Chapter Fourteen
K ERRIE
I awoke the next morning in a bed that wasn’t my own, sunlight streaming in like a laser light show. For a moment, I basked in the warmth of the comforter, then last night came crashing in on me all at once.
Bar fight.
Jail.
Bond money.
Sitting up suddenly, my head throbbed. I’d never, in all my forty plus years, ever been in trouble with the law. What if Hal found out what’d happened? Would he use it against me to go for custody of the kids? My stomach knotted at the thought. Why hadn’t I contained myself last night?
Because you’re a decent person who didn’t want to watch your friend get groped.
Maude stirred in the bed beside mine, her eyes finally flicking open. “Ah, too much light. My head is pounding.”
“I don’t think the light is the reason.” I tossed back my blankets, still wearing last night’s clothes. “Probably those drinks you downed like they were going out of style.”
“Shh. Use your indoor voice.” She pulled her arms over her face as if that would shield her from any noise.
“Funny, you sound like me talking to my kids.”
“I suppose I ought to get up.” Her white hair stood on end like someone had ripped the stuffing out of a pillow or plush toy. Somehow, she still had lipstick on.
“Yeah, we’ve already overslept for work.” With a yawn, I made my way to the bathroom.
Once everyone was up, Maude called in late for all of us. We figured Mr. Dancy had the most tolerance for her. She’d made up some excuse about Piper, Wooyoung, and I going to help her with her vehicle, which I had no idea if he believed or not. But at least I was beyond my probationary period, so even if he didn’t, I hoped my job would be safe.
Wooyoung dropped Maude off first, then took me to get my van from the bar parking lot. I figured he wanted a few extra minutes with Piper, since it would’ve made more sense for him to drop her off first because she lived closest to him. They were in that new romance stage where they couldn’t get enough of one another, hence the drop off order.
“I’ll stop on my way back to work to get money from my savings,” I said, as I got out of his vehicle. “See you guys at the office.”
Once seat-belted into my van, I rested my head against the headrest. The bond money. Damn, that was going to hurt. Not to mention, it meant a prolonged stay with Hal until I could sock away more of my checks. My hands tightened on the steering wheel. I just wanted to move on and find happiness. To provide my kids with a loving home where I didn’t have to worry about strange women being in my house or random fights with Hal.
By the time I got back to my house, my nerves were frazzled playing through every scenario in regard to people finding out about my stint in jail. Not that I was a hardened criminal, but it was embarrassing.
Hal met me at the door. “Why the hell did you stay out all night? You were supposed to be here after work to be with the kids. I had to cancel plans.”
I snorted, dropping my purse on the counter. “Well, boo freaking hoo. Why is it okay for you to leave for days on end and sleep with God only knows how many women, but it’s not alright for me to have one night out with the girls? I’m tired of the double standard, Hal. You want our divorce to be top secret, however, you want the perks of me taking care of everything. And need I add, you don’t even bother calling to check in on our kids when you’re gone?”
“You’ve never done stuff like this before. When we were married, you were never interested in going out, not with me, or any friends.”
“Because you never asked. You worked, and on occasion, you’d have sex with me. But it was always what’s for dinner ? Can you tell the kids to quiet down ? Never a hey, I love you, what do you say we go get food tonight so you don’t have to cook ?”
He frowned, running a hand through his hair. “Let’s not get into this now. I’m going to be out of town for a few days. So, you’ll need to make sure you’re here for the kids.”
“Other than last night, aren’t I always? They’re my life, Hal, and they should be yours, too. And by the way, I have a work retreat in a couple of weeks. It’s mandatory, so you’ll need to plan on being here.”
“Fine. Tell the kids I’ll see them soon.”
“Or you could call them tonight. You know, try and be a parent.”
He didn’t respond, rather, he grabbed his duffel bag and headed out the door.
“Damn it!” I shouted when he drove off. Typical Hal fashion, always leaving. It’s what he did best. How had I ever even fallen for him?
Then I remembered how much I used to make him smile. Those first dates in college where he brought me flowers or bought me dinner because I was too busy studying to leave my dorms. He’d been so patient with me back then, waiting until I was ready to have sex, never pushing. Although, given our recent history, I wondered if he’d cheated back then.
I chewed my bottom lip. Was our whole relationship a farce? Had he ever truly been in love with me? A part of me wanted to ask him, but the other part was chicken. Not that any of it mattered now. We were divorced. Done. Finished. And I’d never take him back, even if he begged and pleaded with me. Which I knew he’d never do. He’d found what he was searching for, and it wasn’t me.
With a sigh, I grabbed my phone from my purse and pulled up my contacts.
Me: Hey, Soph, just wanted to tell you I’m sorry I wasn’t home last night.
Sophie: It’s fine, Mom. Besides, you deserve a break every now and then. No worries.
Me: I’ll be here tonight. We can have homemade pizza, maybe watch some shows as a family.
Sophie: You mean a family minus Dad?
Me: Yes. Aren’t you in class?
Sophie: Just starting third hour. Will talk to you tonight.
I clicked out of our conversation, not wanting to get her in trouble, then saw the last message I’d had from Demarcus. Oh, God. I’d almost forgotten about the embarrassment of him arresting us last night.
My eyes welled. We’d really hit it off, but after this, I might as well kiss that potential boyfriend goodbye. Not that I needed a man at the moment. There were so many things I had on my plate right now. The court hearing coming up. The retreat. School would be ending for the kids soon, so I’d have to get things figured out for them to have activities to do this summer. Sophie already agreed to watch them. I offered to pay her a little bit, and to also see if my ex in-laws might be willing to take the youngest two once a week, so Sophie could enjoy some down time, too. She’d be going into her senior year this upcoming school year, which also meant I needed to set aside money for pictures and graduation stuff.
“Okay, take a deep breath. Don’t worry about things that haven’t happened yet.”
However, it was easier said than done.
After a long shower, I finally got dressed and drove into work. Hopefully, Mr. Dancy wouldn’t be too ticked off at me. The first people I saw when I walked in were Piper and Wooyoung, who stood only inches apart. Even from here, I sensed the spark between them.
Piper glanced up. “Hey, you made it.”
“How’s the boss acting?” My fingers gripped my purse strap.
“Not sure yet, I haven’t seen him. I think he’s in his office. So, I’m going to quit talking and get to work so he isn’t reminded we’re late.” She smiled, hurrying down the hall.
I scurried after her. No need to be a blip on Mr. Dancy’s radar. As if sensing our thoughts, he appeared just in front of us. He crossed his arms over his chest, but didn’t say anything as Maude came bursting in the front entrance as well.
“Don’t worry, I’m here, Mr. Dancy. Car’s working better now. Not having Corny around is a real pisser, I tell you.” Maude lied without cracking a smile. I had to give it to her, she was good.
Mr. Dancy’s eyes softened, or maybe that was the heat of the building melting them. Either way, I hoped Mr. Dancy didn’t see through this, or we might all get canned.