She had to admit she was looking forward to trick-or-treating with Carter's sons tomorrow night. Lynn hadn't been since she herself was a child, and it would be fun to experience it from the adult perspective. But as much as she was looking forward to taking the kids out tomorrow night, she was anticipating tonight’s party even more. She was grateful that the hosts of the party tonight had been intuitive enough to plan the party for the night before Halloween, so that parents could still attend and be available to take their kids around the neighborhood the following evening.
A glance at the clock and Lynn saw she had about an hour before Carter came to pick her up for the party. She gathered the costume, the shoes, the mock bow and arrow, setting them by the front door before heading back to the bedroom and slipping into the dress. Lynn was just sitting down at her mirror, preparing to finish her hair and start on her make-up, when the phone rang. She picked up the portable handset that sat on the table beside her.
“Hello?”
“I'm only going to tell you this once, you bitch. Stay away from my husband.” The words sounded as if they had been bitten off through clenched teeth.
Lynn set down the compact she had in her other hand, and took a deep breath, trying her best to recognize the voice of the woman speaking.
“Who is this?”
“Don't play dumb. Though with you, it wouldn't be playing, now would it?”
“Look, I don't know who this is, but I don't appreciate you calling this way. Call here like this again, and I'll be reporting it.” Lynn pulled the phone away from her ear to make the move to hang up, when the voice on the other end of the line spoke again, catching her attention.
“You really are stupid, aren't you?” The woman on the other end of the line sneered. “This is Hillary. You remember, Carter's wife?”
Lynn paused, unsure of what to say. Before she could reply, Hillary continued.
“Yeah, I figured you'd remember who I was. I sure as hell remember you. Just like I remember the last time I had to make a phone call like this and remind you where you stood in the grand scheme of things.”
Lynn found her voice, and used it to let her irritation at the phone call be known.
“I'm sure that there's a point here somewhere, Hillary. Why don't you get to it?”
“Don't get snotty with me, you goddamn home-wrecker. That's why I called, to tell you to stay away from Carter. You think I don't know that you've been seeing him again, calling him? That you two have started to email back and forth again? I've read the little notes you've sent each other. It's sickening.”
“From everything I've heard, you two are divorcing, so what Carter does is none of your business anymore. And I'm sure he'll be thrilled to hear that you've been hacking into his email. Again.” Lynn pressed her other hand to her head, felt the headache start to build in her temples and the nausea began to churn in her stomach.
“Go ahead and tell him. I don't care. What I don't hear from my boys, I find out on my own. Any way I have to. So go ahead, rat me out. Do you think I don't know him well enough to guess his stupid password again when he changes it? Please. Don't make me laugh.”
“You're pathetic, Hillary.”
“Pathetic? Screw you. I'm not the one banging someone else's husband --”
“Not that it's any of your business, but I have not slept with Carter, not once, since I've been back.”
“Bullshit. I know better. All you know how to do is spread your legs. So, I will say this one last time. You better stay away from Carter and stay the hell away from my kids. They’ve got a mother already, and they sure don’t need some low life, home0wrecking piece of white trash taking up space in their lives. Got that? You better hope you do because if you don’t, I will make life hell for you.”
The sound of the phone on the other end of the line being slammed down echoed in her ear. Her hands shook from tension and anger as Lynn set the phone back down on the table. She went to get a drink from the refrigerator and paced off the after effects of the call.
She should have seen it coming, she thought to herself. It had happened before, and here it was happening again. Hillary was right in one part of her rant; she had made similar phones calls to Lynn before. Lynn had been home on leave a couple of years ago, and Hillary had caught wind of it, thought that Carter was cheating with her. Only he hadn't been. And again, Hillary had brushed off any denial that Lynn had offered, even when Lynn had told her she hadn't seen or spoken to Carter in years. She didn't appreciate being called a liar.
And she really didn't appreciate the other names that Hillary had offered either. Bitch. Home-wrecker. Low life white trash. The more Lynn stewed over it, the more upset and angry she became. She sank down onto the low couch, elbows on her knees, head in her hands, taking deep breaths.
This is how Carter found her after knocking on her door and coming in when she called out that the door was open.
“Is everything okay? What happened? Talk to me, honey.” Carter crouched down in front of her, placed his hands on her calves as he spoke to her.
“Everything's fine. Well, not fine, but nothing earth shattering.” She sat up, swiped her hands up and over her face. “I had an upsetting phone call, that’s all.”
“From who? Everyone's okay, nobody's hurt?”
“No, everyone's okay. Hillary called me.”
“Hillary?” Carter stood, his eyes narrowing as he imagined what his estranged wife might have to say.
“Yes, Hillary.” She clasped her hands in her lap as she looked up at him, her eyes following him around the room as he paced, much as she had earlier.
“What the hell did she want? And how did she get your number?”
“I didn't think to ask about my number,” Lynn admitted. “I was too busy listening to how I wrecked your marriage, how I was no good, and how she would make my life hell if I didn't leave you and the boys alone.”
“Tell me what she said, word for word.” Carter sat down on the couch next to Lynn, took her hand in his.
