On the Verge (Sisters Series Book 3)

by Karen Lenfestey

  Concern lined his face. “I’m sorry. So that’s why he’s having such a hard time learning to read.”

  She nodded and crossed her ankles. “I guess it’s kind of bad news and good news. It turns out there are certain techniques that have been proven to help dyslexic kids learn to read. I’ll need to get him a tutor, but it’ll be worth it.”

  “Of course it will be. I’ll help pay. . . .” Misery filled his eyes. He must’ve realized he didn’t have any money for such an offer.

  She appreciated his generous instincts, though. She swallowed, not anxious to talk about her situation. “I’ll figure something out. The house is in pretty good condition, except for the roof, of course. If it sells, then I’ll have the money for tutoring.”

  He took a sip of his coffee and scrunched up his face as if disappointed with its taste.

  She struggled to get comfortable in the hard-back chair. “I need to tell you something. But first I want to know why you said in counseling you want a divorce.”

  He scratched the stubble on his chin. “I think it’s inevitable. Let’s just get it over with.”

  “But why? Is it because you’ve met someone else?” Her body stiffened with fear. Did she really want to hear this?

  He shook his head. “No. Definitely not.” But something in his demeanor made her doubtful. His green eyes held a mystery.

  “You can tell the truth. She came by the house yesterday.”

  He sat up straight, his eyes intent on hers. “What? Who?”

  Val knew she’d been right. He knew exactly who. “She’s attractive. I can see why you like her.”

  “I don’t like her.” He fumbled for words. “I can’t believe she came by the house.”

  A sharp pain poked her chest. “Did you sleep with her?”

  His eyes darted away.

  That was her answer. She dug her fingernails into her palm. Don’t cry--don’t cry. Her other hand cupped her belly. “I think we should continue with counseling.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m pregnant.” When he didn’t respond, she bumped the table as she stood, spilling some of her coffee. Too bad. She got into her car and drove away from the coffee shop.

  Then the tears came.

  # # #

  Once she arrived home, Val dried her eyes and glowered at the stack of newspapers on the checkered kitchen floor. Nathan’s newspapers. “I guess there’s no point in saving these.” She reached down, grabbed as many as she could and stuffed them into the trash. Then she kept going until she realized she was going to puke.

  She grabbed her gut as she leaned over the toilet. This poor baby. When her stomach felt void, she washed up and returned to the kitchen. A headline about a local business expanding caught her eye. She pulled the top paper out of the trash. When she read the details, she discovered they already had an interior decorating firm. A sigh escaped her lips.

  She moved to a chair in the breakfast nook and flipped through the paper for other articles of interest. Her gaze landed on an ad for a Parents-Without-Partners mixer.

  Her hand caressed her belly. She was going to be a single mother once again. Disgusted with her bad taste in men, she shook her head. Unlike most wives, she wouldn’t even get to keep the house after the divorce.

  An idea came to her. She remembered that divorced dad she met at the estate sale. He’d said his house was stark and white. Considering about half of all marriages end in divorce, that meant an awful lot of people starting over from scratch. That meant lots of dads who needed help decorating their new homes.

  It was too late to save her own house, but at least she could save Kelly Designs.

  # # #

  Nathan didn’t show up for their next marriage counseling appointment. Val decided to stay and talk anyway. She really needed some advice.

  “It looks like I’m destined to be a single mom.”

  “Nathan isn’t interested in reconciling?” Dr. Shouse asked.

  Val gestured to the empty seat beside her on the couch. “As you can see, he’s not. Maybe he’s doing me a favor. I mean, he’s the reason I have to sell the house.”

  “He’s also the reason you had the house in the first place.”

  Yes, it was all very confusing. Nathan had screwed up and yet he’d always had her best interests at heart. Until he cheated on her. “He slept with another woman. I’m not sure either of us will be able to forget that.”

  “You don’t have to forget. You only have to forgive.”

  Counselors had lots of clichés, but it wasn’t so easy in the real world. “How can I forgive him when he won’t forgive himself?”

