Chapter 31
Erica got home a little after ten. She expected the downstairs to be dark, but lights were on in the kitchen, and Allison was rummaging in the refrigerator.
“Your timing is perfect,” she said with a laugh. “I just fed Bethany and I’m starving. There’s leftover pizza. I’m preheating the oven. Want some?”
Erica wasn’t hungry, but she knew she had to eat. She dropped her bag on the island and sat at the kitchen table. “Sure. I’ll take a couple of slices.” Then she would figure out how to tell her daughter about Killion. Everyone else knew, so it was time.
After school tomorrow, she promised herself. Summer would be devastated, but that couldn’t be helped.
Allison opened the oven and slid several slices on the pizza stone, then set the timer. “Five minutes should be enough.”
She poured herself a large glass of milk. “Want some wine?”
Erica pushed herself to her feet. “I’ll get it.”
“Sit. I’m fine. All I’ve done today is feed the baby and sleep.”
Erica eyed her. “And look after Jackson. Plus, weren’t you visiting Peter? You must be exhausted.”
“I can open a bottle of wine.”
Erica sank back in her chair. “Thanks. It’s been a long day for me, too.”
“Such is the burden of being a tycoon.” Allison set a glass of wine in front of her. “Or is something else bothering you?”
Erica held up her hand. “Please don’t talk about Killion. I beg you. My mom lectured me earlier. I can’t take any more.”
“Then I won’t mention his name except to say we all miss him.”
“I’m sure he misses you as well.”
The timer dinged. Allison plated the slices and set them on the table.
Erica inhaled the scent of tomato sauce and oregano, and her stomach growled. She polished off two slices, barely stopping to breathe, then wiped her mouth with a napkin.
“I was hungry.”
“I can see that. Did you eat today?”
“No.”
“But we’re not talking about how much you regret breaking up with Killion?”
“No, we’re not.”
Allison grinned. “You don’t scare me.”
“Why should I? You’re a nursing mother with a toddler. It’s not like I’m going to beat you with a stick if you bring him up again, but I will take my pizza and wine and leave.”
“The adult equivalent of taking your marbles?”
“Yes.”
“I’d prefer your company so I won’t mention him again. At least not on purpose.”
“Thank you.”
“I have news,” Allison said. “I heard from Peter’s lawyer. He’s getting some money released by the bank.”
“That’s good.” Erica knew Allison worried about not being able to pay for things. She was happy to take care of her friend, but she understood the need to feel at least somewhat independent.
“There’s also a CD I’m going to cash in,” Allison continued, not meeting her gaze. “It’s not a huge amount but between that and the savings, plus the cash I still have from the ten thousand that guy gave me, I could probably pay up-front for a six-month lease on a small apartment.”
“No!” Erica blurted. “You’re not moving out. Why would you say that? You can’t live in a tiny apartment with two kids. Plus you’d be on your own. It’s a complete waste of the money.”
Her chest got tight and she found it a little difficult to catch her breath. Emotions swelled inside of her but she was unable to name any of them. Worry maybe. A strange sense of loss and abandonment.
Allison looked at her. “I can’t live with you forever.”
“Why not? You can stay. The house is big and we’re all here to help.” Of course Allison had to live here. It made sense. “We work. The five of us. Six if you count my mom. Jackson loves living here. Use the money for something else.” Her eyes began to burn. “Just don’t go.”
Allison stood and walked around the table. Erica rose and rushed toward her. They hung on tight.
“I love you, too,” Allison whispered. “You’re the sister I never had. I’m not trying to scare you because I know you have a whole I don’t love thing going on, but you have been such a blessing for me.”
Erica blinked away tears. “No. I’m the lucky one. I like having you around. I’ve been so lonely for a friend for so long, but I didn’t know how to break out of my shell and trust someone. I didn’t want you to move in, but now I don’t want you to go.” She swallowed. “You’re like my sister, too, and I do love you. I can love people. Just not, you know, men.”
“I’m sorry Peter did that to you.”
“Let’s not talk about him, either.”
They resumed their seats. Erica took a gulp of her wine.
“Moving to an apartment is a really bad idea. I can’t believe you said that.”
Allison raised her eyebrows. “Really? We just had that great emotional moment and you’re telling me I’m an idiot.”
“Not you. The idea.”
“I have to move forward with my life. I can’t sit around and do nothing forever.”
“You just had a baby. You get to take a breath.”
Allison leaned forward, then sat back. She put her hands on the table, opened her mouth, then closed it.
“Just say it,” Erica told her, fighting worry again. “Whatever it is, we’ll deal.”
“I want to go to beauty school. I want to be an esthetician. I’ve been talking to Emmy about it and I’ve done some research. I can apply now and start in the fall. I’d use the money from the CD and savings to pay for it and—”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Erica told her. “Why waste the money? There are scholarships. You can apply through the school. You’re going to qualify and you’re exactly who they want. You’re an older single mother with a clear idea of what it takes to be successful. Women like that do the work because they know they can’t afford to fail.”
