Chapter 3
Gabby drove home in a daze. She had two nights to get everything in order before she left for the Azores.
A quick Google search had shown shots of beautiful volcanic islands, velvety green conical mountains, waterfalls, and ocean views—basically, it was the bad guy’s island lair from The Incredibles and a twenty-four-hour trip from LA.
Her last mission had turned into an unmitigated disaster, but at least it had been a short commute.
This job—international travel, away from her kids twenty-four seven for…
had Valentina said a week? She started to sweat more than she had during her twenty-minute workout that Markus had interrupted.
In retrospect, had that really been necessary?
Markus needed to get a dog. It was just him and his protein shakes and his hot ex-wife.
And Gabby needed to calm down. Spiraling anxiety would do nothing but suck up time.
She hit her blinker and made a slow, controlled turn onto Avocado Avenue. She might be about to go on the work trip from hell. The kids didn’t need to know that. When she walked through the door, she was Mom.
Avocado Avenue was just as she’d left it this morning.
The biggest excitement on the block was Shelly’s new privacy fence, erected shortly after their recent conflict.
But really, it wasn’t Gabby’s fault that Shelly had gotten arrested.
Sure, it wouldn’t have happened if the Russian Mafia hadn’t been staking out Gabby’s house, but still, if she’d stayed out of it, she would have been fine.
The only other change was Justin’s new lawn furniture.
Now every time she went over there, he name-dropped the designer of his new chairs and table.
“Dinner on the patio. Did you know this table is by Alphonse?” She didn’t have the heart to tell him that the Alphonse de Picnic Table was kind of wobbly.
Gabby had the Costco set he’d replaced in her backyard now.
As her Spanish-style home with an orange tile roof and a lemon tree in the front came into view, she couldn’t help but smile. It was warm, welcoming, and filled with everyone she loved. Well, except for Burt, but even he was growing on her.
Tonight, Granny and Burt had picked up the kids and taken care of dinner.
Justin was waiting eagerly to do the big reveal on her redecorated bedroom.
Maybe she’d only be home for two nights, but at least she could sleep in a bed.
A week on the couch had been enough. Hopefully, Justin hadn’t spent a fortune on brand-name nightstands or something ridiculous.
When he’d asked for keywords to describe her vision, she had said: “tasteful,” “soft blankets,” “Joanna Gaines.” She had just been saying words. Gabby didn’t have a design aesthetic.
He’d responded with a huffy, “You know I can’t do Joanna Gaines. If I ever bring out shiplap, just make a casket out of it and bury me, because I’ve already died inside.”
“What’s shiplap?” she’d asked.
At least she would have a room that she could maybe, foreseeably, if the stars aligned, bring Markus to. Someday. Really, bringing someone back to her house at her age was trickier than when she’d been fooling around as a teenager.
Before she even had a chance to put her bags down, her fourteen-year-old greeted her.
“Mom, I need new shoes. I can’t find mine.
” Kyle was a classic teen in oversized sweats, EarPods, and knockoff Uggs.
Her hair, which she’d dyed red to match Gabby’s, was shoved under a beanie, along with her love for her mother.
Wrinkling her nose, Kyle said, “Eww. Why are you so sweaty?”
“Hello to you too.”
“But really, I need shoes. I had to wear Uggs in gym today.” At which point, she noticed Gabby’s feet. “Mom! Why are you wearing my shoes?”
“Sorry, sweetie. I was in a rush. I guess we all need some new shoes.”
Gabby took her phone out of her pocket and shoved it at Kyle. “Just go online and pick something out.”
Already scrolling, Kyle headed toward her bedroom, and Gabby called after her, “Don’t order anything until you show me!” She was making decent money, but she was still a government employee paying California prices for everything.
In the kitchen, Granny was putting away leftovers. Justin was sitting at the counter, sipping a glass of rosé like he was just there for the show. He probably was.
“Where’s Burt?” Gabby glanced at the empty La-Z-Boy. Her grandmother’s boyfriend, Burt, was in a committed relationship with the television, Steve Harvey in particular.
Looking over her shoulder from the fridge, Granny said, “I made him take Bubbles for a walk. I’m not sure if the man can bend over to pick up the dog poo so I sent Lucas too.”
At least Burt and Lucas had both gotten out from behind their screens for a few minutes.
From upstairs, Kyle yelled, “MOM!” and then something Gabby couldn’t understand because Kyle was in another room.
