MERLOT AND DIVORCE AND DEADLY REMORSE

by Jodi Vaughn

  I would have to have a private talk with her after dinner when Gabby was in her room.

  I pulled out some frozen chicken from the freezer and stuffed the package into the sink to defrost. I grabbed some lettuce and tomatoes and some tortillas. I was going to make chicken quesadillas with a salad as a side.

  My phone dinged. I pulled it out of my purse and frowned.

  I had six missed calls. All from the school.

  “I’ll be right back.” I walked into my bedroom and shut the door. I hit redial.

  “Hello?”

  “Yes, hello. This is Rachel Jones. I had some missed calls from this number.” I chewed on a fingernail.

  “Mrs. Jones. This is Mrs. Kellum. I’m Arianna’s history teacher. I’ve been trying to call you to discuss Arianna’s behavior today.” Her somber tone told me that I wasn’t going to like this conversation.

  “I’m sorry I missed your call. I turn my cell phone off when I’m driving,” I lied.

  “I understand. Mrs. Jones, Arianna’s grades have dropped, and she seems to be isolating herself from the girls she hung out with before. Usually, Arianna raises her hand in class or knows the answer when I call on her, but lately, she’s not participating.”

  “I see.”

  “I heard that some changes are happening at home.”

  I gripped the phone in my hand. “Mrs. Kellum, the whole town of Charming seems to know my business.”

  “Mrs. Jones, I’m sorry. I didn’t intend to offend you,” Mrs. Kellum said softly. “I’m not from Charming, but I’ve learned that it can be difficult to reside where your life is lived out of a fishbowl. It’s been difficult for me to adjust, as well.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Arianna loves your class, and you’re her favorite teacher.”

  “Well, she’s one of my best students. That’s why I wanted to call you before I called the other girls’ parents.”

  “Let me guess, Elizabeth Grace.”

  “Yes. Has Arianna already talked to you about Elizabeth Grace’s behavior?”

  “A little, but not much. But knowing Elizabeth Grace’s mother, I’m sure she’s cut from the same cloth.”

  Mrs. Kellum snorted on the other end of the line. She cleared her throat. “Not that I disagree with you, but as a teacher, I can’t…”

  “You can’t agree. I get it. It’s probably best that way.” I sighed. “Mrs. Kellum, have you said anything to any of the other teachers about Arianna?”

  “No. But Elizabeth Grace is a slick one. She’s got the others…fooled. Plus, I wanted to talk to you about the situation. It’s no one else’s business.”

  I smiled. I felt like I was meeting someone who finally understood.

  “I appreciate that. I’ll handle the situation. I have a feeling you won’t have anything to worry about, and Arianna will be back to her old self very soon.”

  “Perfect.” I could hear the pleasure in her voice. “Mrs. Jones, it has been very nice speaking with you.”

  “You, too. And please, call me Rachel.”

  “Thank you. I’ll do that. You can call me Joan.”

  “So you’re not from Charming?”

  “No, I’m from Jonesboro, Arkansas. I thought Charming would be the same sweet family town, but I was sorely disappointed.” Her voice softened.

  “Joan, I have a group of friends, and we have a monthly book club meeting. It’s mainly a chance to get out of the house and have some adult conversation. I’m having it at my place on Monday. Would you be interested in joining?”

  “Oh, that sounds wonderful! But I’m afraid I can’t make it this month. But I would love to come next month.”

  “Perfect. I’ll let you know the book we choose. Oh, and there is usually wine at book club.”

  “No doubt. In this town, you have to drink to stay sane. Goodbye, Rachel.”

  I ended the call with a smile. Joan wasn’t wrong.

  Chapter 34

  “Mommy, look. That wizard did a good job on the flower bed,” Gabby called from the backseat.

  I had just pulled out of the driveway onto our street to take the girls to school.

  I stopped the car and looked at our front yard. My mouth dropped.

  The giant flower penis was gone, and in its place were the prettiest blue and yellow violets I had ever seen.

  “Not bad for a homeless guy.” Arianna looked up from her phone.

