On the Verge (Sisters Series Book 3)

by Karen Lenfestey

  What the hell was he going to do today to fill the time until Val came home? Then he remembered. He had physical therapy.

  His heart sped up. Mia. He wasn’t sure what to do about her. He didn’t know if he could handle seeing her again. On the other hand, he wasn’t sure he could handle not seeing her, either. He shaved and put on one of his nicer button-down shirts with his jeans.

  Once at the office, he acted cool with the red-headed receptionist. He didn’t want to get Mia in trouble. But it wasn’t like she made out with all of her clients. Most of the people she worked with were on Social Security and walked with canes. She probably loved it when a muscular, younger man, like him, showed up.

  He tried to read the newspaper someone had left in the waiting room, but his mind wouldn’t focus. He kept re-reading the first few sentences without retaining any of the information.

  Finally, Mia called him back to the room. She smiled warmly, but also seemed distant. He hopped up on the table quicker than he used to. His body had restored itself almost completely. He owed it all to Mia.

  She looked at her clipboard and avoided eye contact. “How are you today, Mr. Sullivan?”

  He chuckled. “Just fine, Miss. . . What’s your last name?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “You don’t even know my last name?” She turned and closed the exam room door. “You grope a girl and you don’t even bother to get her name?”

  Panic kicked in. He hadn’t expected her to be angry at him. After all, he hadn’t slept with her. “I know your name, Mia. What’s wrong?”

  “What’s wrong? Seriously?” She scowled at him. “Fine. Do you want to pretend nothing happened? Is that it?”

  He squeezed the back of his neck. “I. . . No?” What was the right answer? The girls he’d been with before Val had never expected a call the next day or a serious relationship. Everybody knew it was just sex. Drunken sex. “I liked last night.”

  Her features softened. “Really?”

  Glad to have tamed the beast, he nodded. “Last night was awesome. I was worried you had regrets.”

  “No. I mean, I’m risking my job for you. But you’re worth it.” She came close, wedged her body between his legs and kissed him.

  All of those hours she’d worked on his muscles in here, he’d fantasized about this. Her fingers were soothing, massaging. Finally he could taste her lips. They did not disappoint.

  They made out for a few minutes and he reached for the buttons on her blouse.

  She pulled away, panting. “We can’t. Not here.”

  What the hell? She got him all worked up for nothing? He sighed. “You’re a tease.”

  Her pink lips pulled into a smile. “And you love it.”

  There was no denying it. He did love it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  The roofing company called Val at work with the bad news. “Mrs. Sullivan? I’m afraid the check your husband gave us for the additional tiles bounced. We won’t send any workers to finish the job until proper payment has been made.”

  Val’s throat dried. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

  “I know these are hard times, but I have to pay my workers. Would you like to put it on a credit card?”

  She reached for her purse. “Yes. Just a minute.” She pulled out her Visa and read the numbers.

  For a moment, the man on the phone remained silent while processing the transaction. “I’m sorry. That card has been denied.”

  Val chewed on her pen. “Try it again.”

  The man did, but still said it didn’t work. “You might want to contact the credit card company to make sure there isn’t a mistake.”

  “I will. How much more do we still owe you?”

  “One-thousand dollars for these additional tiles and then the final balance of $15,000.”

  Val started to cough. “My husband hasn’t paid you? Nathan said he’d taken care of everything.”

  “No. He has paid $25,000 so far, but it was estimated at $40,000.”

  She nodded her head even though no one was in the room with her. “I know. Okay. Please keep working and I will call the credit card company to figure this all out. It’s a mistake, I assure you.”

  After she hung up the phone, she called Visa. Unfortunately, they refused to admit their mistake. They said she and Nathan were at their limit. She stared at her bulletin board filled with pages ripped out of Better Homes & Gardens. Her dream was for one of her designs to one day be featured. She was starting to see that her dreams were out of reach.

  A moment later, she called Nathan’s work. The guy who answered the phone said Nathan wasn’t there. He transferred her to Rod.

