Life After Wife : Small Town Romance (Balsam Ridge Book 1)

by Amber Kelly

  “Oh, I should have given this back to him.”

  “No worries. I think you’ll get the chance,” Mom says.

  I hope so.

  Taeli

  Mom grilled me about my day spent with Graham. I gave her the details, leaving out the kissing part, and hurried off to bed, where I stripped off my dress and pulled his shirt back on. I lay awake most of the night, surrounded by his smell and freaking out about said kiss.

  In the morning, I get Caleb up and dressed early, and we head to meet Sara-Beth at the Rocky Pass offices before they open. I fill out some paperwork, and she shows me the ropes.

  It all seems fairly basic with most reservations coming through the website.

  “We have cabins of various sizes sprinkled throughout the mountains with different views. Our largest rental is an eight-bed, six-bath cabin, and our smallest is a studio-style riverside fishing cabin. All are pet-friendly, and we have a minimum of two-night stays. As long as there is no damage, the security deposit is refunded after maintenance inspects the cabin after checkout.”

  She hands me a sheet of paper with a list of other vacation rental companies and campsites in the valley: Balsam Ridge Vacations, Mountain Escape Rentals, Stoneridge RV Resort, Cool Breeze Campground and Creekside Motor Village.

  “If we fill up or don’t have a cabin that suits someone’s occupancy needs, please refer them to one of those contacts to help them find a place.”

  I love that they support other local businesses.

  “We usually do direct deposit for employees, but since you’re temporary, for now, I’ll cut you a check every Friday.”

  She shows me how to log in to the computer and gives me a map, showing all the rental properties and their names. Then, she, Caleb, and I climb into her vehicle to drive around to some of the locations.

  She opens one of the larger cabins, and we take a look around.

  “We provide the linens, and the kitchens are fully stocked with all the cookware, dishes, mugs, and wineglasses they could need. All cabins come furnished with gas grills and outdoor firepits. Some have hot tubs on the decks, and some don’t. For the ones with them, we supply bathrobes and spa towels. If a guest calls the office, requesting anything additional, just forward the inquiry to maintenance, and they’ll handle it,” she tells me as we walk around the space.

  “In the winter, we do get calls for firewood. It’s not something we generally provide, but the roads can get a bit tricky, and I’d rather one of the boys bring a load up than for guests to try to navigate their way down on icy roads at night.”

  I’ll be back in Chicago by the time the snowy season begins, but I don’t point that out.

  We stop for lunch on the way back, and Mom joins us. She takes Caleb with her to do some gem mining. He is less than thrilled, but he doesn’t complain. Once we are back in the car, Sara-Beth continues with her instruction.

  “The cabins have combination locks that we change after every stay, so most guests will go straight to their location. We do get an occasional walk-in of someone who’s just passing through and decides to stay. If they only want one night, direct them to any of the motels in town. If they want to book a cabin and the receptionist is in the office, you can have them follow you to show them a property. Speak of the devil,” she says as we pull back into the office parking lot.

  As we exit Sara-Beth’s car and head toward the office, a woman with shoulder-length brown hair descends the office’s steps and meets us in the lot.

  “Hi, Sara-Beth, I was just heading out for lunch. Can I get you anything?”

  “No, we just ate. Erin, this is Taeli. She’s going to be taking over the cabin rentals. Taeli, Erin is the receptionist for the realty company. She helps me keep the agents in line,” Sara-Beth introduces us.

  “TT? Is that you?”

  I give her a tight smile of acknowledgment.

  Erin and I went to high school together. We were pretty close back in the day, but we haven’t spoken much the past few years.

  “Nobody calls me that anymore. It’s just Taeli now,” I correct her.

  “I didn’t realize you two knew each other. That’s wonderful,” Sara-Beth says.

  “We go way back,” Erin tells her.

  A phone rings from inside, and Sara-Beth hurries up the steps.

  “I’ll get that. You two catch up,” she says.

  Once she’s inside, Erin turns back to me.

