Pleasure Under the Sun. Lindsay Evans

at her for wanting the partnership so badly. With most things in Bailey’s life, her sister was able to listen, laugh and commiserate over the appropriate adult beverage, but this job at Braithwaite and Fernandez was something Bette didn’t understand. She thought the job was getting much more out of Bailey than she got out of it, and if she ever got the partnership, that inequality would only get worse.

      She had a sneaking suspicion that Bette was right. With that depressing thought, she pulled her car into the Whole Foods parking lot near her office to grab a few essentials for the week. She slung her purse over her shoulder and stepped from the car, pressing the remote to lock the convertible and turn on the alarm. There was a grocery list in her purse somewhere. She rifled through the thick black bag, still making her way toward the entrance of the store.

      “Bailey Hughes, is that you?”

      She looked up from her purse, empty-handed at the sound of the familiar voice. Oh, great.

      For once, she’d left work at a reasonable hour, so the parking lot was full of the after-work crowd doing the same thing she was. She’d barely been able to find a parking spot. If anyone asked her later on, she’d use that as an excuse for why she didn’t look in the right direction when she first heard Clive call her name. She glanced once over her shoulder, knowing he wasn’t behind her, then kept walking toward the entrance of the store, moving swiftly through the crosswalk and past slow-moving pedestrians.

      “Bailey!”

      Damn. He was almost in front of her, walking briskly toward her at an angle from the store’s exit. It was hard not to notice him there, an attractive man of medium height, light brown complexion and startling hazel eyes.

      He headed directly for her from the grocery store, pushing a shopping cart with a toddler strapped into the attached child seat. A brown-skinned woman with a long ponytail walked next to him. She carried her purse over one shoulder and distractedly scrolled through something on her cell phone. He stopped the cart a few feet from Bailey, forcing her to acknowledge him.

      “Clive.” She greeted him with a deliberate lack of enthusiasm. “It’s been a long time.” I wish it had been longer.

      “I thought that was you. I haven’t seen you around in a while.”

      “Why? Were you looking for me?”

      At her words, the woman looked up from her phone. Her eyes narrowed as she took in Bailey, from the top of her perfectly pressed and sculpted hair to the tips of her Jimmy Choo black python ankle boots. Bailey may have felt like hell this morning when she left home, but she had been determined to look good. The woman put her phone away and sidled closer to her husband.

      He chuckled. “Of course I wasn’t looking for you. But I do know you don’t work too far from here. Remember how you used to go crazy for the chicken wings at this place?” He jerked his head toward the market.

      That’s what you remember about me?

      Bailey shrugged, then looked past him toward the store. How much longer was he going to prolong this?

      “Oh, this is my wife. Charmaine.” He gestured to the woman, who tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and smiled brightly at Bailey. A child. She barely looked twenty-five.

      “Hello.” Bailey greeted her with the smile she didn’t have for Clive.

      She didn’t give the woman her name. The girl looked young enough to be one of his graduate students, which was probably what she had once been. From the way Charmaine was holding on to Clive, she was well aware of his inability to keep his penis in his pants when away from home. Charmaine stroked the toddler’s curly Afro.

      The child grinned and waved his arms. “Dada.”

      “And this is our son, Kofi.” Clive touched the child’s arm flailing in his direction.

      “That’s great,” Bailey said to Charmaine. “You have a handsome boy there.” She nodded toward the child in the shopping cart so the girl wouldn’t mistake her meaning.

      Charmaine’s smile widened. “Thank you. Isn’t he just? Clive and I are working on a little sister or brother for him to play with.”

      “How sweet,” Bailey said. Did I really need to know that?

      “So what are you doing these days?” Clive asked.

      “Grocery shopping.”

      He gave a hearty and fake laugh. “You were always so funny, Bailey. How could I ever forget that about you?”

      “Yes, how could you?”

      She, Clive, Charmaine and the baby stood in uncomfortable silence for a moment. Then Bailey had enough. She nodded at the young woman. “It was good to meet you, Charmaine, but I have to run. Clive, take care of yourself.”