“Two more. Nearly done. You’ve been very good, Sweetheart.” He clapped the brush across the underside of each cheek and then threw the offending object on the bed. “That’s it, we’re all done.”
She stood shakily and stepped into his arms. “I’m so sorry,” she sniffled. “I mean it this time, I’ll try har...der.”
“Good girl.”
***
The subject wasn’t brought up again, but Zach made up his mind to go and see Rick himself. The young husband still saw his mentor on a regular basis, he’d come to think of him not only as a mentor but a friend. Rick had tried to tell him on occasion that he should insist that Erin talk to Diana but he’d reiterated what Erin had convinced him of, that things at home were fine. That she had been busy but that she would make time to meet up with Diana soon.
Things had seemed to be going smoothly at the time. He should have listened though to the advice from people who could actually tell that something wasn’t completely ok. Married and in a domestic discipline relationship for twenty years, Rick and Diana were now old hands. They probably wished they’d had the same help offered to them. That was the aim of living in Corbin’s Bend. It wasn’t just a place where you could spank your partner and get away with it. There was a system of support available to all. They’d maybe needed it and yet hadn’t taken advantage of everything that was out there to help in the way they should. Now he was certain that Erin needed to talk to someone and he could think of nowhere better to turn for help. It wouldn’t hurt to give the older couple the heads up, especially Diana. When Erin did go to talk to her mentor, and she was going to go, the problem would already be explained.
***
Erin stirred the pasta sauce and turned the heat down a smidgeon under the bubbling pot of pasta before going back to chop the vegetables for the salad.
“How long is Avvy gonna be, Momma? It was her turn to set the table.”
“She’ll be along. You can swap chores tonight. Avery can clear after dinner.”
“Yes!” Jordan said. Her mood quietened though when her sister emerged from her room with red eyes. Her daddy was right behind her and he was carrying Avvy’s jewelry box.
“I’m sorry, Momma. I shouldn’t have snuck the earrings to school.”
“That’s okay, sweetie.”
Avery hugged her mother’s waist but her big blue eyes followed her daddy as he placed her precious jewelry collection on the top of the kitchen cabinet.
“One week.” Zach moved a curl off his daughter’s face.
Avery took her place at the table opposite her sister.
“Bummer,” Jordan said with a wince. “At least it was only a week. Daddy took my Fireball yoyo for a month and he took money from my allowance.”
“You broke a window at school. In his classroom.”
“Not on purpose. It flew right off my finger!”
“Enough now.” Zach helped Erin to put the food on the table.
Erin poured glasses of water for everyone.
“Buddy says his dad lets them have Coke with dinner,” Jordan said, sipping the water distastefully.
“Just because Buddy says something, doesn’t make it so,” Erin said, taking both her daughters’ hands.
Zach did the same. “Avery would you like to say the blessing?”
“Yes, Daddy,” the little girl said with a sigh. “Dear Lord, thank you for this food that we are about to eat and thank you for all the blessings you give us. Please Lord, can you stop me becoming a social outcast because I have to go to school without my jewelry? Thanks, Amen.”
“Amen,” the rest of the family chorused.
Chapter 2
Zach walked down Spanking Loop letting his mind wander as he passed each of the houses. Most homes’ living areas were lit warmly. Couples and families were no doubt inside enjoying their evening. He couldn’t help but wonder if anyone else was struggling the way his wife seemed to be. What about that? Did they just not like her? He couldn’t imagine that really, she was lovely and friendly and she’d never had problems with friends before. He just didn’t get it.
“Hey there, Zach,” Diana said, her brow creasing with slight concern as she opened the door.
“Hi Diana.” He kissed the woman’s cheek and gave her a half hug as she stood to the side to welcome him in.
“What brings you out at this time? Were you after Rick?”
“I was, actually.”
“I’m sorry, honey, he’s not here. He’ll be back in about a half hour, though, if you want to wait. I have a fresh pot of coffee on.”
“Thanks. That’d be great.” Zach followed the woman through to the kitchen. He liked this woman. He was pretty sure that Erin would like her too if she gave herself the chance to get to know her. Admittedly the woman could seem a little brash in her way at first but in truth she was all heart.
“I see you’re alone.” She raised an eyebrow pointedly.
“Yes Diana, it’s just me.” Zach smiled.
“Is everything okay? You know Erin’s still been making excuses every time I suggest we get together.”
“I know,” Zach admitted. “I made a mistake in not insisting that Erin keep seeing you.”
“I did try. I’ve called numerous times and I even went to visit, but Erin was totally resistant to seeing me.”
“Well that will change now.”
“What will change?” Rick asked from the door way. “Hi Zach.” He shook the younger man’s hand. “Something wrong?”
“You could say that.”
“Would you like to talk to me alone?”
Zach smiled at Diana. “No, I think this involves all of us, I’d like Diana to be in on this.”
“Okay, then take a seat.” Rick accepted the hot cup of coffee his wife passed him with a smile. “Has something happened recently?”
