Her Ex Next Door

by Beverly Farr

  Ginny explained, and Charlotte was suitably concerned. “I’ll be fine,” Ginny assured her. “In a few days, I’ll be buzzing around on my crutches.”

  “We’ll see,” Derek said in a warning tone.

  Ginny made a face, wrinkling her nose at him, and turned back to her conversation with Charlotte.

  “Is that Phillip I hear in the background?” her assistant asked.

  Ginny wasn’t ready to tell her everything. “What’s the problem?” she asked briskly. “You almost never call me at home.”

  “I’ve gotten half a dozen calls from news services, wanting to speak to you, or to confirm information with me. Apparently someone put your wedding invitation up for sale on Midas.”

  “I know, but don’t worry about it. It’s no longer a problem.” Within a day, they’d realize the auction was over, and there would be no more story.

  “But what do I say to the television stations? One of them wants to interview you and Phillip.”

  “Tell them I have nothing to say. Be polite, but don’t give them any information.”

  Charlotte protested, “That’s the problem. I don’t have any information to give! You don’t tell me anything!”

  Ginny laughed. “Then you’re covered. Just do your best, and I’ll be in the office this afternoon.”

  “Tomorrow afternoon,” Derek said.

  “Tomorrow afternoon,” Ginny repeated. “I’m supposed to lie down for two days.”

  “All right,” Charlotte said. “Do you need anything? Like food? Do you want me to bring you anything?”

  “No, I’ll be fine. I’ll eat what’s in the fridge or order out, and I’ll work from home.”

  “Don’t do too much,” Charlotte said. “Take care of yourself.”

  Ginny said, “I will. Thanks again for all your good work.”

  “Remember that raise you mentioned?”

  “Keep the media away, and you will definitely get a raise,” Ginny promised.

  When she hung up, Derek asked, “What do I get for keeping the media away?”

  “Another kiss,” she said, opening her arms wide. He knelt with one knee on the bed and gave her a kiss. “Mmmn, nice,” she murmured.

  He stood. “So what’s on your agenda for today, other than talking to Phillip?”

  “Oh, that’s right. That should be number one.” She picked up the phone. “Do you mind?” she asked.

  “No, go ahead. The sooner the better.”

  She dialed Phillip’s office. Derek was right. As soon as she talked to Phillip, she could go forward with Derek with a clear conscience.

  Phillip answered. “Hello darling. How are you doing?”

  “Better,” she said, suddenly feeling awkward. She was uncomfortable talking to him, with Derek listening. But she couldn’t very well ask Derek to leave -- that wouldn’t look good either. “I want to see you today,” she said quickly. “We need to talk. Can you come by my condo for lunch?”

  “No, I have a staff meeting through lunch.”

  “Dinner, then.”

  “I have my night class. I can drop by after that, if that’s not too late for you.”

  “No, it’s not too late.”

  “Good, I’ll see you then. I’ll be bringing some boxes, too. Miranda found some of your things when we were cleaning out her closets.”

  “That’s great. See you then. Good bye.” She hung up, feeling guilty. It didn’t seem fair, letting Phillip think for another day, that they were still getting married. But it wasn’t right to coldly dump him on the phone, either. She sighed, twisting her engagement ring around her finger.

  Derek cleared his throat. “You can’t have both of us, Ginny.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Exactly what I said.” Suddenly he sounded cool, distant. Where was the man who had brought her breakfast in bed?

  “Don’t be absurd. I don’t want both of you. I love you, not Phillip.”

  Now would be an ideal time for him to say, “I love you, too,” but he didn’t. It doesn’t matter, she told herself. It might take a while for him to trust her love for him, but she had all time in the world.

  She took a deep breath and changed the subject, keeping her tone light. “So, what do you want to do today?”

  “Unless you specifically need me for something, I’d better get cleaned up and go to work.”

  Ginny frowned. “I thought you were staying here today.”

  Derek shook his head. “As much as I’d like to, I do have to go to work sometime.”

  That was reasonable. He was the president of a billion dollar company. She couldn’t expect him to spend all his time with her. He’d already lost part of the day before, by taking her to the hospital and bringing her home.

  “When will I see you again?” she asked.

  “I’ll come by tonight – after you’ve talked to Phillip.”

  He didn’t say it, but his meaning was clear – If you want to spend time with me, break your engagement to him first.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Phillip carried four cardboard boxes up from the parking area to her condo, one at a time. Ginny would have liked to help, if only to make the job go faster, but with her bad foot and the crutches, she couldn’t. She watched him work, wishing he’d hurry so she could talk to him seriously.

  “That’s the last one,” he said pleasantly, setting another box on her coffee table. “It tipped over in the car, so you might want to check the contents to make sure everything is all right.”

  Ginny opened the flaps of the box, and was surprised to see some of her things from college. She saw two old textbooks and her jewelry box on top. When she left Derek, she’d gathered her belongings in a hurry, practically throwing them into the boxes. She’d moved in with friends and stashed the boxes in a closet, not wanting to sort through them, afraid of the memories they might generate. Eventually these boxes had come home with her when she graduated and came back to Texas before flying off to her new job in Chicago.

