Chapter 21
Analise spent the rest of the day packing, then went over to Bane’s house. She knocked on the door and waited only a few moments before Daisy opened the door. “Hey, ‘Lise, come on in.”
“Thanks. I just wanted to come tell y’all goodbye.”
“Goodbye? You’re leaving already?” Daisy asked.
“Who’s leaving?” Janie asked, walking into the living room.
“I am. I talked to my boss and the rest of my team this morning. One of the crates we sent to the museum from Malta had some broken pieces in it. They need me to come back and identify all the pieces and see if I can repair them.”
“Oh, no! It seems like you just got here.”
“I know. But I figure Mom and Dad are away on vacation anyway, and it is my job, so, I’m just going to go ahead and start home.”
“When are you going?”
“Tomorrow. I was going to head out early but Emmalyn says I have to wait until she wakes up and then she’ll take me, so it might be after dark.”
Janie laughed. “That girl does like her sleep.”
“Always has,” Analise said.
“Speaking of, where is she?”
“She’s over at Brandt’s with him and Tempest and probably chasing after Barron if she gets half a chance.”
“You should go visit, too.”
Analise shook her head a little too emphatically. “I’ll just stay near my house.”
“There a problem?” Daisy asked.
“Not really.”
“Sounds like a problem,” Daisy said.
“I’m gonna get you girls something to snack on, then let you two visit. You don’t need me around getting in the middle of things,” Janie said.
“That’s not true, Aunt Janie,” Analise said.
“It’s okay. I have things to do anyway.”
Analise just smiled, not feeling much like chitchatting and wondering now why she even bothered coming over if she wasn’t in the mood for a visit.
“Are you finished packing?” Daisy asked, walking over and sitting down.
“Yes. I didn’t bring much with me,” Analise answered, following her and sitting on the same sofa.
“You should spend the rest of the day here. You said yourself you’re just waiting for tomorrow. I’m guessing your flight is tomorrow.”
“It is, late tomorrow afternoon.”
“So, hang out with us. Better than being by yourself all day.”
Analise smiled. “I’ll stay for a little while.”
“I thought I saw you leaving early this morning,” Daisy said.
“I did. I went to Havoc’s house to pick up Harley and we went bird watching.” Analise's face lit up as she talked about Harley. “She loves to go for walks in the morning because the birds sing lots and lots of pretty songs.”
“I understand. She’s not wrong.”
“No, she’s not.”
“You really love her.”
“Is it that obvious?” Analise asked.
“It is. Your whole face lights up and your smile isn’t forced anymore, it’s just natural.”
“She’s a special little girl.”
“Does she know you’re leaving yet?”
“Probably not. I wanted to go talk to her myself, but Havoc said he thought it was best that I didn’t. I think he’s thinking make a clean break, you know?”
“That’s too bad.”
“Yeah, but he knows that once I go back to Boston it’ll be a long time before I come back. So, while I don’t like it, I do see his point.”
Daisy sat for a few minutes trying to get a read on Analise. “I think maybe you should come home more often. It might be good for you.”
“I’m starting to think that I shouldn’t have come this time, much less coming back more often,” Analise said, huffing a laugh at her own comment.
“I thought things were different, beginning to work out.”
“I don’t know about working out, but I definitely thought they were getting better, too. Must have been hopeful thinking.”
“Why? What happened?”
“It’s not important.”
“It is, though.”
“It’s okay, really. I don’t want anything said to him.”
“I give you my word, I won’t say anything at all to him.”
Analise looked at Daisy for an uncomfortable amount of time, knowing that Daisy was probably the only one who wouldn’t say anything to Havoc. “When I called to tell him that I was going back home, my work needed me, I told him I knew I was responsible for part of the problems we’ve always had. I thought it was going well. I even mentioned that now that we’re at least friends again we don’t have to stress about seeing each other when we come home for the holidays anymore. I thought it was a good thing. He told me that I should feel free to come home anytime I want because next year he’ll be going to spend it with Maia. Which basically means that he won’t be here if I am.”
“Oh, ‘Lise.”
“I know. I thought we were making progress at least. I even started to question him on it and he said he just feels it’s for the best. It’s easier.”
“Maybe he can’t see you just once in a while. He wants you so bad it hurts,” Daisy said.
“I guess so,” Analise said. She gazed off toward the front windows for a few seconds, then Janie came in with snacks and drinks. She smiled at Janie. “You always made the best snacks, Aunt Janie. It was always such a treat being here as a kid.”
“Oh, I’m so happy to hear that, sweetheart.” Janie pressed a quick kiss to Analise’s temple, then went back to whatever she was doing in the rest of the house.
