Chapter 46
Chapter Forty-Six
CHARLOTTE
If they handed out Oscars for keeping it together at the office while your heart was cracked wide open, I’d have taken home the statue. The next morning, I wore my sharpest suit, painted on a smile, and pretended like nothing had changed despite the whispers about Gabriel resigning unexpectedly
Of all the weeks for my mom and sister to be sipping cocktails on a faraway beach, it had to be this one. No one to vent to. No one to drag me to a punishing workout or talk me off the ledge. So I did what I always did. I swallowed the hurt, squared my shoulders, and kept moving.
At least it was Friday. I had every intention of winding the day down early so I could get to the weekend and unpack my emotions in private.
Olivia slipped into my office around lunchtime, her face soft with sympathy. “I don’t understand what happened yesterday.”
Neither did I. The different stories about it all weren’t lining up, and the harder I tried to make sense of them, the more my skepticism grew. “Can you walk me through what you witnessed yesterday?” I asked, hoping she’d seen or heard something that could offer some clues.
She perched on the edge of the chair across from me, worry pinching her brows.
“Gabriel and I were talking about you heading back from New York. Then Rosie called to say the owners needed him for a last-minute client meeting upstairs in the executive conference room. He grabbed his jacket and went up, and never returned. I left at five, thinking he was still with them. Do you think something went wrong with the client?”
I had more questions than answers especially since this was the first I’d heard mention of a client. Why would they ask him to come upstairs under that guise? “I’m not sure what could’ve happened.” Until I had all the details, I didn’t want to give Olivia possibly misleading pieces.
I pinched the bridge of my nose at the same time my phone lit up. “Excuse me, I should take this.”
“Of course,” she said quickly, standing. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
It was Jill, my headhunter friend, her normally brisk tone edged with hesitation.
“Hey, Charlotte. I got your message and did some checking.” She paused, the sound of keys clicking faintly on her end.
“You didn’t hear this from me, but one of the candidates who’d been deactivated last week?
He’s been reactivated. The whole thing is weird given they were in the final round. ”
Another piece of the mystery. “I appreciate you telling me.” I managed to keep my voice steady. “I’ll keep it in confidence.”
After the call, I sat there. A hollow ache settled in my chest. I’d already been replaying last night, especially the hurt on Gabriel’s face when I’d shut him out, my regret twisting.
The main thing I couldn’t make sense of was why Gabriel had told them about Julian. That had been the breaking point for me, the betrayal I couldn’t forgive.
Only…what if I’d gotten it wrong?
The thought landed like a sharp kick to the ribs. Because the truth was, I hadn’t even let him fully explain. I’d assumed the worst because that’s what people did when they were afraid of being hurt again.
Deciding to duck out early, I pulled into my driveway and checked my phone, wishing Gabriel would’ve called or texted. But no, he’d walked away as if it hadn’t been tough to do so.
When my phone did light up, it wasn’t Gabriel but Austin. “Hi, honey.”
“Hi, Mom. I have a huge problem.”
“What is it? What’s going on? Are you okay?” Mom panic mode activated.
“Yeah, I’m fine. But Dad left for Singapore this morning on a business trip, and Stassie asked me to watch the kids after school for an hour, but she isn’t back.”
I glanced at the clock. Nearly five, which meant she was an hour late. “Did you try calling her?”
“Yeah. It goes straight to voicemail. The kids are hungry, so I’m going to make them something to eat and wait, I guess.”
I attempted to find logical reasons. “Her phone might’ve died, or maybe she’s stuck in traffic. Did she say where she was going?”
“She just said she had an appointment. With Dad on a plane, I don’t know how to reach him, either.”
“Okay. He might have Wi-Fi on the flight. I’ll try emailing him, see if he knows anything. In the meantime, let me change my clothes, and I’ll head over to help.”
“Thanks, Mom.” His voice was filled with relief. “Really. I appreciate it.”
The house hadn’t changed much in the years since I’d lived there. New furniture, yes. Toys everywhere. Baby gear shoved into corners. But the bones, the colors, even the kitchen tile was all the same.
What stopped me in my tracks wasn’t the familiarity; it was the state of the place. Dishes piled high in the sink, food scraps on the counters. Laundry spilling out of baskets. Toys scattered across the floor like landmines waiting to be stepped on.
This wasn’t the usual chaos of a Friday night with kids. This was something else. The kind of disarray that didn’t come from a busy day but from someone completely unable to keep up.
“Oh, thank goodness you’re here.” Austin practically shoved the baby into my arms, her tiny face scrunched red with fussing. “If you can take baby Laura, I’ll get Ryan and Remi to the potty. I need to make her bottle, but honestly, I don’t usually do this part.”
A sixteen-year-old shouldn’t have to balance any of this. But I bit back the thought. He didn’t need my frustration layered on top of his own.
“I ordered cheese pizza for everyone.”
“At least the littles can eat solids.” I adjusted Laura against my shoulder. “I’ll figure out the bottle.”
“Do you know how?” His tone carried both hope and doubt.
“Sixteen years ago, yes,” I murmured, scanning the counter for the formula. “But let me read the directions first.”
A few minutes later, Laura was latched on to her bottle, her fussing reduced to soft whimpers as I settled her into the swing.
After the pizza arrived and was consumed, the toddlers became glued to a cartoon, crusts in hand, and even the two small dogs were satisfied, having lucked into the scraps under the highchairs.
For a moment, the house almost felt steady. Almost.
“Does Stassie keep an address book or something?” I asked, rinsing off dishes that looked like they’d been sitting for days. “Somewhere I could grab a number for her family?”