Allison sagged back in her chair. “I thought you were saying going to beauty school was a waste of money.”
“No. It’s a great idea. I’d tell you that Twisted gives out scholarships, but I have a feeling you’d refuse that. But when you graduate, you can join our apprentice program. You’ll learn the right way to do things. When you’re licensed, you can stay with the company or go work elsewhere. Although I have to tell you, we’re absolutely the best place to work.”
“Thank you.”
Erica waved away the words. “We had a deal. No more thanking.”
“You’re giving me a job.”
“No, you’re earning the job. I’m not giving you anything. If you’re lousy, you’ll be fired.”
Allison grinned. “Now there’s the Erica we all know and love.”
“I’m not keeping a crappy employee just because we’re family.”
“I’m happy to hear that.” Allison looked at her. “I want to move into the basement.”
“No. It’s cold and damp.”
Allison rolled her eyes. “It’s beautiful and it’s a walk-out so there are windows to the backyard.” She softened her tone. “Summer needs her room back and the kids and I need our own space. I want to stay here, don’t get me wrong, but let’s have a little separation so we don’t ruin what we have.”
Erica knew she was right. Currently everything was new and shiny but over time, there could be issues. “Let’s wait until Bethany’s a month old, then make the move.”
“Agreed.”
Erica smiled. “I feel like we’re on a roll here with the problem solving. We should tackle something really tough.”
“Like you and Killion.”
She glared across the table. “We aren’t talking about him.”
“I’m just saying, you’re making a mistake.”
“I can’t hear you.”
But the words were said automatically. In truth, she missed him enough to wonder if she really did have feelings for him. At least more than she’d first thought. But so what if she did? Getting involved was too much of a risk.
“I told Peter I want a divorce,” Allison said, grabbing the last slice of pizza on her plate.
Erica would have thought the threat about moving out would have been the most shocking event of the evening, but she would have been wrong. She heard the words, but couldn’t process them. When they finally made their way into her brain, she couldn’t believe them.
“You didn’t,” she breathed. “But you love him. You’re happy together. He’s the father of your children. He begged for you.”
Allison set down the pizza slice. “He risked everything for something I didn’t want. He didn’t give me a choice about any of it. He lied to me, he abandoned me and our children. He’s a criminal and not at all who I thought. What I don’t know is whether the problem is I didn’t know him ever, or if he changed and I didn’t notice.”
Erica didn’t know what to say. “Are you still in love with him?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure the man I loved ever existed. I talked to a divorce lawyer yesterday. Assuming Peter doesn’t contest the divorce, it could be over in three or four months.”
“I thought you were happy with him.”
“My happiness was an illusion.” She blinked away tears. “Sometimes I lie awake at night and wonder how I got here. How could I have been so wrong about so many things?”
“You weren’t. You were wrong about one.”
“Yeah, and it was a big one.” Allison picked up her pizza. “So let’s talk about Killion.”
“Don’t make me slap you.”
“You are so full of cheap-ass talk.”
“Prom is Saturday,” Erica said as she drove toward the high school. “I’m worried.”
“You know you’re not going, right?” Allison asked, which earned her a sharp glare.
“I’m worried about Summer and someone saying something mean.”
Allison understood her concern. The social media frenzy had died down, but hadn’t gone away completely.
“She’ll be around her friends and she’s a strong young woman. She’ll get through it.”
“I know, but still.”
“You worry.”
Which was so Erica-like, she thought. On the outside she was tough, standoffish, even, but on the inside she had a soft emotional marshmallow center.
“Prom will be good for her,” Allison said. “She’ll have a lot of fun. Donovan will take care of her.”
“He’d better.”
Erica pulled into the athletic field parking lot. Today was the softball team’s final game of the season. Allison had pumped breast milk so she could be away from Bethany and join Erica to cheer on Summer and her friends. Mara was looking after Bethany and Jackson, and even though the other woman would take good care of her children, Allison still felt odd about leaving them behind.
Just as uncomfortable was her bare left hand. She’d taken off her wedding set the night after she’d told Peter she wanted a divorce. In a few weeks, she would sell the rings and put the money in her day care fund for when she went to beauty school.
They got out of the SUV and walked toward the stands. There were dozens of parents and other supporters heading in the same direction.
“I didn’t know the team pulled in such a big crowd.”
“There aren’t usually this many,” Erica said. “There are more people showing up for the last game.” She paused and glanced at the stands. “If you’re not bothered by heights, we should head up to the top. We’ll have a great view.”
“Works for me.”
They’d just started up when someone called out to Erica. They both turned. A pretty blonde woman headed toward them.
“Last game of the season,” she said. “We’re so excited.” She laughed, then lowered her voice. “That they’re going to be over.”
