The Space Between

by Thompson, Nikki Mathis

  “She’s so fucking hot. I heard Carmichael dumped her last week. You know chicks on the rebound are easy pickin’s. Fragile and heartbroken and all,” Wayne said, slamming the rest of his beer. His thick hands bigger than the can.

  “She would never give you the time of day. She only likes guys that can read,” Gabe said.

  “I can fucking read, asshole.”

  “That’s debatable,” Nate interjected, wishing they would change the subject.

  He didn’t like hearing her talked about like that. She was different from other girls. She was smart and beautiful, a bit untouchable. Nate would watch her as she walked down the halls wondering what her mind was spinning. She seemed oblivious to those around her, but not in a stuck up way. Georgia was just in her own little world. That is, unless you were Lucy Martinez or Brady Carmichael. He didn’t like that guy. He seemed fake, but Georgia seemed to eat it up. To each his own.

  Nate had been mesmerized by her speech at their graduation. She spoke of finding out who you really are, not who others think you should be. He heard she was going off to college, with a full academic scholarship, no surprise there.

  Lots of his classmates were going away, some for football, a few to the military. Nate got into the three state schools he’d applied to, but in the end he decided to stay home. He knew what he wanted to do with his life—paint and run his family’s shop. He didn’t see the need to spend his parents’ hard earned money on a fancy degree just to come home to paint and run the family shop. He had ambitions and goals, he just didn’t have to move away to achieve them.

  That’s when he saw her, sitting by herself under a tree down by the creek. He was surprised to see her there, she never came to parties. But there she was, her knees tucked under her chin, and all he could see were legs. Long, tan legs. She wasn’t well endowed, not like the girls most of these numb nuts drooled over. She was tall and lean, with just enough up top to fill his hands. The thought made his pants tight. He covertly adjusted his shorts, just as a group of Junior girls walked by.

  “Hey, Nate.”

  “Hey, Ellie.” He nodded. Ellie waved shyly and continued with her group of friends, giggles in their wake. She had a little crush on him, but he was used to it, really. He never had problems getting girls. His buddies always said they kept him around because Nate was a “pussy magnet.” But he was over one nighters, and longed for the day he could settle down.

  He’d never tell his friends that, though.

  “Fuck you, guys, I’m gonna go see if she needs a shoulder to cry on,” Wayne announced, tossing an empty beer can into the back of Tim’s truck.

  “Wayne, sit your drunk ass down. Don’t waste your time on a stuck up virgin. She won’t give your ass the time of day, I’m telling ya,” Gabe sneered. “Besides, I heard Cam Smith wants to play with your little pickle.”

  “There ain’t nothin’ little about my pickle, asshole. See?” They all yelled and laughed, telling him to put it away.

  Nate took this as his cue to slink off.

  He wanted to get to her before any of these pricks did. The ones who didn’t appreciate her. He wanted one night to get to know her a little better before she went off and started her new life. Nate wanted to see her smile, to take the sadness away. If there was anyone who was in need of a good time, it was Georgia Abernathy.

  And he was just the guy to give it to her.

  ~The Beginning~

  Rebound

  Prologue

  Katrine was reading in her favorite chair when she heard him call her name. She finished the page and sighed, reluctantly closing her book. He wasn’t usually home to interrupt her daily ritual, but since he had a rare morning off she would forgive the intrusion. Humming softly, she made her way towards the living room. The morning sun was streaming through the windows down onto the plush tan couch where her husband waited. She leaned against the door frame for a moment and couldn’t help but smile.

  “You know Dr. Foster, you are a very handsome man.”

  As she passed the heavy oak coffee table, he raised his head. The look on his face stopped her mid-step.

  “Baby, what’s wrong?” she asked with concern.

  “Come, sit down, ” he said softly, patting the cushion beside him.