Lynn recounted the conversation, leaving nothing out. When she reached the point about the emails, Carter swore.
“Looks like I'll be changing my email address again. Damn it all, I wish she'd act like a grown woman instead of a spoiled child.” Carter looked at Lynn. “Sorry. Finish it, please.”
Lynn told him the rest, including Hillary's threat. Carter now held her hand between both of his as he closed his eyes and hung his head for a moment.
“She's crazy. She's out of her damn mind. I think I always knew it, but it's gotten worse.” He picked his head up and looked into Lynn's eyes. “I will talk to her. And I promise I'll do everything I can to keep her away from you, or from calling you.”
“You can't control her, Carter. She's determined, and she'll do what she wants. All we can do is be prepared for her.”
“You're probably right.” He looked down at the Batman costume he forgot he wore since he'd left the mask in the truck. “Guess you don't feel like going tonight, huh?”
“Are you kidding? And pass up on the chance to see you out in public looking like that? Wouldn't miss it.” She grinned at him. “Though I am very tempted to stay in and let you rescue me. Is that a rental, and if so, how long can you keep it?”
“Go finish getting ready before I take you up on that,” he laughed. “We've got people waiting.”
* * *
Carter was riding high the next day as he made his way over to Hillary's to pick up the kids for trick-or-treating. After the initial upset at Lynn's house, they had gone to the party and had a great time. It had resulted in a late night of dancing, strolls down memory lane, and for some, drinking. Thankfully the hosts of the party had planned ahead and made sure every group that came through the door had a designated driver.
Now, he was gearing up for a different kind of fun. Nathan and Logan, like most kids their ages, had been planning their costumes for months in eager anticipation of this night. The final selections had been made we
eks ago, with Nathan going as Iron Man, and Logan as Spiderman. The boys hadn't let him see their costumes - they wanted them to be a surprise.
As much as he was looking forward to getting his boys and taking them around his neighborhood, he was dreading having to deal with Hillary. He knew what was in store for him. Screams, hysteria, some tears. The usual for her these days. But he would make damn sure the kids were in the truck, out of sight and earshot of the conversation that would take place.
He took a deep breath as he rounded the curve going to his ex-wife's new house. As he pulled into the driveway, he studied the place. The grass hadn't seen a mower in what looked like a couple of weeks. The garage door stood open, revealing the trash that hadn't made it to the curb in some time, either. Carter shook his head and climbed from the cab of his truck, made his way up the walk to the front door. He knocked and waited, hands on his hips as he tried to keep himself calm.
He couldn't do anything but smile when the inner door swung open to reveal his youngest son, dressed in his costume, minus the mask. Logan was looking more like his dad each day, with curly dark hair and bright blue eyes. Those eyes lit up at the sight of Carter standing on the other side of the door.
"Dad!" he exclaimed through the glass, before turning to yell into the rest of the house for his brother. "Nathan! Dad's here!" With that, the glass door flew open and Carter found himself with an armful of boy.
"Hey buddy! Nice costume."
"Thanks! I have a mask too, but it's in my room. I'm gonna go get it, and my bag. Be right back, okay?" He wiggled and squirmed his way down and was off again as soon as his feet hit the ground. He passed his brother, who was coming down the hall, in a blur. A couple years older than his brother, Nathan had received his father's blue eyes, but his mother's red hair.
"Hey big man." Carter reached out to Nathan, ruffling his hair.
"Hey Dad," Nathan replied in a low, almost defeated sounding tone.
"What's wrong?" Nathan shook his head in a silent reply.
"Nate, look at me." Carter crouched to be at the boy's level. "What's wrong?" The boy looked around wearily, his eyes falling to the ground when he saw his mother coming to the door.
"Okay, buddy." Carter put a hand on his son's shoulder as he stood, the light having dawned. "Go get your stuff, and tell your brother to come on, so we can go."
Nathan scrambled back into the house, where Carter could hear him calling for Logan to hurry up so they could leave. Carter glanced over at Hillary, saw she was leaning against a column of the porch, arms crossed and a nasty smirk on her face as she watched him.
"You and I need to talk."
Hillary’s thin, bony shoulders lifted and fell carelessly as Carter heard the kids approaching again. His eyes narrowed a fraction as he spoke again.
"As soon as the boys are in the truck, we're going to have a long overdue conversation." Hillary shrugged as if she couldn't care less and rolled her eyes just as the boys were coming out the door again.
"Alright, guys. I will get you up into the truck, and I need you to get yourselves buckled in while I talk to your mom for a minute,
okay?"
The boys nodded, then ran to the truck with Carter following behind them. After making the sure the door was closed behind them, Carter went back to where Hillary still stood.
"Let's take this inside. I don't want the boys having to see or hear this."
Hillary shrugged again and not saying a word, slung open the door, almost catching Carter in the face with it. Carter gritted his teeth, plastered on a smile, waved to the boys, and held up a finger in a signal telling them he'd only be a minute. He stood as the door closed behind him, so he could be where he could keep an eye on the boys in the truck. Hillary swung around and threw her arms into the air.
"You wanted to talk. So talk."