Erica smiled. “It does get long. Crystal, this is Allison. Allison, Crystal. She’s one of the softball moms.”
Allison started to say hello but stopped when she saw Crystal’s stunned expression.
“But you’re...you’re...”
“Summer’s stepmother?” Erica said briskly. “Yes, she is.”
Crystal flushed. “Oh, right. Of course. Nice to meet you.”
“You, too.”
“We should get to our seats,” Erica said. “Good to see you, Crystal.”
Allison followed her to the top of the bleachers. When they were seated, she said, “I shouldn’t have come.”
“Of course you should be here. You wanted to see the game. Plus except for going to the doctor, you haven’t been out of the house since Bethany was born.”
Allison glanced to where Crystal was in a very intense discussion with two other women. “They’re talking about us.”
“Their lives are small. Ignore them. I do.”
“But you want to be friends with them.”
Erica stared at the empty field. “I don’t need them in my life.”
“It’s nice to have friends.”
She said the words fully expecting a sarcastic response, but Erica only shook her head. “We’re too different. We have nothing in common.”
“You and I don’t have anything in common and we managed to make it work.”
Erica surprised her by smiling. “You’re wrong. We have Peter in common. Sort of.”
“And look how that turned out.”
Allison spoke the words lightly, as if saying his name didn’t hurt. Just then the team walked out onto the field, everyone stood and cheered, and the subject was dropped. But the little stab to her heart lingered.
She was brave enough to tell him she wanted a divorce and smart enough to be furious at how he’d upended their lives, but she couldn’t turn off her feelings as quickly as she would like. Yes, his actions had gone a long way to killing her love for him, but it wasn’t fully dead yet and she knew she would always regret how things had ended.
Summer’s team was ahead by enough runs that the game ended after five innings. Erica had a feeling the parents in the stands were cheering that as much as the victory. They all went onto the field to congratulate the players. While Allison was hugging Summer, Erica felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Crystal behind her.
“Oh, hi,” Erica said. “Great game.”
“Could I talk to you for a second?”
Strange, but okay. “Sure.”
They walked toward the stands. Once they were away from the crowd, they faced each other.
“I didn’t mean to be rude before,” Crystal said, not quite meeting her gaze. “About Allison. I was just so surprised.”
“That we’re friends? She lives in my house.”
“I know and that’s part of it.” Crystal looked directly at her. “I don’t know how you do it. All of it. The business, raising a great kid. That’s enough to make all of us hate you, but then you took in your ex-husband’s second wife. And you didn’t just let her live in your house, as you put it. You’re friends with her. I could never do that. If Braedon and I split up, I’d want to kill whoever he married after me. Or at least maim her. I could never be so gracious or forgiving.”
Erica smiled. “I appreciate the praise, but don’t make what happened more than it was. I didn’t want Allison to move in. I only did it because Summer guilted me into it. The friendship thing...” She glanced over at Allison, who was talking to Summer’s teammates. “That just happened. Neither of us expected to like the other.”
“You can downplay it all you want, but you did an incredible thing.” Crystal paused. “We’re having a potluck Friday night at my house. The team and some of the parents. I’d like you to come. You and Allison.”
The invitation was a surprise. “Are we the entertainment?” she asked dryly.
Crystal laughed. “Only for the first few minutes, then it’s just friends hanging out.”
“Can we bring a toddler and a newborn?”
“The more, the merrier.”
“Then we’ll be there. Does taco salad work?”
“It’s perfect.”
They walked back into the crowd. Erica hugged her daughter.
“You did great today.”
Summer grinned. “I caught the final out. That’s always exciting. Okay, I’m going to go grab my stuff, then I’ll meet you at home.”
“Hey, aren’t you going to celebrate with your friends?” Allison asked.
“That’s for Friday. There’s a potluck. I’d rather be home with you guys tonight.” She looked at Erica. “You doing all right, Mom?”
Erica held in a groan. Ever since she’d told Summer about the breakup, her daughter had been checking in on her.
“I’m totally fine.” Which she was, except for missing him.
“Good.”
Summer hugged them both, then hurried toward the dugout. Erica watched her go.
“About that potluck she mentioned. We’re invited.”
“As a couple?” Allison asked.
“Ha ha. Crystal apologized for weirding out about you being here and she invited us to join everyone Friday night. Jackson and Bethany, too.” Erica looked at her. “Is Bethany too young to be in a crowd?”
“She is, so I’ll stay home with her, but you should go.”
“By myself?”
“Yes. Summer will love having you there. And next year, you need to sit with the softball moms.”
“I won’t be sitting with any of them. Summer isn’t playing next year.”
Allison sighed. “You know what I mean. Don’t lose touch with them. If they ask you to go somewhere, say yes. They want to be friends. Accept the invitation and expand your social circle. It’ll be good for you.”
“I hate change.”
“Now you sound like your daughter.”
“There are worse things.”