  He took a deep breathe and said,“I don’t know how to say this, so I am just going to come right out with it. ”

  Despite his declaration, he didn’t come right out with it. He just looked down at his hands and fanned out his fingers, then started to slowly rub his thighs. She caressed his shoulder and hoped it would give him comfort. Katrine noticed that her husband’s eyes were shining with moisture. Her heart started to flutter and pound in her chest. The news was bad, but for the life of her she had no idea what it could be.

  “You’re starting to scare me. Just say it, please. I can take it,” she assured him.

  A few more minutes passed and she started to wonder who had died. That had to be it. What else would have him so distraught.

  “I want a divorce,” he said finally.

  She furrowed her brows, and gave him a wary look.

  “That’s not funny, David.”

  “I’m serious, Katrine, I find nothing humorous about this scenario, not in the least. I have been waiting for the appropriate time to talk to you about this, but I fear that time does not exist.” He rubbed his hand roughly over his face. “You are the mother of my son, the last thing I want to do is cause you pain. But, life is fleeting, too much so to go through the motions. And that is exactly what I have been doing. You too, Katrine, don’t bother denying it. It hasn’t been good between us for a long time. I want a wife, not a roommate.” He paused and looked at her, his eyes softened. “ When I met you I thought you were the love of my life. You were unlike anyone I had ever met. But maybe we both changed. We just grew apart.”

  He watched her for a few moments, but she didn’t speak.

  “Katrine, are you listening? Katrine!” he said a little louder and touched her shoulder.

  “What? Sorry, yes, I was listening. You were just giving me the lame reasons why you want to end our thirteen year marriage. Yep, I am right there with you. Grown apart, huh? When in doubt, use clichés.”

  He gave her a look, one that said she was being childish. She hated when he gave her that look.

  “David, why am I just hearing about this? I didn’t even know you were unhappy. Sure, you have been distracted and we don’t get to spend much time together, but I just thought you were busy with the new practice. Come on, you can’t just give up without trying. I know! Let’s take a romantic vacation. We haven’t been anywhere in ages. A little sand, some frozen drinks, doesn’t that sound nice? We just need to reconnect and relax, that’s all. Everything will be ok, I know it.” She paused to gauge his reaction. When he didn’t object she joked, “That is, unless you’ve met someone else?”

  Katrine chuckled. That was unfathomable. When would he have had the time? Not a chance in hell. But when he looked down at his hands again, her stomach dropped. She was mystified how some of the most irrefutable truths were delivered by silence.

  “I can’t believe this is happening... How did I not know? I should have known, right? I am so stupid,” she whispered to herself. The softness of her voice did not mirror the windstorm of emotions taking over her body. But that volume was all Katrine could muster. She sat still as a stone for several minutes and watched the tiny specs of dust drift slowly in the light. What emotion was she supposed to be feeling right now? Anger? Despair? Panic? All she felt was numb.

  She put her hands to her forehead and dropped her chin to her chest. Her toes were freshly painted in a deep crimson. David loved red. Just beyond her feet was a large rug and her eyes were drawn to the pattern. The colors began to swirl and blur, as her vision went in and out of focus. He gently pulled her hands away from her face and she was forced to look into his eyes.

  “For the record, I haven’t slept with her. I respect you too much for
that.”

  She was not expecting that either and his declaration left her dumbfounded. What did he want? Her thanks?

  Ahhh honey, that is so thoughtful. You get a gold star, you cheating fuck wad.

  Perhaps a pat on the back or a celibacy cookie?

  Katrine blinked her eyes several times, then gazed at the face she knew better than her own. She was trying to remember him, as he was. The man she trusted and committed herself to. If she could tap into the love she had for him, maybe she could get past all of this. But there was nothing, nothing but a feeling of disgust and betrayal. Divorce was bad enough, but he was seeing someone else behind her back. There was no fixing this, not now. The numbness started to dissipate and anger washed over her.

