by Donya Fenner
Divorce Retreat
Donya Fenner
Divorce Retreat Copyright © 2020 by Donya Fenner. All Rights Reserved.
Dedication
In Loving Memory of Kimberly S. Robinson, gone but not forgotten.
Contents
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
About the Author
Chapter 1
On a clear bright morning, the light blue skies and the sound of birds chirping sweetly added an extra sense of warmth to Ashley’s heart. It was a special day, her wedding day. Walking down the aisle, she watched her guests admire her mermaid fitted wedding gown. Ashley’s heart melted when she caught sight of her handsome husband-to-be standing between the pastor and his best man at the end of the long white trail of wedding paper.
He smiled at her, softly, sweetly. She felt like the luckiest woman on earth. He was smart, good looking, well off, charming, an awesome lover. You name it, he was her dream come true, her Prince Charming. Ashley approached her groom, but he never looked at her. He kept looking toward the rear of the church. Ashley was puzzled. Why hadn’t he looked at her? She turned to see what he was looking at. To her great surprise, there was another woman dressed in a more beautiful wedding gown walking toward them.
The mysterious bride never took her eyes off of the groom. The bride then stood right in between Ashley and her groom.
The groom lifted the other bride’s veil and said. “I choose you.”
Shocked, Ashley’s warmed heart turned cold and dropped into the pit of her stomach. She felt as though she could barely breathe. What was going on? Her chest heaved as she spun around examining her guests for an explanation. Instead of finding answers, she watched people whispering amongst themselves. Some people were bent over laughing, holding their stomachs. Ashley whipped around and found the pastor, the best man and her bridesmaid laughing and pointing fingers at her too.
Tears sprang into her eyes. They’re all laughing at me. I can’t believe this is happening. No! No!
In horror, Ashley watched as the bride turned to face her.
The bride smirked, “You didn’t really think he would choose you? Honey, wake up.”
***
“Honey, wake up!”
Ashley awoke with a start, her body wet with sweat. In her panic, she saw her Mom peering down with concern. “Mom, what happened?”
“You fell asleep on the sofa again last night. Get up, I made breakfast. If you don’t get up soon, you will be late for work.”
A sigh of relief came over Ashley, it was only a dream. Mr. Prince Charming, the perfect man for her, still existed. At one time she thought her ex-husband Bryce Hernandez was the perfect man for her, that is until he was caught laundering money at his firm. She’d been suspicious several times of Bryce cheating on her, but was never able to prove his indescretions. Now he was doing time, and she had to move back home to start over with nothing.
“Mama, I’m going upstairs to wash up, but I can take my breakfast to go,” Ashley stood from the sofa.
“Sure thing, sweetheart. I will pack it up for you.”
***
The brakes on Ashley’s older model, silver c300 Mercedes Benz squealed as she came to a complete stop in front of White and Associates Banking. Her car remained one of a few extravagent purchases from her old life. Ashley had been with the company for two years following her divorce. Never in a million years had she imagined that she would return home to live with her mother. Bryce had spoiled her in New York, given her the best of things, cars, clothes, purses, a home. Ashley had loved her life in New York, but it wasn’t the material items she longed for. What she wanted was the only thing she really couldn’t have, all of him.
Life was different before she found out her husband was a criminal. Houston, Texas was a great place and she loved her mother dearly, but having to come back after experiencing the New York lifestyle was kind of a drag. Ashley struggled with finding her way, but knew she couldn’t give up. Thanks to her experience as a teller, prior to marriage, she was fortunate enough to land this job as a banking consultant at White and Associates. Good thing she did or she would be without an income.
Ashley got out of her car and closed the door behind her. Her co-worker Debra approached. The quirky, blue-eyed, blonde-haired, slender ball of joy was upbeat and wide-eyed as usual.
At least someone is happy. Ashley wondered if anything ever got this woman down.
Debra stopped in front of her, “Morning, Ashley.”
“Hey. Good morning, Debra, you look nice today.”
“So do you,” Debra said.
“Oh, this old number I’m wearing,” Ashley waved the compliment away. “Thanks.”
The women walked into the bank continuing their conversation. Ashley caught Mr. White’s attention as they strolled towards him. Her boss lifted his blue coffee cup to greet them. His other hand held a Shipley’s donut wrapped in a napkin. Ashley returned his greeting with a smile, while Debra waved. The wave reminded Ashley of a happy kid’s wave at Disney World.
Debra, could you bring it down a notch?
“See you later,” Ashley said to Debra as they passed their boss’s office door. With another enthusiastic, kid like wave, Debra continued on to her work station and Ashley entered her own office.
She had barely opened the blinds behind her desk when her co-worker, Grant Lamar knocked on her door.
“Morning, Grant. Come in.”
“You know why I’m here,” Grant pointed at her before crossing one long, slender leg over the other as he leaned against her door. Everything about him, from his tailored navy blue suit to his impeccable, close cut and dreamy brown eyes, screamed professional and handsome. When she first arrived back in town, Ashley briefly considered dating him. Thankfully those thoughts disappeared in the wind as she’d come to think of Grant as more of a brother figure than her romantic type.
