The Spinsters’ Club
The Spinsters’ Club
Greer
There’s snow in the air. I can’t wait for it to start coming down. Watching the snow fall from the window is one of those peaceful moments of my life. But even though I can smell it, the weatherman says the snow won’t start until tomorrow.
What would it be like watching flakes fall on the way into Silent Valley?
Driving through the small town Cordelia lives in is like being transported to a whole different world. For all my adult life, I’ve lived in Urbium. The constant energy always seemed to give the city life.
But that life is frenetic and sometimes angry. It holds so many memories, and none of them are good. Could I stand living in a small town like Cordelia? It certainly feels like a nice place to raise a child. There’s a festival of some sort being set up in the town square.
Kids are running around as adults set the stuff up.
Their parents aren’t hyper-vigilantly worrying about them. Nor are there dozens of nannies. They’re just kids playing.
What would it be like for a child to grow up like that?
I’d always understood that our children would be raised exactly like I was, like my mother was, and her mother before her. Darrel’s life was the same minus attending boarding school. He followed a private school to an Ivy League path.
My car pulls up in front of Cordelia’s house, which is more like an old Victorian mansion. It looks odd now that her gardeners covered everything with heated protective cloths to avoid damage from the freezing weather.
Only Cordelia would think this is totally normal.
“Should I wait here for you?” my driver asks as he pulls to a stop.
“No. We’ll probably be several hours. I’ll call you when I need a pickup.” I step out of the car before he can come open the door for me. It’s way too stuffy in a neighborhood like this.
Winnie’s car pulls up behind mine, and a huge goon steps out. Winnie’s security always looks more like a brawler than a smoothly suited security guard. She steps out in a sleek business suit. It’s easy to believe she’s the CEO of a billion-dollar company.
What’s hard to believe is that she has one of the softest hearts of all of us.
“Greer.” Winnie walks up to give me a hug. “How are you doing?”
“Odd. Everything feels different.”
“You’ll get used to it. Being free of him is a good thing.”
When the judge finalized my divorce decree yesterday, Winnie stood by my side, like a sentinel ready to go to war. Really, she was just ready to kill Darrel.
The only good thing about that day was that I got every concession I asked for, including him giving up all parental rights to any children we might have. Which is what Darrel suggested initially and my lawyer just changed the terminology a bit to encompass the little boy in my belly.
Cordelia opens the door, and we step inside.
“Who happened to you?” Winnie gapes at Dylan.
“Winnie!” It’s not polite to ask, even though Dylan has whisker burn across her face and a mottled bruise on her jaw. The Spinsters’ Club group chat was filled with pictures of Dylan and tales of the most epic pre-bachelorette party ever to happen.
It makes mine look boring…like my entire marriage.
“It’s not like she’s even trying to hide it, Greer. Dylan made out with someone, and we need the details.”
Like a person who barely knows us needs to tell us the details of her love life…though that won’t stop Winnie. Dylan should just confess it all. She’s not going anywhere until Winnie is satisfied with the answer.
The doorbell chimes, and I reach for it since I’m the closest to the door.
Mindy steps in with a giant smile on her face and her lipstick smudged.
Everyone around me seems to be kissing someone…love is in the air, as they say, but not for me. I’m back to swearing off men.
“Ottilie is outside. She’ll be in soon.” Mindy takes off her coat. “Today’s meeting couldn’t have been more convenient. Maddox and Jacko had to drive out here for a funeral.”
A funeral? Who died? I don’t want to know. There’s enough bad news in my life right now.
“What happened to your face?” Mindy stops talking to stare at Dylan.
For spinsters, they’re all pretty nosy about love.
“Who,” Winnie corrects.
“Oh, really. Well, I’m glad Maddox shaves. I wouldn’t want the entire world to know when we were kissing.”
Don’t say anything. It wouldn’t be polite. But I can’t stop the small smirk from playing on my lips.
“So, who were you kissing?”
Dylan needs to give up already.
“A biker,” Cordelia leans forward to whisper.
The door opens, and Ottilie storms in. “It’s time. We need to start the meeting.” She doesn’t wait for anyone else, but marches straight towards the table Cordelia set in her front parlor.
And that decides that.
Dylan slips away without a word of clarification, and we all follow Ottilie into the room.
Cordelia’s house is always flawless. I’m pretty sure dust doesn’t even bother entering her house. My penthouse takes a team to keep it pristine. Hers just seems to always magically be perfect. From the lace doilies to the antiques, everything should feel outdated, but here it’s pure bliss.
The table has a low floral arrangement with peonies and hydrangeas that perfectly match the tablecloths and china pattern.
I take a seat between Mindy and Winnie. They’ll act as my distraction and buffer one way or the other.
Why am I stressing out? These women are my friends.
They aren’t fake friends. They’re the real ones.
The ones you tell when you think you’re bleeding to death, but it turns out you just got your period for the first time.
The ones you talk to when your grandmother died.
The ones who comfort you when your parents forgot that you were the lead in the eighth-grade play.
