“Tell me about the lecture,” Helen spoke to Allen.
“The author will be discussing her latest novel involving Rasputin and his rise to power. Much of Rasputin’s background and such isn’t known.” Allen spoke with gravitas, taking a sip of his sickly-sweet coffee prepared by his mother.
A desire to break into hysterical laughter nearly overtook me. I drank heavily from the mug, trying not to taste it.
“And this novel tries to fill in the blanks,” Helen supplied, setting her cup back onto the saucer she balanced on her knee.
Allen nodded, taking another dignified mouthful.
Meg placed a hand on Allen’s arm. “One of my favorite aspects of history is the importance of literature. How many disciplines allow academics to read fiction to root out vital clues to the past? It’s almost like detective work.”
What game are you playing, Meg? She sat there, smug and righteous, while she was using my brother to wheedle her way back into my life. And every passing minute brought Sarah closer to home.
Was Meg aware of my dilemma? Had Allen mentioned Sarah would be returning today? She’d always loved to cause trouble, making everything about her.
Meg turned to me. “Don’t you agree?”
I nodded, adding to give the appearance everything was just dandy, “I assign students two to three novels each semester in addition to their textbooks.” I kneeled down to admire Ollie’s squiggles on the newsprint, careful to keep my cup out of the twins’ reach. “Good job, Ollie Dollie.”
Meg took this as an invitation to come over to inspect. “Excellent use of red.” She skirted to Fred’s side. Looking up at me, she said, “He’s a thinker. Takes after you.”
Fred’s drawing consisted of a lopsided half circle with some dashes inside, to the best of my analysis.
Ollie attacked the paper with the jumbo yellow crayon, an evil grin on her face.
“And this one is going to keep you up nights when she hits her teen years.” Meg took a seat at the table with the twinks, setting her cup down on the coaster in the window ledge, where Sarah usually placed her cup. Freddie was overly curious and stopped his drawing to observe Meg. She glanced at me. “It’s fascinating to see their personalities at play.”
“It really is.” Helen said, not taking her eyes off my ex, giving me the impression she was plumbing the depths of Meg’s manipulative nature.
I continued to blink at the woman who had tormented me, sitting at the twin’s table as if she belonged, which she most assuredly did not. I’d rather she sucker punch me in the gut than interact with my children.
Allen took the opportunity to chat further with his mom about the novel, not bothering to notice Meg had left his side. Even though I abhorred his friendship with Meg, I had to admire his dedication and love of history. How many college kids would stay up most of the night reading a novel to better understand an extracurricular lecture on a Sunday afternoon no less?
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Helen whisper something to Allen. He lifted the sleeve of his sweater to consult his watch. With his eyes bulging, he downed the remnants of his coffee.
He stood. “Meg, we should get going.”
“Allen, I’ll swing by the campus to pick you up after the lecture so you aren’t late for dinner with Gabe and your father.” Helen’s tone implied Allen shouldn’t argue.
Considering he was a freshman in college, I was surprised he didn’t blush about the fact his mom would be picking him up. Instead, he chirped, “Thanks!”
“That works out well since I have dinner plans of my own tonight.” Was Meg detecting Helen’s hands off my son vibes.
It relieved me some that Meg didn’t attempt to inveigle an invite to dinner. Did she consider getting inside my home mission accomplished? At least for today?
“Thanks for letting me hang, you two.” Meg patted Ollie and Freddie on their heads.
The twins giggled.
I forced my right hand to unfurl.
“You stay with the twins, Lizzie. I’ll walk them to the door.” Helen put her hand out to show Meg the way.
Meg wheeled around. “Give me a call about your article.”
“Enjoy the lecture.” I raised my cup at Allen as a goodbye, purposefully avoiding eye contact with Meg.
I didn’t take in a breath until the front door closed with an extra oomph. The more I got to know Helen, the more I admired her gumption.
