Joneses – 15.3 Reed Keller

Mary gasped and felt like her body suddenly turned into a pillar of salt. Sure, she didn’t have to exit the park from that exact path, but there was no use hiding from him. She was a grown woman with a child still at home. How could she teach Phoenix not to run away from her problems if she didn’t? She had nothing to lose now and was a different person from before. Whatever he would throw at her, she could handle it…she hoped.

She threw back her shoulders and pushed her nose into the air as she made her way toward him. Her resolve was strong until she saw those icy blue eyes, long eyelashes, and perfectly pouty lips. He gained a little weight and looked much older, but he was every bit as gorgeous as she remembered.

“Reed Keller.”

“Mary Jones.”

“Why so stiff, Mary? Aren’t you glad to see an old friend?”

Friend? You’re no friend to me.”

He chuckled. “Oh, Mary. We were great friends once.” He stepped toward her with a devilish grin. “More than friends.”

She backed away. “We were nothing of the sort!”

He snorted. “Yeah. Well, our parents seemed to think so. You still with him?”

She knew he already spied her empty finger. If he were anyone else, it would have been such an easy question to answer.

He grinned like he had her where he wanted her. “How are Tim and Susie?”

“Tim, Susie, and Phoenix are fine,” she barked.

“Phoenix?” The million dollar grin melted away. His jaw stiffened and nose rose slightly in the air. “I see.”

She and Reed had no business on which to confer. They certainly weren’t friends. Nothing kept her from leaving. She was free to go, but somehow she couldn’t make herself leave.

“We should catch up sometime. I’d love to know what happened after you–”

“You tried to ruin my marriage!”

She wasn’t quite sure why she yelled that but just in case he had trouble remembering why she wasn’t glad to see him, she recapped their history.

He stepped toward her again with the same devilish grin. “And you liked it.”

How dare he!

Sparring with him would get her nothing but trouble, so she turned around and ran away.

Joneses - 15.2 The Boy is Mine
Joneses - 15.4 The People's Mary