The Coast Road Home

by Vickie McKeehan

  “You don’t have to…” Bette began.

  But Marley eyed Gideon and said, “That’d be great. I could use some tea.” Without giving up, she watched Barkley trot off after Gideon into the kitchen before turning back to Bette. “The thing is, what you need to know is that this isn’t your fault. Those aren’t just hollow words, either.”

  She tossed out statistics, followed them up with facts about marriages surviving midlife crises. “The thing is, you can get past this on your own. You have friends willing to help you. I’m willing to help you.”

  “But you don’t know me.”

  “But I know what you’ve been through. I figure we have to stick together, both of us, the jilted wives, tossed aside for younger women.”

  “You’re not making this up, are you? Because you don’t look that old to me.”

  “Why would I do that, Bette? Why would I bother pouring out my soul to you like this? Why share my humiliation if I’m making it up?”

  “What happened in your situation?”

  Marley wasn’t about to go into morbid details, so she kept it simple. “We got a very sensible divorce.”

  Bette hid her face in her hands. “I’m so sick of dealing with all this. Right now, my boys are so angry with their dad that they aren’t speaking to him. At least not without yelling at him. My oldest, Ben, joined the Navy when he turned eighteen. He’s stationed overseas, but that hasn’t prevented him from calling his dad and telling him how he feels. Same with my youngest, Bryce, who’s living down in L.A. going to art school. They’re furious with him. What I can’t understand is why Dan would hurt us like this? Why would he do this to his family?”

  “Generally speaking, sometimes people just aren’t happy. They get bored with a longtime relationship and look for something else. It’s not a reflection on you. Or me. People don’t think of the repercussions while they’re trying to hide an affair. In my case, Ewan only thought with one part of his anatomy, and it wasn’t his brain.”

  Bette had to think about that for a few minutes, and then, for the first time, her lips curved. And then she started laughing.

  Gideon brought the tea in and couldn’t believe his eyes. Bette’s face had been transformed from a sullen basket case to a woman who’s bitterness had partly cracked and fallen away. “What’s so funny?”

  “I like your friend, Dr. Nighthawk. She’s a hoot.”

  “I like you, too, Bette,” Marley said. “In fact, I’ll give you my number, and you can call me any time you want to talk. I’m not promising that you won’t have dark days ahead. Because you will. But for the sake of your sons, don’t get so down that you give up completely.”

  “I don’t even have a job.”

  Marley waved away that concern. “California is a community property state. If Dan wants the divorce, he’ll have to help you with the bills until you can find a job. Most judges want women to go to work within the first year of a divorce. A year should give you time to figure out what you want to do. Start writing down everything you enjoy doing. I bet Seth and a whole list of friends will help you get back into the job market. Am I wrong about that?”

  “Seth and Ophelia have been wonderful. Even Jolene, who lives two houses down from me. She’s stopped by to see me every time she heads to work.”

  Marley stood up to leave. “There you go. Friends and family will get you through this. And you’ll be stronger for it. I promise you.”

  Bette wrapped Marley in a hug. “Thank you. I can only hope I do as well as you.”

  “Wait and see, you’ll do better. Just take care of yourself more. He’s not worth it, Bette. I personally don’t know Dan. But I know my ex. And Ewan wasn’t worth a crapload of angst that kept me up at night. The world will go on. Trust me on that one thing.”

  When they got to the car, Gideon whirled on Marley. “How did you do that? How did you get her to laugh like that? She’s had five months to slide into meltdown-mode, and you were able to get a laugh out of her in less than thirty minutes.”

  “Nothing to it. Bette and I belong to the same jilted wives club. Surely you’re familiar with that old saying ‘misery loves company?’ Any time you get women together who’ve shared the humiliating experience of a cheating husband, they’ll likely bond for life.”

  “Let’s see what you can do with Hollis.”

  Marley patted the basket of goodies she’d packed which contained the remaining white Russian cake. “Lead on. I’m ready to meet Hollis.”

