Chapter 8 #2
“I know he was the dependent spouse in our marriage, and he should get something, but after the way he’s behaved… two hundred and forty thousand dollars a year?”
“I understand.” She sighed sympathetically, as if she’d had a variation of this conversation many times before.
“You probably carried the emotional load in your household, as well as being the breadwinner, and I’m guessing Freddy wasn’t busting his ass cleaning the apartment and taking the kids to doctor appointments.
I’ve met the guy, remember? Unfortunately, the court doesn’t care about all that.
They’re going to see that you still earn a lot of money, and it’s going to be hard to persuade them you can’t afford to pay that much alimony. ”
I’d reached the first of two guest cottages, a lovely old house with shaker siding, gabled windows and a sweet wraparound porch. Winded from the climb and the emotional conversation, I walked up the steps and took a seat on the metal glider.
“I’m not giving him a piece of the company,” I said. “That’s firm. If you think he won’t take a lump sum, then I guess we can meet his alimony demands of twenty thousand.”
“We’ll offer lower,” she promised. “That will give us some negotiating room. Who knows? Maybe he’ll get desperate to tie things up, and he’ll take eighteen.”
“Maybe…”
I had no idea whether these machinations were Freddy’s doing or his lawyer’s. He’d never been interested in Ms. Match except as a source of money for all his extracurricular activities, so his request for a stake in the company felt like someone else’s idea.
“The important thing is that he’s out of your life as soon as we get this settled,” she said, “and you can?—”
“Dammit.” My phone cut out, and I had to call her back. “Sorry, I lost you there for a minute.”
“No problem. I can’t imagine being somewhere that barely has cell service. How can you stand it?”
“The technology situation here isn’t great,” I admitted, “but the views are incredible. The sunset tonight was absolutely gorgeous.” Heavy clouds had hung in the sky as a fiery sun sank toward the horizon.
For the first time in my life, I’d wished I was a painter so I could try to capture what I was seeing.
“Nice…” She sounded distracted and ready to get on to her next task. “I’ll write up a counter-offer and send it over to Freddy’s lawyers, okay?”
“Sure. Tempest, thank you for calling me this evening.”
“No problem. You know me, I’m always working.
” She said a quick goodbye before hanging up, and I couldn’t help imagining that I was the woman still in her office, working late into the night, eating takeout food at her desk.
It was easier to imagine that than to believe in reality—I was a guest at a dude ranch in Wyoming, with a newly purchased pair of cowgirl boots and a can of bear spray at my side.
I certainly didn’t envy Tempest one bit.
I’d spent many evenings working way too late, missing dinner with my kids, head bent over a spreadsheet.
Back then, my career fired me up and was an important part of my identity.
The money I earned meant we could provide Serge and Julien with wonderful educations and travel experiences, but those late nights weren’t great for my marriage.
Freddy was selfish and vain, but I had to admit that I wasn’t home often and when I was there, I gave my full attention to my sons.
I missed the body I had at thirty-five—pain-free joints and tight neck skin—but I didn’t long for the life I had back then.
Who would miss late nights of knocking out a few more items on a to do list while gobbling down a wilted deli salad?
No, thank you. I wanted more sunsets and someone wonderful by my side to enjoy them with me.
It was amazing how many revelations you could have about your life and your future when you finally stood still for a few minutes and looked at the sky.
Instead of walking back to my cabin, I leaned back into the cozy cushions of the old metal glider.
A little sign on the house announced it as Bluebell Cottage, which matched well with its cornflower blue shutters.
What a perfect little place. As I swung gently back and forth, I let myself relax into the waning light of the evening.
When was the last time I had nothing that needed to get done and nowhere to be?
I closed my eyes and let myself rock and relax, even drifting off to the place right before sleep…
At the sound of someone’s boots on the dirt path that ran past the cottage, my eyes shot open and scanned the looming darkness.
Approaching me was a tall person with a long stride.
Probably a man. Definitely coming to the cottage.
I stilled the glider, my city instincts telling me it was better to go undetected.
I had that bear spray with me, just in case.
My finger stayed poised on the trigger as he clomped up the porch steps in his work boots.