"Where do I start? Let's see... how about you breaking into my emails again? Or the nasty phone call you made to Lynn last night? Which would you like to begin with?"
"Really? You want to talk about that slut?" She snorted. "Figures she'd go running to you as soon as I called her."
"She isn't a slut, and she didn't come running to me. I walked into her house just after she got off the phone with you. Which is how I heard about the emails. Who the hell do you think you are, Hillary? It was bad enough you did that shit when we were together. But to do it now that we're soon-to-be exes? It's pathetic."
"Pathetic?" She repeated, her eyes narrowing. "You want to talk about pathetic? Then let's talk about your little girlfriend."
"I don't think so," Carter retorted. "She has nothing to do with you, so you need to keep yourself out of my business and leave her alone. Understand?"
"Oh, I understand perfectly. She's a home-wrecker. If it hadn't been for her, we could have gotten back together."
"No, Hillary." Carter shook his head. "We couldn't have. We were making no progress in counseling, or anywhere else. The timing of her coming back was just coincidence."
"Well, coincidence or not, I don't like her. I don't trust her--"
"You don't know her."
"And I don't want to. But here's what I do want. I want you to keep her trashy little self away from my boys. I am their mother. There is no way in hell she will ever be with my kids."
"See, that's where you're wrong," Carter corrected. "We're all going trick-or-treating together. And I better not find out you're trashing her to the kids. We both have separate lives now, Hillary, and we're each entitled to be friends with whoever we want, as long as it doesn't affect the boys." Carter stopped, and looked around the entryway and through the opening to the kitchen where he could see a mountain of dirty dishes and trash piled up on the counter. "And speaking of affecting the boys, clean this place up. It's disgusting and they don't deserve it."
Without another word, Carter pushed through the door and was halfway to his truck when he heard Hillary screaming behind him.
"Don't you dare tell me how to take care of my kids!"
"Hillary, I'm done. I'm not doing this now, not in front of the boys. Now you can go in the house, or stand out here and make a spectacle of yourself. I don't care either way, but I'm leaving." With that, he took a deep breath as he climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine. Not bothering to glance over to where Hillary had stood, he backed out of the driveway, catching a glimpse of the kids as he looked over his shoulder.
"You guys okay?" he asked.
"Yeah. But Mommy was yelling again." Logan sniffed.
"Again?"
"Uh-huh. She does that a lot now."
"You guys know you can tell me anything, right?" he asked, concerned. "Even if it's about Mommy?" A glance in the rear view mirror showed him two small heads nodding in unison. His gut churned at what his kids may be enduring while in their mother's care, but he decided that tonight was not the night to make them dwell on it. But he would make damn sure it was dealt with.
"Good. Now, let's get this party started. Who's ready to go trick-or-treating?" Twin cheers went up from the backseat.
“Daddy?” Logan fidgeted with his mask as he kicked his feet.
“Yeah, buddy?”
“Ms. Lynn’s still going with us, right?”
“Sure is.”
“Cool.”
“Yep, she’s a cool girl. Did she tell you she used to be a soldier, like your GI Joes?"
"Whoa."
"Yeah, whoa."
"Did she have big muscles and everything?"
"No, buddy." Carter laughed. "She’s a regular lady, except she was in the Army."
"If she was in the Army, and you were in the Navy, then how did you meet her?" This from Nathan, who had said little.
"We met a long time ago, before I was in the Navy and she was in the Army."
“Oh.”
"And she's gonna go trick-or-treating with us?" Logan asked.
"If you want her to. She's looking forward to going, though. She's got a costume and everything."
"Really? Is she dressing up like a soldier?" Logan, excited at the idea, pictured a woman in fatigues, camo face paint and a bandana. Just like Rambo.
"No, she's got something else planned. In fact, we're going to go to my house, I'm going to put on my costume, and then we'll go pick her up. She's looking forward to seeing you guys again."
"Cool! Let's go Dad! I'm ready to get that candy!"
* * *
Thirty minutes later, Lynn was walking around her living room in her Merida costume, tidying up as she waited for the guys to arrive. The only sounds in the room were the ticking of the clock and the skirt swishing as she walked the floor. She couldn't believe that she was as nervous as she was about seeing a couple of kids again. But these weren't any kids. These were Carter's kids.
And that made all the difference.
The sound of his truck pulling into her driveway drew her to the window. She watched as Carter, once again decked out in his Batman costume, opened the door to the extended cab and lifted two kids out of the vehicle. Before she knew it, she had a trio of superheroes making their way to her front door. Lynn took in as deep a breath as the dress would allow, and prepared to greet her guests. At Carter's knock, she opened the door wide and waved them inside the house.
"Hi, everybody. Great costumes!" Lynn looked down at the boys standing next to Carter, masks still pulled down over their faces. She glanced up at Carter, who smiled and shrugged. Lynn nodded and began to head towards her kitchen.
"Well, I'm a little hungry, so I think I’ll head into the kitchen for a snack before we go. I've got some Halloween cupcakes and juice left in there, so if anyone wants to join me, I'll share."
Her Last Love (Small Town Hearts Trilogy #1) Page 10