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wait to hear who it is.”
    Emma chuckled. “My gossip isn’t that good, but it does involve my neighbor trying to seduce my husband right here in this very kitchen.”
    “No way!” Piper exclaimed. “That is a great runner-up. I’m totally kidding. Gillian’s sexcapades can wait. Neighborhood scandal right in your own kitchen wins the night. When did this happen?”
    “The night we met for drinks,” Emma answered. She turned to the other girls to explain. “I asked Piper to meet me for a drink because I was having some issues with my marriage, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was exactly, so I didn’t want to make it a big deal before I figured it out. Piper was incredible, as you can all imagine.” She grinned at her friend. “You really should be a therapist, you know. I came home feeling completely energized and ready to tackle my life—and walked in right as Candace was trying to tackle my husband.”
    “I can’t believe that!” Caroline exclaimed. “That’s so ballsy. Right in your own house? I would’ve been in a white-hot rage.”
    “It’s not that ballsy for this neighborhood, let me tell you,” Emma said. “Candace regularly bangs a twenty-two-year-old in her garage, and she apparently discovered that we live an extracurricular sex life, most likely from spying through our windows, and came here looking for some action.”
    “Was Pete into it?” Gillian asked. “That doesn’t seem like it would be his style.”
    “No, of course not!” Emma said. “But I let him think I was pissed about it. Well, I was pissed, but I wasn’t as mad as I portrayed. Nobody wants to catch their husband kissing someone else.” She nodded at Piper. “That was because you empowered me to not gloss over everything and try to make everyone feel good. I saw my opportunity and took it.” Emma proceeded to give the girls all the juicy tidbits about what happened. “So, in the end, Pete was upset he’d made me mad, and that’s unusual for us. My usual is to make everything fine at all costs. By doing it this way, I’m trying to coax him into seeing me again. Our life has become predictable, but I have high hopes for this vacation. Thanks to Piper’s advice, I’ll be doing some strutting.”
    Gillian asked, “So are we going to get to see this interloper Candace at the block party? Because that would be awesome.”
    Emma said, “I certainly hope so. It won’t be as fun if she doesn’t show.”

5
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    P ete strode into the packed bar. He was a little late. His workload for the week had been heavy, so he’d worked longer than expected. He spotted the guys at a high-top and made his way over.
    “Hey, Pete,” Michael said, holding his hand out. “Nice to see you again.”
    Pete shook it and nodded to the two other guys as he took his seat. “Thanks for the invite. It was nice to get the call. Who would’ve thought we’d see each other out socially after our interactions together?”
    “I know,” Michael said. “It’s strange as hell, but oddly it works. We all share a pretty hard-core component of our lives, which doesn’t tend to come up a lot in everyday conversation with other people.”
    Brad nodded. “I don’t talk about my life ever . Most people at work think I’m socially awkward because I never talk.” He chuckled. “But they can think whatever the fuck they want to. It’s nice to be able to slam back a beer and feel comfortable for once.”
    “I agree,” Pete said, nodding. “This was unexpected, but welcome. And if anyone can use a drink, I can. I’ve had a shitty week.” He nodded across the table at Jace. “It’s nice to see you again, man. I hope all is well with you and yours.”
    “Things are going great,” Jace said. “In part, thanks to you and your wife. What we did at your house managed to break some kind of a seal for Caroline, and our sex life has never been better.”
    “Glad to hear it,” Pete said.
    The