“I do know why you are here, and I’m not going out on a blind date with your cousin Edward.” Ashley sat down at her desk and reached over to turn on her computer. She hoped this conversation wouldn’t last long. She didn’t need Grant bothering her about this now.
Grant raised his eyebrow and stepped into her office, closing the door behind him. “You should get back out there, Ash.”
She snapped, “You know I hate that. Open the door. Our co-workers are already suspicious about our relationship.”
Grant snatched the string to open the window blinds next to the closed door. “There, now they can see that we are not in here having wild passionate sex like animals. Now, back to you. You’ve been here two years and you have not been on one date. I’m hooking you up with someone amazing. You guys will be perfect together.”
Ashley ignored Grant and continued to type.
“You hear me,” he snapped.
Ashley eyed him but refused to stop typing. She rolled her eyes and then turned her attention back to her monitor.
Grant let out a long deep sigh. “This Friday, I’m having my birthday party at the Mansion in Sugarland. Remember we went there for my cousin Helen’s baby shower last year? I emailed the invite to you last night. Be there. If you miss my birthday celebration, we are going to have some problems with your fine self.”
She stopped typing and shook her head. “Fine, Grant, I’ll meet your cousin at your party Friday. Now, could you let me get some work done? Some of us still come to our place of employment to do our job.”
He grinned like he’d won a prize and opened the door. “Great! Catch you at lunch. Whataburger is on you today. I got lunch yesterday.”
“Bye, Grant.” Ashley huffed as she turned back to
her monitor. She needed to focus on work. Why did she have to break under Grant’s pressure? It might be time for her to get out there, but she really didn’t want to go on a blind date.
***
Ashley parked her Mercedes in her mother’s driveway. She noticed her cousin Yvette’s car was parked in front of the house on the street. Her wild, older cousin was her favorite. Ashley briefly remembered getting into trouble with Yvette. Funny how those memories made being back home in Texas not as bad. Yvette had a way with men, she could make the meanest of them melt right into her hands. Where did Yvette get that kind of power? She always got what she wanted, until she fell hard for her ex-husband Dax.
Dax was Yvette’s equal. He knew the games Yvette played and would call them out to her, shutting her down. Game over!
Eventually Yvette couldn’t get her way so she decided to end the marriage. Yvette swore to Ashley she would never marry again and almost lose control of her own life. Submission was foreign to Yvette, but she had learned this behavior from her mother, Ashley’s Aunt Miranda. Ashley hated the way her aunt desecrated every man she had ever been with, making them feel less than a human being because of her own personal hang ups.
Ashley reached into her purse and searched for her house keys until she found them. She opened the door to the sounds of laughter and music. After securing the front door, Ashley placed her purse and keys on the hallway table and made her way to the kitchen. Jazz played in the background as Yvette and her mother carried on.
What were these two giggling about?
Instead of the house being filled with the aroma of her mother’s smothered fried chicken, greens and yams, which would have been perfect for dinner tonight, the house smelled like a field of flowers from the Glade plug ins strategically positioned throughout the home.
“Ashley!” Yvette yelled out when she saw her.
“Cousin, where’s my hug?” Ashley walked over to the kitchen island where Yvette sat. “What do we owe for this pleasure? I haven’t seen you since…
“Dax divorced her,” Ashley’s mom added.
“Aunt Barbara, please don’t mention that name and I divorced him. Let him go find his homebody wife,” Yvette said bitterly.
“He didn’t want a housewife. He just wanted you to cook and do some domestic stuff every once in a while,” Barbara added.
Yvette looked at her aunt and rolled her eyes.
“Aunty, we hire people for that,” Yvette shrugged. “I had a business to run too. I know he’s an attorney and all, but my boutique brought in almost as much money as his law firm. Plus, I didn’t have to work as many hours.”
“Which is why he wanted you to help out more at the house.” Barbara pointed out while she searched the refrigerator.
Ashley laughed at both of them.
“Not funny, Ash!” Yvette grabbed a handful of grapes out of the fruit bowl in front of her.
“How was work, Honey,” Barbara asked.
“Fine, Mama.” Ashley walked over to the sink to wash her hands.
“Is that boy still trying to get you to go out with his cousin?” Barbara asked.
“Yep,” Ashley said.
“Ash! That reminds me!” Yvette reached into her Coach purse sitting on the stool next to her and pulled out a piece of paper. “I thought you and I could attend this retreat, cousin. It will be fun.”
Ashley took the paper from her cousin. Confusion marred her face.
“Really, Yvette?” Ashley said.
Barbara took the paper from Ashley and read it. She shook her head and returned the paper.
“What!” Yvette said.
“A divorce retreat! I’ve never heard of such a thing.” Ashley said.
“Right, you’re the one who lost her virginity on your wedding night,” Yvette recalled.
“Aren’t we all supposed to?” Ashley asked.
Barbara laughed at her niece and daughter.
“I thought Michael Waters from down the block was going to get to you first, but nope you got out of that one in the tenth grade,” Yvette laughed.
