by Tessa Gray
That was Meredith’s mantra, Gloria learned quickly. Gloss over the low points in life and focus on the positive. That wasn’t all bad. Of the two friends, Mere had always been the eternal optimist.
But Meredith’s next comment made Gloria’s blood run cold.
“Blake was competing at a golf tournament when I lost the baby. He played out the eighteen holes before showing up at the hospital. Imagine that. Guess I was a pretty low priority.”
Aware that nothing she said would comfort her friend, Gloria picked up her drink and finished it.
“Ladies, here’s those Hurricanes. Need anything else?” The bartender smiled at them and placed the oversized drinks down on the counter.
“We’re fine, thanks.” Gloria waved him off. After she spoke and turned to face Meredith.
“Is there anything I can do for you, Meredith?”
“Naw. I’m just getting carried away strolling down memory lane. Talk to me about Tom, Gloria. How did the two of you meet? I’m sure you’ve told me, but I’ve forgotten most of it.”
“It was my first year at Boston College. Three of my classmates were gay, so I decided to march in a gay rights parade with them.” After Gloria said it, Meredith gasped at her admission.
“You in a gay rights parade. I can’t imagine that!”
“I was nearly two thousand miles from home, and you know how college freshmen can be. So, let me just say, I was feeling pretty empowered doing something my parents might not approve of.” Gloria stopped, took a deep breath, and continued. “Of course, now that my brother’s come out, it doesn’t seem like such a big deal.”
“At the time it was a huge deal.” Meredith smiled at her and continued talking. “I always admired that about you, Gloria. You never cared what anyone thought.”
“Well, that’s where Tom enters into the picture. It was a peaceful event, but Boston didn’t take any chances. They sent some cops to monitor the parade, just to make sure everything went smoothly. So, I see this cop, right? He’s not all that tall, but the way he carried himself, those big broad shoulders of his squared off, let’s just say, now I’m getting interested.” Gloria laughed as Meredith’s eyes widened.
“You’ve definitely piqued my curiosity! Did he ask you out during the parade?” Meredith exclaimed, a smile sweeping across her face. “Imagine meeting your Prince Charming at an LGBTQ event.”
“Let’s just say he kept a watchful eye on us. And then he comes up to us at dusk when the parade ends, and he says, ‘Ladies, you need to watch yourselves out here, it gets pretty dark—or I should say dak—out here.” Gloria mimicked her husband’s Boston accent, wishing he was here.
“That accent had you from hello, didn’t it?”
“Before I knew it, Tom had followed us into the bar. Of course, with a cop watching our every move, I didn’t even bother getting out my fake id. I just settled for a pop.”
After Gloria said it, Meredith laughed. “I haven’t heard ‘pop’ used for a soda in years—not since back in Minnesota.”
“The next thing I know, he’s telling me that if I weren’t gay, he’d ask me out,” Gloria said with a chuckle. “We howled over that one for a while. I think it was the way he scrunched up his face that drew me in. Tommy wasn’t afraid to admit we embarrassed him, and I liked that about him.”
~ ~ ~
As Meredith listened to Gloria talk about Tommy, emotions bubbled up inside her. It was clear Tommy and Gloria were head over heels in love with each other—a stark contrast to her own floundering marriage.
She thought back to all the times she’d accompanied Blake to those completely over-the-top, lavish gala affairs she could barely tolerate. She’d walked around the room, much like a Stepford Wife, gripping his arm tightly. The two of them had a secret code to keep her in check; every time she said something that might embarrass Blake, he’d yank his arm away. There was no way he’d ever have tolerated her laughing at him the way Gloria said she laughed at Tommy.
“It’s clear that you and Tommy are very much in love.”
“That’s an understatement. Of course, I’ve put on a few pounds since our wedding day, but he still looks at me as though I’m the sexiest woman on the face of the earth. His eyes practically roll to the back of his head every time he sees me naked,” Gloria said, her cheeks coloring a slight pink.
The comment caught Meredith off guard. She thought of all the times Blake had reminded her how small her breasts were. He’d complained about them longer than she could remember. Last year he’d gone so far as to set up an appointment with a world-renowned plastic surgeon.
The two lifelong friends talked well into the night, and by the time Meredith left the bar to go back to her hotel room, she and Gloria promised to meet once a year for the rest of their lives.
As Meredith dragged herself down the hallway leading to her and Blake’s room, she felt an overwhelming desire to flee the hotel and drive and drive and drive. It wouldn’t matter where she went; anywhere would do. She just wanted to escape.
Until now, it hadn’t occurred to her how unhappy she was, how discontented she was with her marriage. But running into Gloria had changed all that. Staying in a loveless marriage was something she just couldn’t allow herself to endure. If Blake was still awake, they’d need to talk . . . before she lost her nerve.
She hesitated and took a deep calming breath before sliding the key card into the slot to unlock the door. As she tiptoed softly into the room, she heard voices. One sounded like a high-pitched whimper, the other guttural.
What she saw next caused her to stop dead in her tracks.