  “How could you do this? You’re a cheater and a liar! We’re a family. How could you throw that away?” she yelled, tears dripping from her cheeks. She forcefully pulled her hands from his grasp. Her fists were gripped so tightly that her nails were digging into her palms and her body began to tremble. In her mind she slapped him, clawed his face, and pounded his man bits, that he so graciously kept in his pants... But, in reality, she did none of those things.

  Miraculously, her legs managed to hold her upright as she rose from the couch and walked out of the room.

  Chapter 1

  “How are you feeling today?” Maddie asked as she tucked her long legs underneath the kitchen table. Her wavy brown hair was stacked on the top of her head and she was sporting her very classy “trust me I’m a virgin” t-shirt. “You’re looking really good, sis.”

  “I’m good. And thank you, the depression-induced famine diet has worked wonders on my love handles.”

  “I was worried about you there for a while.” Maddie said as she squeezed her sister’s hand. “I really need things to get back to normal. I’m supposed to be the emotional mess and you’re supposed to be the reliable rock to which I cling,”

  Katrine grinned. The support from Maddie and her friends had kept Katrine from the three o’clock check in at the looney bin. Most of the time it wasn’t that bad, but some days it had felt like a yoga pants-straight jacket combo would have been appropriate attire.

  “No worries Mads, I almost feel like a normal human being again. No more fetal position for me! I was starting to get tile marks on my ass—that bathroom floor is so not comfortable.”Katrine could not have joked six months ago, when just getting out of bed had been a struggle. Thinking back to those first weeks after David’s departure made her cringe. The memory of the pain was still palpable.

  The alarm would go off. She would roll out of bed and brush her teeth. She would drop Teddy off at school, sometimes still wearing what she had slept in the night before. She would give him a kiss and tell him to have a wonderful day, a smile plastered on her lips. The minute he got out of the car the smile would vanish. She would drive straight home and crawl back into bed, finding solace in the warm covers. There she would stay, until it was time to pick him up. And that was her wretched routine for weeks. Ultimately it was her son that galvanized her to join the world of the emotionally stable. The poor kid needed her, not some pod person masquerading as his mom.

  “I heard someone say that divorce is one of the hardest things to get over. It’s like a death in a way. I honestly wouldn’t wish that experience on my worst enemy. With that said, I refuse to spend one more minute of my life wallowing. I have to put on my big girl panties and move the hell on!” she yelled and then let out a sigh. “You know, now that I have made it through the worst of it, I think I could handle almost anything. I’m gonna be okay.”

  “I know you are.” Her sister gave her hand another big squeeze and smiled. “What did you two decide about Teddy, now that it’s all final?”

  “We agreed that Teddy will live with me. We’ll work out visitation between the two of us. David still wants to be a big part of Teddy’s life. And I want that too. He also wants to get remarried, so why drag it out? It just isn’t worth it, he doesn’t want me anymore... I’m letting him go,” Katrine said with complete sincerity.

  “So, he’s going to marry that home wrecking whore of his? How convenient for him, from one wife to another, God forbid he has to do his own damn laundry,” Maddie seethed.

  “Oh Mads, he wanted out and she gave him the motivation. I can honestly say it was wrecked long before she came along. I just didn’t admit it to myself. That doesn’t change the fact that he should have left me before he started a relationship with someone else. But, you want to know the worst part? I thought I was happy because I was content. But was I even content? I don’t even recognize that woman anymore. Ughhhh! I sound so pathetic. How did I let that happen?”

  “Trine, you just stop right there, damn it! Don’t beat yourself up about any of this! You wanted to keep your family together, that’s why you stayed. That does not make you weak! You are letting him and her off way too easily,” she let out a growl, “I want to punch him in the face and slash her god damn tires! Come on, let me kick her ass for you! I’ve been taking kick boxing for a whole month.” Maddie got up from the table and threw some punches into the air and added a kick for good measure. Katrine knew her sister was only partly joking, but her outburst made her laugh.