“Yes and no. There is a problem, but it’s been there all along, I just didn’t see it.” Zach went on to explain everything that had happened that afternoon. His shock and horror at finding out how out-of-place his wife felt. How guilty he felt that he hadn’t supported her more, or even been in tune to what she was feeling.
“I’m so sorry that Erin feels that she is so isolated,” Rick said. “This is a close community. We pride ourselves on taking care of our own.”
“I know.” It was what he himself had experienced already and what he wanted for Erin.
“Do you feel that we have failed you and Erin as mentors?”
“No. If I’m to be honest, you weren’t really given the chance to be proper mentors to us. I mean you have been great to me Rick, but you did try to tell me that I should insist that Erin see Diana and I didn’t listen.”
“Well the past is the past. I think we need to talk about where we go from here. We need to make a real effort to make Erin feel welcome.”
“How exactly do I do that?”
“Notice Rick said we not I. We’ll help. A dinner party is the perfect way to meet people.”
“That it is, Di,” Rick said with a beaming smile towards his wife.
“Before we do that though, you need to make it very clear to Erin that you expect to her to see and talk with Diana. You need to give her a time frame. She needs to call by such and such a time. That’s it, your final word.”
“Would it make it easier if I got a sitter for the kids and just brought her over here?”
“No,” Diana said, shaking her head. “What are you going to do, throw her over your shoulder and march up the street with her kicking and screaming?”
“If I have to.”
“That would only be a really last resort. Just tell her to ring, like Rick mentioned, within a time frame. Once she’s made the first contact I’m happy to go to her. I could just call in on her, but I think if we want her head in the right space then she should call first. She’ll be more open to talking to me if she makes the first move.”
Zach nodded. “Okay,” he said. “Any ideas who we should invite?”
> “Leave that to me,” Diana said. “Unless there’s someone you particularly wanted to ask?”
“No, I don’t think so. Friday night?”
“Friday sounds fine. I’ll work up a list of names and numbers and you can call them. I’ll help Erin plan the party.”
“Thanks, Diana, you’re a gem.”
“You know, Zach, I think the women here would be really surprised to find out that Erin felt that they had been unfriendly.”
“Do you think so?” Zach was happy that Diana was confirming what he believed himself. This party sounded ideal but it would be even worse for Erin to get her hopes up at the thought of a party and then have no one turn up. What if there was some reason they were in his wife’s words ‘freezing her out’? “You don’t think we should make it a surprise do you?”
“Oh hell no,” Diana spluttered.
“Diana!”
“Sorry it slipped out,” she said with a wince. “I’m telling you, though, if you ever invited a bunch of women to my house for the first time and didn’t tell me? I’d never forgive you.”
“Why?” both men asked together.
“Women have standards. Even the least house proud woman will want to give their house an extra going over if strangers are going to be wandering through. Especially other women. Not that I’m saying Erin is in that category. Not at all.”
“Is there anything else we can help you with?” Rick asked with a smile.
“No you two have been great but I better be going,” Zach said. This was what he wanted for Erin. He felt so much better, just from talking it all out. He was sure this would help her, too, if she’d only embrace Corbin’s Bend and its special ways.
***
“Enjoy your walk?” Erin asked.
Zach kissed her and sat beside her on the couch. “Yes, honey, thanks. Kids asleep?”
“Yep. Out like lights.”
“Good, we need to talk.”
Erin’s face fell. “We already talked.”
“You’re not in trouble, Erin.” He took her hand. “I called in on Rick and Diana.”
“Oh.”
“They’re there to help, Erin, and we’re going to let them.”
“Things will get better I promise, I’ll try harder to fit in.”
“Things will get better, because we’re going to let Diana and Rick help us.”
Erin really wanted to tell her husband that she didn’t need any help, but she could tell that wouldn’t fly. “How can they help, Zach? They can’t make people like me.”
“We’re going to have a dinner party. Diana will help with the planning and suggest people for us to invite and such.”
“I couldn’t, Zach.” Really? He wanted to her to have a dinner party and invite people she didn’t even know? People that didn’t give her the time of day at the school. What if they ignored her in her own home? What if they talked about her to everyone else?
“Stop over thinking things, Erin. A simple dinner party to get to know some of our neighbors, that’s all.”
“I don’t want to.” She tried to look away, but Zach held her chin between his thumb and forefinger and his eyes didn’t leave hers.
“You have twenty-four hours to phone Diana and invite her around for a coffee or lunch or something. You need to talk and she is ready and only too happy to listen to you.”
“Please, Zach, I’m scared.”
Zach patted his lap and she crawled into it. “Things will get better. We have to do this for things to change.”
“What would I even cook?” She had no idea what these people even liked.
“We used to have parties all the time when we lived in the city, besides, that’s what Diana will help you with.”
“Maybe we should get a caterer.”
“No. We can’t afford a caterer, honey, and besides, you’re a great cook.”
“I cook basic family meals, Zach. I don’t think we can serve guests meat loaf and mashed potatoes.”
“I love mashed potatoes.”
