Serenity (Inevitable Book 5)

by Janet Nissenson

  “I could do that, yes,” Sasha agreed easily. “The class ends at eight-thirty, so I’ll just plan on heading over to your place afterwards.”

  “Use Uber or Lyft,” he reminded her. “You know I hate the idea of you taking a bus anywhere at that time of the night.”

  He had insisted on setting up accounts with both ride services for her so that she didn’t have to take the bus home after the evening classes she taught. When he wasn’t out of town on business, or having dinner with the kids, he would pick her up himself. But on those occasions when he wasn’t available, like tonight, for example, he was able to rest easy knowing she had a ride home.

  “I know you do,” she replied. “Even though I’d been doing it for years before I met you, and never had any problems. But I know how much you worry, so I promise to use one of the services.”

  “Okay.” He glanced at the clock, realizing that his conference call would be starting any minute now. “Look, I’ve got to go. But thanks again for being so understanding. And I’ll get home just as soon as I can.”

  “Drive safely. I love you, Matthew.”

  He replaced the receiver reluctantly, unwilling to end the call. Talking to Sasha for even a few minutes always filled him with a sense of calm, and helped him focus his attention. He hated, really hated, the thought of not spending the evening with her as planned, and thought darkly that Hayley had better get her act together fast. Because he damned sure didn’t want to have to re-schedule any other evenings like this anytime soon.

  Unfortunately, that evening turned out to be just the beginning of a string of similar such occurrences over the next few weeks. He would give Hayley a stern talking to, telling her that she needed to be more respectful to her mother, stop cutting classes, cease and desist sneaking out of the house, and spend more time studying rather than partying or shopping. Each time Hayley would rather meekly agree, apologizing over and over for her bad behavior, and she would shed a few tears telling him how much she missed him. There were even a couple of instances where Hayley had tearfully begged him to move back home, to reconcile with Lindsey so that they could all be one big happy family again. It had broken Matthew’s heart to deny his daughter’s requests, telling her gently but firmly that couldn’t happen.

  “I know it’s tough, honey, but you need to accept the fact that your mom and I are over,” he’d explained each time. “And while I’m always here for you, Hayley, that doesn’t mean I’m going to move back in. Even though your mother hasn’t signed the papers yet, I consider the divorce over and done with, and I moved on months ago. Hard as it is, you need to find a way to do the same.”

  After each visit to Hayley, things would be quiet for a few days, and Matthew would keep his fingers crossed that this time he had finally gotten through to her. But then Lindsey would call yet again, sounding more hysterical and upset each time, and fill him in on Hayley’s latest escapades. And she, too, began to hint that maybe if Matthew moved back in - at least for a few months - that it might be the trick to help Hayley through this bad patch.

  Matthew had given a weary sigh. “Jesus, did Hayley put you up to this? Never mind, because my answer is the same. No, I am not moving back in. No, you and I are never getting back together. Yes, I am still pursuing this divorce and one of these days I’ll find a way to get you to sign those damned papers. I will do whatever I can to help Hayley deal with her issues, but moving back to Hillsborough is definitely not one of the options. So drop it, Linz.”

  “Well, we have to figure this out sooner than later, Matt. I swear I don’t know how much more of this I can take,” she had wailed.

  “Look, the kids have just about a month or so left in the school year. I still maintain it would be much better for Hayley to transfer to a different school in the fall. It would get her away from some of those friends you insist are such a bad influence on her. There’s a couple of excellent private schools here in San Francisco I’ve been researching that would be perfect for her - small class size, lots of individualized attention, that sort of thing. I think the change would be good for her. She could live here with me, and you know how much she likes San Francisco.”

  “No.” Lindsey had been stubbornly adamant. “First, I doubt she’d agree. She’s very close to her friends and it won’t be easy to separate her from them. Second, what’s she supposed to do when you’re out of town on business for a week or two at a time? I’m not allowing my sixteen-year-old daughter to be on her own in a big city.”