  Dr. Shouse nodded. “I think Nathan has a lot of anger about the fall-out from the accident. Our society defines men by their jobs and by getting fired, Nathan lost a big part of who he was. That’s probably why he started drinking.”

  “You asked me last time how he’s different now than before his fall. I started thinking that he reminds me of this calico cat my grandmother used to have. You could pet it and it would purr, but a moment later, it would turn around and bite you. That’s how Nathan is now.”

  Pondering that analogy, the counselor rubbed her chin. “Why do you think your grandmother kept the cat?”

  “Hmm. That’s a good question. I guess she’d had the cat for a long time and felt attached to it.”

  “Even though it bit her grandchild, she kept that cat. Interesting.”

  Is she insinuating that Grandma cared more about that cat than me? That’s ridiculous. “It only bit me a couple of times before I figured him out. He only liked to be petted for a few minutes before he’d had enough.”

  “Can you learn something from that which you can apply to Nathan?”

  Growing impatient, Val shifted in her seat, then touched her belly the way pregnant women often did. “I don’t know. I’m having his baby. What about that? Shouldn’t he offer to do whatever it takes to make this marriage work?”

  As usual, Dr. Shouse remained calm. “If you can get Nathan to come in with you next time, I’d be glad to see if I can help you re-negotiate your relationship.” She paused. “My question to you is what do you want that relationship to look like?”

  Did she want to stay married to someone who’d cheated on her? Would she always wonder if Nathan would run to that other woman when things got tough? Did she want to raise another child with a man who was unpredictable? “I don’t know.”

  “You have to clarify your wants and needs. Once you know your goal, then you have a better chance of reaching it.”

  # # #

  When he’d heard that Val was pregnant with his child, Nathan’s mouth fell open. Just when he’d permanently destroyed his marriage, a baby came along. But it was so unfair. That baby didn’t deserve a screwed-up, brain-damaged man for a father.

  He showed up for his physical therapy appointment and saw the glee in Mia’s eyes. He followed her into the corner room.

  She closed the door behind them. “Too bad we don’t have locks on these.” She leaned in to kiss him, but he turned his head away.

  He crossed his arms.

  She touched his knee. “I’m glad you came today. I thought you were blowing me off.”

  “Did you come to my house?”

  “Maybe.” She tossed her curly, brown hair flirtatiously.

  Sure, she was pretty. But she wasn’t worth throwing away a marriage for. He fiddled with his wedding band. Val was pregnant with his child. She’d asked him to meet her at the counselor’s office this week. That seemed promising, right?

  He pushed Mia’s hand off his knee. “I’m sorry if I led you on, but I’m married. You knew that.”

  She trailed her finger lightly down his jawline. Her long lashes fluttered. “But you always talk about her like she’s a pain.”

  “Do I?” He hadn’t realized.

  She continued stroking his cheek. She leaned in and brushed her lips over his face. Something about it felt familiar, but he couldn’t put h
is finger on it. He pulled away. “Mia, please stop.”

  Nodding, she stayed close enough that he could smell her vanilla perfume. “You’re right. Not here. I could meet you at my place on my lunch hour.”

  He tried to ignore her wonderful scent. “I can’t. I’m sorry if I hurt you, but I’m not this guy. I’m not a cheater.”

  She backed away from him. “You are this guy. You’ve made out with me more than once. I’m the one you called when you were in trouble. Not her. She didn’t bail you out of jail. I did.” Her brown eyes turned cold.

  “I know.” He didn’t really remember much about that night, but he knew it’d been a mistake. “I was drunk. I wasn’t thinking straight.”

  “Are you telling me you’re happily married? You’re going back to your wife now?” Her voice sounded mocking.

  He shook his head. “All I know is that you and I can’t be together.”

  She pointed her finger at him. “You’re a self-centered jerk.”

  He stared at the floor. There was no denying it. He hurt every woman that dared to care for him. He regretted that Mia had so quickly grown fond of him, but he really regretted that Mia had been the vehicle that crashed into his marriage. He made eye contact. “I’m trying to do the honorable thing here. I came to tell you that it’s over and that I’ll be finding a new physical therapist.”

