Chapter 4
Chapter four
“Your mouth gets smelly because germs fart in it.”
This little piece of wisdom was delivered by Elana, who was currently in a standoff with her sister, toothbrush—thankfully sans toothpaste—raised in front of her like a sword.
“Not true. It gets smelly because you don’t brush it.”
An activity they did every morning had somehow ended up in an argument. Their dad was picking them up in ten minutes, and they were still in their pajamas and hadn’t brushed their teeth or hair yet.
“My adorable little angels, I need you to move a little faster. Your dad is going to be here soon.”
Cockalorum was impatient, and I didn’t want to be in his presence for longer than necessary, so I wanted the girls ready to go as soon as he was here.
Elana’s red-tinged cheeks expanded, but she thankfully let me steer her to face the sink. After helping her brush her teeth, I packed their toiletries into their bags, then zipped them up.
Addy disappeared into her room to hopefully get dressed, and I followed Elana to make sure she put on more than tights.
She ended up wearing a pick tutu, red tights, and a green T-shirt with Kermit the Frog on the front. I was just glad she was dressed, so I didn’t dare comment on her choices.
Checking on Addy, I found her surrounded by clothes, nervously biting her lip. “I don’t know what to wear. Do you think he’ll like my purple blouse and jeans? Or should I wear a dress?”
My heart ached at her need to gain her dad’s approval for something as simple as clothes. She’d always tried to please him, but somehow he never seemed to notice or care.
“I love you in your blue dress. Why don’t you wear that with black leggings?”
She nodded, then dove into the pile of clothes.
I left her to it, putting their bags in front of the door, where Elana was waiting, dancing from side to side. “I want chocolate.”
I found a banana that was reaching the end of its life and handed it to her. She scrunched up her nose.
I kneeled in front of her. “No chocolate for you, missy. It’s too early. If you’re hungry, you can have fruit.”
She shook her head, then ran off into the living room, where she’d probably stashed food somewhere. Sighing, I checked on Addy again. She was almost dressed.
When the dreaded knock came, I wasn’t ready. Not even a little bit. But this was happening. And I’d be fine. Absolutely fine. Everything would be A-okay.
And then there he was, together with his little walking accessory who was clutching his arm as if she was holding on to a buoy. Come to think of it, he was shaped a little like one.
The whiteness of her perfectly straight teeth was blinding when she smiled. “Where are my darlings?”
How could anyone have such a naturally high voice?
She bent her size-0 body around to look behind me to where Adelaine and Elana stood in the hallway. Neither of them moved. Instead, they held hands and looked at me with big eyes.
I waved them forward. “Come on, pumpkin pants. Your dad and his… friend are here.”
A blindingly big ring was thrust in front of my face. “You mean fiancée.”
Would it be wrong of me to open my bedroom door and let Winston and Orange out? One would attack, and the other would drool all over her expensive dress.
But I hadn’t sunk that low yet. Unfortunately. At this rate, I was sure to get there soon.
I looked at my for-now-still-husband. “I know you got engaged a while ago, but just checking, you know you’re still married at this point in time, right?”
Cockalorum regarded me with raised brows. “I’m aware. But as you know, it won’t be for much longer.”
“Okey dokey. Let’s get this done.”
Going back to my kids, I put my arm around each of them and applied slight pressure since they refused to move forward. “It’s only for the weekend. You’ll be back tomorrow night.”
My voice hitched a little, but I slammed a lid on the tears that wanted to come out. “You can call me whenever you want.”
This was directed at my monogamy-challenged husband, who neither denied nor confirmed he’d let them call. I held his stare for a moment before kissing my girls, then pulling them as close as I could without crushing them. “I’ll miss you so much. Have fun with your dad. I love you.”
Both of them clung to me as if we wouldn’t see each other ever again. We’d never been separated for a night. And their dad was an unknown entity since he’d never watched them on his own.
My husband’s walking accessory clapped her hands, rushing up to the girls and pulling them into her ample fake chest. I hoped they’d be able to breathe, their little faces squashed while the human bling rocked them back and forth. “We’re going to have so much fun.”
Handing their bags to Cockalorum, I stepped back, clutching my hands in front of my body, my fingernails digging into my palms so I wouldn’t reach out and drag my babies back into the house.