  “Haven’t you been telling me every single time you call that her friends are part of the problem?” he’d argued back. “This would take care of that problem nicely. As for the other, I’d have to hire someone to live in while I travel. Not a nanny, since she and Casey are both far too old for that, in spite of what you say. More like a companion or personal assistant, that sort of thing.”

  Lindsey had given a disdainful sniff. “And you’re forgetting another reason why an idea like that would never work. Hayley can’t stand your girlfriend, so you wouldn’t be able to have her over anymore.”

  “Like hell I wouldn’t,” Matthew had replied sternly. “Hayley needs to make way more of an effort to get along with people. There is absolutely no reason why she shouldn’t like Sasha, none at all. Sasha has been nothing but kind to Hayley, far more than she deserves. And before you say it, Linz, I am not taking sides here. Yes, Hayley is my daughter but that doesn’t mean she’s always right, or that I always have to take her side. Especially when she’s acting like a spoiled brat when it comes to Sasha. So if she can’t grow up and learn to treat people decently, and accept the fact that Sasha is a part of my life, then I suppose another alternative is a good boarding school somewhere.”

  “But I don’t want to be separated from her!” Lindsey had wailed. “I’d hardly ever get to see her if she went away. And it’s been lonely enough without you here, Matt. I can’t imagine what it would be like without my baby girl.”

  Matthew had stopped himself just in time from asking Lindsey in a very scathing tone how she could possibly be lonely given the number of men she’d been sleeping with - more than ever according to the weekly reports he still received from the private detective. “Well, unfortunately, you can’t have it both ways,” he’d told her instead. “On the one hand you’re constantly complaining that she’s too much for you to handle, that you’re going out of your mind trying to cope with her antics. And then when I offer up two different solutions, you argue bitterly against them both. Make up your mind, will you, Linz?”

  Lindsey had started crying again, though to Matthew her tears sounded as fake as her tits. “I just don’t know what to do,” she’d cried. “This is too much for me to deal with alone, Matt.”

  “Well, I’ve already given you two ideas on how to handle Hayley. Here’s a third - we send her to counseling. In fact, when I was down there last week I might have threatened her with that possibility if she doesn’t start behaving better. But maybe the threat should become a reality.”

  Lindsey hadn’t liked that idea any better than the others, and had finally hung up on him in something of a snit. It had occurred to him then - and certainly not for the first time - that this whole situation with Hayley was a set-up of sorts, intended to make him feel badly enough that he would cave in and move back into the house. But while Lindsey was more than capable of something so devious, Matthew couldn’t believe that his little girl would be a willing party to that sort of deception. Besides, he’d reasoned, Hayley had been moody and withdrawn for almost a year now, even before he had filed for divorce, so her issues couldn’t be blamed entirely on his moving out.

  It had been a rotten month for sure, he thought now, running a hand through his hair tiredly. In addition to all of the drama with Lindsey and Hayley, there had been all manner of issues to deal with here at MBI - the release of a new product line, several speaking engagements that he’d agreed to, hiring a replacement for the company’s longtime marketing mana
ger who’d been lured to a rival firm. And that was on top of all of his usual obligations, meetings, and daily tasks.

  The only thing - correction, the only person - who had managed to keep him sane during this very trying time had been Sasha. Whether she had been giving him a massage, taking a few minutes to meditate with him, making love with him, or simply letting him vent about how horrible his day had been, she had offered her support and understanding and love every single day. Matthew honestly didn’t know how he would have survived these past weeks without her, and vowed anew that no one and nothing would compel him to give her up.

  “This isn’t working, Hayley. Whatever you’ve been telling your father hasn’t done the trick. I just got off the phone with him, and he won’t even consider the possibility of moving back in here.”