  Hollis Crow’s house was a couple of blocks over from Bette’s. Gideon pulled up to a small cottage with white vinyl siding, brown shutters, and a double carport where Hollis’s pickup truck sat covered in dust. Not a good sign that he’d gotten out and about recently.

  Gideon knocked on the door. It took several long minutes for Hollis to answer.

  When he finally hobbled far enough to reach the doorway, he popped his head out. “Hey, Doc, what are you doing here?”

  “Checking to see if you’re getting around any better on those crutches.”

  Hollis had a boyish, round face that made him look no older than his early twenties. But in reality, the man had celebrated his twenty-ninth birthday in March. He was tall with sandy brown hair and had big, warm brown eyes.

  One glance at Marley holding onto Barkley and a grin spread across his face. “Who’d you bring to see me, Doc? Did you bring me a dog?”

  “We brought you something to eat,” Marley stated after introducing herself and holding up the basket for him to see. “We weren’t sure how long it had been since you’d gone to the store.”

  Hollis’s face said he was glad to have the company. He held the door open for them to step inside. “Come on in. Cupboards are getting mighty bare. I’m down to peanut butter and jelly on crackers.”

  “That’s what we figured,” Marley explained. “That’s why we brought you a real meal. Roasted shrimp and orzo.”

  “I don’t know what that is, but it has to be better than PB&J.”

  “Marley made it,” Gideon pointed out. “When we leave, we’ll send Beckham over with some groceries. Make us a list.”

  “You guys don’t have to do that.”

  “Hollis, you can’t drive with your leg the way it is. Did your disability insurance kick in yet?”

  “Forty-five days. That’s what the rep told me. Won’t be for another week.”

  Marley navigated the messy kitchen and looked around for the microwave. She warmed the casserole dish for a minute, tossing the ingredients and then continued cooking for another minute. When the dish had heated enough that it was steaming, she hunted down a plate and dumped a portion onto it.

  After grabbing silverware, she carried it over to Hollis. “Try this. If it’s not to your liking, I’ll make you something else.”

  “No, no, it smells delicious, looks even better.”

  While Gideon and Hollis talked in the living room, Marley put on an apron and got to work tidying up the kitchen, emptying the dishwasher, then clearing out the sink with a week’s worth of dirty dishes, and piling them into the dishwasher for another load.

  “Got that grocery list ready yet?” Marley wanted to know, wiping her hands on a dishtowel.

  Gideon held up a piece of paper. “I think we’ve got it figured out. We’ll head over to the store and grab these things, maybe have Beckham deliver them in a few.”

  “That sounds great. I was hoping Ellie would stop by and see me. But so far, no luck.”

  “Who’s Ellie?” Marley asked. “I’m new in town.”

  “Ellie Woodside. She lives on my route. She’s the one who saw me fall and called the paramedics. I haven’t seen her since the hospital.”

  Marley exchanged an amused look with Gideon. “This Ellie, would she be the same girl who works at the animal clinic?”

  “That’s her. She walks dogs and takes care of the animals. She loves animals. Ellie also works for Hannah Summers cleaning houses.”

  Marley took a seat on an ottoma
n directly across from Hollis. “She did a very good job sprucing up Barkley. And he was a mess when I found him.”

  “That’s Ellie. She takes her time, does a good job with anything.”

  “Is she your girlfriend?”

  Hollis gave her an easy smile. “I love her, but she takes care of her dad, and the man just doesn’t like me. At first, I thought it was because I work in waste management. But it’s an honest job, so who knows the real reason? I don’t think he wants Ellie dating anybody.”

  “How does Ellie feel?”

  “You’d have to ask her. But we used to go to the movies and eat out a couple of times a week. We even went to the state fair last summer, even took a trip to the Bay Area to see the tourist attractions. But lately, since I got hurt, nothing.”

  “Did she break up with you?”

  “No, not that. Ellie never said nothing to me about breaking up. She just stopped returning my calls and texts.”

