Housewife Gone Wild by Thanddeus Embereley novel Chapter 26 read online

Chapter 26

Nathan’s insight surprised me. He seemed to know me better than I’d realized.

“Have you been checking up on me?” My smile faded. The collapse of my marriage was painful enough without strangers poking through the remains.

“Sorry, I overstepped,” Nathan blurted out, uncharacteristically flustered. “Just heard some things in passing. No background checks, I promise.”

“Lovely meeting you.” I gave him my best polite dismissal and walked away.

Nathan stayed frozen where he stood.

Back at our table, Melissa was still nervously eyeing the handsome stranger at the other table, clearly working up the courage to talk to him.

“Melissa, ready to go?” I asked, already gathering my things. Nathan’s lingering gaze and that unsettling confession had me suddenly desperate for an exit.

She rose with obvious reluctance, just as Nathan came back inside.

I pulled Melissa forward. “Mr. Hallman, meet Melissa–legal genius and my best friend. Keep her number handy for when you inevitably need a lawyer.”

“Victoria…” Melissa hadn’t expected me to be so forward. She turned bright red, wishing she could vanish on the spot.

I shot her a reassuring look. “Don’t worry. Mr. Hallman and I know each other.”

Nathan handed Melissa a business card. “Ms. Jenkins, my company could use legal counsel. If you’re interested, reach out to my assistant, Zachary Chandler.”

“Hello,” said Zachary, the handsome guy across the table, raising his hand. He slid his card toward her. “Just give me a call.”

Melissa took both cards, her face burning. “Nice to meet you,” she murmured, and then yanked me out of the restaurant at lightning speed.

I took one look at her tomato–red cheeks and burst out laughing, nearly choking.

“Victoria, that was mortifying,” Melissa hissed, stomping her foot. “How could you just ask for their contacts like that? Now I can never show my face around them again.”

I grinned and nudged her. “You’ve got their cards now. It’d be a waste not to use them.”

“Wait a second…” Melissa picked up on something strange and grabbed my arm. “You know Mr. Hallman? How? Where did

you two meet?”

I froze, caught off guard by her rapid–fire questions.

“Victoria, does Mr. Hallman like you?” Melissa squinted. “Don’t even try denying it. I can see it in his eyes–the way he looks at you isn’t just casual.”

Melissa was my friend, and I didn’t want to hide things from her. So I told her everything–about volunteering at the charity and the donation.

“Wait, that donation of yours created a tech mogul?” She’d seen his business card–the same guy I’d helped was now Nathan 1/3

Hallman, a 27–year–old rising star who was killing it in the tech world.

I shrugged. “I’d never actually met him, and I didn’t even know who he was. Back then, people talked about this genius kid- how his family went bankrupt and how his dad died following their financial ruin.

“I was helping out with the Holcombs‘ charity work at the time. When I heard his story, I donated 250 grand to him.”

“Victoria, you’ve got a real gift for investments. Your instincts are spot–on,” Melissa said, giving me an impressed thumbs–up.

I gave a wry smile. “It was Jared’s money, not mine. If anyone deserves credit, it’s Jared.”

Melissa burst out laughing, slapping her knee. “This is perfect. Jared financed his own romantic competitor. Imagine how pissed he’ll be when he finds out.”

I quickly covered her mouth. “Keep your voice down. If anyone hears you, we’re through as friends.”

Melissa leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper. “So… you’re really divorcing Jared? Need me to handle the paperwork? It’s what I do best–my treat.”