  Hayley glowered at her mother. “I told you this was a stupid idea,” she reminded Lindsey. “And Dad is definitely not stupid. No matter how many times you whine and cry and beg him, he’s not coming back to you, Mom. Honestly, don’t you have any pride at all? I mean, you’re in good shape for your age, and you obviously don’t have any problems getting guys. So why are you still hung up on Dad? Frankly, he’s a big dork. So go find some hot guy ten or fifteen years younger than you are, and have a good time with him. You know, like Dad is doing with Sasha.”

  Hayley’s indifference to the matter, not to mention the careless reminder that Matt’s girlfriend was so much younger than she was, only made Lindsey angrier and more determined.

  “Good thing you don’t have any ambitions to be an actress,” she snapped. “Because you obviously suck at it.”

  Hayley scowled. “Sorry if I’m not Sandra Bullock or Cate Blanchett. I haven’t exactly had any drama classes or anything you know. Let’s just call this whole thing off, okay? I’m tired of all this bullshit. If you want Dad back that badly, figure out how to do it yourself. I’m done with your stupid games.”

  Lindsey bristled with indignation. “I don’t think so, young lady,” she hissed. “Did I forget to mention that one of the solutions to your so-called problems your father mentioned involved shipping you off to boarding school?”

  “You wouldn’t dare,” hissed Hayley.

  Lindsey smirked. “Oh, I’d dare all right. In fact, I was just reading up on a wonderful school the other day, one that’s guaranteed to have results with rebellious teenager. It’s a lovely campus, out in the countryside in central Utah - no cell phones, no cable TV, no internet unless it’s for homework. Oh, and since it’s a Christian school, there are prayer services twice a day plus a wonderful Bible study group. I think it would do you a world of good, Hayley.”

  Hayley gaped at her mother in horror. “There is no possible way that Dad would ever agree to send me to a place like that,” she whispered.

  “Oh, but I wouldn’t really need his consent,” assured Lindsey. “I have primary custody of you and Casey, after all, and I can make those sort of decisions all by myself.”

  Hayley shook her head emphatically. “Dad would set his foot down and you know it. All I would have to do is call him.”

  “Really?” Lindsey arched a brow. “Be sure to tell him at the same time that all of these dramatics have just been an act on your part, then. That you agreed to act out in order to lure him back home. Bet he’ll be really proud of you for that, Hayley. And not even a tiny bit disappointed.”

  Hayley chewed at her bottom lip uncertainly. “You wouldn’t really tell him that, would you?” she asked in a quavering voice.

  Lindsey’s green eyes narrowed menacingly. “I won’t if you agree to cooperate with me. If you fulfill your end of the bargain and do whatever has to be done to get him back.”

  “Fine.” Hayley threw up her hands in surrender. “I’ll go along with whatever nutty schemes you and your crazy friend Nicole have cooked up.”

  Lindsey smiled. “That’s my good girl. Now, obviously what we’ve done so far isn’t quite enough. So, speaking of Nikki, she and I will have to really play dirty now. I’m meeting her for lunch tomorrow, and knowing her she’ll think of something good. There’s a reason why she came out of all three of her divorces with a bucketload of money. Having the best divorce attorney in the state was only part of that.”

  Hayley shook her head. “I still don’t get why this is such a big deal to you. Why can’t you just let it go? Sign the stupid divorce papers and move on with your life. It’s not like you still love Dad or anything. And please don’t try and bullshit me otherwise, Mom. If you loved him so much, then why did you fuck every guy who crossed your path?”

  “Watch your mouth, little girl,” warned Lindsey. “And butt out of things that aren’t your business. As for why I want your father back - I guess it’s a matter of pride. I mean, can you even believe that he left me? When I first met your dad, he was probably the biggest nerd I’d ever seen, with those glasses, and jeans that were too short for him, and he’d practically trip over his own feet half the time. He was damned lucky I still thought he was kind of cute in spite of all that. And if I hadn’t been pregnant with you, I would have broken things off with him sooner than later. He just wasn’t my type, you know?”