  “You haven’t said anything, Mommy. Don’t you like it? Blue is your favorite color.” Gabby looked at me in the rearview mirror.

  I nodded. “I like it. A lot. I’m just surprised, that’s all.”

  Gabby gave me a smirk. “I still think he looks like a wizard. He probably used magic to make those flowers look so good.”

  I started driving again. I didn’t know about magic, but I would have to thank Khalan for fixing the landscaping disaster.

  I wasn’t sure why he’d done it. Was it because I had tried to dry hump him while drinking his blood? My body heated, and I shook those images out of my head. It had been a while since I’d had sex. Once the divorce was final, I needed to go out on a date. Or at least hook up with someone to quiet my urges.

  I pulled into the car line and let the girls out. After they’d walked inside, I pulled into a guest parking spot and killed the engine. I waited until the last car had pulled out of the line before I got out of the car.

  I was going to fix this situation with Elizabeth Grace today.

  I was almost at the front door when I heard a car pull up. I turned.

  It was Veronica.

  I hid behind the large oak tree and peered around the big trunk.

  Apparently, Veronica had not seen me; otherwise, she would be screeching my name. She got out of the car and opened the trunk. She handed Elizabeth Grace something that looked like a white cake box with a big red bow on it.

  “Now, you give those cupcakes to Mrs. Kellum and tell her that we got them at the expensive bakery in Memphis. It never hurts to get on their good side when there’s a test coming up.” Veronica cackled.

  Even from this distance, I could see Elizabeth Grace rolling her eyes. “I don’t want to. I want to keep them for me and my friends.”

  “You don’t want those. They are a day old. You want fresh ones. I’ll pick you up after school, and we will go back to Memphis and get you some cupcakes, whatever flavor you want.”

  Elizabeth Grace stomped her foot but didn’t say a word.

  “Now, get to class. The bell rang, but I’m sure they won’t count you tardy. If they do, I’ll have a word with the principal.” Veronica waved her daughter towards the school and then got into her car and drove off.

  I held my breath, waiting for Elizabeth Grace to walk past me to the door. Instead of going inside, she sat the cupcakes on the sidewalk and slid her bookbag off her shoulder. She sat down and lit up a joint.

  My mouth nearly hit the ground.

  After a few minutes, she finally put out the weed and left it on the ground. She opened the cake box and pulled out a cupcake. One by one, she licked them before setting them back in the box.

  I was flabbergasted.

  She stood and tugged her backpack over her shoulder then picked up the cupcake box. She plastered on a good little smile and headed for the entrance.

  I looked around, making sure I was not standing near a camera.

  She reached for the door when I stepped out from behind the tree.

  “Elizabeth Grace.”

  She jumped, startled at seeing me there.

  “Mrs. Jones.” She swallowed and then remembered to smile. “I didn’t see you there.”

  “I’m sure you didn’t. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have just smoked marijuana in front of the school.”

  “I’m, I’m, I’m…” she stuttered, trying to come up with an excuse. “I think you’re mistaken. I wasn’t smoking weed. I would never do drugs.”

  “Right. And I bet you would never give cupcakes that you had licked to your teacher, Mrs.
Kellum, either.”

  Her eyes widened, but she recovered quickly. “I didn’t lick them. I was smelling them. Making sure they were fresh.”

  “You are such a liar.”

  Her face fell, and her eyes blazed with anger. “Excuse me?”

  I looked hard into her eyes. “Elizabeth Grace, come here.”

  She blinked a couple of times as if her brain were fighting the command I had given her. I had never glamoured a girl her age before. I hoped it worked the same as it did on adults.

  “Elizabeth Grace, come here,” I commanded.

  She took five steps until she was standing in front of me.

  “From this day forward, you will never bully or intimidate Arianna Jones again. You will never say anything bad about her or gossip about her.”

  She grimaced but held my gaze. She was fighting my command.

  “You will never bully Arianna Jones again. You will never say anything bad about her. You will never harm her. Do you understand?”