  Tears pooled in her eyes and he felt the urge to comfort her. He took a deep breath and restrained himself. “I wish you all the best.” He stood and headed toward the door.

  “You want to know something? This is stupid. You and I never even did the deed.”

  His head whipped around to catch her expression. “But I remember going into your bedroom. . . .”

  “Yeah. As soon as your head hit the pillow, you passed out.” She licked her lips. “I was hoping you’d be able to satisfy me when you were sober, but somehow I doubt that. I bet you’re boring as hell in the sack. You’re a boring, old man.”

  Her words didn’t even sting. He opened the door, marched out of the office and out of Mia’s life forever.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  The doorbell rang and Joely called from her bedroom for Anna to get it. Joely slipped the strap of the black one-piece suit over her shoulder, but didn’t look in the mirror. Instead, she gazed at the other two suits she’d ordered from the catalog that lay on her bed. All were in supposedly slimming black, but each a different size. She hadn’t wanted to worry about it not fitting her.

  Her thumb pulled at the leg cut-outs as she heard Jake and Anna say their hellos. It felt a little tight, but swimsuits always did. She cracked open the bedroom door and stuck her head out. “Jake, could you come here a minute?”

  She watched Anna do a little dance in her pink, ruffled swimsuit as Jake made his way to her door. Joely hesitated to let him see her.

  His eyebrows pulled together. “Yes?”

  A gulp of air. She opened the door quickly and ushered him in. “Okay. I need to know what you think.”

  His gaze rested on the other black tanks on the comforter and he seemed to understand. “It looks good.”

  She stood back as if wanting him to view her from head to toe. “I want you to be honest. This is what I look like.”

  “You do know that I’ve seen you naked, don’t you?” He smirked.

  “That’s different. The lights were out.” And she always made sure she hid under the covers. “I was hoping I could exercise enough to get my old figure back, but I can’t. The doctor said if my joints hurt for more than two hours after a work-out that I overdid it. Well, they hurt for days.” Even if she warmed them before the gym and iced them afterward.

  Compassion spread across his face. “I told you that I understand. I love your body the way it is.”

  Her arms crossed self-consciously over her voluptuous chest. “Since when do you like fat girls?”

  He came toward her, his arms open. She stiffened as he hugged her. For all the years that she’d known him, he’d never dated anyone with an ounce of pudge. Even his ex-wife had been a former Calvin Klein model.

  His hand stroked her hair. “Joely, we’re not twenty anymore. Neither of us can go back and I, for one, don’t want to. I was so shallow and full of myself then. Now I’m nearly forty and all I want is to share my life with you and Anna. Stop beating yourself up and let me take care of you.” He kissed her forehead, nose, lips.

  It still amazed her that he’d called off work just to be with her in the hospital. Often, she fell asleep to the memory of his carrying her out of bed. Her hero.

  She giggled as his lips descended her body. Collarbone. Belly. In the end, he kissed her thighs. First the dimples on the right one.

  “Stop it.” Giggling louder, she swatted at his hair.

  “I love every inch of you.” Then the left thigh. He stood back to his six-foot-two height and his cool, blue eyes implored her.

  Inside, her heart pounded. God, she was lucky. Her palm stroked his blond five o’clock shadow. “I probably can’t give you another child.”

  He nodded. “I know. That’s all right.” A smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. “This way I can divulge all of my fatherly advice to Anna.”

  Her lips darted forward and captured his. She kissed him long and hard, as if he were providing her life. Neither of them seemed to want to separate. If circumstances were different, they’d move over to the bed. Instead, they kissed and touched and savored each other.

  Anna knocked on the bedroom door. “Mommy? Can I come in?

  Joely’s lips reluctantly left Jake’s. She turned her head toward the door. “Just a minute.” She stepped back as if it would help her resist him. Deep breath. She focused on Jake. “I’m not giving up on exercise all together, though, because it can actually help with the lupus. I need to do something low-impact. So. . .” Her heart galloped. “I was wondering if you would teach me how to swim. Like you did Anna.”

