Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
M andy’s first wedding at Mimi’s Place went off without a hitch.
Emma thought the bride and her mother were difficult, but Mandy didn’t think they were unreasonable.
Emma didn’t care about the fuss of a big reception when she got married, but Mandy understood that it was equally important to both the bride and her mother.
And Mandy’s strength was in managing the finest of details.
She enjoyed every minute of planning and overseeing the reception.
Paul’s food was gorgeous and drew raves from everyone.
Jill helped with the bar, and Emma was mostly in the kitchen, getting all the food onto the trays and off to the servers.
It had been a solid team effort, and after the restaurant cleared out, she and her sisters, Paul, and a few other staff members gathered around the bar for a well-deserved after-work drink.
Paul sat next to Emma. Mandy smiled at the two of them.
They were constantly together. Emma swore there was nothing there, that she wasn’t ready to date and they were strictly friends.
But Mandy saw the way Paul looked at her sister, and she suspected Emma was equally fond of him.
She just wasn’t ready to admit it yet, not even to herself.
Jill was happier than Mandy had ever seen her. Things seemed to be working out well with Billy. Mandy had been worried for her at first in case it didn’t work out and things were awkward between them, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
“Is Billy still coming here this weekend?” It was Saturday, but Mandy had thought Jill had mentioned that he might be coming for a visit soon.
“Not this weekend. I wanted to be here to help with the wedding and wouldn’t have had time to spend with him. But the next time I go to New York, we’re going to tell the office that we’re together.”
“Really? Are you sure about that?” Mandy thought it still seemed soon.
“It’s been a few months now. We both think it’s time, and I don’t think it’s going to be a shock to some people in the office.”
“Well, good then. You can celebrate with after-work drinks.”
Jill laughed. “I’m sure we will. I think they’ll be happy for us. We still work well together, so nothing is changing.”
Emma turned her attention to the two of them while Paul was deep in conversation with Gary and Jason.
“How are things going with your therapist? Are you still seeing her?” Emma asked.
Mandy nodded. “I really like her a lot. We meet every other week now. It’s good to have someone to talk things through with.”
“You can always talk to us too,” Jill reminded her. “How are things progressing with the divorce? Do you still talk to Cory at all?”
Mandy bit her lip. Just thinking about it still stressed her out. “Now that we’ve agreed on terms, it’s just a waiting game, but I should hear soon about a date for the hearing, and then it will be over a few months later.”
“What about Cory?” Jill asked. “Is he still asking to come back? Even though you’ve agreed on a settlement amount?”
Mandy nodded. “Every time I talk to him about the kids. I think he thinks one of these times, I’ll say yes if he just keeps asking. Part of me thinks he agreed to that generous lump sum because he was cocky enough to think he could win me back and avoid paying it.”
Jill said nothing, but the expression on her face said everything, and Mandy laughed out loud. “I know, he’s a real piece of work.”
“I heard from my lawyer yesterday, and my divorce will be final next week. Seems strange,” Emma said.
“Really? That’s a good thing though, right?” Mandy asked. Emma didn’t talk much about her divorce, and Mandy had no idea it was that close to being finalized.
“I suppose. I wasn’t in any hurry to do it, but Peter was. He wants to marry Tom.”
“Wow.” Jill shook her head.
“Oh, Emma. It’s a tough situation for you,” Mandy said.
Emma sighed. “It was. I think I’m almost over it now. It will actually be a relief that it’s going to be finalized. I can close that chapter of my life and move on.”
Mandy nodded. “That’s a good way to think about it.
” She wished that she was further along with her own process.
She was eager to put the divorce behind her.
She’d been putting all her energy into the restaurant these past few months, and it had helped to keep her mind off Cory and the impending divorce.
Mandy finished her glass of wine, said goodbye to the others, and headed home.
The kids were with Cory, so the house was quiet and peaceful.
She changed into her most comfy pajamas, grabbed a good book, and curled up in bed to read for a while.
After a few pages, she drifted off to sleep and slept late the next morning.
She woke to the sound of the front door opening and Brooke’s and Blake’s voices as they ran upstairs to find her. She looked at the clock. She’d slept in, but it was still early, not quite nine. Cory didn’t usually bring them home this early.
Brooke and Blake ran into her bedroom and jumped on her bed.
“I can’t believe you’re still in bed!” Brooke exclaimed.
“Lazybones!” Blake said and giggled.
Mandy smiled. “You’re right. I slept in. I worked hard last night. What are you guys doing home so early? Did Dad have to work?”
Brooke nodded. “He said he had to go into the office. Daisy was going in with him.”
Mandy felt a chill run through her. “Daisy? Was she meeting your dad at the office, you mean?”
“No, she stayed over last night too. They were up late laughing. Daisy works with Daddy.”
Mandy nodded. “That’s right, she does. Was Patrick there too?” Patrick and Daisy had their own house on Nantucket; maybe they were both visiting.
“Just Daisy,” Brooke said.
Mandy decided to change the subject. “So what do you two want to do today? I was thinking maybe we could go for a bike ride along the trail and stop for pizza at Oath after?”
Blake jumped up. “Can we go right now?”
Mandy laughed. “No. But soon, buddy. Give me a little time to get up and get ready.”
Later on, after a fun day riding bikes with the kids and after they’d had dinner and gone to bed, Mandy called Cory.
He answered on the first ring and sounded pleasantly surprised to hear from her.
“Hey, Mandy, what’s up?”
Mandy cut right to the chase. “Are you having a ‘discreet’ affair with Daisy now too?”
There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Finally, Cory sighed. “The kids told you she stayed over.”
“They did. What are you thinking, Cory? Daisy, of all people? Your partner’s wife? What will you do if he finds out?”
“He’s not going to find out. It’s just a bit of fun. It’s not serious for either of us.”
“I don’t care what it is, I really don’t.
If you want to be that stupid, that’s your business.
But I think we need to set some ground rules.
I assumed it went without saying, but I don’t want you to bring any of these women around the kids.
For the one or two nights a week that you see them, have the focus be on them.
It’s not fair, and it’s too confusing for them.
They don’t understand what you’re doing, Cory. ”
“I don’t understand it either. If you let me come back, it won’t be an issue.”
Mandy sighed in disbelief. He was like a broken record. “Cory, we’ve agreed on terms. The divorce is happening.”
“Are you sure about that? I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make this work.”
Mandy laughed bitterly. “You mean like go to counseling? You said you’d do that, but whenever I suggested it, you didn’t follow through.”
“If I agree to go to counseling, will you change your mind?”
She sighed. “No. I think we’re long past that now. We should be hearing any day about a hearing date.”
There was a long moment of silence before Cory spoke. “Okay. Whatever you want to do, Mandy. I’ll support it.”
“I appreciate that.” Mandy was certain that Cory still didn’t believe the divorce would actually happen. But knowing he’d been with Daisy was the final straw.