  “He looked so sad,” Marley concluded after leaving Hollis alone.

  Gideon had made no bones about warning her in Murphy’s Market as they shopped together, picking up groceries. “Don’t even think about playing matchmaker. You’re stepping in the middle of things that don’t concern you.”

  “That’s crazy. Why on earth not? Aren’t you curious why Ellie just stopped communicating? I need to find out what happened. I just need to figure out if Ellie feels the same way about Hollis. If she’s moved on, then I’ll drop it. But it seems odd to me that she’s the one who called the paramedics for him the day he got hurt. She obviously cares if she followed him to the hospital to make sure he was okay.”

  “I remember her that day. She was still sitting in the lobby when he came out of surgery. She’s the one I updated on his condition.”

  “See? It means she cares. It’s a shame about the father. Any idea where Ellie lives?”

  “I’m telling you to let it go. Don’t go sticking your nose into someone else’s love life. If Ellie’s father doesn’t like Hollis, there’s no way you can change that.”

  “Maybe not but it doesn’t mean Hollis should go on wondering why Ellie suddenly gave him the cold shoulder. Look, Sydney asked me if I’d go out tonight. Some girls’ night out at Julianne Dickinson’s place. She’s principal at the school. And I got a text with the address. But I’m not excited about going.”

  “You should go, try and make a few friends,” Gideon prodded. “This is your home now. You need to expand your horizons.”

  There was no arguing with that. She felt a responsibility to widen her base. And why not? She liked it here, was beginning to see a few possibilities. The man next to her was a big part of that. She just had to get better at putting the past behind her.

  “Easier said than done,” Marley muttered to herself as she handed over her credit card to pay for the groceries.

  But Gideon stilled her hand, giving the cashier his own bank card instead as part of the transaction. “Here, use mine.”

  The confused clerk looked from one card to the other. “Want me to half the order?”

  “No,” Gideon directed. “I’m buying this stuff.” Cutting a side glance at Marley, he gave her a look that said not to argue.

  She didn’t. Instead of bickering over who wanted to foot the bill, she pushed the loaded cart out the door and across the lot to where they’d parked the SUV. They’d left Barkley inside with all four windows cracked several inches down for air.

  The dog whined while they unloaded the groceries into the back of the SUV for Gideon to deliver. But when she caught the smug look on his face, she couldn’t let it go. “Did I do something else that pissed you off that I don’t know about? You look like you’re ready for a fight.”

  Without warning, he backed her up against the side of the vehicle, covered her mouth, and kissed her hard. By the time he let her go, her head was spinning, her pulse raced, her breath came fast. If he hadn’t been holding onto her, Marley could’ve melted into a puddle right there.

  Barkley yapped at the two of them, not knowing what to make of either one. Was it an attack? Or were the humans wrestling?

  It was Marley who calmed the pooch. “It’s okay. Settle down. Stop that.” But a dozen questions raced through her mind. She lifted her head to meet Gideon’s eyes. “What was that all about?”

  “I needed to do that.” He kissed her again, this time with Prissie Gates looking on.

  “Hi, Doc, how’s it going?” Prissie remarked as she commandeered their cart and wheeled it toward the double doors. “Nice day, isn’t it? Did you get a new dog?”

  “It’s great, Mrs. Gates, just great. And yes, we have a dog,” Gideon said, way too distracted to notice much more than Prissie disappearing into the store.

  With Marley still wrapped in his arms, he grinned down at her. “That should prove I’m not mad at you.”

  “We’d better test that out further,” Marley concluded, pulling his head down to her level and kissing him back, not caring who saw or who reported it through the grapevine.

  Eighteen

  Julianne Dickinson’s two-story Cape Cod had been fully refurbished, but Marley could still see gingerbread latticework around the roofline that made her think of a storybook cottage.

  A little anxious, she fidgeted with her hair and smoothed the front of her sundress. She’d plucked the outfit out of the bottom of a box that she’d shoved into the back of her closet and forgotten how good the red print made her look.