Gabby walked to the bottom of the stairs. “Kyle, if you’re speaking to me, please come into the same room as me.” Not to mention, “The shoes aren’t that important.” Kyle needed to develop some patience.
Kyle appeared at the top of the stairs. Instead of mentioning shoes, she announced, “The toilet is being weird.”
Weird… “Weird like Uncle Jim or weird like it’s clogged?”
“Not funny, Mom!”
Which is when she remembered: Granny had asked her to get a plunger.
“Kyle, go to the utility closet and get the plunger. It’s wrapped in a garbage bag. Plunge the toilet, and I’ll check on it after.” These kids needed to figure out how to solve a few basic problems.
“Gross.” Kyle made a noise of horror. “I don’t think I need to get that involved.”
Did she have to do everything? “Just put the plunger over the hole and push down. It might take a couple of times. It’s simple, Kyle.”
“Can’t you do it?” Kyle whined.
“See if you can figure it out first.” She had been trying to set her expectations for the kids higher with mixed results.
Some days, Kyle would make scrambled eggs and pack her own lunch and Lucas’s.
Then there would be two weeks where Gabby would need a crowbar just to get her off the couch to carry her own dirty dishes to the sink.
And the EarPods. She was connected to the outside world and unavailable to her own mother.
With an oof, Gabby plopped down on a kitchen stool next to Justin, and Granny slid a glass of wine across the counter toward her.
“Thanks, Granny. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Granny patted Gabby’s hand. “It’d be ugly.”
Justin huffed. “What am I, chopped liver?”
Gabby gave him a side hug. “I love you too, Justin.”
She would like to tell them she was going to the Azores.
She needed to tell them she was leaving for a work trip, but she and Markus hadn’t gotten around to making up a cover story yet.
Everyone at home thought she was an executive assistant.
They’d met Markus, so she’d simply said he was a coworker.
They were boring employees of a boring company no one would ever want to ask a second question about.
Granny spoke up. “Shouldn’t you go home, Justin? I don’t want you neglecting Hugh and getting divorced like Gabby here.”
Justin laughed off the idea like it was preposterous. “I’m the hot, fun one with personality. There’s no way Hugh can leave.”
Had her ex, Phil, thought he was the hot, fun one? Not that she needed to make everything about herself.
Granny turned her attention back to Gabby. “Not to suggest that you neglected Phil, dear. I never liked him.”
“Thanks, Granny.” The loyalty warmed her soul.
“And what is he doing with his hair lately?” Granny grimaced. “Is he dyeing it?”
Granny had a solid point about Phil’s hair. “I’m not sure if he dyed it or if just looks funny against the spray tan.”
Justin’s eyes went wide, and he mouthed something to Gabby.
Gabby ignored him and went on. “You know what I mean. His hair and skin are kind of all the same color now, like a cheap plastic doll.” A thought just struck her. “Do you think he’s getting Botox?” If he was getting Botox and she wasn’t, talk about a cruel world.
Justin started gesturing wildly and choking on his rosé.
“Slow down on the alcohol, young man!” Granny admonished. With a glance at her granddaughter, she said, “Botox won’t solve Phil’s problems. He needs a—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Justin caught his breath and blurted out, “Hi, Phil.”
“I’m pretty sure there’s more to life than being really, really ridiculously good-looking,” Phil said. He made a Zoolander face.
Gabby’s jaw dropped, and she turned to see her ex-husband standing in the entrance to the kitchen, toffee-colored from head to toe and holding a bouquet of flowers and a heart-shaped box of chocolates.
Gabby suppressed a moan. He must have broken up with whoever he’d been dating this week. That was his pattern. Find a woman, break up, run back to Gabby. He was nothing if not predictable.
“Hey, Gabs,” he said with a smile, “I thought I’d surprise you.”
“Did you just walk in?” Granny asked. “I didn’t hear the bell.”
“I bought—” From Phil’s indignant tone, she knew he was going to say something like, I bought this house.
Of course I can walk in, but he stopped himself, took a breath, and held out the bouquet.
“I bought these flowers for you, Gabby. I know they’re your favorite kind.
” It was a bouquet of carnations from the grocery store with a small helium balloon on a stick in the center.
Her favorite kind? It’s like he’d never been married to her. “Thank you, Phil.” Not to mention the man was a high-powered investment banker for a huge firm. Carnations?
“And here are some chocolates.”
They were cheap gas station chocolates in a plastic container. She didn’t want them any more than she wanted Phil. Worse yet, she could see from the tag that they were from a facility that also processed tree nuts, which meant that Lucas would be allergic.