They’re your rock. Your cheerleaders. The only people in the world who you can count on.
Not one of them is going to judge you.
“The 158th meeting of the Sinister Spinsters Club is now in session. All members are present except for Leonie Lourdes who’s currently on a stakeout and couldn’t make it.
Greer Novack, founding member but now a guest, is also in attendance.
” Ottilie writes furiously in her notebook.
“This emergency meeting was called by Greer Novack in regards to rejoining as a member with full rights.” Ottilie takes this way too seriously, so we do as well.
“I’d like to enter into the notes that I am no longer Greer Novack. From now on, I will be referred to as Greer Hestons. This is my formal request to rejoin the Sinister Spinsters Club.”
The beautiful room goes silent. As if everyone processes what that means.
“I open the floor to debate.” Ottilie glances around the room with her pen poised to jot down any comments.
“What happened? Does Maddox need to beat Darrel up? Because let me tell you, he’s been itching for a fight and will gladly do it.”
“I say we let Winnie kill him,” the normally sweet and gentle Cordelia volunteers.
“First, we should find out what he did. Then, we can plan how to kill him.” Ottilie doesn’t seem to be the voice of reason in this conversation either.
All eyes turn to me. “We aren’t killing Darrel.” No matter how many times I’ve thought of doing it. “My baby might need his father…for a kidney or something when he gets older.”
“Father…” Ottilie’s pen slips from her fingers, clattering on the edge of her teacup.
“Can we put this up to a vote now?” And stop staring at me.
“I vote we reinstate Greer as a full member. Though we might have to eject Mindy.” And that’s Winnie saving the day.
“You aren’t booting me even if I eventually say yes to Maddox’s proposal.”
Cordelia chokes on the tea she foolishly lifted to her lips just a moment before. “What? He already proposed?”
“Sort of. More like he told me that we had to get married to have sex…and well, you’ve seen him, right? Plus, I’ve fallen in love with him.”
“Does he want kids?” All eyes turn to me, filled with sympathy.
“No. I think he wants them even less than I do, if that’s possible. According to Maddox, he already has enough kids to take care of. He doesn’t need to add any more into the mix.”
“So do you think you’ll marry him?” Ottilie lifts up her cup instead of the pen.
Mindy smiles. “Probably. Only there’s one problem…or two. Maddox doesn’t believe in divorce. He wants forever.” Mindy leans back in her chair like the weight of the world just dragged her down.
“So?” Winnie says what I’m thinking.
“So…my track record isn’t very good.”
Cordelia snorts…which somehow sounds ladylike coming from her. “You don’t have a track record. You’ve never tried getting married.”
“My mother has—”
“You aren’t your mother.” Ottilie reaches for a cookie. Unlike everything else on the table that’s homemade, Ottilie’s cookies are from a package, which is the only way she’ll eat them.
“I know that, but—”
“No buts.” Winnie grins. “You aren’t your mother, just like the rest of us aren’t like our parents.
We’re our own people. That means we get to live our lives by our own rules and make our own mistakes.
And let me tell you, walking away from a man that loves you that much would be one.
I vote we keep Mindy in the club regardless of her marital status. ”
Ottilie raises her hand. “Second. Any opposed?”
The room goes silent.
“Good.” She scribbles down the note. “I second reinstating Greer as well.” Ottilie lifts her pen up. “Any opposed?”
Like anyone is going to say no to being in a group that i’ve been in everyday anyway.
“Greer Hestons has been reinstated as a full member. On to the second problem you have, Mindy.”
My mind is still on the first…Mindy isn’t her mother. She doesn’t have to make the same mistakes. She doesn’t have to live the same life...
Is that what I’ve been doing? Living the same life and planning on making my son live the same way?
Who says I need to live in Urbium? Get a whole bunch of nannies? Sign my son up for boarding school before he’s even born?
We could live a different life. One where he runs around playing and laughing. One where when he falls, he comes to me to fix his boo-boos. One where I’m involved in every part of his life.
“So what do you guys think? Is Maddox right? Should I quit one of my jobs to spend more time with him?” Mindy asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“You’re contemplating marrying him, but you’re afraid he will leave you penniless and homeless?” Cordelia slices off a piece of triple chocolate cake without leaving a single stray crumb.
“No. No. Maddox isn’t like that. He won’t leave total strangers homeless. He certainly wouldn’t let a woman he loved want for anything.”
“So why do you feel the need to work yourself to death? Because that’s what you’re doing with two full-time jobs.” Cordelia’s right.
“Not having money in my checking account makes me terrified. All those times we were homeless as a child—”
I pull out my phone and transfer money into her account. As I lift my head up, I notice that Ottilie and Winnie also have their phones in hand.
Mindy’s phone chimes. “What did you guys do?”
“It seems we all made sure you didn’t have to worry about money.” Winnie sets her phone down. “Do you have any other pesky little problems for the group to deal with, or should we talk about our upcoming trip?”
All eyes go to Mindy. She squirms a little in her seat with tears in her eyes.
“Ottilie, let’s move on.” Winnie lifts up her fork.