Chapter 4 #2
“Absolutely. I try to abide by them every day. That towel is a Beverly Hansen handmade creation, after all. Thanks for corralling the pups for me.” She chuckled, gesturing to the adorable troublemakers and then putting her hands back on her hips.
“You made it? That’s some serious talent. Perfect timing popping over here, too.” I sighed and lay back on the grass. The cool earth eased my overheated skin, and Port crawled onto my lap, turned in a circle, and sat down.
“Why’s that? Is everything okay?”
I swiped my index finger under my eye and then pressed my palm to my cheeks, feeling the blush that still stained my face from the earlier outburst.
“Oh yes. All is well. Great. Brilliant, even.” I squeezed my eyes closed, refusing to let the anger break through and ruin my finally calm mood.
“I call bullshit.”
Bev picked up Tito, who flipped onto his back, exposing his belly and demanding scratches. Port followed, and I sat up to rub her stomach, smiling at how a five-pound ball of fluff could help release such a pleasing rush of endorphins through my body.
“Yeah, it is bullshit, but I don’t want to burden you with my issues.”
“You wouldn’t be. Sometimes another opinion makes you see things in a different light.”
“Perhaps.”
“I know we’ve only spoken a handful of times, but I think that’s all the more reason for you to get an unbiased viewpoint.”
Bev remained quiet for several minutes, giving me time to gather my thoughts, and I wondered just how far down the rabbit hole I should fall.
The barest of details would be the best option, but the destructive force of my anger at seeing that photo made me want to shout from the rooftops at how I wasted twelve perfectly good years of my life on a man who couldn’t be bothered to keep his dick to himself.
“I’m divorced in all but name. It’s been uncontested, thank goodness.
He has until next week to dispute, and then it will all be over.
After what he did, he promised he’d at least make things easy for me.
We’ve been separated for over a year, and I thought I’d worked through all the nonsense that comes with ending a marriage. ”
Bev hummed, grabbing the towel from her shoulder and letting Port wrestle with it until she grew tired and turned in a circle before settling into the grass.
“I don’t miss him, and I don’t want him. Especially since the reason for our divorce was me walking in on him sleeping with his secretary.”
Tito joined his sister on the grass, wrapping his slightly bigger body around hers and snuggling closer.
Bev shook her head, patting my shoulder, then took her phone from her pocket and snapped a picture of the sleeping puppies.
She tilted the phone toward me, and I smiled before glancing at the sky to keep a tear from escaping.
I refused to cry anymore over that stupid man—and it was time my eyeballs got the memo.
“This morning, I saw a picture on Facebook of them announcing her pregnancy. We’d talked about kids, you know, but he never wanted them, so I let it go. We were happy, or so I thought. It turns out, he just never wanted kids with me. And that’s been a tough pill to swallow.”
The soft grass welcomed me into its fold as I lay back down, throwing an arm over my eyes as the words left my mouth and drifted around the large, welcoming yard.
“Want me to key his car?”
I snorted, choking on air and patting my chest as Bev snickered. She reached over and grasped my knee, squeezing gently as I moved my arm and opened one eye to glance her way.
“Not today. But I’ll absolutely give you carte blanche to do your worst if I don’t have a signed divorce decree in hand next week…
” I shrugged and smirked, knowing how much I’d enjoy seeing that man suffer a little.
“With what you and Dad get up to, I can’t even imagine what would happen to someone you dislike. ”
“Oh, Summer. If I truly wanted to make someone suffer, I’d just tell my sons. The banter I have with Cam pales in comparison to the jokes they play on each other.”
“I don’t doubt that,” I said, sitting up with a groan and pulling my knees to my chest. Tito assumed my movement meant it was play time again, and he growled, going down to two paws and sticking his cute little puppy butt in the air.
“Have you thought about dating? They say the best way to get over someone is to get under someone new?”
“Ha!” My bark of laughter startled Port, who twitched her head and yawned before scooting a little closer to Bev’s side and falling back asleep.
“I’m definitely over the prat, so there’s no need for that.
And honestly, I can’t remember the last time I shaved my legs, so it’s best I stay out of the dating circuit for a little while longer. ”
“I don’t know. I remember how my late husband was after his hip was replaced. I can’t even imagine the work of caring for someone who had a heart bypass. A date might be nice.”
“If by nice you mean stressing me the heck out with what to wear, how to act, where to go… Then sure, it sounds nice.”