  “Val. . . hi.” Rod sounded strange. Not his usual jovial self.

  “Rod, I’m trying to get a hold of Nathan. Is he out to lunch or something?”

  He cleared his throat. “Val, Nathan isn’t working today.”

  “What? He didn’t say anything to me about taking the day off.”

  “He didn’t tell you? He hasn’t been working for a while.”

  The room started to spin. She rubbed her forehead. “I don’t know what you mean. He just went out last night with the guys for a beer after work.”

  Rod remained quiet for a minute. “Maybe it would be best if you came over here. There’s some stuff we need to talk about face-to-face.”

  But she didn’t want to talk to Rod. She wanted to talk to her husband. “I’ll have to get back to you.” She hung up before he had a chance to say anything else.

  For a moment she stared at the phone’s ten digits. She dialed Nathan’s cell. “Nathan? Where are you?”

  He paused and she could hear people talking in the background. “At work. Why?”

  “No, you’re not. I just talked to Rod.”

  For a minute, Nathan didn’t speak. “What did he say?”

  “That you haven’t been at work in a long time. So, I’ll ask you again. Where are you?” She detected the shrillness she’d often heard in her own mother’s voice, but she couldn’t help herself.

  “I’m. . .at home.”

  “Who’s talking in the background?”

  “Nobody.” It sounded like a door opening and then the voices disappeared. “It’s the TV.”

  She sighed, not believing him. “Whatever. I’m coming home. We need to talk.” She hung up before he could protest. With a quick glance at the clock and her calendar, she slung her purse over her shoulder. Hopefully Kelly would understand. She stuck her head in her boss’ office, but no one sat behind the desk. Her hand gripped the strap of her purse while she marched toward Joely’s office.

  Fortunately, her friend greeted her with a smile. “What’s up?”

  “Would you tell Kelly I had to go? Family emergency.”

  Worry lines formed across her brow. “Is Chip sick?”

  Val shook her head. “It’s Nathan. No time to explain. But I’ll definitely need to talk to you later.” She raced home, wondering if she’d beat Nathan there, which would mean catching him in another lie. Her heart pummeled her ribs. She and her ex argued all of the time about his half-truths, but she’d hated it. She didn’t want to be the only grown-up in her marriage this time.

  When she pulled into the garage, she was pleased to see Nathan’s antique car in its spot. Even so, she still needed to confront him about his job. Her head started to throb as she walked past a stack of abandoned roofing tiles. Once inside the house, she heard the TV on in the library and she headed toward the noise.

  Nathan sat stiffly in the leather club chair they’d purchased their first weekend in the house. A beer bottle sat on the table next to him. At Nathan’s feet, Homer lay. The dog raised his head lazily.

  Nathan looked at her, his face full of remorse. He flipped off the TV. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” Silence hung in the air. She didn’t want to scold him, but what else could she do? “Why didn’t you tell me that Rod let you go?”

  His spine straightened. “Is that what he told you? Because I
did not get fired. He told me I should focus on my recovery is all.”

  “But why would he say that?”

  Nathan stared at the floor. “I made some mistakes estimating repairs. Huge mistakes that cost the company hundreds, no--thousands, of dollars.” His slanted eyebrows lowered. His face crumpled and his eyes watered. “I screwed up. Big time.”

  Sympathy surged through her. She crossed the room, sat on the chair’s arm and hugged him. “It’s okay.” The last thing she wanted was to see him cry. She heard him sniff. “The doctor told you it might be hard to go back to work. I wish you would’ve told me.”

  He shook his head and the tears spilled down his cheeks. “I couldn’t. I was so embarrassed.” He wiped his nose with the back of his hand and refused to look her in the eye.

  “If you would’ve told me. . .” What? They still wouldn’t have the money to fix the roof or pay for their new furniture or the hospital bills. Anger shot through her. “We’ve been paying for Chip to go to after-school care when you could’ve been here watching him?” That wouldn’t exactly pay for the repairs, but it wouldn’t have been throwing money away either. “The roofing company called me and said the check you wrote bounced.”