“It’s never boring in the Petrie family.” Helen returned and gathered the coffee mugs.
“Let me do that. Spend time with your grandbabies.”
Not surprisingly, she took me up on the deal.
After adding the cups and saucers to the dishwasher, I turned it on, relieved to hear the spray of water demolishing Meg’s contamination.
“Hello!” Sarah shouted upon entering the front door.
I stepped into the family room in the nick of time to see both twinks yelp with delight, followed by Sarah dashing to them. “Did you miss Mommy?” She wrapped them in her arms.
“Yes,” I said.
Sarah, with a twin on each hip, closed the distance between us. “Ditto.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
We put the twins down for their afternoon nap. Helen had left only a few minutes prior to pick up Allen, and secretly I hoped she’d have a private word to Meg about backing off. How old was too old for wanting motherly protection? And did I get extra time since I hadn’t had it for the majority of my life?
“I need coffee. Come to the kitchen with me.” Sarah threaded her fingers through mine.
“Two nights away and the only thing you can think about is coffee,” I teased.
“I’m planning for a stellar night alone with you. Mom missed the twins, and they’re staying at her place tonight.”
“In that case, let’s get caffeine in both of us stat!”
Sarah opened the cabinet. “Where are all the mugs?”
I swallowed. “With all the visitors you arranged, I couldn’t keep up with the dishes.” I placed my palm on the dishwasher door. “I think we can bust in.” Steam gushed out when I lowered it. “Jesus, they’re hot.” I set two on the counter and then plunged my fingers under a steady stream of cold water from the faucet.
“That desperate for sex?” Sarah wrapped her arms around my stomach, resting her face on my shoulder. “How’d it go?”
“We managed to survive.”
“No trips to the ER or any other emergency-type situations?”
Depends on your definition of ‘situations.’
I placed my hands on her arms and eased back into her embrace. “No ER, and Ollie only had three, no, four major breakdowns.”
“Normal, then.”
“Yes,” I started but couldn’t do it. “We did have one interesting visitor.”
“Santa?” she joked.
“Was he expected?” I craned my neck to gauge her expression.
“Sadly, he was booked.” Sarah let her arms fall to prep the coffee machine, while I filled the teakettle. “Who came over?”
“Let’s finish with this and sit.”
“W-why?” she stuttered. “Did something happen with the twins I should know about?”
“They’re fine. One hundred percent A-OK. I’m just exhausted.”
Sarah abided the temporary stay of execution, waiting for my ass to hit the library couch cushion. “Who came?”
“We ended up babysitting Demi.”
“We?”
“The twins and I. Who else? Do you think we have to file taxes for them? Ollie charged Peter top dollar.”
Sarah was amused. “I’m sure she did.”
“Peter ended up staying for Chinese, which he provided without any prompting.” I sipped my tea, grateful for the full-bodied flavor of Earl Grey.
“And, here I thought you’d have too much time on your hands.”
“Yeah, that’s the complaint of all single mothers.”
“Don’t say it like that.” She glared at
me. “Any other unexpected visitors?” I’d seen that expression before. The one that implied she already knew everything.
“Allen invited a friend over for coffee. He’s at the campus to hear a Russian author speak.”
“It’s possible your brother is nerdier than you.”
I feigned being hurt.
Sarah swiveled her body on the couch and placed her feet in my lap, snapping her eyes shut. “Can you massage them? Spending a weekend in the same hotel room as Maddie was exhausting.”
“Anything I should know about?” I used my best jealous wife voice.
Sarah cracked open one eye. “She snores.”
I dispensed with my tea and grasped one of her feet.
Sarah let out a moan.
Neither of us spoke, and I’d never welcomed silence as much as I cheered inside for it now. Was it necessary to mention Meg’s name? I’d said Allen invited a friend over, which wasn’t a lie. Did I have to go the final step by revealing a name? Although, there was Sarah’s I know everything look earlier.
Was she testing me?