Analise turned her attention to Daisy. “So, instead of listening to me, what about you? I know you came home right before you finished your graduate program, and I know it was a man, but I didn’t feel right calling and saying, ‘Hey, I hear you got your heart broken. You good?’ So, now that I’m right here face to face, are you alright? And you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“Not everyone knows. I mean, yes, they all know I moved back home, but the reason for it is kind of hazy where most are concerned, though I’m sure the parents probably know, thank you clan telepathy.”
Analise laughed lightly as she sipped her hot chocolate. “Anything I can do?”
“I wish, but no. I just trusted the wrong person. He was supposed to guide us, and help lead us to the next point in our lives and he gave me an inordinate amount of attention. He said I was gifted and glowed so brightly that he couldn’t unsee me even when he closed his eyes. And I believed him. I fell for it hook, line and sinker.”
“Oh, Daisy. I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, me, too. Things went from great to bad and then to abusive.”
“He hit you?!”
“No, he didn’t, but the emotional aspects were almost just as bad. His wife found out and she practically stalked me.”
“His wife?!” Analise exclaimed.
“Yep. Seems that all his commiserating about recovering from a broken heart and how I saved him after his wife walked out and left him were pure bullshit. He was happily married all along. Not deserted, not divorced, not single.”
“I want to kick his ass,” Analise said.
“Same. But it just destroyed me. I can’t believe I was so gullible, that I was so easily manipulated.”
“You’re an innocent soul. You put trust in people and it never occurs to you that they won’t be deserving of it.”
“When I did realize it, I came home and have been licking my wounds ever since as I hideaway.”
“You shouldn’t hide. He should.”
“His wife is near psychotic. It’s her I hide from. The social joke she made me out to be. She made my life miserable on campus. Walking into classrooms that had nothing to do with her husband and shouting at me across the classrooms. She called me whore and accused me of destroying her marriage. Then she’d change tactic and follow me across campus screaming and begging me to stay away from her husband because she just wasn’t strong enough to keep him if I didn’t walk away. Thing is, as soon as I found out about her. As soon as I found out he wasn’t mine, that he wasn’t in a committed relationship with me like I thought we were, I did call it off. I broke it off immediately and went to my advisors and had them transfer me to another professor’s section.”
“Didn’t they do anything about his wife?”
“They forbid her from coming onto campus, they fired him, and suggested I get a restraining order. Which I didn’t follow through on.”
“Why not?”
“Because then all my information would be public knowledge. And legally, I wasn’t a minor so I should have known better. And it’s his word against mine. He claims he told me he was married, but he didn’t. What he told me was that he’d been married once, but she’d deserted him after taking him for all he was worth. He said he’d never found anyone else he even thought he could trust, until me. His statement to the university was that I was equally responsible for any improprieties that took place as I entered into the arrangement knowingly. He blatantly lied; to them, and to me.”
“Did you not scent his lies?” Analise asked.
“No. I wasn’t there when he spoke to them. And all I can figure from his words to me is that maybe some of his words were true to an extent. Maybe he never had found anyone he felt he could completely trust until me. And the truths were just enough to confuse the scent of the lie that he wasn’t married. Or maybe he’s a pathological liar who believes his lies as he speaks them. Doesn’t matter now. I won’t go back now because the few times I tried to finish my classes, his wife always managed to show up at some point. Obviously, I’m the other woman, but I swear I had no clue. I didn’t know. Had I known I’d have never, never even tolerated his flirtatiousness. But now everyone thinks I’m this horrible person. All I did was fall in love. All I did was get caught up in the romance. I had no idea there were so many lies being fed to me.”
“I’m so sorry, Daisy. That’s horrible. Anyone who knows you knows that’s not who you are.”
“Everyone else in the world thinks it’s who I am. It’s humiliating. I just don’t know how to restart myself, you know?”
“I do know.”
“I was almost finished with my graduate program, my degree just right there. And because of the lies this man told me, and me being so gullible, it’s ruined now. I don’t want any part of it anymore. I will never go back there to finish it. It’s just left a stain on all of it.”
“Well, have you considered something else you might be able to do with your degree?”
“Not really. I just left the house for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I was just so embarrassed and afraid that she’d turn up somewhere screaming at me and hurling insults again.”
“What about working with kids? Maybe in one of the schools here? You could work with the littles or you could work in the high school, or you could even open your own art studio and teach kids that sign up for your classes. I think that might be better because instead of having to weed through the kids who just blow off art and goof off through the classes, you’d get the ones whose parents are paying for classes which means they really love art. And you could control who comes into your studio and up here, you’re two hours from New Orleans. And if she tries to come all the way up here, all it takes is a phone call and within minutes Uncle Vince would be there since he lives in town. She comes up here, she may not make it home, ever.”