Erin sighed. This was a done deal she could tell, but it was such a frightening prospect. It could be wonderful, or it could be the nail in her proverbial social coffin. “Do you think they’ll even want to come?”
“Yes, I do. I think there’s a possibility that some of the parents from the school and from Corbin’s Bend in general, might believe we don’t want to mix. It’s time we made the effort to make friends.”
“Okay, I’ll try.” Maybe Zach was right. Maybe she did need to make more of an effort.
“Good girl. Now remember what I said, honey, because I meant it. You have twenty-four hours or the spanking you got this afternoon will pale in comparison. You hear?”
“I hear.” Erin snuggled into her husband’s embrace, happy that things were right between them once more.
***
The girls and Zach had been gone for an hour. Erin had cleaned the house, remade the kids’ beds and done two loads of laundry. There was officially nothing else to do. The phone seemed to swell in size as she stared at it, daring her to make the call. She knew she had to. She knew there would be severe consequences if she didn’t but she just couldn’t make herself lift the receiver. Finally she decided that she needed another cup of coffee. Of course you couldn’t have a cup of coffee without a cookie. No cookies. She had better make some. What kind of housewife would she be if there were no home-made cookies in the house?
Erin beat the butter by hand, taking her time to make sure it was almost white before adding the sugar in minuscule amounts. She even stirred in the flour a spoon at a time. It was a painstaking, methodical effort and it still only took under an hour. The phone was still there. She almost jumped out of her skin when it rang.
“Hello?” She answered the phone like it might actually bite her.
“Hi, just me.”
“Hi just me.” Relief washed over her, even though she knew why Zach had called.
“Did you do it?”
“Not yet. I was just about to. I had some things I had to take care of first.”
“Okay, so long as you haven’t forgotten.”
Was he serious? It had occupied her every thought for the whole morning. “I haven’t forgotten.”
“Good. I have to go, but I’ll see you this afternoon.”
“Okay, see you then.”
“I love you, you know.”
“I know, I love you, too.”
She hung up the phone and while the receiver was still in her hand she decided to just do it. Zach had left a card with the number conveniently next to the phone, so she quickly punched in the numbers before she changed her mind. It was ringing, and ringing and ringing. She was just about to hang up when Diana’s voice came over the other end of the phone.
“Hello, Diana speaking.”
“Hi, Diana, it’s Erin Cunningham.”
“Hi Erin.”
She sounds happy, Erin thought, a little relieved to say the least. “I was wondering if we could make a time to meet up and maybe talk about things.”
“Of course we can. I’ll be right over.”
Erin stood still for minute, staring at the phone that was bleeping an engaged signal in her hand. She thought maybe they’d make a day later in the week or early the next week. It hadn’t occurred to her that Diana would want to jump right in so fast.
It seemed like she’d just hung up the phone when there was a knock at the door. Damn, talk about fast.
“Diana, hi,” Erin said, her hands sweating and her tummy squirming as she opened the door for her mentor. “It was nice of you to come so quickly.”
“I wasn’t busy. To be honest, you filled an otherwise boring day for me.”
“That’s nice of you to say. Would you like some coffee? I have some fresh cookies.”
“Coffee and homemade cookies would be lovely but what I’d really like Erin is for you to relax. I don’t want to come into your home and tell you how to live. That’s not the point of a mentor. Think of m
e as a friend; someone to bounce your thoughts off.”
Erin giggled. It was more of a nervous giggle than one that held real humor. She didn’t find any of this remotely funny. “It’d be really nice to have someone to talk to.” She took a big breath and in direct opposition to her reaction a couple of minutes before she nearly cried. “I’ve been kind of lonely since we moved here.”
“Aw, honey, you only had to say. I would have been around here in a shot. Let’s have that coffee, shall we?”
Erin nodded and the two women set about making the coffee together while they chatted.
“You know that Zach came to see us.”
“He told me. I guess you know he made me call you.”
“Oh well, he probably felt he had no other choice Erin. He loves you. It’s breaking his heart to think of you being so unhappy. He feels a bit like he’s let you down I think. That he’s brought you to this place that’s making you so unhappy.”
“He isn’t, he didn’t,” Erin tried to explain. “I’m just a bit lonely. I don’t know how to find a place here. I was popular back home and I was happy.”
“Were you?”
“Mostly. Not all the time. We argued a fair bit and the kids were getting out of control. I was getting a bit out of control.”
“Did you both agree to come and live in Corbin’s Bend?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Would you say the things you miss, are not more important than having your marriage back on track and your girls growing up in a safe place?”
“Of course not. I love my husband and this place has made him and the girls very happy. I don’t have any complaints at all about our relationship.”
“Then why didn’t you tell Zach that you were feeling left out?”
“I don’t know. Zach, Avvy, and Jordan were all so happy. I didn’t want to rain on their parade.”
“If you had friends, would you be happy, too?”
“I think I would.”
“Then let’s get you out there, honey, and make you happy.” Diana smiled widely and pulled Erin into a one-armed hug. “I think we have a dinner party to plan.”
Leading the Way Page 2