The New Normal

by Brogan, Tracy

  DeeDee definitely had outside help with letting a box of crickets loose in ex number one’s basement, filling his coffeepot water reservoir with vinegar, and leaving stinky cheese in his floor vents. Ex number two had been the target of her technology war when she signed him up for every digital newsletter that she could find online and changed his Alexa password so she could control it from her own phone. She’d randomly make it blast out “Eye of the Tiger” or “The Piña Colada Song” whenever she was feeling irritated with him about something. Sometimes Carli wished she had the energy and imagination to torment Steve the way DeeDee tormented her ex-husbands, but Erin said it was self-destructive to hang on to such bitterness, and that clinging to the negative energy of resentment was like drinking poison and expecting the other person to suffer. That made sense. Still, every time Carli saw an online newsletter, it crossed her mind to enter Steve’s address.

  Chapter 15

  Apparently, it was time to celebrate autumn. Ben now knew this, because someone had tucked a flyer into his mailbox declaring it was time for the Sixth Annual Celebrate Autumn Fest down at Renee’s house. There would be cookies and popcorn and cider and . . . a leaf-blowing contest? That last part had left him really perplexed until Carli explained it meant each little kid would try to blow a single leaf down a driveway obstacle course and across a finish line using only their breath.

  As much fun as that didn’t sound like, Ben opted to pass. He had a meeting with his brother Terrance to go over the financial reports of his company to decide if Chase Industries would make an offer to buy it. Honestly, that didn’t sound like much fun to him, either, but he needed to make a decision about this once and for all so that he and Sophia could move forward with their mediation. Yep, the fun was just coming at him from all sides.

  “Everything here is pretty straightforward,” Terrance said to him as they sat in his office in downtown Glenville. “I think it’s a sound investment, and your solar panel company would fit in nicely with our portfolio, but I have to ask, are you sure you want to keep it? Maybe it would be better to just move on.”

  Ben crossed one leg over the other and pondered the question, although it was one that had bounced around in his mind like a Ping-Pong ball ever since the meeting with his father.

  “I don’t know. It was Dad’s suggestion. On the one hand, it seems like a great solution. I get to keep my company, and Doug has to give it up. I’ve built some great professional relationships and have a loyal client base in a field I know a lot about. On the other hand, there’s certainly something to be said for walking away, free and clear. I could take that money and go start something else or come work for Dad in some other area. It might be a nice change of pace to not be the big boss for a while.”

  Terrance toyed with a pen and then tapped it a couple of times on the surface of his desk before saying, “Do you want my opinion?”

  “Sure.”

  “Okay, here’s what I think. I think you wanted to prove you could start a successful company and build it from the ground up. You’ve done that. You achieved the goal you’d set, so I say let Doug buy you out. Then you invest that money and come work for Dad. He’s seventy-one years old, Ben. He’s talking about retiring, and then it would be you, me, and Bill running the show. How great would that be? Just like old times. We’ll get the old band back together. The Chase brothers.”

  Ben chuckled. “Dad’s never going to retire, and he’s never going to die. He’s going to be cryogenically frozen and kept in a cooler in his office until medical technology figures out a way to give him fifty more years.”

  The pen slipped from Terrance’s hand, and he leaned over to pick it up. “Mom will make him retire eventually. She says she wants to get a villa in Tuscany and live out their golden years eating pasta.”

  “Now I know you’re making shit up. Mother never eats pasta.”

  “Well, maybe she’ll drink champagne and let him eat the pasta, but at any rate, Dad’s time with Chase Industries is winding down, and both Bill and I would love it if you came back. We’ve got a consultant reconfiguring our management team as we speak, and there will be a job for you if you just say the word.”

  “Great, that’ll make it look like some poor bastard lost his job because I wanted to come home. That’s not cool. Plus, Dad was very clear that I couldn’t just waltz back in here after ten years and expect a vice presidency. That’s a direct quote from the man himself.”

  “He was just trying to give you shit. You know how he is. You could be VP of new product development, or VP of green technology. You name it and we’ll figure it out.”

  “We don’t have a green-technology division, do we?”

  “Not at the moment. Seems like just the thing for you to create. Very cutting-edge. Very trendy. Very eco-aware.”

  “And a perfect place for a solar panel company.”

  Terrance shrugged. “Yeah, but I still think you should sell it. Just cut your losses and come back here for a fresh start. You know we can tweak the formula of your current panels, start producing them at Chase, and run Doug right out of business if you wanted to.”

  “Well, as tempting as that sounds, I’d rather not have all those employees lose their jobs.”

  “We’ll hire them here. For our new green-technologies division that you’ll be the vice president of. I don’t know why you’re fighting this so hard. I’m starting to take it personally.” His easy smile suggested otherwise.

  “Are you sure Dad is on board with this version of events? When I talked to him last, he wanted to see my résumé. I’m not sure he wants me back at Chase Industries at all.”

  A look passed across Terrance’s face, and the pen tapping resumed. His brother was avoiding eye contact.

  “Terrance? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  “No,” he said too quickly. “I mean, not exactly.”

  “Not exactly? What does not exactly mean?” he pressed.