  His eyes darted around the room as if he were looking for an escape route. Or another convenient lie. “I’ll take care of it.”

  She rose and moved a few steps back. “Quit it! Quit pretending that you have everything taken care of. We owe them thousands of dollars that we don’t have. Just admit it.”

  He slapped his hands against the leather and she jumped. Homer bolted from the room. Nathan stood and glared at her. “Fine. I’m a terrible husband. I bought you this house. . . I thought it would make you happy, but. . . we can’t afford it. I knew it. You knew it. Yet here we are.”

  She folded her arms and wished she’d never started this. On the other hand, he should be the one worried about upsetting her. “I don’t know who you are anymore. You lied to me. You’re the one who’s supposed to fix things--not make them worse.”

  The veins popped in his neck. Something vicious flashed in his eyes. He reached for the beer bottle and threw it against the wall. She ducked. Heard the glass shatter, wet drops spilled on her arms.

  She struggled to breathe, moving toward the doorway with her back against the wall. She’d intended to ask him to pick Chip up from school, but not now. Shut up and get out.

  She ran to her car and shoved the key into the ignition. It took three tries. As she drove down the road, she realized her hands were trembling. In fact, her whole body was.

  # # #

  Nathan hopped into his car as soon as Val left. Before starting the engine, he pounded the steering wheel with his fists. “You’re a loser. Rod knows it and now Val knows it, too.” He slammed his fist one more time.

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out the gold coin. He needed to return it, but he was too embarrassed. After shoving it back into his jeans, he decided to head to his new, favorite place.

  Even though he was speeding, the ride there took too long. He plopped on his usual bar stool and ordered a beer. Rod would probably say Nathan had a drinking problem, but he never hit the hard liquor. Just because he had a beer or two didn’t mean anything. His life was going down the toilet. Everybody knows a man isn’t a man if he can’t provide for his family. That’s why he didn’t respect his brother.

  He took a long swig. When he set it down, the glass thudded against the top of the bar. His shoulders slumped as he thought about Val. She’d rushed out of the room as if she were afraid of him. How could that be? He hadn’t planned on losing his temper like that, but she had to know he’d never hurt her. He took another drink.

  # # #

  Once Val was back at Kelly’s Designs, she rushed into Joely’s office and closed the door behind her. She plopped down in the chair closest to Joely’s desk. She tried to catch her breath.

  Joely put down her pencil and pushed away the sketch she’d been drawing. “Oh, my God. What happened?”

  At first, Val couldn’t speak. Then the words burst out like a geyser. “I don’t know what to do. We owe all of this money. . .Nathan can’t work. . .I feel sorry for him one minute, but then he’s. . .shouting at me the next.” For some reason, she didn’t want to admit that her husband scared her. Tears flowed down her face.

  Joely leaned forward and embraced her. Just what she needed. Val savored the comfort of her friend’s touch. She cried and cried. She mourned the man she’d married and she mourned the future she’d imagined they’d have together.

  Once Val’s sobs faded, Joely released her and handed her a tissue.

  Val dabbed at her eyes, sure that her mascara had run. She had a client meeting later today and she couldn’t afford to cancel. She couldn’t afford to do anything. She was broke. “You don’t happen to have an extra $15,000 you could loan me, do ya?” Through her tears, she cracked a smile.

  “Nope. Sorry.” Joely gently tugged on her dangling earring. “Have you tried the bank?”

  Nodding, Val pursed her lips. “I even asked Kelly. But she said she didn’t have it.”

  Joely’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Really? You’d think if you owned your own business, you’d have lots of spare cash.”

  “Apparently not.” She sighed. “I was hoping Nathan’s boss might be able to front us the money, but I guess that’s out.” She squeezed her temples. “What am I gonna do?”

  “Have you thought about. . . I hate to even suggest it.”

  “What?” She looked at Joely while still rubbing her forehead. “Tell me. I’m desperate.”

  Joely took a deep breath. “Have you considered asking your parents for a loan?”