Her husband lay sprawled out across their king-sized bed, a naked woman straddling him. Neither of them saw her come inside the room. Judging by the red hair, it looked like Brandy Jensen, her former classmate who half the high school football players had scored with before graduation, was that woman. Now, with four divorces under her belt, Brandy appeared to have moved on to her classmates’ spouses.
Blake lay on his back, atop the bed covers, the sound of his bare flesh smashing against Brandy as she rode him like a wild bronco. It was clear from the way the two were going at it they had no idea anyone else was in the room. Blake’s eyes were closed as he gasped, heaved, and bucked like a mad man.
Reaching into her purse, Meredith grabbed her smart phone. Backing up far enough to make sure she had a clear view, she called out to the two.
When Blake jerked to attention, a terrified expression on his face, she snapped several pictures. If nothing else, she’d at least get custody of the kids.
Chapter 2
Celebrating her recent separation from Blake, Meredith picked up the margarita she’d been nursing, took several large gulps, and slammed the glass down on the table. When her best friend, Rachel Martin, stared over at her, a baffled expression on her face, Mere realized her frustration was showing.
She drank in the ambience of the Mexican restaurant, hoping for a distraction. The navy-blue tiles, flecked with gold and terra cotta specs, reminded her of the first home she and Blake had owned. These tiles were similar to those scattered throughout their lavish 30,000-gallon pool. Although she hadn’t considered a 6,000 thousand-square-foot home with a pool a “starter home,” Blake saw things differently. For the second time that week, she felt panic set in, a gnawing doubt that she’d survive living on her own.
“I still can’t believe that prick slept with one of your classmates the night of your reunion. You know, I have to wonder if Blake wanted to get caught. Some guys like the thrill of getting caught in the sack with another woman. He always did like drama.” Rachel stared over at her, as though expecting a reply.
Meredith glanced down at where the bruise on her arm had been. Although it was fully healed, the memory of Blake squeezing her arm so tightly continued haunting her. She hadn’t told
anyone except Rachel about the incident, and although Blake had never raised a hand to her during their marriage, she wondered if the handwriting was on the wall. Funny how people changed over time, evolving into someone you barely know, someone you’d never in a million years have married if you had it to do all over again.
“Mere, I know that you and Blake just separated, but you really need to start planning your future.” After Rachel spoke, she reached over and squeezed Meredith’s hand.
While Meredith knew Rachel meant well, only two weeks had passed since she told Blake she wanted a separation, and she couldn’t come to terms with what the next step would be just yet. The children had only been told last night.
At first the story was that Daddy had been on a business trip; it was just too difficult to admit to the kids that her marriage was a failure. Of course, when your kids were nine and thirteen, you could only keep them at bay for so long. Finally, last night, the truth had come out. Her young son, Travis had not taken the news well. He’d done little to hide his grief as he begged his mother to just ‘make everything like it used to be,’ as he’d put it.
Carly, at the ripe old age of thirteen had been stoic. And that proved unsettling. How long would it take before Carly acted out in response to this family crisis?
“This divorce isn’t your fault, you know.” Rachel’s green eyes clouded as she stared over at Meredith. “Blake never appreciated you. In fact, he didn’t deserve you.”
Meredith’s head was pounding now as she considered how difficult things would be from this point forward. Blake had already closed several of their bank accounts, and it was apparent from how quickly things were moving that he intended to make surviving on her own a living hell.
Before she could stop herself, her frustrations erupted. Rubbing her temples, she began lamenting over her situation. “What the hell do people do, Rach? Thousands of women probably go through this every day. I get that I’m not the only person on the earth to go through a separation, but seriously, how do you rebuild your life? How do you spend eighteen years with a man and know so little about him?”
“You pull yourself up by the bootstraps, shake the dust off, and move on,” Rachel said firmly, as she leaned across the table.
“Sounds like advice my mother would give me. Of course, I haven’t even told her yet.”
“You’d better tell her before the kids do. You know Katrina. If she’s not in the loop, she’ll come unhinged.” Rachel furrowed her brows after she said it, and Meredith knew she had a point.
Mere laughed at Rachel’s comment, but she felt her smile vanish as she considered that her mother would no doubt side with Blake. As incredible as it sounded, that was probably what would happen.
“Listen, I know this is all overwhelming you right now, but I have a plan, Mere, a plan that can help get you on your feet.” As her best friend leaned closer, a look of concern on her face, Meredith smiled, deeply touched that her friends appeared to be circling the wagons now, intent on helping her get through a difficult time.
The past two weeks were a blur. Ever since the reunion, she’d been in constant touch with Gloria. The woman had been a rock in supporting Meredith’s decision to separate, going so far as to invite her to bring the kids to Boston and stay with her and Tommy for a while. She’d declined, of course. The couple lived in a tiny cape cod-styled house near the ocean, with little room for an extended family.
Still, it touched Meredith deeply that a woman she hadn’t seen in twenty years would open her home up to someone she’d barely reconnected with. And now, here was Rachel, another anchor who had no doubt spent a great deal of her time planning how Meredith could get back on her feet.
“I’d like to hear your plan, Rachel. God knows, I haven’t really come up with my own.”
~ ~ ~
Rachel Martin handed her best friend several pamphlets.