  Tap, tap, tap of the pen.

  “Stop tapping that damn pen or I’m going to ram it up your nose. Now tell me what’s going on.”

  Terrance looked around the office as if someone might be listening, but it was just the two of them in the room.

  “Look, Dad really wants you to come back, but he’d never admit it. You know he’s still pissed you went off on your own. He took that personally, but he’s getting older now, and he’s had a couple of health scares. Kenzie says Mom thinks Dad is worried that if you don’t come back now, you never will.”

  “Health scares? What kind of health scares?”

  “Nothing major. Just your basic aging stuff. He fell at the golf course a few months ago, and Mom was convinced it was the sign of terrible things to come. Personally, I think he’s fine, but I also think he needs to step back from some of his work responsibilities. If you stepped in, he could bow out gracefully and not have to admit to anyone that he’s only human.”

  Ben’s brain was still focused on the health-scare part of this conversation, but he couldn’t help asking, “If he wants me to come back so badly, why did he give me such a hard time a few weeks ago, when I asked him for a job?”

  Terrance chuckled. “Because he’s Dad. You know he’s not just going to hand you something. My guess is he thought that once Doug bought you out, you’d take that money and go start something somewhere else. Buying your company was the one surefire way to make sure you came back for good.”

  “You really think it’s that important to him?” It was mind-boggling to think that his father really cared one way or the other. It wasn’t as if there was animosity between them. They still saw each other for holidays and Sunday dinner when Ben took the time to go. Was it possible that his father . . . missed him?

  “It is important to him,” Terrance said. “I don’t know why. You’re not that great.” There was that smile again, and Ben suddenly realized that returning to Chase Industries wasn’t indicative of failure. It wasn’t a compromise or an inferior option. He could pro
ve himself within the family business just as well as he could by starting something new. And maybe it would be nice to see his brothers more. And his father. Because Terrance was right. His dad wasn’t getting any younger, and if this divorce was teaching him anything, it was that time is precious and nothing should ever be taken for granted.

  “I am that great,” Ben answered, returning the smile. “And you guys will be lucky to have me.”

  Terrance’s eyes lit up as his brows rose. “Does that mean you’ll come back and work here? Or does it mean you still want us to buy your company?”

  Ben gave it fifteen more seconds of thought before tossing up his hands.

  “Screw my company. Doug can have it. And I like your idea of taking that buyout money and investing it. Ethan’s going to college next year, and he sure as hell isn’t going on any academic scholarship. Looks like I’ll be paying full tuition to wherever he goes, so I can use every penny.”

  Ben had walked in not knowing exactly what he wanted from this meeting, but the spontaneous decision felt entirely right. The past was the past, and Ben was looking toward the future. Relief flooded over him as a new sense of purpose took hold. Working with his brothers would be a good thing. He wasn’t doing it for the perks or prestige or because it was convenient or safe. He was doing it because he had something to offer. “I like that VP of green technologies idea, too. Sign me up for that. Does it come with a parking spot?”

  “Yes, but only for an electric car,” Terrance answered with a grin. He stood up and held out his hand. “Shake on it and I’ll get the ball moving.”

  Ben stood up, offered a quick handshake before his brother leaned in and gave him a hug.

  “Welcome home,” Terrance said. “It’s about damn time.”

  Arriving back at his house an hour later, Ben spotted Ethan’s car parked on the road. He pulled into the garage and got out of his own car just as his son rolled up into the driveway on his skateboard.

  “Hey, buddy. I thought you were at your mom’s tonight.”

  “I am. I mean, I was, but can I stay here tonight? Mom’s not even home.”

  “Where’s your sister?” Ben asked.

  “She’s with Mom. They went to some face lotion thing.” He brushed the hair back from his face. Still no haircut.

  “Face lotion thing?”

  “Yeah, you know. One of those party things that moms have where you try out lotion and face wash and makeup and stuff and then you have to buy some. Girls are so weird.”

  Ben chuckled and didn’t disagree. “It’s fine with me as long as your mom knows you’re here. Did you ask her?”

  “No, but I’ll text her and make sure it’s okay.”

  “Sounds good. You hungry?”

  “Starving.” Naturally. When wasn’t Ethan starving?

  “I’m not sure what I have in the house. Hop in the car and we can go grab something.”

  “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  Five minutes later they were on the road with Ben thinking how good it felt to have his son by his side. Was that how his own father felt? Was that why it had bothered William so much when Ben left the family business? It had never made sense to him before. But it was starting to.

  Chapter 16

  Carli’s heart was slamming so vigorously against her rib cage, she thought for certain her microphone would pick up the erratic thump, tha-thump, tha-tha-thump. It was the first day of the live show, and she was so full of butterflies that, had they been real, they could have lifted her up and carried her away. In fact, she wished they were real and that they would do that.

  She gave a short exhale, breath not coming easily.