  “I doubt there’s much of anything of value in here,” Ginny said, glancing through the jumble. “It would have been easier to set them out with the trash.”

  “You might be surprised,” Phillip said reasonably. “And just because you don’t want something doesn’t mean someone else won’t. You could sell some of those books on Midas.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “You shouldn’t boycott the entire company merely because someone tried to sell an invitation to our wedding. It isn’t rational.”

  She’d never noticed until today how bossy Phillip was. It must come from all those years of lecturing at the college. “I don’t want to talk about Midas,” she interrupted. “I want to talk about us.”

  He pulled a chair closer to the couch and sat down. “What’s the problem? I know Miranda’s upset about your foot, but she’ll get over it. She over-reacted because she loves you and she wants your wedding day to be perfect.”

  This was going to be harder than she thought. Ginny took a deep breath. “There isn’t going to be a wedding.”

  “Now you’re over-reacting.”

  “You don’t understand. I’m very sorry to tell you this, but I was wrong to get engaged to you. I thought I loved you, but recently I’ve realized that I love someone else more, and I can’t marry you. It wouldn’t be right.”

  “You love Derek Landon.”

  Ginny stared at him in astonishment. “You knew?”

  “I guessed at first, and then gradually, I knew.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  He shrugged. “What was there to say? I couldn’t compete with him financially –”

  That sounded like something Miranda would say.

  “-- and I hoped that your attraction to him might fade over time.”

  Over time? He’d been planning to marry her in little more than a week, yet he had done nothing, said nothing, to win her back when he saw that she was slipping away. Ginny wondered if she had
ever truly understood him. “You don’t sound particularly upset,” she said finally.

  “Naturally, I’m sad. I care about you, Ginny, and I thought we could make a good life together. But I wasn’t looking for the love of a lifetime – I had that already with Barbara.”

  So all his words of love had been mere politeness? Ginny didn’t know whether to be relieved or offended. She had a feeling Derek would find the entire conversation hilarious, but she was not amused. How could she have been so blind? “I’m sorry for the inconvenience and any pain I’ve caused. I wish you well and hope we can still be friends.”

  “So do I,” he said calmly. “Will you tell Miranda the wedding is canceled or shall I?”

  How civilized he was, and generous to the end. “I’ll tell her. There’s no reason for her to yell at you, too.”

  “It is a shame that all her hard work has been in vain.”

  “Yes.” She held out her hand. “This is good-bye, then.” She hoped he wouldn’t be like Derek, asking for a good-bye kiss.

  “Before I leave, would you mind returning the engagement ring and the charm bracelet I gave you?”

  “Of course not,” she said, surprised by his request. Not that she wouldn’t have returned the items, but it seemed rather crass of him to mention it right away. She tugged the diamond solitaire off her ring finger and handed it to him. “The charm bracelet is in my room. I’ll send it to you later.” It was in her top dresser drawer and she no longer trusted Phillip enough to have him look through her jewelry.

  How could she have thought she wanted to marry him? He talked sentimentally, but he was practical, through and through. It was enough to make her question her judgment in all men. Even Derek.

  “I’d appreciate it. Thank you.” He reached down and kissed her cheek. “Good bye, Ginny.”

  Good bye and good riddance.

  #

  Derek glanced at his watch. It was after ten p.m. He dialed Ginny’s number. “Hello.” She sounded tired.

  “Hello, beautiful. How are you feeling?”

  “My foot’s feeling a little better. I’m getting used to the brace.”

  “Is Phillip gone?”

  “Yes. He left a few minutes ago.”

  “Is the wedding canceled?”

  “Absolutely. I gave him back the ring, and he’s gone, out of my life, never to return.”

  He could tell from her flat voice that something was bothering her. “Are you having second thoughts?” he asked, and held his breath.

  “No. I’m glad he’s gone.”

  Derek felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. The competition was gone and he could settle down to the task of keeping Ginny happy. “So am I. He’s a nice guy, but your wedding date was getting too uncomfortably close for me.”

  “What would you have done if I had married him?” she asked in a teasing tone.

  This was the Ginny he’d been waiting for. “I would have shown up at the church to stand when they ask if anyone has a reason why these too people shouldn’t be married.”

  “Hmm. What else would you have done?”

  “Kidnap you, if necessary.”

  “Oh no, not that,” she said lightly.

  “Why not?”

  “I wouldn’t want you to go to jail.”

  “Don’t worry – you’d have to press charges, and you’d be having too much fun to do that.”

  She laughed.

  “Do you want me to come over tonight?” he asked.

  She yawned. “No, I’m too tired.”

  Don’t take it personally, Derek told himself. “That’s wise. Take care of yourself. Go to sleep and I’ll call you in the morning.”

  “Good night,” she said. “Thanks for calling. I was in a bad mood, and you made everything right again.”

  “Glad to be of help.”

  She said, “I love you.”

  This time, he believed her. Her love might be fragile, having been so recently rediscovered, but it was real. A new beginning for them both. “I love you, too,” he said quietly.

