Page 1 of Screwed
Chapter One
“Happy divorce!”
Callie walked into the private room in Houston’s Nebula to see her girlfriends gathered amid balloons, streamers, and glitter. They stood near a buffet table loaded with finger foods, toasting her with martini glasses. Her best friend, Kristy, who’d picked her up and driven her to the club, followed behind her.
Charlotte, Emma, and Tess rushed at her for hugs and air kisses, all wearing short dresses and heels, their hair big and makeup impeccable. The exotic scents of Gucci and Yves St. Laurent surrounded her as she embraced her friends.
Callie still wasn’t sure this divorce party was a good idea, but Kristy had organized the entire event, from invitations to decorations, food, and drinks. She’d booked this private room, where they would eat and drink before going out to dance on the club’s multilevel dance floors to the music of some of the hottest DJs in the state of Texas.
Callie studied the tiered cake iced with white fondant and black polka dots sitting on the buffet table. The black lettersWTFadorned the front of it, and on top a bride and a groom were feet up, their heads buried in the cake.
She gave Kristy a wry smile. “Yay.”
Kristy bumped her shoulder into Callie’s. “Come on. This will be fun! Now that your divorce is final, it’s time to celebrate.”
“I don’t think a divorce is something you’re supposed to celebrate.” Callie accepted the glass Emma handed her and took a gulp of a potent green apple martini. The burn traced down her esophagus, but the sour apple tastewasyummy.
“Okay, maybe celebrate isn’t the right word. It’s more…a rite of passage. It’s a marker in your life to say that you’re moving on.”
“I moved on when I kicked Beau out last year.” She and Beau had been separated for over a year now. “And when I quit my job and left for Europe.”
“Yes.” Kristy pursed her lips. “You did sort of blow up your old life.”
“Much to my parents’ dismay.”
“So are you going back to work for Manon?” Emma asked, picking up a cracker topped with goat cheese and a blackberry.
“I don’t think so.” Callie gave a rueful smile. “Manon called me a couple of weeks ago and offered me my job back, but I’m not sure that’s what I want.”
“Manon is fabulous!” Tess leaned forward. “I love her clothes.”
Callie had worked at Manon’s eponymous boutique after college, after marrying Beau, and up until she’d left for Europe. It was the kind of place her mother liked to shop—exclusive and expensive. It had been something to do to fill her time, and she’d enjoyed it, although a sales clerk job wasn’t that challenging. She didn’t need to work, at least not for the money, either when she’d been married or now. Her trust fund would amply support her. But she’d needed to do something with her life, and her college degree in art didn’t lead to a lot of career opportunities.
Now she didn’t know what she was going to do.
The girls chattered on, and Callie tossed back her first martini. She was going to need a few more to get through this party. Luckily the bartender quickly had another one in her hand, which she accepted with a smile and a courteous thank you.
“Did you really use Tinder to meet guys when you were traveling?” Charlotte asked.
Callie blinked, then grinned. “I sure did.”
“That’s crazy!”
“It was fun.” She shrugged. “I didn’t know anyone in any of the places I went, so it was a good way to meet people. We’d hang out, they’d show me the sights, and then I’d move on. I got to know places so much better being with local people. They’d take me to little restaurants I never would have found on my own, or cool shopping areas that weren’t all touristy.”
“And I know some of them were hot guys.” Tess winked and lifted her martini glass.
Callie laughed. “Yes, some of them were hot guys.” She and Beau had been together since her freshman year of college, so hooking up with other guys had felt weird but like something she needed to do. Her heart may have been broken…or maybe not so much. She’d felt betrayed and hurt, for sure, but had she ever really loved Beau that much? Or had she just married him because everyone expected them to get married? Most of all her parents. Marrying Beau had been the first thing she’d ever done that had made them proud.
In any case, going out and having fun with other men—and yes, sleeping with them—had felt incredibly liberating. Because she’d been traveling, there’d been no expectation of anything more than fun. She’d met some great guys and had some amazing experiences as far away from the state of Texas as you could get.
Not that she didn’t love her home state, and she loved Houston. But she’d spent her whole life there doing what everyone else wanted her to do. Trying to be what everyone else thought she should be.
She was grateful for what she had: a lovely home and enough money to do whatever she wanted. Good friends who’d supported her through the decisions she’d made over the last year, including the biggest decision: to end her marriage. She was a lucky woman.
Right.
That vast empty feeling inside her intensified.
