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hasn't seen a man in twenty years.
Simone's staring at the floor and I can't help but think that for
such a sexy woman she's rather self-conscious. Shannon's face is
blank as usual. And Mindy's mouth hangs wide open; her eyes sparkle
with shock. Persuading her might prove to be a harder task than
climbing Mount Everest.

Chapter 5
     
    "Good evening, ladies," Jamie says.
    "He smells so delicious I want to take a
bite," Lucy whispers, but in such a quiet room I wouldn't be
surprised if I could hear her dirty thoughts with a bit of
concentration.
    "This is Jamie. He's joining us." I point at
the empty chair. "Please take a seat and help yourself to some
coffee and a muffin. They're homemade." I did stir the contents of
the packet and bake them in my oven, so it's not a complete
lie.
    Mindy squints at me. "What's he doing
here?"
    "I'm waiting for my class to start," Jamie
says.
    "Join the club, mister. The only thing
holding us up is you. Let's get back to work." I sit between Jamie
and Lucy and start flicking through my papers to resume the session
as I continue, "Now, I know it's hard having the enemy among us
when we're still sore and vulnerable from their betrayal. But Jamie
needs my help too, probably more so because he's a man and, let's
face it, opening up doesn't come naturally to him."
    Jamie's still standing near the door,
hesitation written on his face. "I'm sorry if you think I'm the
enemy because I took one of your lady's spots. I don't mind giving
you my place in line." He smiles at me. "See? Opening up my
schedule does come naturally to me."
    Huh? I stare at him because I've no idea what
he's talking about.
    "I don't know about this," Mindy says. "It
doesn't seem right."
    "You should be thanking me for being such a
wonderful person," Jamie says.
    "Exactly my point!" Mindy rolls her eyes.
"Men want nothing but praise and glory. I'm here to spill out my
guts and I have to thank you for listening because you're
such a great guy?"
    "No appreciation," Jamie mutters, a flicker
of amusement playing in his blue eyes.
    "I feel bad for your wife," Mindy says. "How
does she deal with your inflated ego?"
    "Listen, I'm not here to get lectured," Jamie
says. "I'm here for some rest, relaxation and reprieve from my
problems. Guess I'll just roll with the punches, which I
desperately wish were on my back."
    I open my mouth to speak, but Shannon beats
me to it. "Look at him, the guy's shattered. You can tell from the
dark circles under his eyes. I say we give him a chance."
    "Couldn't agree more." I peer at Jamie's
confused face. "Now, our Mindy said after the last meeting she
plucked up the courage to change something. Well done, Mindy. Did
anyone else feel empowered?"
    Lucy and Shannon shake their heads. I stare
at Simone who averts her gaze. The woman didn't mind calling me in
the middle of the night, but give her daylight and any trace of
courage's gone.
    "Simone, is there anything you'd like to
share with us today?" I prompt.
    She regards me for a second, then shakes her
head. "Nothing comes to mind."
    "She's hiding something." Lucy claps her
hands. "Spill the beans, lassie."
    Simone lowers her gaze, a hint of a smile
forms on her lips. "I think I did the exact opposite of
empowerment."
    "You decided to give him another chance?"
Mindy asks.
    "Nope, worse." Simone leans forward and
whispers, "I had sex with Miles."
    "Why is that bad?" Jamie asks. "Unless he's a
run-of-the-mill ax-wielding psycho." Everyone turns to face him. He
shrugs. "Sorry, I seem to have missed the previous part, so I'm not
up-to-date."
    "She's obviously trying to divorce him," I
whisper.
    Jamie nods. "Right. Carry on, then."
    "But why would you do such a thing?" Shannon
wails. "Do you have any idea what could've happened?"
    "A child, a STD," Shannon chimes in.
    "Or thinking everything's going to work out
now and quitting the club," Lucy says. "You'd give Sarah a bad
reputation. Not to mention, the guy might start thinking he can get
away with anything