  Hayley rolled her eyes. “Is there a point to this? Because, believe it or not, I actually need to get some homework done.”

  “The point,” replied Lindsey angrily, “is that your father had some nerve in leaving me! Like he’s ever going to do better. And he’s already taking that bitch Sasha with him to events, the ones I should be going to. Do you have any idea how humiliating all of this is? I miss going to those parties and receptions, meeting important people, and seeing my picture in the paper or online. If it wasn’t for me pushing him, your father wouldn’t even know any of those people. He’d just be some nobody, some small-time computer nerd working for someone else. He owes me, dammit, and I want my life back! And between the two of us, we’re going to make sure I get everything that I deserve.”

  As Lindsey stormed out of the room, Hayley breathed a sigh of relief. Dealing with her mother had never been easy, but over the past few months it had become a living nightmare. Sourly, Hayley thought that maybe the boarding school in Utah didn’t sound quite so bad after all.

  “They’re so beautiful, Julia. Just the most precious little angels I’ve ever seen. Don’t you agree, Sasha?”

  Sasha smiled serenely as Tessa cooed at the baby boy she was cuddling. “I do, yes. But I think it was almost a given that Julia and Nathan would have beautiful babies.” She cuddled the other twin - she was fairly sure this one was Justin while Tessa held Noah - and stroked her knuckles over his chubby baby cheek.

  Julia gave a little groan. “How come they’re both calm as can be when you two hold them, but they scream bloody murder when I pick them up?”

  Sasha gazed at Julia sympathetically. “Probably because you’re exhausted and stressed and frustrated, and the twins pick up on all those negative vibes. Whereas Tessa and I have only been here for a little while, and weren’t up half the night tending to two babies. You need to cut yourself some slack, Julia, and you definitely need to take better care of yourself.”

  “I know.” Julia sniffled miserably. “I’m a mess. I don’t sleep more than an hour or so at a time, can’t remember the last time I ate a meal sitting down, and I haven’t washed my hair in almost three days.”

  “Well, Sasha and I can stay all day,” soothed Tessa. “Since today is Friday, she isn’t teaching and doesn’t have any massage appointments. And my schedule is wide open, too. So just show us a couple of basics about changing diapers and such, and we’ll look after the boys while you have some time to yourself.”

  Julia’s weary expression brightened instantly. “You guys are the best!” she enthused. “I didn’t think it would be this hard taking care of two babies alone. But I guess I got lulled into a false sense of security, given that for the first six weeks after they were born I either had Nathan at home with me, or one set of our parents stayin
g over. And Lauren and Ben spent a week helping out after that. Now with everyone gone and Nathan back at work, I’ll freely admit to being completely overwhelmed.”

  “Have you considered hiring a nanny?” inquired Sasha. “At least part-time?”

  Julia nodded. “I more or less told Nathan that we either get some help or he’s taking a baby with him to the office every day. I’ve been in touch with a couple of agencies and they’re sending over some applicants next week. But it will probably be at least another two to three weeks before someone can start.”

  “I know Sasha has to work, but I’ll try to come over a couple of times a week until you get help,” offered Tessa. “Ian and I aren’t due to leave on another business trip until the middle of May, so I’ll do what I can.”

  “And I’m happy to come over on Fridays,” confirmed Sasha. “I’ll also ask my friend Freya if she knows anyone interested in the nanny position. She’s the midwife I mentioned to you a couple of times.”

  “That would be great,” enthused Julia. “I’d actually prefer to use someone who’s a personal referral. At this point, though, I’m pretty desperate. Enough that I begged Anton to come over on his day off next week.”

  Tessa and Sasha exchanged a look of mingled surprise and alarm. They had both met Anton on several occasions, including Julia’s bachelorette party and baby shower. He was married to Travis, who co-owned the architectural design firm with Nathan. Anton was easily excitable, more than a little prissy, and the mere thought of him changing a diaper or rocking one of the twins to sleep was almost comical.