  “Oh great.” Val massaged in tiny little circles.

  Shrugging, her friend looked innocent. “You did say you were desperate.”

  “If we don’t come up with the money, they won’t finish the roof. And it’s supposed to rain in a few days.” She slouched in the chair. “I feel like a little kid, asking my mom for money to go to the movies.”

  “But this isn’t something frivolous. This is for their only daughter. Another way to look at it is this is for their grandson.”

  Most grandparents would do anything for their grandkids, but Val wasn’t so sure. “They don’t even bother to visit Chip on his birthday. Christmas is usually the only time we get together.”

  “They do live far away.” Joely was trying to make her feel better.

  She heaved another sigh. “You’re right. They’re my only hope.” She stood, but didn’t want to leave. “I guess I’d better make myself do it right away or I’ll lose my nerve.”

  Joely patted her on the back. “You can do it.”

  Instead of opening the door, Val waited another beat. Her friend was so good to her. Especially considering Joely suffered most days in pain.

  Dropping her chin, Val turned the doorknob and made her way back to her office. Time to call the number she rarely dialed. “Hello, Mom?”

  “Is that you, Val? You’re lucky you caught me.” Her words dripped in a Southern drawl. “I was just heading out to the garden. I thought I’d bring strawberries to everyone in my Bible study group.”

  It would be another month before berries were in season here. Val pictured her mother in her straw hat and gingham Capri pants. The woman never wore jeans in the church.

  Val’s shoulders tensed. “Mom, this won’t take long. Remember how you said at my wedding that I should’ve asked you for the money to get a nicer reception hall?”

  “Uh-huh.” Her mother was probably sliding on her gardening gloves to keep her hands from getting dirty.

  “Well. . . I’m in a tight spot. I was wondering if you could loan me some money.”

  “What for, dear?”

  Val wiggled her shoulders, trying to loosen them. It didn’t help. “The house we bought needs a lot more work than we realized. I’m afraid we need several thousand dollars in order to fix the roof.”

&
nbsp; “Are these the fancy, handmade tiles you imported from Mexico?”

  Val nodded. Why hadn’t she realized she would regret bragging about her historic house in that last phone call? “Yes. No one makes them here in the US. We had to get them from Mexico.”

  “Well, it sounds to me like you made a poor choice. Your father and I aren’t rich you know. We live within our means. That’s how we raised you. Either get a cheaper roof or sell the house and buy one you can actually afford.”

  Her mother’s words punched her in the gut. Val would never sell her hacienda. It represented success. The kind of success her mother never believed she could achieve.

  “Val, are you there?” her mother asked. As if she were concerned.

  “Fine, Mom. I knew I shouldn’t even bother to ask.”

  “Don’t speak to me in that tone. I’m still your mother and you should show me the proper respect.”

  The throbbing in her head increased. She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’ve gotta go. Bye.” She leaned back in her chair and stared at her bulletin board filled with beautifully decorated rooms. “Why do you always make me feel like crap, Mom? Can’t you tell that my life is falling apart?”

  I need help. Somebody please help.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Mia dialed Nate’s number on her cell phone then twined a lock of hair around her finger. It rang and rang, but he didn’t answer. Too bad. Her next appointment had just cancelled and she was hoping the two of them could meet up somewhere. Pick up where they’d left off.

  She checked her makeup in the rearview mirror of her Mazda. If Nate picked up, she’d freshen her lipstick, but if he didn’t, she wouldn’t bother. She dialed one more time. He still didn’t answer. She turned on the radio and decided to go for a drive. After all, the sun was shining and she deserved a break.

  After taking a few random turns, she found herself parked in front of Nate’s house. Again. She stared at the Spanish palace and wondered about his life.

  “Why couldn’t it be me? Why couldn’t Nate be married to me?” She pictured them eating a picnic by the fountain in the front yard. Homer would jump in the water and splash them. They would laugh even though her sundress would end up soaked, sticking to her skin. Nate would grab her and kiss her like she was his oxygen.