That’s when I recognized his beautiful jawline and blue eyes.
“Matthew.”
He jumped backwards in surprise. “Shit!” He pressed a hand to his heart. “You scared me.”
“Sorry! I didn’t know it was you until you got close. I was going to douse you in bear spray if you were a rapist.”
Matthew laughed. “More likely to be a bear out here at night than a rapist.”
“Given the choice, I’d take the bear,” I muttered.
“What are you doing out here at the cottages?”
“I was walking and needed a place to sit down and think. Do you mind?”
“Course not.” He stood with his hands in his pockets, acting like he was shy about explaining his presence. “I keep my beer in the fridge here, and I was coming to get one. Care to join me?”
I wasn’t sure about the drink, but I definitely wanted his company. “Sure, I can try one.”
“Try one?” He unlocked the door with a key that hung on a jam-packed keychain. “You mean you’ve never had a beer?”
I had to smile at his look of disbelief. “Not since college, probably. I’m not even sure if I like it.”
“I mean, it’s no matcha…”
I pretended to be annoyed at him. “Very funny. I know you think I’m bougie.”
“Ma’am, I’m not even sure what bougie means.
” He smiled and disappeared inside the cottage, reappearing a minute later with two bottles.
Like a pro, he used the porch railing to pop off the caps before handing me one.
I can’t say why that turned me on, but it did.
“Now this isn’t microbrew beer,” he said. “It’s standard Budweiser.”
“I wouldn’t know the difference at this point.”
He gestured to the glider. “May I?”
“Please do.”
The glider bench was wide enough to accommodate both of us, and our legs weren’t anywhere near touching, but I still felt butterflies with Matthew sitting close to me. Feeling that kind of magnetic attraction to a man was a heady experience.
“Refreshing,” I said after taking a sip. “Why do you keep your beer out here? Is it so you have to burn off the calories on the way to retrieve it?”
“No.” He paused before answering. “I have to hide it from someone.”
“Your daughter?” I couldn’t imagine that was the case unless she was a tragically young alcoholic.
“One of my employees. He has a drinking problem. If I don’t lock up the alcohol, he falls off the wagon. Otherwise, he stays sober, and his job gets done.”
We drank our beer in silence for at least a full minute.
“Don’t you think that’s a lot of trouble to go to,” I said, “when he should be the one making the effort to stay sober?”
“True.” He stretched his long legs out in front of him. “I know it sounds ridiculous to treat him like a child, but he’s great at what he does, and I couldn’t replace him, not for the same money. He’s also had a rough go of it in life recently. I guess I want to help him find his way again.”
Matthew was a compassionate guy, even if he did have more to learn about co-dependence. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“It’s a system that works most of the time.
I’m not much of a drinker myself, but we had the campfire cookout tonight, and after a long trail ride and a warm shower, a cold beer felt like the perfect way to end the evening.
” He sighed and stretched his arm out along the back of the glider. “It’s been a long week.”
“Want to talk about it?” I tried to ignore the fact that his hand was now close enough to play with my hair.
He turned toward me. “Thanks, but not really. I’d rather enjoy your company and forget my troubles for a while.”
“Same,” I said. “I got some crappy news from my lawyer tonight, but I’d rather not talk about it either.”
He used his boots to rock the glider, and I pulled my feet up underneath me to enjoy the comforting swaying motion.
“We’re a pair, huh?” he said.
“Well, it’s hard to feel sorry for yourself when you see a sunset like the one tonight. Is it always that amazing?”
“Tonight was pretty, but you might get an even better one if you stay long enough.” He tapped my shoulder and my heart fluttered. “See what I did there, encouraging you to stay with us longer?”
“I appreciate you encouraging me to stay. I’m still not convinced that I’m rugged enough for this place, though.”
He put his hands on his knees and stood up. “You know what we should do? We should go introduce you to the horses.”
“Right now?” I asked hesitantly. “In the dark?”
“Why not? Gigi is playing cards with Kyra and Tyler, and unless you have other plans…”
“Other than finishing this beer,” I said, “I have no plans on my agenda tonight.”
“Great. Then let’s go say hello to the horse you’re riding tomorrow morning.”