“And I’d feel bad about that.”
“Why? She sounds crazy!”
“What would you do if it were your husband who was having the affair?”
Analise’s face went slack and she blinked a few times, pulling her gaze from Daisy’s.
“Oh, Analise! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s okay. He wasn’t my husband. And it was a long, long time ago. I’m trying to let go. But I see your point. Still, it’s no reason to let it stop your plans for your future. You didn’t know anymore than she did what he was doing.”
“You’ve given me some things to think about. There are options.”
“And maybe under the circumstances, the dean might allow you finish your work online and submit for your masters.”
“Maybe.”
“If you have to turn in completed art pieces, maybe just have them delivered. Send Brandt to deliver them,” Analise said, snickering a little.
“Or Havoc. That would be interesting.”
“Oh! Havoc and Uncle Maverik.”
Both women laughed, the release much needed for them both.
“If you have them deliver anything to the college, please have somebody else go to film it. I really want to see it.”
Daisy laughed, nodding as she nibbled on a cookie.
“I’m sorry you had to go through all that. Are still going thought it. You should have called me.”
“I was so embarrassed. I should have known better. I’m not a stupid person.”
“No, but you’re very trusting, and very sweet and so, so pretty. And you make the perfect target because you find it hard to believe that anybody could have anything other than honorable motives for anything they do because that’s how you are. That’s your nature, and unfortunately there are those out there that would and did take advantage of your natural instinct to trust and to only see the good. That doesn’t show badly on you. That shows badly on them.”
Daisy sat beside Analise and smiled at her as her eyes misted slightly. “Thank you. I should have called you.”
“You’re welcome. I should have called you, too. I just felt like we’re all family and I didn’t want anyone to feel like they had to choose sides.”
“I get it,” Daisy said.
“So, what do we do now?”
“We get some more munchies and find something to watch that’s not a Christmas movie.”
“Oh! Practical Magic!” Analise said.
“Yes! Practical Magic!” Daisy echoed.
~~~
“Hey! What’s up?” Ronan said, the very moment Havoc answered his phone.
“My blood pressure!” Havoc said, snickering darkly.
“Oh, Lord. It’s a good thing I called then,” Ronan said. “Want to go grab something to eat and have a few beers?”
Havoc looked over at Harley curled in the corner of the sofa with a blanket wrapped around her watching Frozen for the third time that day and knew he couldn’t leave her right now. “I’m gonna have to take a rain check. How about tomorrow? We could go early afternoon so I’d be home for bedtime.”
“Yeah, we can do that. Sounds like a plan to me.”
“I’ll call Momma and see if she would mind watching Harley for a couple hours.”
“I want Analise to watch me,” Harley said petulantly.
“Baby, I told you Analise is going home. She won’t be here.”
“I want Analise,” she grumbled, tunneling deeper into her blanket.
“I hear you say Analise is going home?” Ronan asked.
“Yeah,” Havoc said.
“And how’s that going to work?” Ronan asked.
“It’s not.”
“Damn, that sucks, man.”
“Yeah, it does. At some point, though, I’m enough or I’m not, and that’s all there is to it. I’m not begging anymore. I’m not running after her.”
“You didn’t run after her. You gave her plenty of leeway so she didn’t have to see you.”
“Until this time. I’m sure Daddy told you what happened.”
“Yeah. I was hoping the instincts would bring it together.”
“I was an idiot to think it might.”
“What’d she say?”
“Just that it wasn’t all my fault. She knows she could have done things differently, too.”
“You believe that?”
“That she said it, or that she means it?”
“Either.”
“I believe both. Doesn’t much matter anymore, though.”
“Because you’re enough or you’re not.”
“Exactly.”
“You letting go?”
“Never. Can’t. But I can set it aside, and that’s what I have to do.”
“Want me to come over?”
“Nah, we alright. We’re just sitting here hanging out together. We watching Frozen. Again.”
Ronan laughed. “Again?”
“Yep. It’s Harley’s go to movie.
“She’s upset, huh?”
“Yeah, she wanted ‘Lise to take her to go feed the birds at Kaid’s house. But she’s leaving so it’s best if…” Havoc caught himself before he said too much more.
“I got you. Alright. Well, tell you what. Like you said, we’ll go commiserate over a burger and beer tomorrow.”
“Sounds like a plan to me. Let me know what time.”
“I will.”