Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95776 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95776 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“Mom, we don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to.”
She dabs her eyes with a napkin. “Maybe if I’d been able to move on, this wouldn’t have happened. Your father and I wouldn’t have drifted apart.”
I lean forward, closing some of the distance between us. “This isn’t your fault. Did he ever tell you that he was unhappy?” When she shakes her head, I continue. “Instead of talking about what was really going on, he threw himself into work and—”
“His secretary?”
A wave of shock washes over me. “That’s who he’s been seeing?”
She nods and shrugs. “I’m not proud to admit this, but I parked outside his work the other day and watched them walk out together. They were holding hands. Then he helped her into the car, and they left.”
Mandi?
He’s been having an affair with his secretary?
That’s such a cliché, it’s almost embarrassing.
I don’t know what to say other then, “I’m sorry, Mom.”
“You know what burns my ass the most?”
That’s a loaded question.
When I remain silent, she continues. “That I would buy her gifts every year for administrative assistant day.”
Yeah…I could see how that would chafe.
“Apparently my gifts weren’t good enough since she helped herself to my husband instead.”
Yikes.
The waitress returns with my Diet Coke and Mom’s margarita.
“Just in the nick of time,” she mutters, swallowing down half of it in one thirsty gulp. “Have you spoken to him yet?”
I shake my head. Like Beck, he’s reached out. And like Beck, I’ve avoided his calls and texts. There is nothing he can say or do that will change the disgust and disappointment coursing through me. If he wasn’t happy in his marriage, he should have done something about it instead of sneaking around behind Mom’s back.
“As furious as I am with him,” she says, “I don’t want to come between your relationship. No matter what happens between us, he is your father and he loves you.”
It’s almost a relief when our lunch arrives. Mom needs something solid in her stomach to counteract the tequila. She’s been snacking on the chips and salsa, but not much.
I use my fork to push around the beans and rice on my plate. “I’m not ready to talk to him right now. He didn’t only walk out on you, he walked out on me, too.”
She reaches across the table and snags my hand. “He left me, honey. Not you. He loves you more than anything.”
That may be so, but I’m too angry to deal with him right now. It doesn’t escape me that the only reason he came clean about the affair is because I caught him in the act. And even then, he chose to lie before begrudgingly admitting the truth. He could have also let me know about the decision he arrived at before talking to Mom so I could have been prepared, but he couldn’t be bothered to do that either.
So, no…I’m not interested in speaking to him now that he’s shacked up with his whore and living his best life. Maybe some time down the road, but not right now.
Mom points her fork at my plate. “You haven’t eaten much. Aren’t you hungry?”
I shrug. “Not really. Don’t worry, I’ll take it home for dinner.”
She glances at her own untouched plate. “Yeah, me neither.”
I’m concerned about her driving home, especially since she didn’t eat much. “Do you want to come back to my place for a while?”
“No. I forgot to mention it, but I’ve decided to stay with Aunt Amy for a few days. She’ll help me find a lawyer and walk me through the process. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment.”
Aunt Amy has three divorces under her belt, so she’s an old pro at this. “I’m sure that will be helpful.” I pause before asking pointblank, “Are you all right to drive?”
“I’m fine,” she snorts and waves her hand. “It takes more than one and a half margaritas to knock me on my ass.”
My lips bow up at the corners.
That’s probably true.
When I’ve finished picking over my enchilada, I set my fork on the table. “I’m going to run to the bathroom before we leave.”
“All right, honey. I’ll pay the check.”
“Thanks, Mom. Lunch was nice.”
“Not really,” she chuckles, “but I love spending time with you.”
I shimmy around the table and wrap my arms around her shoulders. “Maybe we can do this more often.”
“I would love that,” she says, leaning into my embrace.
I run to the bathroom at the back of the restaurant. Once inside, I take care of business and wash my hands before applying a bit of lip gloss. As I’m about to head out, the door swings open, and I do a doubletake as Dr. Hayes walks in.
Everything inside me freezes.
“Mia! I wasn’t expecting to run into you today.” She pauses, carefully looking me over. “How are you feeling?”