The walking accessory took their hands, leading them to the car. Their stunned little faces stared back at me wide-eyed.
Don’t grab them and run back inside. It’ll be fine. They’ll have fun.
The car door slammed shut behind them, and then they were off. I waved until they rounded the corner, my feet refusing to move.
Well, that sucked.
Doing the right thing was for the birds. Especially when it resulted in a cheating husband, a homicidal cat, a narcoleptic dog, and no way to pay my mortgage. And now I also had to spend the weekend by myself.
So, with nothing else to do, I went inside and deep-cleaned the house. I also washed every piece of clothing that had so much as touched the floor. I stripped all the beds. I dusted behind the TV.
And when even my windows sparkled, I got ready for dinner. At least I’d successfully kept myself busy all day.
Slipping into the little black dress I hadn’t worn in at least ten years, I noticed it was loose not only around my middle but also around my chest area. I hadn’t consciously been losing weight, but the stress of the last year had clearly gotten to me.
I wasn’t sold on this new heroine-chic look I was rocking. But since I wouldn’t magically gain the ten pounds I needed to look healthy again, I finished my makeup by applying mascara, having already done my eyes a smoky black.
I never wore much makeup, but tonight called for it. I’d even put lip gloss on. Leaving my hair falling down my back in loose curls, I grabbed my stilettos from the back of the closet.
Getting my small going-out handbag, I put my keys, wallet, and gloss inside, making sure all the lights but the one on the porch were off. Electricity was expensive, and I was one missed installment away from being cut off.
Sitting on the top porch step, I put on my black heels.
They had a strap that wound around my ankle, then tied into a pretty little bow.
I hadn’t worn them much in the last few years, but they happily welcomed me back into their painful embrace.
I used to adore wearing heels of all shapes and sizes, but Cockalorum had attended all functions by himself and always went out with his friends without me. Now I knew why.
Something else that hadn’t happened in almost six years was that I was on time.
Luckily, so was my ride.
Malena pulled into my driveway with a big grin, Keely in the passenger seat and Linny in the back.
Getting in next to Linny, I buckled up. “Where’s Nora?”
Keely turned around in her seat while Malena backed out onto the road. “In Italy.”
“Did you say Italy? As in Europe?”
She nodded. “That too-good-to-be-true man of hers took her and the kids on a surprise trip.”
I was happy for my friend. She’d found the one in a million. And so had Malena. Which meant the odds for the rest of us were slim to none. After all, there weren’t too many good ones out there.
Linny rested her hand on her swollen belly. “Carson would never take me on a trip.”
We all nodded since we knew that to be true. Her husband was nothing if not frugal. He was also traditional, and this was Linny’s fourth pregnancy in as many years. I couldn’t work out if he loved kids or if he kept her pregnant so she couldn’t run away.
But Linny loved him, and their relationship seemed to work. And I wasn’t one to judge, especially not after my own failed marriage.
I leaned against Linny and then kissed her cheek. “Where are we going tonight?”
“The Brew House.”
I’d heard of the place. It was an upscale restaurant, even though the name implied otherwise. “How did you get a reservation?”
They were usually booked out months in advance.
Malena shrugged. “The owner is one of my clients. He said if I ever wanted to go to let him know.”
Keely snorted. “That’s because he desperately wants to get into your pants.”
Malena swatted at her. “He does not. Besides, he’s met Thad.”
Her husband, Thad, was also a lawyer and had joined them in their office.
At the moment, they all worked independently, but they’d been talking about joining forces and making it official.
But we’d have to move to a different building first, because things were getting tight.
We had one room that we used as file storage and a meeting room, but that only worked because Thad and Malena shared an office.
We parked and piled out of the car, luckily not having to walk far. The hostess ushered us straight through the restaurant and to a secluded table at the back.
I turned in place, taking in the unique design.
The building used to be a toy factory. Now, instead of conveyor belts, beer barrels were stacked everywhere and giant fermentation tanks sat in the back.
There was also a yeasty smell in the air, telling me the equipment wasn’t just for show.
Thankfully, there was a glass wall in front of the tanks, since I could do without smelling rotten eggs while eating dinner.
“They couldn’t find another building for their restaurant, so they temporarily set up in their factory. But everyone loves it so much that they decided to make it permanent,” Malena explained at my obvious interest.