  “Well, look at you. I didn’t think you’d ever come back to this one-horse town. How are you? How’s the big city and that handsome husband of yours? Tell me everything!”

  “I’m fine. The city is fine. My husband is a lying, cheating jackass. And that about sums up my life at the moment. What about you?” I word-vomit all over her.

  She just stares at me with her mouth agape and blinks for a beat.

  “Girl, it sounds like you and I took the same cruise on a sinking ship. I married a handsome devil with a wandering eye after graduation myself. He was a smooth, double-talking snake from Alabama, and I was clueless until the rumor mill started churning. My inbox began lighting up like the Fourth of July. He tried to deny it all, but in a small town like Balsam Ridge, nobody is going to let a no-good cheater get away with making a fool of one of its own.”

  Now, it is my turn to stare.

  I forgot how open everyone in Balsam Ridge is. In my suburban life of luncheons and dinner parties, people only portrayed themselves and their lives in the best light. Even if your marriage was on the brink of falling into ruin, you did everything to pretend it wasn’t to save face. I never realized how exhausting it was to keep up the facade until now. Having Erin just blurt out the messy truth of her life is surprisingly refreshing.

  “My husband was boinking his assistant, which isn’t unheard of, but he was stupid enough to knock her up,” I share.

  She shakes her head. “What a dumb bastard,” she says without a hint of judgment in her voice.

  “I think my son hates me,” I continue.

  She holds her hand up to stop me.

  “Oh, please. How old is he, thirteen, fourteen?” she asks.

  “Twelve,” I answer.

  “Close enough. All teenagers hate their parents. It’s practically a biological response at that age,” she assures me.

  I think back to my tumultuous relationship with my own mother.

  Oh God, please tell me it won’t last that long.

  “Do you know what you need?” Erin asks, bringing me out of my thoughts.

  “What?”

  “A girls’ night out. I’ll rally some of the girls together, and we’ll go blow off some steam. You remember Jena and Ansley from high school, don’t you?” she asks as she fishes her phone from her back pocket and starts typing.

  “I don’t know, Erin. I’m not sure I’ll be great company.”

  She waves me off. “You don’t have to be good company. We’ll be the good company you need at the moment.”

  “But …”

  “But nothing. I’ve already sent up the bat signal. Go and arrange a sitter and be ready by six. We’ll pick you up. Are you at your mom’s place?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Cool. See you after lunch,” she says before she walks off toward her car.

  I guess I’m going out tonight.

  When Erin returns, Sara-Beth leaves the two of us to head to a closing.

  Erin gives me a more in-depth overview of the office and computer system.

  Graham and Hilton stop by, and my heart rate picks up when I spy Graham coming up from the parking lot.

  Get yourself together, Taeli.

  Erin notices my loss of focus and follows my attention to the door.

  She nudges me with her elbow when Graham walks through the threshold.

  “Ouch,” I say, snapping my gaze to her.

  “Caught you looking,” she teases.

  I shush her as the men stop in front of the desk.

  “Hey, gals,” Hilton greets. />
  “Hi, Mr. T, Graham,” Erin replies.

  “Hi,” Graham says to me.

  “Hi.”

  Hilton watches his son and me stare each other down for a few beats, and then he clears his throat.

  “Graham and I were on our way to a construction site and thought we’d drop by to see how your first day was going and ask if you needed anything.”

  I look up at him and smile.

  “Things are going great,” Erin interjects. “She’s a natural. I think she already has a better handle on the system than I do.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Hilton declares.

  “Um, Mr. T, one of the campers called in a maintenance order this morning because their water pressure was extremely low. Can you come and take a look at it?” Erin asks.

  Hilton follows her over to her desk.

  “Sounds like you fit right in around here,” Graham observes.

  “Offices are my thing,” I blurt out the absurdity.

  He chuckles.

  “Where’s Caleb?” he asks.

  “With Mom. She’s dragging him to a gem mine. He’s probably going to want to kill me when he gets home.”

  “Mining can be fun,” he says.

  “Please, mining is a silly tourist trap. He’s going to hate it.”