Barbara stopped laughing and looked at Ashley. Ashley gave Yvette a hard wide-eyed stare. How could she mention something like that in front of her mother? Barbara always bragged about Ashley being the perfect daughter. Yvette always did a great job at testing that theory. How could she! Ashley should have learned her lesson about telling secrets to Yvette by now. She needed to hold on to the information until she felt the moment had come to spill the beans.
Ashley refused to look at her mother. Embarrassed, she felt like she was back in the tenth grade again, shy, innocent and trying to gain her mother’s approval.
“You feel my eyes on you,” Barbara said to her daughter.
“Aunty, your daughter is a grown woman. What are we having for dinner?” Yvette asked.
“Whatever y’all decide to cook. Or in your case, whatever you order.” Barbara said looking at Ashley once more before heading upstairs.
Ashley looked at Yvette and shook her head. She couldn’t believe Yvette let that slip out of her mouth in front of her mother. “You’re a piece of work.”
“Let’s get Chinese,” Yvette said ignoring Ashley.
“Yeah, get me some of that shrimp fried rice!” Barbara yelled from upstairs.
“Ashley, I made reservations for the divorce retreat already. Clear your calendar for the end of next month. It’s the Bahamas, we need this.”
“No, what you need is to go back home to your ex-husband. You really shouldn’t be unsupervised. You need someone who knows how to deal with you, crazy lady.” Ashley snatched a grape from the fruit bowl.
“I forgive you for that little outburst. Now what do you want to eat,” Yvette said looking up at her cousin through hazel brown contact lenses.
Ashley rolled her eyes at her cousin as her mind turned to the Bahamas. White sandy beaches, clear blue waters, exotic foods, fresh air, a vacation. Maybe Yvette was on to something.
Ashley looked at the flyer again. Some of the seminars looked promising, one in particular grabbed her attention. The words “Are you really healed” stared her in the face in all caps and bold letters. Ashley knew she needed some more work in that department. Her whole life gone, locked up behind bars. How could she truly be free on the outside of prison walls?
Chapter 2
Ashley pulled up to the mansion. A young guy working in VIP parking dressed in black and white jogged over to her car, but she was hesitant to get out. Bryce was her first everything, and she had not been on a date in years.
What was she doing at this party? Was she really ready to meet Edward? Was she even ready to start dating again at thirty-five?
Her thoughts went on and on until the young man knocked on the window of her Mercedes Benz.
“Ma’am, are you going in? The party is inside,” he joked.
Ashley offered the guy a sarcastic smile, then opened the door and stepped out.
“Enjoy yourself, ma’am, looks like you need it,” he said hopping energetically into her front seat and closing the door behind him. Ashley rolled her eyes and headed for the two flights of stone stairs leading to the large mansion. Colorful flashing lights burst through the mansion’s windows in sync with the loud music coming from inside the huge estate. She could hear the crowd having a great time, but all she wanted to do was turn back around and get into her car and leave. At the top of the stairs a young woman who appeared to be in her early twenties approached.
“Name!” she yelled over the music.
“Pardon me?” Ashley asked.
“What is your name? I have a list of guests. What is your name?” the young woman said.
“Ashley Hernandez.”
The young woman glanced through her list.
“Ok, Ashley. Grant just asked about you. Follow me.”
The doors opened and what Ashley thought was loud music on the outside had nothing on what the music sounded like now. The club scene was not her thing anymore, but it was a
blessing to see people being social again. Just a few years back she could remember having to quarantine and being on lockdown because of the pandemic. What a scary time. So many people lost their lives, and on top of that during the same year, the world had to face a race war, resulting in riots all over the world. It started when another Black man was murdered in the streets by police officers, all caught on camera. It was a blessing to see people living somewhat in harmony again.
“Grant is over there in VIP on the white leather sofa just behind the velvet ropes,” the young woman pointed.
“Thank you,” Ashley said.
Ashley walked over to meet Grant. Ashley noticed a very handsome man sitting on the sofa close to Grant, he was watching her as well. Ashley felt she had put herself together well. She had parted her natural sandy red curls that fell down to her shoulders in the middle, and her medium brown skin was smooth and shiny. Her gold and black fitted dress didn’t reveal too much, but it looked amazing on her. Time to get back out there, Ash. Ashley could see Edward sipping on a glass of clear liquid as he looked at her. Vodka, she assumed.
“Ashley, get over here. You’re late,” Grant said.
“Happy Birthday, Grant. You look good. What did I miss?” Ashley said.
“You should have been here. Come and join me and Edward,” Grant said.
Edward sat his drink on the table and stood to greet Ashley. When she got a better look at him, her mouth dropped open. Six foot four inches, approximately, and the man was drop dead gorgeous! He was muscular like a football player, and when he smiled he had the perfect set of white teeth, but they were small like children’s teeth. They looked unnatural. Was this a joke? Was he wearing a pair of Halloween teeth? Fall was long over!
It was hard not to stare into Edward’s mouth. This was a deal breaker. Dang, when you think you’ve found the perfect man, there is always something wrong with him!