  Her face relaxed, and she had that glazed look in her eyes that my victims usually had during the glamouring process.

  “From this day forward, you will always be nice to Arianna. You will always do what she tells you.”

  “I will never bully Arianna. I will be kind to Arianna. I will always do what she says.” Elizabeth Grace’s voice was robotic, her face expressionless.

  “Now, take those cupcakes and put them in the trash. And then go to class. Understand?”

  “I understand.” Elizabeth Grace turned and walked to the nearest trash can and dumped the box in. Then she headed inside the school with nothing but her backpack and a new mission.

  I smiled as I walked back to my car. I stopped at the sidewalk where I had seen her dump her joint. I picked it up and shoved it down the nearest storm drain.

  Chapter 35

  “Okay, girls, you stay out of the living room while we have our book club.” I arranged some wine glasses and bottles on the dining room table. I’d made a charcuterie board, along with some white-chocolate-covered strawberries.

  “You mean your wine club.” Arianna snagged a strawberry and grinned. She seemed more like her old self. It had been days since I had glamoured Elizabeth Grace into being nice.

  “Smartypants.” I grinned at her.

  “Can I have a grape?” Gabby grabbed one anyway.

  “I made you guys a charcuterie board, too. With more stuff. But you guys have to eat it in your room together.”

  “We can eat in my room and watch a movie,” Arianna offered.

  I stopped what I was doing and looked at my daughter. “Well, that’s nice.”

  “She’s been nicer to me since Elizabeth Grace started acting like a loon.” Gabby giggled.

  “A loon. What do you mean?”

  Gabby grinned. “Tell her, Arianna.”

  “I think Elizabeth Grace has gone off the deep end.” Arianna shook her head.

  “Why? Because she’s being nice? Maybe she finally realized what a good friend you are and decided to straighten up.” I lifted my chin.

  “It’s beyond nice.” Arianna grimaced. “It’s almost irritating. I’m used to her bullying me every day, and now all she does is follow me around, telling me how pretty and smart I am.”

  Gabby burst into laughter. “Tell her what she did in the cafeteria today.”

  Arianna’s face grew red.

  “What did she do?” I gave Arianna my full attention.

  “I was so irritated that she wouldn’t stop stalking me, so I kind of told her off.”

  “What do you mean?” I narrowed my gaze.

  “Arianna told her to kiss her butt.” Gabby let out a loud laugh. “And she did.”

  “How do you know this?” I looked at my younger daughter.

  “The whole school knows about it. Mrs. Kellum was on duty and had to pull her lips off Arianna’s booty.” Gabby doubled over with laughter.

  “It’s really weird, Mom. She’s like a robot.” Arianna grimaced.

  “Sounds like it.” So, maybe my glamour skills needed some work.

  The doorbell rang, and the kids scooted off to the bedroom to enjoy their snacks for the night.

  I opened the door to see Carla standing there.

  “I may be a little early.” Carla ducked her head.

  “No, you’re right on time. Come on in.” I smiled and patted her shoulder. I closed the door behind her.

  “The other girls should be here soon.” The doorbell rang. “See. There they are now.”

  I opened the door. Liz and Judith were standing there with big smiles. I knew they had seen Carla walk in before them. They were eager for updates on Cal.

  “Hey, ladies. Come on in.” I leaned in close. “Be nice, and don’t be nosy,” I whispered.

  Judith harrumphed and lifted her chin in the air. “I’m always nice.”

  “Don’t close the door. Michelle, Gina, and Meredith pulled up behind us,” Liz said.

  The ladies chatted up Carla, while I stood in the doorway and waited on the other three women.

  “Sorry, we’re late.” Gina gave me a look. “Michelle and Meredith rode with me.”

  “No problem. We are going to start as soon as everyone gets inside.”

  Meredith glared at Michelle as she entered my house.

  “Everything okay?” I asked Michelle.

  “I made Gina and Meredith wait on me.” Michelle sighed. “Bobby needed help making popcorn for the kids.”

