The Housewife Assassin's Handbook (30 page)

It takes Jack only half an hour to pack his things.

I stay in the kitchen. Pie is my therapy. 

My hands are still kneading dough when, finally, he comes down, bag in hand.

“I made the bed.”

The man is finally trained, albeit too late for it to matter anymore.

I nod silently. If I open my mouth I know I’ll beg him to stay. I can’t do that to him.

Or to myself.

And certainly not to my children.

However, my mouth opens willingly for his. It’s a Pavlovian thing: when his face is anywhere within kissing distance, I hunger to have his lips on mine.

To feel his hands around my waist.

And welcome him inside me.

But no more.

To break his spell over me, I don’t even turn around.

Lassie and Rin Tin Tin whine as the screen door slams behind Jack. Even they know I’ve probably made the biggest mistake of my life. 

Chapter 26

Home Sweet Home

A woman’s home is her castle. Truly, she is more than just its queen. She is also its housekeeper, valet, yard person, charwoman, and scullery maid. She is the nanny to its little princes and princesses.

On the upside, she is also the courtesan to its king.

Heaven help any army that attempts to storm her domain. She will defend it until her dying breath.

And afterward she will treat herself to that well deserved mani-pedi.

Yep, she enjoys being a girl with great aim.

I now know a heart can break twice.

It’s been three months since Jack left us. The kids move through the house like sad little wraiths.

Well, at least this time Mary doesn’t take his desertion personally. Instead, she blames it all on me.

The others are in denial. Trisha runs to the phone every time it rings in the hope that it is “Daddy.” Aunt Phyllis says, “Whoever that man is, he loves you too much to walk out forever. He’ll be back. I’d bet a European vacation on it.”

Jeff, too, claims that Jack will be there for when baseball starts up again for fall league, to coach him, just as he promised.

I don’t have the heart to tell him he’s wrong.

In fact, I have no heart left at all.

I’ve taught myself to cry only at night, when I’m alone in my room.

Jeff’s first game of the fall league season is on a beautiful October day. There is a slight chill in the air. By the last inning, the sun’s rays are slanting at such a low angle that I have to shield my eyes to watch his last pitch of a no-hitter—

And that’s when I see him: on the hill beyond third base.

Jeff sees him, too. As the rest of his team whoops and hollers and shakes hands with the losing team, he runs up the hill toward his father.

To Jack.

They are gone before I get there.

But they aren’t at the house, where Mary and Trisha are all smiles. As Trisha dances around in circles shouting her father’s name, Mary yells over her, “He took Jeff out for ice cream. He said he’ll meet you at the Sand Dollar, in an hour—”

An hour? That’s an eternity—

Oh my God! I’ve only got an hour to get ready…

The dress I choose is moss green, like his eyes. It flows around me with every step I take. My shawl does little to save me from chill bumps. They are there because I’m nervous, not because I am cold.

I am right on time, and yes, he is already there to greet me, at our favorite table.

He is thinner than I remember, and his eyes are sadder. But they light up when I run into his arms. Through all my tears and demands that he never leave me—leave us—again, he shushes me with long, sweet kisses until I am silent.

As we watch the sun dip into the ocean, he says, “What would you say if I told you I know a way in which we could take down the Quorum, once and for all?”

“I love it when you talk dirty to me.”

His laugh is deep and naughty. It promises thrills, pain, despair, and vengeance. 

It could be the victory I crave.

More than likely it will be an adventure I’ll regret.

But whatever happens, we will be by each other’s side, and that’s all that matters.

He takes my hand in his. “So, are you in?”

Next Up!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I owe a lot to the following people, whose love and support gives me the courage to write, every day:

Karin Tabke, who first fell in love with this book, and pushed me (quite adamantly; what are friends for?) to make it a priority; Andy Brown, who is a go-to guru for anything technical and metaphysical. Andy, thanks making the virtual a reality; Rita Abrams, Kendra Williams, Pam Welsh, Elisa Turner, Janell Parque, Susan DiMuzio, Dianne Wallace, Jeanette Conkling, Kimberly Turner and Tom Johnson, who have sharper eyes than mine; Austin Brown and Anna Brown, who are my emotional touchstones, in so many ways; Eddie Concha, Andree Belle, Darien and Don Coleman, Linda May and Ben Brown, and Mario Martinez and Patricia Steadman, who are always there to encourage, nurture and feed me.

And always last but never least, Martin Brown: you complete me.

Dear readers: If you liked the story and Donna, I’d be honored to get a review from you! We authors live by them, and they are always appreciated.

Thank you,

—Josie Brown

HOW TO REACH JOSIE

www.JosieBrown.com

www.AuthorProvocateur.com

www.HousewifeAssassinsHandbook.com

www.twitter.com/JosieBrownCA

www.facebook.com/JosieBrownAuthor
 

NOVELS IN THE

HOUSEWIFE ASSASSIN SERIES

The Housewife Assassin’s
Handbook

(Book 1)

Every desperate housewife wants an alias. Donna Stone has one … and it happens to be government-sanctioned. But Donna earned it the hard way. Her husband was killed the day she delivered their third child. To avenge her husband's murder, Donna leads a secret life: as an assassin. But espionage makes for strange bedfellows, and brings new meaning to that old adage, "Honey, I'm home..."

The Housewife Assassin’s
 

Guide to Gracious Killing
 

(Book 2)

A nuclear arms summit, hosted by a politically connected billionaire industrialist, provides the perfect opportunity for a rogue operative to assassinate the newly elected Russian president, on American soil. Donna Stone’s mission: seek and exterminate the shooter before all hell – and World War III – breaks out. Also on Donna’s to-do list: file for divorce. Throw in a couple of killer play dates and a few naughty neighbors, and you’ve got a whole lot of fun.
 

The Housewife Assassin’s
 

Killer Christmas Tips

(Book 3)

’Tis the season for murder, mayhem and mistletoe! There will be no peace on Earth if Donna and Jack don’t find a shipping container filled with heat-seeking missiles. Forget Santa! Terror is coming to town…
 

The Housewife Assassin’s
 

Relationship Survival Guide

(Book 4)

In the fourth full-length novel #4 of Josie Brown's Housewife Assassin series, contract assassin Donna Stone's idea of a perfect relationship? A man she can trust in any situation. Yes, breaking up is hard to do. Then again, so is breaking out of a Mexican prison, and stopping a massacre by an international terrorist cell. So, how do you mend a broken heart? Donna finds out -- the hard way. And FYI: falling in love with a married man isn't heart smart. Then again, neither is dating a terrorist. But when an old love gets in the way of Donna's chance for true love, she doesn't cry. She gets even.