  “Easy, my inept ninja, no need to get violent. Don’t worry, it’s not like I’m going to ask her to go to the spa with me or anything like that.” She tilted her head and thought for a minute and took a sip of her wine. “I will say this little sister, anger and hate will eat you up inside; hating him isn’t going to change the past. It will only keep me from getting on with my life. And that is what I want to do more than anything. I just needed some time to gain a little perspective, that’s all.”

  “OH gaaauud Katrine! Do you always have to be so freaking mature about everything.”

  “Believe me, I didn’t always feel like this. You heard some of the things that came spewing from my mouth over the last few months. Even the “f” word told me to watch my mouth. And hey, tomorrow I may not be feeling so mature. It comes and goes. Today, I am in a generous mood.”

  Katrine smiled and leaned back in her chair, admiring her surroundings. She loved this place she now called home. Her decor was eclectically modern, yet warm. The two living areas were filled with wood furniture covered in soft white fabrics, accented with pillows in various shades of yellow and red. Her favorite art work adorned the walls. The kitchen had white granite counter tops with ash wood cabinets. Shiny copper pots hung over her island and a huge window over the sink gave her a view of her dainty patio. It was bright, airy, and it was all hers.

  Katrine moved out of the big house shortly after David filed for divorce. She had to get out of there. That was the home where Teddy took his first steps, and where she and David would make love after a long day. That was the home where she felt safe. That was the home where they were a family. But that picture of domestic bliss no longer existed. It evaporated along with her marriage.

  Poof....

  They put the house on the market and split the profits. Her new condo and most of the furniture was purchased with her share. But David was still supporting her. She didn’t make any money of her own, and that bothered her. Katrine felt like she had been bought off in a way. Some women would be okay with that, but she was not one of those women. Right now she needed his money to survive, but she hoped to change that soon.

  “Hey, I forgot to tell you, I have an interview.”

  “That’s awesome Trine! Where? What kind of position?”

  “Joanna’s husband set it up for me. His associate, who runs one of the biggest companies in the country, will be in the area for a business deal; he needs an executive assistant. It pays well, but it sounds pretty demanding, a beck and call type of gig. Not my cup of tea for long term, but it’s only for a few months. And David’s folks have asked Teddy to join them at the beach house for the summer. So I wouldn’t have to worry about leaving him with someone. What ten year old boy wouldn’t want to spend the summer
at the beach?”

  “That sounds great sis, I’m sure you’ll get the job.” But, she didn’t stop there. That would have been too easy. “You know, it’s soooo nice that you have to go back to work, while your shit head ex-husband is screwing some young slut with a big rack.” They actually didn’t know how old she was exactly or how big her boobs were. Teddy had not offered many details and Katrine didn’t want any. They were just thinking worst case scenario. It just was just one of those things women did.

  “Mads, really. Let it go. I appreciate the anger though.” Katrine was grinning at her sister’s outburst and gave her a hug.

  “Okay, on to bigger and better. I am so tired of talking about this crap. Blah, blah blah, wah, wah,wah. Enough is enough!”

  Katrine poured them each another glass of red wine and they walked into the living room.

  “So what are we watching tonight?” Katrine asked. Maddie just grinned. “Oh god, not again. Don’t you ever get tired of those stupid movies?”

  “No, I don’t. I love him. Yes, he may have some pigmentation issues, but I would do him in a heartbeat, well, if he had one,” Maddie said, wiggling her eye brows.

  Katrine huffed and plopped down onto the couch.

  “Jeeze Maddie, aren’t we a little old for these movies? And more importantly, doesn’t it bother you that the vampire always falls for the one-dimensional virgin? I mean, what does a teenage girl have to offer someone who has been on the planet for two hundred years? Frankly, it’s a bit perverted when you think about it.” She took a sip and continued, “Why not pick a more mature woman, with life experience? That’s all I’m saying.”

  “Yes, life experience, and crows feet, and baggage, and stretch marks, and a vagina that has been ravaged by childbirth,” Maddie added.

  “Hey! DO NOT speak for my vagina. And you’re just a few years younger than me, so mind your own crow’s feet sister!”