  Gideon had called it sexy. She hoped it wasn’t too much for a girls’ night out.

  By the time she rang the bell, her underarms felt wet with nervous sweat. Maybe because the house was already packed with women of all ages. Ushered into the chatter as if she’d been part of it all along, she looked around for a friendly face. Spotting Hayden and Sydney sitting on the couch with Gilly, anxiety dropped away. All three women looked up at the same time and motioned her over.

  “You came,” Sydney said, taking the time to introduce her to the roomful of strangers. “Hayden just suggested that we all go over to The Shipwreck to listen to Malachi’s band.”

  Hayden lifted her glass of wine. “I so rarely get out anymore that I thought we should make the most of the evening. Besides, the music is so loud we can practically sing along to the lyrics from here. Of course, we already have our own booze, so that’s a point for staying put. Either way is fine with me.”

  “What do you think, Jordan?” Julianne asked. “Do you want to go to the bar? It’s really your choice because we got together to give you a night out.”

  For the first time, Marley got a look at Scott’s wife. She stared at Jordan Harris, an attractive dark blonde with an easy smile.

  “Welcome to town,” Jordan said. “Are you settling in okay?”

  Marley finally found her speech. “Getting there. You run the B&B, right?”

  “I do. Or rather, most days it runs me.”

  “It was Scott’s dream. You got stuck with Scott’s dream.”

  It was Jordan’s turn to stare. “I get it. You’ve talked to Scott.”

  Marley pulled Jordan into the kitchen. “I don’t want people thinking I’m crazy.”

  “Oh, honey, you’re not crazy. Half the people in that room have seen and talked to Scott at one time or another.”

  “Really? I thought maybe Gideon was just placating me.”

  “I doubt it. Our Scott watches over everyone, including his daughter every single day.”

  “You know about that?”

  Jordan sent her a withering look similar to one she recognized from Scott himself. “I know pretty much about everything he does these days. It wasn’t always that way. But let me take a guess. You’ve experienced a horrible loss in your life. You wanted to find somewhere else to start over, and somehow you ended up here.”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “It never is. After Scott died, I almost suffered a breakdown living by myself away from town with no friends around to talk to. I was
in a pickle.” Jordan looped her arm through Marley’s. “You know what? I think I do want to get out of here and listen to some music up close. You should come out to the B&B sometime. I’ll show you around Scott’s childhood home. Hey, maybe I’ll even open it up one day as a museum to show off Mr. Phillips before he became famous as the town ghost.”

  “You’re taking this much better than I would if the situation were reversed.”

  “I’ve had time to get used to all the rumors and sightings. It’s new to you, but not to Nick or me. Have you met Nick yet? He works at the bank.”

  “No. But Scott told me all about him. Believe it or not, Scott spent hours catching me up on certain…situations.”

  “I can see that. Scott does love to talk.”

  “He also adores his daughter.”

  Jordan let out a huge sigh. “Sometimes, life can be unfair, and you find yourself convinced there’s no hope, no chance that things will ever get any better. But then something wonderful happens. Someone comes into your life and changes the way you think about everything. That’s what you should try to remember when you get really down.”

  “I’m not sure that’s true. But I’m in no position to tell anyone what to believe. Although Scott has made me see things from a slightly different perspective.”

  “Take your time tweaking that perspective,” Jordan urged. “Handling loss is different for everyone. Now let’s get out of here and have ourselves a party.”

  Things were hopping across the street. As soon as Marley stepped inside, she spotted Keva and Bodie sitting at the same table. Keva stood up and waved wildly to get Marley’s attention.

  “It’s about time you came out with us,” Keva declared in a loud voice over the din.

  “I’m here with a group of people. Your boss Julianne is one of them.” Marley pointed over to the principal and squeezed in at the table. “We decided to bring the girls’ night out over here. What have you guys been up to?”

  “Bitching about men,” Bodie tossed out. “What else? You?”