The name of the game was diversion. “Ethan’s worried Lisa wants a divorce.” Yep, I totally just tossed my best friend under the proverbial bus.
She laughed.
“No, seriously. He’s really concerned. When he was here Friday, he joked I shouldn’t answer the door so he could avoid getting served with papers.”
Sarah opened her eyes. “I hadn’t realized Lisa had reached her breaking point.”
“Ethan can’t be an easy man to be married to… with his quirks.”
She nodded. “True. He’s an outstanding father, though. Funny, charming, protective—”
I busted in, laughing. “Come on.”
“No, I’m serious. Lisa told me about a college incident when Ethan beat the shit out of some dude who wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
It was difficult to reconcile the image of the lanky man who’d sat in the family room reading my childhood copy of Little Women cracking someone’s skull. “He’s never told me a thing about it.”
“His grandfather had to pull some strings to purge his arrest.”
“He was arrested?” My voice sounded like a startled chipmunk.
“Cops tend to get involved when you put someone in the hospital.”
I stared wide-eyed for a moment. “Wow. I had no idea. And this is one of his selling points?”
“Depends what side you’re on. If someone tried to—”
I motioned for her not to say the word. “I don’t want to think of it.”
“Exactly.”
I resumed massaging Sarah’s foot. “Do you think she’ll leave him?”
Sarah raised one shoulder. “They’ve been fighting about this issue for months now. Lisa has always wanted a big family. She claims Ethan knew this before getting hitched, but he’s conveniently expunged the memory.”
“Again, he never mentioned this to me.”
“Ethan doesn’t really share all that much.” She let out a moan, which was surely in response to the foot massage, not Ethan’s cageyness.
I thought this over. “No wonder we always got along.”
Sarah playfully kicked me. “Look where it’s leading Ethan.”
“Don’t even joke about that. Although, maybe matchmaking can become your hobby. I think Peter and Tie are cruising toward divorce court.”
“Your brother’s situation doesn’t surprise me. I’m pretty sure he never got over Maddie and thought getting married would be the best way to bury his feelings once and for all. If I remember correctly, I bet you Peter would ask her for a divorce sooner rather than later.” Her victorious smile faded quickly and she sighed when I dug my fingers into her left foot. “I do hope Ethan and Lisa can work things out.”
“Me, too. Now that the weekend is over, I never want to be a single parent again. Ever.” I nodded my head with emphasis.
“Luckily you don’t have to worry about it.” She took a drink of her coffee.
“No matter what?” I asked.
“Are you ready to spill yet?”
“You were testing me?” I squeezed her foot.
“If I keep at it, will you continue?” She wore a look of extreme pleasure.
“If I can avoid getting hand cramps. How’d you know, by the way?”
“Helen mentioned something that wasn’t your fault.”
I smiled. “I like her style. She didn’t bust me but gave you enough to ask, all the while planting the seed of my innocence.”
“She cares a lot about you.”
“Like put someone in the hospital level?”
“You’re stalling.” She motioned for me to get it over with.
“Allen’s friend was Meg.”
Sarah blinked as if I’d spoken in Russian.
I opted to get it all out. “She was in our house. Interacted with the twins. Had a cup of coffee.”
“And?”
“Helen helped me dispatch Allen and Meg before you arrived home. She’s picking him up and hopefully will have a conversation about not inviting my ex to our house without permission.” I sighed, knowing Allen wasn’t entirely at fault. If I’d been honest with him before the conference, all of this could have been avoided.
“I see.” Ironically, she closed her eyes, blunting me out of her vision. Or was she imagining me interacting with Meg in our house? Meg meeting our children?
“I didn’t invite her. I swear!”
“What’s the Allen angle she’s playing?” Her eyes popped open, and she was much calmer than I’d anticipated.
“Helen is trying to figure that out as well. Are you mad at me? Should I avoid answering the door?”