Austin rifled through a drawer and pulled out a leather-bound notebook. “Here. I think this is it.”
He seemed older than sixteen tonight, and so I went forward with an adult type of question. “Austin…is it usually like this?” I gestured toward the mess.
He shook his head. “No. I thought maybe when I got home she was, I don’t know, on strike or something? She and Dad had this huge fight this morning before he left. He called the place a pigsty. She asked to hire help for the kids or housecleaning, and he told her it was her job.”
I bit back a curse, the anger and disbelief rising in my chest.
“How did she seem when she left?” I asked, keeping my voice steady so I wouldn’t add to his worry.
He frowned, thinking it over. “Tired. Her hair was all messy, like she hadn’t slept. Honestly, I thought she might’ve been going to the doctor or something. I should’ve asked.”
I touched his arm. “No, don’t put that on yourself. Even if you would’ve asked, she probably wouldn’t have told you.” Still, the knot in my stomach twisted tighter. Things felt off.
He let out a long sigh. “I should’ve helped her clean this morning, but I don’t like to be around when they’re fighting. I was planning to help tonight.”
“Austin, listen. This is not on you. You’re pitching in now, and we’ll get this place cleaned up. Okay?”
He nodded, flipping through the address book. “Here, these are her parents.”
Relief flickered when I read the address. At least they were up north in Los Angeles and not across the country like Steve’s parents were. “Okay. Let’s give them a call.”
Voicemail. I left a message explaining we were looking for Stassie and asked them to call Austin’s phone. When I hung up, Austin’s face was drawn with worry.
“What do we do now, Mom?”
I forced calm into my voice. “We get the kids ready for bed. One thing at a time.” With Steve somewhere over the Pacific and Stassie unreachable, it was the only plan I had.
My phone buzzed. It was Gabriel calling. I’d have to call him later, once the kids were down.
I slipped the phone into my pocket, forcing myself to focus.
Whatever this was with Stassie…it couldn’t wait.
And Gabriel and whatever this was between us, if there was anything left, would have to.
We had our hands full.
I’d forgotten what life with a baby was like. Laura barely closed her eyes all night, wailing until I gave up on the crib and slipped her into the soft carrier so she lay against my chest. We paced the living room together under the dim glow of the lamp while the twins and Austin slept upstairs.
Maybe I caught an hour, if that, dozing on the couch after I’d finally been able to get her down in her crib. But then she awoke again, crying and wanting to be held.
While baby Laura was fighting sleep in the swing, bouncer, and finally again in the carrier strapped to my chest, I started to clean.
Dishes. Laundry. Trash. Each small task chipped away at the chaos around me.
Maybe it was intrusive, given it was the ex-wife scrubbing Stassie’s counters and folding her kids’ clothes, but I couldn’t help it.
If Stassie walked through the door tonight, I wanted her to find order instead of mayhem.
By morning, I still hadn’t heard from Steve, but finally, Stassie’s mom called Austin’s phone which he turned over to me.
When I hung up, I found Austin waiting in the doorway, his face pale. He was supposed to be thinking about his baseball game today, not carrying this weight.
“Well,” I started, keeping my voice steady, “the good news is Stassie’s with her parents in Los Angeles.”
His eyes searched mine. “What’s the bad news?”
“The bad news is they’re taking her to the hospital.
She needs some help.” They believed it could be postpartum depression.
I’d asked if they were able to come down, but she’d said something about her husband having a bad back and not able to sit in a car for long, and I knew she had her hands full getting Stassie the help she needed.
His face fell. “Is she going to be okay?”
I enveloped him in a hug. “She’s getting help, honey, and that’s the best thing to happen right now. And with her parents there, she’s in good hands.”
Austin’s phone rang and he held it up with his father’s number showing, putting it frantically on speakerphone. “Hey, Dad, I’m here with my mom at the house.”
“Hey. I’m waiting to board my flight home. I got your mother’s email.” The sounds of the airport echoed in the background. “Are the kids okay?”
“Yeah, we’re fine. When will you be back?”
“It’s a twenty-hour flight after connecting through JFK. Can I talk to your mom real quick?”
“Yeah, sure. See you tomorrow, then.”
“See you then.”
“Hey,” I took the call off of speakerphone.
“Hi. I’m guessing Stassie’s mom filled you in about her going to the hospital.”
“She did. Is she okay?”
He blew out a shaky breath. “She’s meeting with the doctors and they’re admitting her into the hospital.” He paused. “I know this is a lot to ask, but any chance you can help Austin watch the kids until I get back tomorrow morning?”
He was right. It was a lot to ask. “Yeah. We can do that. Any chance you have the number of one of your babysitters?” Austin had a game today, and the relief would be welcome.
“Uh. We’ve never used one.”
“Never?”
He muttered a curse. “I need to board the plane. I’ll call my parents and sister and ask if they can come out.
Maybe they can get there by this evening.
” His family would have to fly in from Kansas City, so the options would be limited.
“Let us know and we can coordinate picking them up.” They might not be my in-laws any longer, but I’d help out where I could.
“Thanks. Talk to you as soon as I land.”
“Okay. Safe travels.” I ended the call and turned to Austin. “Stassie is getting help and your other grandparents and aunt are hopefully on their way. We’re on our own until either your dad or they get here.”
His eyes went wide, panic clearly flooding in. “What are we going to do?”
I surveyed my ex’s house knowing I wasn’t about to spend the full day here. “We’re packing up. Everyone’s coming to my house.” And I’d try calling a couple of agencies to see if they were able to send a babysitter to help us out.