  “Probably, yeah,” he agrees.

  “And on top of that, Erin has roped me into some girls’ night out, high school reunion thing tonight. Which means leaving him with my mother for the second night in a row.”

  “I’ll let you in on a little secret: children usually enjoy time with their grandmothers,” he whispers.

  “Not mine. They barely know each other, and you’ve met my mother.”

  “I have. She’s a lot of fun, and I’m sure she is doing her best to spoil Caleb rotten.”

  I frown.

  “Go have fun with the girls. I’ll check in on Caleb later,” he offers.

  “You will?” I ask.

  “Yeah, I have to take some measurements of the screened-in porch anyway.”

  “Thank you, Graham,” I say as Erin and Hilton rejoin us.

  Graham winks at me.

  “You ready to head out, son?” Hilton asks.

  “Right behind you, Pop.”

  They leave, and no sooner do their boots hit the gravel than Erin pulls a chair up beside me.

  “What was that all about?” she asks.

  “Nothing,” I say as I stand and walk off to the file room.

  “It sure didn’t look like nothing to me,” she calls after me.

  Taeli

  I was wrong. Caleb didn’t hate the gem mine. He loved it. When I got home from work, he was sitting at my mother’s table with an assortment of rocks he had collected and a copy of The Gemstone Bible, searching through the pages to identify his finds.

  “Look at this one. It’s called a tourmaline, and it’s supposed to soothe panic attacks. And this one is smoky quartz, and it is grounding and helps stabilize negative emotions,” he says proudly as he shows off his rocks.

  “Wow, that’s beautiful,” I tell him.

  He picks up another with a honey-colored hue.

  “This one is my favorite. It’s topaz, and it symbolizes honesty, forgiveness, and truth. It matches your eyes,” he says as he places the rough stone in my hand.

  I fight back tears as I wrap my fingers around it.

  “It’s lovely,” I tell him before dropping it back in his palm to add to his pile of treasures.

  “Granna said she knows a jeweler in town who can polish them and make them shine. She’s going to take me tonight to eat pizza, and we’re going to show him all of these.”

  “She is?”

  That was too easy.

  He nods.

  “I’m sorry you can’t come,” he says.

  “I can’t? Why not?” I ask, feigning hurt.

  “It’s a secret,” he says.

  Mom comes in and looks over my shoulder.

  “He’s quite the miner,” she muses.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to take him for pizza tonight?” I ask.

  Caleb’s panicked eyes snap up to hers.

  “No, we are on a Granna-grandson mission. No mothers allowed,” she confirms and winks at him. Then, she whispers to me, “Sara-Beth called. You enjoy your night with the girls.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” I say over my shoulder as we both watch him find another one of his gems in the book.

  I decide it’s time to put a little effort into my appearance. So, I fish out a pair of skinny jeans, a fitted white Alizeh crop top with a tie closure on the side, and a pair of camel-colored ankle booties from the closet. I go a little heavier on the makeup, adding a light foundation, eyelash extensions, and a bold red lip. I curl the ends of my hair and add a tan leather headband to hold it away from my face.

  I stand back and inspect the finished product in the full-length mirror hanging on the back of my bedroom door.

  Not bad.

  I feel more like myself than I have in a long time as I throw my ID, credit card, and lipstick into my cream clutch and head downstairs.

  I pour myself a glass of Malbec and wait for the girls. Erin texted that she was picking up Jena and Ansley, another girl we went to high school with, and they were on their way about twenty minutes ago.

  I was apprehensive about this get-together. It’s not exactly the triumphant homecoming I envisioned, but now that I’ve got my mission outfit and face on, I’m actually looking forward to the evening.

  I finish my wine and place the glass in the sink when I hear the horn blaring outside.

  We take a seat at our table, and Erin orders a bucket of craft beer and a plate of nachos.

  “Can I have your wine list?” I ask the waitress.

  “We have a house white and a house red,” she answers.

  “Just the two?” I ask.

  “Just the two,” she confirms.

  “I’ll take a glass of the red,” I order.