  “You’ll do fine, Carls. Just imagine it’s another rehearsal. We got this. I like your new hairdo, by the way. Hope you don’t mind me saying so.” Troy reached over and patted her knee, but the gesture was one of support and encouragement rather than anything flirtatious. He’d dialed way back on all the innuendos and crass jokes, and for all his obvious flaws, Carli suspected he was a clueless guy trying to put on an entertaining morning show. She also suspected that Jessica had put him on a very short leash. In spite of his years of experience, Troy was as much on probation at this morning show as the rest of them. And he needed this job. He had multiple ex-wives to support.

  “Cue Troy, in five, four, three . . .” The last two cues were silent, and Carli kept her eye on Lester, the floor director, as he pointed.

  “Gooooooood morning, Glenville!” Troy’s voice boomed, causing Carli to giggle and nearly lose it, but she pulled it together quickly and grinned at the camera as he continued. “Welcome to the maiden voyage of Channel 7’s latest and, if I do say so myself, greatest addition to our fall programming lineup. Glenville in the Morning will come to you live every weekday morning, and we’ll keep you informed about all the great haps in our area, from hayrides at the local cider mill to the opening of the new downtown Wallace-Chase Arena. You’ll hear about it first from me and my lovely cohost, Carli Lancaster.”

  The camera-one light turned off as the camera-two light flashed on, and just like that, Carli was on live TV. She froze for what felt like an hour, but she could see the blinking countdown clock, and it was only a second before she exhaled and began her introduction.

  “That’s right, Troy. We here at Glenville in the Morning look forward to becoming a part of your morning routine, and we can’t wait to get to know you better. Not only will we provide up-to-date information live and on air, but you can also check us out on our Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Just go to Channel7.com, and you’ll find all the links. You can send us questions, comments, photos. In fact, since today is our first day, it’s kind of like a birthday, so we’d like you to send us your cutest baby pictures, and at the end of this week, we’ll share some of the sweetest, chubbiest, most adorable photos. And speaking of photos, for those of you with high school students at home, it’s time to start thinking about those senior portraits.”

  Carli segued into a segment with a local photographer while sweat trickled down her back. Thank goodness for face powder and commercial breaks, because she was certain her face was shining with perspiration. But she was doing it! She was on TV. Lester held up his hand, indicating they’d switched to the prerecorded element that Carli had taped earlier in the week at the photographer’s portrait studio. A segment she’d taped all on her own, without the assistance of Allie Winters.

  “And we are off to the races, hot stuff,” Troy said.

  “Did I talk too fast?” Carli asked. “I felt like I was talking really fast.”

  Troy smiled, his veneers glinting under the powerful lights. “You were perfect.”

  She smiled back and felt a rush of gratitude for this job and this moment. It was the first time in ages she’d felt proud of herself. Actually proud. She was doing something that had nothing to do with being a wife and nothing to do with being a mom. This was her—adulting. And doing just fine with it.

  Once the taping was finished, her elation lasted exactly fifteen minutes.

  “Congratulations on the first show, everyone. Now let’s talk about all those rough edges,” Jessica said abruptly as they all sat down in the conference room for the postshow meeting. “Definitely some clunky transitions. Troy, you can’t veer off script that way, and Carli, if he does, it’s up to you to get him back on track. Allie, your remote segment was fine. Now let’s talk about tomorrow’s show.”

  Carli’s eyes prickled with instant tears, but she blinked them away as quickly as they’d threatened. Over the past few weeks, she’d learned that Jessica was stern with direction and frugal with her praise. The criticism could have been far worse, and while a learning curve was inevitable, being able to hear the criticism and grow from it rather than letting it undermine her self-confidence was essential. This was their first episode, and Jessica had warned there’d be kinks to work out. Carli just needed to listen and learn. And not cry. She should very definitely not cry.


  Arriving at home later that day, though, she did cry, but fortunately for an entirely different reason. Someone had tied an enormous balloon bouquet to her mailbox, which held a plate of chocolate chip cookies, and on her front step was an arrangement of sunflowers tied with a green bow. The note tucked in between the stems read, “We’re so proud of you! Can we have your autograph? Love, Erin, DeeDee & Renee.”

  Her eyes welled with tears. The good kind, because she had some amazing friends. And thank goodness for them and that bright spot in the afternoon, because the emotional whiplash continued as she stepped inside her house only to discover a disaster of mammoth proportions. Dirt from broken potted plants covered her floor and furniture. Sofa cushions lay in a heap with stuffing erupting from torn seams. A ceramic lamp lay shattered on its side near an end table, and big, dark doggie footprints were everywhere. The floor. The furniture. Even on the walls.

  Gus scampered to her side, tail wagging, body shimmying with excitement to show her his artistic masterpiece, and in that moment, she realized what must’ve happened. In her haste to get to work this morning, distracted by nerves about her first day on the air, she’d forgotten to latch the door to his crate.

  This was not the way she’d hoped to end her day. Today was supposed to be glamorous and fabulous and make her feel as if she’d finally arrived. But life had a way of doing that—handing you a gift with one hand while slapping you with the other. You had to take the awesome with the awful. The yin with the yang. She sank down on the part of the sofa that still had a cushion intact and wondered where to begin the cleanup. Gus pranced and licked her hand, and she scratched him behind the ears with a sigh. This wasn’t his fault, but oh my, how she wanted to be angry.