”
Madison then called Laney. She spoke to Laney gently, a testament to her usual doting on her.
Laney always said yes to whatever Philip and Madison asked. Since it had been a while since they met, she agreed to come home.
Cliff grabbed the car keys and headed outside to pick her up.
Gerry walked in from the yard and asked, “Where are you going, Cliff?”
“To pick up Laney.”
“You can stay here. I’ll go,” Gerry said, flashing a teasing grin.
Cliff frowned. “Why the sudden eagerness?”
Gerry paused, then smirked. “Aren’t you the one who doesn’t really enjoy spending time with Laney? Might be better if I fetch her.”
Feeling Gerry made a good point, Cliff dropped it.
Cliff handed Gerry the car keys without saying much and turned back to the living room.
When Laney spotted Gerry, her face lit up. “Gerry!” Every time Gerry picked her up, there were always snacks in the passenger seat. Since she had to maintain her figure for dancing, he made sure to bring low-calorie options.
Laney always felt comfortable with Gerry because they were close in age and both pretty direct. They chatted the whole way home.
By the time they got there, dinner was just being served.
Cliff leaned back, waiting for the wine to settle, when Gerry’s laughter echoed from the hallway.
Cliff glanced toward the door just as Gerry strolled in, dropping his car keys and grabbing Laney’s coat without missing a beat in their conversation.
Laney’s eyes crinkled with laughter, echoing his words.
But the moment they stepped into the room and spotted Cliff, their smiles vanished.
Cliff leaned back and asked casually, “What were you two laughing about?”
Laney avoided his eyes.
Gerry shrugged. “You don’t watch short videos, so you wouldn’t get it.”
Cliff pressed his lips together. What the hell? Did he just detect a hint of scorn in Gerry’s tone? His eyes landed on Laney’s face.
Laney softly called out, “Cliff.”
Cliff acknowledged her greeting with a faint nod. “My mom misses you. Stay over tonight, and I’ll drive you back to the theater in the morning.”
Laney nodded. She hesitated for a moment and then asked, “Does Gerry have plans tomorrow morning?”
Cliff’s gaze turned cold. “Why?”
“I want him to take me to the theater the next morning.”
Cliff thought he’d misheard. Before, no matter how busy he was, Laney always found a way to get him to drive her to the theater just to spend more time with him. Now, she wanted Gerry instead.
Cliff raised an eyebrow. “Why do you want him to take you? Still mad at me about last time?”
Laney’s heart raced for a second. “No, it’s just that his car is more comfortable.”
“He drove my car tonight,” Cliff said, his voice growing colder.
Laney scrambled for an excuse. “He’s a smoother driver than you.”
Cliff snorted. “All ten of the family’s car accidents were because of Gerry’s driving.”
Laney was speechless this time.
Cliff’s voice turned serious. “I’ll take you tomorrow. Go wash your hands for dinner.”
Reluctantly, Laney went off to find Madison.
This evening, Philip and his two sons kicked back and enjoyed some drinks.
Cliff had been making good progress lately. Philip, feeling both proud and a bit worried, suddenly asked, “Did you ask Armando Burke’s daughter out to dinner?”
Laney, munching on her food, instantly perked up her ears.
Cliff glanced at her and saw she had frozen, clearly eavesdropping. “I did,” he answered honestly.
Philip probed, “So, how’d it go? Armando told me his daughter seems pretty interested in you.”
Cliff shrugged. “I don’t really feel anything special.”
Philip sighed. “What’s your type, then?”
Without thinking, Cliff blurted out, “Miss Burke is nice, but I prefer someone mature and wise.”
Madison chimed in, “You’re already boring enough. If you find someone mature, how dull would that be? Look at Laney, all sweet and pretty in her pink dress, so charming.”
Laney blushed. “Madison, please don’t say that.”
Tonight, the drinks didn’t really hit the mark. Cliff tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep for hours.
The Hopkins family had strict rules-fooling around or having friends with benefits was not an option. While he usually kept his desires at bay, he felt an inexplicable urge tonight.
He got up and headed to his computer, scrolling through his usual picks. But everything seemed pretty boring.
Just as Cliff was about to turn everything off and try to sleep, his eyes landed on the cover of a woman in a pink mini-skirt. Her face was blurred, but her smooth and long legs made him think of Laney. He stared at the screen for a moment, his thoughts racing. Just as impulse surged, his sense of reason kicked in. “No, absolutely not.”
Cliff decisively powered down his computer, determined to banish the thoughts from his mind. Yet, the memory of that kiss from days ago lingered stubbornly in his consciousness. Laney’s kissing technique had been abysmal. She’d been like someone fumbling in the dark, searching blindly for his tongue but ending up awkwardly clashing her teeth instead.
But the memory haunted Cliff like a fever he couldn’t shake. Frustrated, he pulled on some clothes and headed out in search of ice water.
The house lay silent, its occupants long since retired. Cliff grabbed a bottle of sparkling water from the fridge and drained it in one long gulp. Instead of returning to his room, he leaned against the counter, trying to clear his mind.
Then came the soft sound of footsteps from the living room.
Opening his eyes, Cliff spotted a slim figure moving stealthily through the darkness.
Laney crept toward the fridge on tiptoe, glancing furtively around before extracting two cupcakes.
Cliff recalled his mother buying those cupcakes earlier today. Laney had declined them at dinner, claiming she was watching her sugar intake. For someone usually so religious about her diet, this midnight raid was out of character. She’d be regretting this for days to come.
Cliff stood silently in the shadows, unnoticed by Laney.
Laney took tiny bites of cake while chatting with Kailyn on the phone. “Why are you eating at this hour?” Kailyn’s voice carried clearly through the quiet kitchen. “It’s past eleven, girl.”
Laney responded between careful nibbles, her voice tinged with regret, “I wanted to eat it at dinner, but something happened and killed my appetite.”
“What happened?” Kailyn pressed.
Laney sighed heavily, biting down hard on her fork. “It’s that idiot, Cliff.”
Hearing himself called an idiot, Cliff’s eyebrow arched in surprise.
Laney huffed. “His father asked what kind of girl he likes, and he said he prefers mature and smart ones. Isn’t that just his way of calling me childish and dumb? Is wearing a pink dress really so childish? If he knew my underwear had bows and lace, he’d probably be disgusted.” Cliff stood frozen in the shadows.
“Has he seen your lacy panties?” Kailyn’s laughter rippled through the phone.
“No,” Laney murmured. “He wouldn’t like them anyway. Gerry says men’s preferences are formed early and rarely change.”
Laney took another melancholy bite of cake and released a heavy sigh.
“What’s troubling you now?” Kailyn probed.
“Maybe I should adopt a more sophisticated style?” Laney mused.
A faint smile played across Cliff’s lips at her words. Silly girl.
“You’re completely lovesick,” Kailyn sighed.
Laney frowned, berating herself. “I don’t know what kind of spell he’s cast over me.”
“Maybe you should just spike his food with an aphrodisiac and sleep with him,” Kailyn suggested brazenly. “Once you’ve been intimate, you’ll probably get over him. It happens all the time.”
Then, Kailyn paused, another thought striking her. “Have you seen his equipment?”
Laney’s cheeks flamed. “No! How could I just look at a man’s… You know.”
“You should check first,” Kailyn advised with grave seriousness. “What if he’s tall but not so impressive down there? I’ve heard tall guys can be disappointing.”
Laney was taken aback. “Really?” She hesitated, her inexperience evident in her voice. “Even if he’s small, it wouldn’t matter. I like him for who he is. If it’s really an issue, we could just avoid that kind of intimacy.”
Cliff remained motionless in the darkness.