Turning Thirty-Twelve by Sandy James

me.
    “Don’t leave, Ms. Delgado. Please.”
    I was so flabbergasted that I couldn’t move, couldn’t even put my arms around her and hug her back.
    “I hate my dad,” she said. “He’s so effing stupid.”
    “Carly, I—”
    Before I could even spit out the words, Mark gently tugged Carly’s arms away from me, grabbed my elbow, and walked me right out the door. Our children all stood frozen like mannequins, watching us with dropped jaws.
    Several yards away from the restaurant, Mark stopped and dropped my elbow. He opened his mouth to say something, but I beat him to the punch. “What could you possibly have to say to me that you can’t say in front of our kids?”
    He put his hand behind my head, pulled me to him, and settled his mouth on mine before I even had the chance to protest. For a few very long, wonderful moments I surrendered to that incredible chemistry that we seemed to have in bushel barrels. Then my badly injured pride kicked back in, keeping me from drowning in that kiss. I pushed against his chest to get away. He tried to hold on for a moment or two, but then he let go.
    “Why did you do that? You...you...horse’s ass! You have no right...”
    “I know. I’m really sorry I didn’t call, Jackie. I am.”
    I shook my head. “I don’t want your stupid apology. Just stay the hell away from me.” I started to stomp toward my car, but he clutched my upper arm.
    “Don’t go. Please. We need to talk.”
    “Screw you.” I tried to jerk my arm away, but Mark wouldn’t surrender it. I leveled a stare at his restraining hand. “Let me go.”
    He shook his obstinate head. “Not until we talk.”
    Patrick and Nate came charging out of the restaurant with Kathy and Carly close on their heels.
    Judging from the heat shooting from his eyes like laser beams, my oldest was angry. “I don’t know what in the hell is going on here,” he said, “but you better let her go. Now.”
    Great. Just what I needed, an audience to witness my humiliation at the hands of Mark Brennan.
    Damn it!
    Why couldn’t I have been aloof? Why couldn’t I pretend for just a short time that he hadn’t hurt me? Why couldn’t I feign indifference to the fact that Mark had discarded me? And now, not only were my children seeing me in the role of an immature, abandoned woman, but so were his.
    Damn it all anyway .
    Mark stubbornly shook his head again. “Not until she hears what I have to say.”
    Patrick clenched his hands into fists and made a threatening move toward Mark.
    “No!” I squealed as I quickly put my body between them. I might want to give Mark a sound slap upside the head, but it was clear Patrick had less subtle tactics in mind. “No, Pat. No.” I turned back to Mark, desperately fighting the urge to kick him in the shins. “Fine. I’m listening. What exactly did you want to tell me about a couple of silly dates we had a couple of months ago?”
    Yeah, that sounded aloof. Not.
    “I’m sorry, Jackie. I really am. I... I...” He turned back to the kids who were all gaping at us like they were watching a grisly car accident.
    Patrick still had his fists clenched at his sides and steam pouring out of his ears. Carly had tears in her eyes and a quivering lower lip. Kathy was clinging to Nate as if he was Leonardo DiCaprio and she was aboard the sinking Titanic. Poor Nate just looked confused.
    Mark turned to stare holes in all of them. “Can we have a little privacy? Please?”
    “No,” Patrick replied with a very authoritarian tone in his voice. I suddenly saw my ex-husband standing there in the form of my oldest son. “ No, you can’t.”
    “Fine.” Mark turned back to me. He seemed to take a few extraordinarily long moments to consider his words. “I needed some time, Jackie. Just some time.” Looking over his shoulder at the kids, he sighed heavily. “I really wanted to tell her this in private.”
    “Tough shit,” Patrick replied, drawing a chastising glare from me. “You can say it to