“Oh, I’m mad. Not at you, though. And not at Allen. He really has no clue when it comes to Meg.” She remained stoic, although I was willing to bet thoughts raced through her mind.
“You don’t seem like your normal mad self. You’re too calm. And that’s really scaring me.” I sat back.
As if I hadn’t spoken, Sarah continued. “Maybe it’s time for Meg and I to have a sit-down.”
“You want to have her over for dinner or something?” The mere thought made me want to vomit.
Sarah gave me the smile when she thought I was being obtuse. “No. It’ll be just the two of us.”
“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. Ethan’s grandfather isn’t around anymore to offer a get out of jail free card.”
“Trust me; Mom knows all the right people in certain situations.” Her continued carefree body language was getting creepier.
“Can I think about this?”
Sarah slanted her head. “Why?”
“Because I don’t trust Meg. She’s given me a black eye and—”
“It won’t come to that.” Her fingers wrapped around the coffee cup, python-like.
“You don’t know Meg.”
“If you truly fear her that much, you need to tell Allen. Or at least Helen.”
“I hate this. It’s hard enough with you knowing everything, and you’ve been witness to some of my most embarrassing moments. Aside from you and my therapist, I never wanted to tell another soul about what it was like with Meg. The shit she put me through.” I sighed, massaging my eyes with my thumb and forefinger. “Why did she have to come back? And why did she have to complete her PhD? Academia is a cesspool for drama. Who knows what she’ll do to get even if spurned?”
Sarah came to me, pulling my head to her chest. “I got you. We’ll get through this together.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled into her sweater.
“For?”
“Not jumping to conclusions. I’m not sure what I would have done in your shoes.”
She squeezed me tighter. “Maybe thousands of dollars spent on couple’s therapy really does help.”
I laughed. “Perhaps. And you only joked about taking Meg out.”
“Who said I was joking?”
Neither of us spoke for several seconds.
“
Come on,” Sarah said. “Let’s get dinner ready for the twinks and pack their overnight bags. Tonight is you and me time.”
Relaxing in a bubble bath, I rested my head on the lip of the tub. “You know, I never got those Calgon take me away commercials when I was younger.”
Pressed against me, Sarah said, “I think it takes a parent to realize how tiring life can be.” She sat up, plunged the bath sponge into the water, and then squeezed it over her shoulder, down her back.
“Can I help you, my dear?”
She nodded, dropping the natural sea sponge into the water.
I applied a generous amount of mint tea body scrub onto the sponge and cleaned her back with circular motions. “According to the directions, I should repeat the process.”
“Yes. And it’s ideal for reinvigorating weary legs.”
“That’s an odd attribute.” I picked it up to read more but couldn’t make out the tiny print in the dim lighting. Setting it on the ledge, I asked, “What does it do for your boobs?”
“Less talk, more revitalizing.”
“Flip around so I can work on your legs.”
She managed to change positions, only slopping a small amount of water onto the bath mat. “Oh, that feels good.”
I worked the sponge between her toes.
“Jesus, this is almost better than sex.”
“Lucky you.”
Sarah cracked an eye open. “Why’s that?”
“Are you kidding me? After ditching me with the twins for the weekend, you think I’m putting out tonight?” I stopped ministering the sponge. “Shouldn’t you be pampering me? To show your undying love?”
“After you finish, I promise,” she said, the tiredness evident in the way her words slurred.
“It’s only seven at night, and we’re the walking wounded.”
Her eyes lit up. “I have a great idea. Let’s put on some relaxing music, climb under the covers, and take a nap.”
“I’m pretty sure when you fall asleep two hours before bedtime it’s not a nap. It’s called throwing in the towel.”
“Got a problem with that?” She arched her brow.
“Screw revitalizing my legs.” I climbed out of the tub. “Put me to bed.”
She laughed, climbing out of the water. “When did we turn into fuddy- duddies?”
A Conflicted Woman Page 22