I blinked as a cloud shaped like a slice of deep-dish pizza passed over us, wondering if she had a point. Would the constant stress of caring for Dad disappear if I went on a date? “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound snippy.”
“Don’t sweat it. After seeing that photo this morning, you’re allowed to sound however the hell you want to.”
“Thank you. It’s been difficult to talk to Dad lately. He has so much pent-up anger about his surgery and the restrictions on his diet and movement. It’s been a tough few weeks.”
“Are you an only child?”
“Oh, no. I have two sisters, but they both live out of state. They were here when he had the operation…”
“But haven’t been here for the aftermath,” Bev said, finishing my thought.
I hummed, letting my silence confirm the unspoken answer.
“You always want more for your children than you had for yourself. When my husband died, Mark—our youngest—was only in middle school and Maverick—our oldest—was about to graduate high school. I was so thankful Maverick stayed close. It took a lot to keep my boys together after Martin passed. But now, looking back, I wish I had pushed them to leave the nest and see the world. I know it seems tough to be by yourself right now, but you’ll have your time to shine soon enough. ”
Bev propped one hand on the grass and stood, brushing the bright green blades off her white denim jeans.
Port growled her annoyance at another nap disruption before playfully nipping her brother’s tail to wake him up.
Tito launched himself from his curled-up position, yipping twice before running as fast as his legs could carry him back to Bev’s yard.
“That’s my cue, sweetness. Feel free to come over and play with the puppies anytime. I can show you the rest of my tea towel collection.”
I chuckled, curious but scared as I imagined the other sayings she might have on her towels. If it were anything like the dick-shaped bushes and twatermelon one she had slung over her shoulder, it would at least be hilarious.
I stood with a groan, wiping the grass away that had stuck to my still wet leggings. “I might take you up on that. I’ll have to at least bring the Pyrex back from those delicious cinnamon rolls you sent over.”
“Oh, take your time on that. There’s a new recipe I want to try. I’ll have Maverick drop it by sometime soon. He mentioned that TriVolt will be helping you and Cam make his condo more…”
“User friendly?”
“Exactly,” she said, snapping her fingers. “My boys will get his place fixed up right. They did a great job with mine.”
“I’m very grateful for the help.”
“Don’t be too grateful yet. Maverick can be a bear of a man until he warms up to you.”
I tilted my head and furrowed my brows as Bev sighed and shook her head, staring beyond her yard and over the large pond that bordered the community clubhouse. “I do hope he’ll warm up quickly.”
“Doubt it,” I said, putting my hands on my hips. “I’m not exactly Miss Personality these days. He doesn’t have to make any effort with me as long as he helps Dad.”
“Pity.”
“Why’s that?”
“It’s just, you two would probably hit it off if you gave it half a chance.”
“No shaved legs, remember? Why don’t we focus on him perhaps saying more than five words to me next time?”
“Ha. Good for you. Keep him on his toes. Do that with all my boys, would you? Oh, and before I forget. I’m hosting a Girls’ Brunch on Saturday at ten.
Bring a dish to share, mimosas and Bloody Marys provided.
You can vent about your shitty ex-husband and the spawn his recent infatuation is carrying to your heart’s content. ”
“I’m not sure how to respond to that, Bev,” I said, feeling awkward that I’d shared so much with her. “But I do have an awesome recipe for Bloody Mary mix I’ve been itching to try.”
Not that her comments weren’t the bright spot in my day, but the last thing I wanted was to share my less-than-stellar situation with other people. Plus, I still had the ever-looming inheritance paperwork drawn up and awaiting my review.
“Well, there you go. I’m sure it’s better than the store-bought stuff I was planning to pick up.
It must be a sign, so don’t think on it for a second, honey.
It’s time to welcome you into the fold. Remind me to tell you about my poached egg disaster sometime.
I can’t wait for you to meet my daughters-in-law.
Plus, it will do you good to get out of that house for a while.
Just bring your smile, that mix, and something tasty to eat, okay? ”
“I’m looking forward to it. But just so you know, my cooking skills fall somewhere between undercooked water-park chicken fingers and toddlers who force you to eat Play-Doh spaghetti while pretending it’s gourmet cuisine.”
“Then you’ll fit right in. I think the last time I asked Jenna to cook something other than a crockpot dish, she declined, saying even her foster puppies refused to eat her food.”
“Then I’ll definitely be in good company.”
“Absolutely.”
I nodded, hoping my grin seemed genuine. Bev patted my arm as we strolled back to her yard, and I watched her corral her puppies back up her porch steps and inside.