  #

  Ginny heard a ringing in her ears. She reached for her alarm clock and turned it off, but the ringing continued. It must be her telephone. She found the cordless phone and squinted at the caller ID. What was Charlotte doing, calling her at this ungodly hour?

  “Hello,” she said glumly.

  “Turn on your television, quick!” Charlotte shouted. “Your mother is talking about your wedding!”

  Ginny dropped the telephone and half ran, half hopped to the living room. She found the remote control on the floor and turned the television on. She clicked through the channels, until she saw her mother, speaking with one of the early morning news show hosts.

  Hastily, Ginny turned up the volume.

  “Yes, it’s very exciting,” Miranda said with a laugh in her voice. “I’ll admit, I was a little intimidated by the title ‘Perfect Texas Wedding,’ but the more I thought about it, the more I knew that’s what I wanted -- the perfect wedding for my daughter.”

  “And your daughter. What does she think about the on-line auction?”

  “She was surprised, of course. We all were, and she worried about having complete strangers show up at her wedding. But as the bidding went higher and higher, I think Virginia got into the spirit of the thing, and started having fun.”

  Ginny couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Had Miranda lost her mind?

  “After all,” her mother continued. “It’s flattering to have so many people fighting over the chance to come to your wedding.”

  “How high has the bidding gone?”

  “When I checked this morning, the bidding was at over two hundred thousand dollars.”

  “That’s a lot of money for a few cream puffs and Swedish meatballs,” the host joked.

  “Oh, but it’s much more than that,” Miranda said earnestly.

  The host said smoothly, “Let’s take a commercial break, and then we’ll find out more about this wedding auction.”

  Ginny sat through the commercials in a daze. Miranda didn’t know the wedding had been canceled, so it was natural for her to want to talk about it – especially on national television. She was probably having the time of her life.

  But she said the auction was still running, and Derek had withdrawn it two days ago. There must be a mistake.

  The news show returned. “Here I am with Miranda, the mother of the bride who was surprised last month to find an invitation to her daughter’s wedding on sale on Midas. Do you have any idea who put the invitation up for sale?”

  Miranda’s eyes twinkled. “I have my suspicions, of course, but no actual knowledge.”

  The host leaned forward. “Who do you think is the seller?”

  Miranda looked straight into the camera. “I think the seller is someone from Virginia’s past, who still loves her.”

  “Could the seller be Derek Landon, the owner of Midas, your daughter’s ex-husband?”

  Miranda laughed. “That would certainly be a convenient choice, but my daughter has been very popular –”

  “What?” Ginny shouted at the television screen.

  “ – and any one of a dozen men might have put the invitation up for sale.”

  She couldn’t believe it. Her mother made her sound like some sort of femme fatale, with a dozen jealous ex-lovers.

  “We all look forward to learning more about this interesting story,” the host said. “And the wedding is in one week?”

  “One week from tomorrow,” Miranda said brightly. “And you can read all about it on Midas Online.”

  “Thank you for your time,” the host said. “Now it’s time for the weather.”

  Ginny turned the television off. She found her telephone. Within two minutes, she was on the home page of the Midas website. She scrolled through the data. Perfect Texas Wedding was not on the favorites list. She did a site search and found the listing, complete with her and Phillip’s engagement photograph.


  It was still an active auction, currently bidding at two hundred thirty thousand dollars.

  Derek lied.

  For a minute, Ginny rested her forehead on her hand, not wanting to read the little screen.

  Why had he lied? What did he have to gain by continuing to humiliate her?

  He had seemed as upset as she when the reporter confronted them. Was that all an act?

  She reread the seller’s comments: Due to personal reasons, I have no desire to attend this event, but felt that someone else should enjoy what promises to be the Texas wedding of the year.

  She glanced at the date of the auction and saw that the auction had begun the day before. Did that mean that he had withdrawn the auction and then started it up again? That would explain why the Perfect Texas Wedding wasn’t on the top ten favorite’s list. And technically, he could argue that he had done what she wanted – he had stopped the auction.

  But it didn’t explain why he’d started it again. He’d been unhappy that she wouldn’t immediately break off her engagement with Phillip. Had he put the invitation back up for sale in retaliation?

  She remembered what he said about leverage, holding something back until the deal was done. Did he still think he needed leverage with her?

  It made no sense, but the facts were damning.

  Ginny took a bath, being careful to wrap her foot in plastic, and got dressed, choosing her clothes with care. She wasn’t sure how the conversation with Derek would go, so she wanted to look her best. With her foot brace, pants were awkward, so she chose a long batik print skirt with beaded fringe at the hem and a simple short sleeved jacket for the top. She wound her hair up in a twist and secured it with a tortoise shell comb. She looked cool and calm, much calmer than she felt.

  She realized that her car was still over at Derek’s house, so she called a taxi service.

  As the taxi approached the green landscape of Highland Park, she thought about what she’d say. She remembered their last argument before their divorce. She’d been so angry and upset, she hadn’t let him talk. This time she would handle things differently. She would be quiet, ask him questions, give him a chance to explain, and try to understand.

  A middle-aged woman she didn’t recognize answered Derek’s front door. “Can I help you?”