  Again, a smile spread across his lips. “I’d be honored.” And like teenagers, they stole another kiss.

  # # #

  Val heard Chip run to open the front door with Homer on his heels. Kelly walked in the house and greeted them. “Hi, guys. It’s a bit drizzly out there today.”

  Val came into the foyer and saw her boss, Kelly, petting the dog. “Thanks for coming out in this.” Val leaned Kelly’s umbrella against one of the pillars between the foyer and living room. She helped her remove her trench coat then draped it over the banister. “I hope it stops soon. I’m not sure how much the roof can take.”

  Beneath her trench, Kelly wore a lilac dress with silver and gold necklaces. She shook out her brown bob and gazed around the entry. “I can’t believe how gorgeous this place is.”

  “Thanks. Chip and I have been working hard.” In fact, she hated herself for waiting for Nathan to do everything. It felt amazing to work up a sweat while restoring this place. “I don’t want to sell, but. . . .” Sadness rose to her chest, but she tamped it back down. “Come in. Let me show you around.”

  Chip ran back up to his room, the stairs creaking beneath his feet. Homer, of course, followed.

  Her boss had her real estate license and had offered to make suggestions for the upcoming sale. Val led her through the house counter-clockwise. First the library, dining room, breakfast nook and kitchen. Skipping the living room, they went up the stairs, past the hallway buckets strategically placed to catch leaks, to the six bedrooms and the bathroom with the chandelier over the tub. She saved her favorite room for last.

  They went back down the stairs to the grand living room with its arched doors leading to the patio. A sigh escaped her. She’d let Joely down now that she was unable to hold the wedding here. She’d never host that wine party she’d envisioned on that patio either. For sure, she’d never open her own interior design studio.

  Kelly admired the marble fireplace on the opposite wall. “This must be worth a fortune.”

  Val nodded. Most of the historic details would be too exp
ensive to put in a house built these days. A lump clogged her throat. She knew she’d never live in a house this special ever again.

  Kelly crossed the twenty-five foot room, looking out the windows. “I’ve been working on your idea to cater our services to divorced dads. I think it’s brilliant.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “I’ve started spreading the word and am taking out some ads.” Kelly stopped when she reached the piano tucked into the corner. “Wow. Did this come with the place?”

  “Yes. I have the original owner’s diary and she mentions it. It was a gift from her husband.” Val winced. Helen and her husband had a stronger bond than she and Nathan. They’d survived post-partum depression before it had a name. Back when it was a crime for a woman to withdraw into herself and shirk her parenting duties. Her husband stood by her, tried to cheer her up, and eventually Helen remembered life’s little pleasures. Like playing the piano and baking apple pies for her children. So why had her spirit failed to cross over?

  Kelly played a scale up and down the keyboard. “It needs to be tuned.”

  Val shrugged. “Well, it is almost a hundred years old.” She watched as Kelly’s fingers touched the gold “Steinway” letters.

  Kelly turned and looked at her. “Have you had this appraised?”

  “No.”

  Kelly’s fingertip graced the carved music stand. “I think it’s worth a lot of money.”

  “I figure I’ll leave it here for whoever buys the house.”

  Kelly shook her head. “No. I mean it’s worth a lot of money. Maybe enough that you wouldn’t have to sell the house.”

  The room started to spin. Val dropped onto the piano bench. “Are you serious?”

  “I was watching ‘If Walls Could Talk’ the other day--”

  “I love that show!”

  “Me, too. Anyway, I think they had a square grand like this one and it was worth fifteen to twenty thousand dollars.”

  Val slapped her chest. “Oh, my God! If that’s true, I could afford to fix the roof and keep the house!” She stood, grabbed Kelly’s manicured fingertips and jumped up and down.

  # # #

  “I’m Nathan and I’m an alcoholic.” Nathan stood in front of the room and settled his gaze on Rod. “I haven’t had a drink in thirty days.” The men and women in folding chairs applauded, but to Nathan it was a hollow victory.