  “Me too,” Jena adds.

  The waitress turns to Ansley.

  “I’m splitting the bucket with Erin, but I’ll take a frosted mason jar and some orange slices, please.”

  “You got it. I’ll be back with your drinks and the nachos in a minute, and then I’ll get your order.”

  She walks off toward the bar, and we look over the menu.

  “What’s good?” I ask.

  “The place is called Barbecue and Brews. I’d suggest the barbecue and the beer,” Erin deadpans.

  Jena and Ansley giggle.

  “I’m not a beer drinker,” I confess.

  “I’m not either, but ever since the Appalachian Ridge Brewery opened, I’ve been trying the craft beers they bottle, and some are really good,” Jena informs me.

  “Then, why did you order wine?” I ask.

  “I didn’t want you to feel like the odd duck, drinking wine alone. But I’m warning you: the house wine here is a step down from domestic beer.”

  Great.

  “We’ll let you try ours, and then you’ll know if you can acquire a taste or not,” Ansley suggests.

  Our drinks hit the table, and we place our dinner orders. They were right; the wine is shit, so I decide to try the beer. It isn’t awful. After the third bottle, it actually starts tasting pretty good.

  “Fill me in. I want to hear all about your lives,” I tell them, partly to get the attention off of me, but mostly because I want to know.

  Jena speaks up first. “I married Phillip after graduation. You remember him, don’t you?”

  I nod. They dated on and off all through our middle and high school years.

  “That lasted for about a year before he began drinking to excess, and we started fighting all the time. I finally got fed up and divorced him. That’s when I met Trent,” she explains.

  “And Trent is?” I ask.

  “My current husband. We’ve been together for fifteen years now, and we have an eight-year-old daughter. Trent owns Mount
ainscapes Landscaping, Tree Removal, and View Enhancements, and I work for Tuttle and Sons Realty in the Luxury Mountain Homes Division.”

  “She’s good at it too. She outsells the other agents three to one,” Erin adds.

  I turn to her. “What about you?” I ask.

  She told me she was on her second marriage too.

  “My first husband was cheating on me with one of his friends’ wives. It went on for a while unnoticed until one of her co-workers spied them together after hours, and word got out. When the talk finally reached my ears, I confronted him. He denied it for a while, but he eventually fessed up. I kicked his ass out, and I moved into one of the apartments out beside the fairgrounds. Ted moved into the apartment three doors down later that year. He’s a big ole bear of a man who works for the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and there was just something about him that made my pulse race. Before I knew it, I was at the altar again.”

  “So, you’re all happily married now?” I ask.

  “Except for Ansley. She’s too busy pining over Garrett Tuttle to give any other man a chance,” Jena says.

  “I am not pining over Garrett!” Ansley protests.

  “Right. You haven’t so much as batted an eyelash at another man since he took off to Nashville,” Erin says.

  “That’s not true. I’ve dated a few people. I just haven’t married any of them. I figure I’ll just skip that first bad marriage all of you had and go straight into that second good one.”

  “That’s not a bad plan. I wish I’d thought of it. It would have saved me a lot of trouble,” I say.

  “Yeah, she found out her husband was fooling around and knocked up his assistant,” Erin tells them.

  “Y’all want to know the most pathetic part?” I ask.

  Erin leans in and starts rolling her hand in invitation. “Lay it on us.”

  “It wasn’t the first time. About a year before, I caught him in a hotel room with an X-ray tech.”

  They gasp.

  “You did?” Ansley asks.

  I nod.

  “Yep. He was in Chicago for a conference. I usually accompany him for those, but Caleb had a band recital that weekend, so I stayed home, and he went alone. During the recital, I got an emergency call from Damon’s mother. His father was having chest pains, and she had called an ambulance. She was frantic and wanted Damon and me to meet them at the hospital. So, I left Caleb with one of the other band moms, and I started calling Damon. His phone just rang and went straight to voice mail. I figured he was probably mingling with colleagues at the hotel after their meeting, so I drove straight into the city and decided to pick him up on the way to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.