As Meredith began pouring through the glossy brochures, she glanced across the table, a bewildered expression on her face. “These are from Alpine, the place where we attended the Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Surely you’re not suggesting I pack up my kids and move nine hours away to West Texas!”
Rachel blinked slowly and took a deep breath. She knew Meredith would be shocked out of her wits, and that was exactly why she’d prepared for this scenario.
“The college there is awesome. You could finish up your credits for teaching. I’ll bet your SMU credits would all transfer. I’ve been asking around, and I’m positive they would. You said yourself that Sul Ross is a great university.”
“That doesn’t mean I want to go there. Have you completely lost your mind? Blake would pitch a fit if I moved that far away with the kids. He wouldn’t hear of it.” Meredith glared at Rachel and folded her arms across her chest.
Rachel was taken aback by the comment, mainly because Meredith actually had photos of him screwing that bimbo at her high school reunion. They’d referred to those photos as “leverage.” And the notion that Mere would not have the gumption to use every resource she had to keep Blake the hell away from the kids infuriated Rachel. While this divorce thing might be new to Mere, she needed to get her priorities in order, and as things stood, getting a college education was crucial to her survival.
“You’ve got leverage, Meredith. Hell, blackmail the bastard if you need to. Now, come on. Finishing college is a top priority for you. You always said you wanted to be a teacher, now’s your chance. Kelsey lives in Alpine, so you’ll have a built-in support system. And since I drive out there every other weekend to see Jake, I’d be there as well. I think it would do you good to move to a smaller place.”
Picking up one of the brochures, Meredith began thumbing through it. “I-I hardly know what to say. Apparently, you’ve given this a great deal of thought.”
“Yes, I have, Mere. I think the move would be good for the kids. The pace is much slower there, and the residents of Alpine seem genuinely nice. I think if you could rebuild your life anywhere, it would be out in Alpine.”
“Blake’s not going to go along with this, I can tell you that right now.” Meredith shook her head and stared out the window. When she turned back to face Rachel, her eyes had welled up. Clearly, she was terrified of change.
“Screw Blake.” Rachel felt the anger taking over now, and she decided to pull out all the stops—to knock some sense into her friend. “You’ve got pictures of him in bed with another woman, Meredith, for starters. I only wish you’d taken a picture of the bruise on your arm, just for good measure.”
Meredith was staring down into her lap now, clearly shaken by Rachel’s comment. Her coiffed blond hair still looked perfect, but she’d begun chewing on her bottom lip, an indication she was frustrated.
She exhaled sharply, and when she finally spoke again, her voice was barely a whisper. “I’m in the darkest place possible, Rach. I don’t know which way to turn. But I’m counting on you to help get me through this. You’re someone who’s always been focused. I’m not. I can’t imagine just uprooting myself and dragging the kids clear out to West Texas.”
“I’ll always be here for you, Mere. Just like Gloria at the reunion. Just like Kelsey will be if you decide move to Alpine.” Rachel swallowed several times, the emotions inside her raw. She felt Meredith’s pain because ten years ago, around this same time she’d been sitting across the table from Meredith and Kelsey, pouring out her heart, telling them that her marriage to Michael was about to end. It was all coming full circle now.
“In a way it kind of makes sense, my moving away and starting over. I’m just not sure about Alpine.” Meredith swallowed and looked away.
“I totally understand. I just brought it up because I know how miserable it can be not to have a game plan. At least consider it. You could move right after the holidays and begin classes in January. All I’m asking, Mere, is that you think about it.�
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Rachel watched Meredith begin twirling her hair once again, a clear indicator she was finished talking about this.
As the waiter began making his way over to their table, Rachel asked for the bill, pulled out a fifty-dollar bill, and said, “My treat, Mere. Save your money. You’re going to need it for your tuition.”
~ ~ ~
Katrina Gustafson reached over, patting her daughter’s hand. As Meredith blinked back tears, Katrina struggled to think of something that would put Mere’s mind to rest. On the last day of school her granddaughter, Carly, had been caught drinking on school property and would be forced to attend an alternative school in the fall before returning to the middle school she normally attended. The school district had a zero-tolerance policy, and Carly would need to earn her way back. Katrina had the distinct feeling that her granddaughter was acting out because of the separation—a separation which, in her opinion, was stupid and unnecessary. Meredith needed to rethink this whole thing.
The notion of her granddaughter being forced to attend classes with a bunch of delinquents made Katrina’s blood run cold. Thankfully, she knew plenty of important people—people who could make this all go away.
“Don’t you fret about this for a minute, Meredith, do you hear me? Your father and I will get this all straightened out. And as far as Carly going to that school for hoodlums, well, we’re not going to let that happen now, are we?”
Her daughter brushed several tendrils of hair away. “No, Mom. I guess not.”
Katrina marveled at how closely her daughter resembled her outwardly, right down to the perfectly coiffed hair style. Appearances, of course, was as far as the resemblance went. Mere had that free—spirit thing going for her, which probably accounted for the fact she hadn’t yet bothered researching the boarding schools Katrina had emailed her about. Time was of the essence. They needed to register Carly for private school before too many people caught wind she’d been kicked out of public school.