  “It’s freaking microwave popcorn.” Meredith glared. “It ain’t that damn hard.”

  Gina turned when I shut the door and looked at Michelle. “Yeah. You need to make your husband take more responsibility around the house. You’re not his mother.”

  “I know.” Michelle sighed. She looked hopeless. “I’ve tried. But Bobby doesn’t listen.” She turned to me. “What do you think, Rachel?”

  I held up my hands. “Don’t take advice from me. I’m getting a divorce.”

  “Yeah, she’s the last person you should take advice from,” Meredith snorted.

  “Smartass.” I elbowed her in the side. “Who wants wine?”

  Everyone spoke up, and I headed over to the dining room table where everything was laid out. The ladies fixed their plates while I poured the Merlot.

  We filled our plates and glasses while we chatted. The conversation turned to everyone’s personal lives and what was going on. Husbands and children were discussed with equal parts dread and joy. As usual, it took us over an hour before anyone even brought up the book.

  “I’m so glad you could join us, Carla,” Liz said as she picked up another slice of cheese. “It’s good to have fresh blood in the group.

  “Oh, dear. Don’t bring up the word blood,” Judith chastised.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Because of what Carla is going through with her husband.” Judith turned and gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m sure it’s hard to deal with a husband who murdered his lover.”

  “I wish my husband would murder his lover,” I said a little too loudly.

  Everyone turned and looked at me. The room grew silent.

  I shrugged. “What? It’s not like you all haven’t been wondering about what’s going on with Miles and me.” I didn’t think the ladies should be asking Carla so many personal questions. I wasn’t sure she was ready to talk about it yet.

  “Well, we didn’t want to be pushy.” Gina eased closer to me on the sofa.

  “It’s fine. I mean, I’m sure it’s all out there. But I have filed for divorce. And we are in the middle of mediation. I’m hoping this will all be over quickly so I can get on with my life.”

  “Divorce.” Judith shook her head, and a tear slid down her perfect face. “I never, in a million years, thought you and Miles would get a divorce.”

  “Well, I guess you never know what goes on behind closed doors, do you?”

  “That’s the damn truth.” Carla downed her large glass of wine and held it out to
be refilled.

  “Carla, that’s your third glass. Are you sure you want another?” I had never known Carla to drink.

  “Yep. Fill ‘er up.” She gave me a lazy smile.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Give it to her,” Meredith said. “It’s not like she’s driving home. She lives across the street. Besides, the worst that will happen is she has a headache in the morning.”

  “Fine. But you take some Tylenol and drink a big glass of water when you get home.”

  Carla gave me a salute, and I filled up her glass.

  “We haven’t even talked about the book,” Judith whined. I knew she had come prepared. She had a list of notes that she had brought along for discussion.

  “Piss on the book,” Gina groused.

  I jerked my head in her direction.

  “I just ran a marathon this weekend, and I didn’t have time to read. Plus, I’ve been in training and haven’t had alcohol in weeks. I’m getting sloshed tonight. And I want to hear gossip.”

  “Well, the only gossip we have is my situation and Carla’s.”

  “How’s the pizza delivery going?” Michelle asked as she munched on a piece of meat. I shot her a glare.

  “What?” she asked. “Was I not supposed to ask about her delivering pizzas because she has no money?”

  “Liz, take Michelle’s wine away.” I glared.

  “No, it’s okay. We can talk about it.” Carla sighed. “The tips have been pretty good. I think people are tipping me really well because they feel sorry for me.” She stared into her wine glass.

  “You’d better ride that wave while you can,” Liz said. “And save every dime.”

  “I’m not sure what I’m going to do about the future. Without Cal’s income, I have no way of keeping the house going.”

  “So, he’s not worth anything?” Gina asked.

  “Well, he does have a life insurance policy, but other than that…” Carla took a long drink.

  “Speaking of shitty husbands…” Meredith took another drink of her wine. “Did you guys hear about Malcolm Long and his wife?”

  “What? Are they getting a divorce, too? Maybe I should start a divorce book club.” I took a drink of my wine.