Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
PAIGE
Becky
Coffee?
Paige
You read my mind.
Becky
Ten minutes?
Paige
On my way
Bethany
Can we talk about something? I might need a place to stay
Paige
come over whenever
Paige
No schedule this week?
Josh
Nope
Paige
Vacation?
Read
Paige
Only one day this week?
Josh
I have a meeting I can’t miss, but otherwise we’re fine.
Paige
Am I being ’quiet fired?’
Josh
No
Paige
Jacob wants you over here for his first day of school.
Trevor
I’ll be there. Can I make you both breakfast?
Paige
Absolutely not Yes please, and the dishes and vacuuming and mopping too That would be nice of you.
Trevor
Always
Unsent
I miss you. Why did you do it? Come home. Stay away. Get out of my head. Hold me.
Paige
Coffee before school?
Becky
I’m okay. Thank you
Paige
Do you want to talk about it?
Becky
No, thank you. Could you feed my dogs and let them out again? It’s another late day.
Paige
Your dogs need let out
Carter
Thanks for letting me know. I’ll take care of it.
Unsent
How could you be so selfish and hurt her like this?
Bethany
What do you want for dinner, Momma?
That’s a great question, Bethany. What the hell do I want for dinner? I guide the cart through another aisle of Edgewood Grocery, my pregnant belly a little too obvious for my liking, but it’s too damn hot to wear the oversized hoodie I brought today to disguise it.
Paige
Surprise me
Nothing sounds good. I’m exhausted. I want to throw things at the wall.
Paige
I’m going to invite Becky over, alright?
Bethany
Of course!
Paige
Wanna come to my place for dinner? Home cooked meal?
The bouncing dots appear and disappear multiple times, so I scoot my cart to the side and wait for her paragraph reply.
Becky
Can’t, sorry.
“What the hell?”
Paige
Next time, yeah?
Becky
Ya, we’ll see
Bless her heart. If I hadn’t heard the words straight from his mouth, I never would have believed that Carter Stewart would step out on his woman. Even with his confession, something doesn’t sit right with me, but I’m trying not to meddle.
Paige
No company. Just us two. Jacob is going with his dad.
Bethany
Spam?
My mouth waters immediately, and I curse my pregnancy for these cravings. I don’t think too hard about it when I send my answer.
Paige
That sounds perfect.
Bethany
You aren’t being sarcastic?
A snort surprises me enough to make me jump. My own snort surprised me. Wow.
Paige
I really think it sounds perfect. You don’t have to have any.
Bethany
Fine. I’m getting some groceries—
Paige
No need. I’m at the store now.
Bethany
No work again?
Paige
Nope.
Bethany
Here’s the list
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I pull up the list and sigh, grateful as hell she made it. My mind was jumping all over the place to the point where I was wandering the aisles, waiting for food to jump off the shelves.
My mind parcels through all of the recent events, and I start to get stressed again, even as I gather the foods that are meticulously listed on the list Bethany sent me.
It doesn’t matter. I’m still getting stressed.
And angry. And sad. I’m wildly worked up by the time I get to the checkout.
I’m fuming at nobody in particular, but the shit deal life dealt my friend and me.
“Good afternoon! How are you doing today?”
I snap.
“I’m so glad you asked. Becky is a shadow of herself. Bethany is drifting in and out of rooms without direction, yet still taking care of my ass. My son misses his father, and I’m pregnant as fuck, but still trying to hide it because other people have too much shit to talk about as is.”
The young cashier gapes at me, then pops her mouth closed, drops her gaze, and silently continues to scan items. Only, I’m not finished.
“I also have decided that I really, really hate and do not trust this little Taylor, Tay-Tay, whoever lady. Gossip is rampant in my little town, and people are unreliable and stupid, and I need chocolate.” I’m out of breath and panting when a small hand holding out a chocolate bar appears in front of my face.
I snatch it and turn to the kind, generous soul the preferred hand belongs to.
I find myself face-to-face with none other than Billy’s youngest, Eliza.
My face immediately softens at the adorable child, and I lean down to her level.
“Hey, sweetheart. You’re such a kind girl. Don’t you ever change, alright?”
“Hi, Paige.” I look up to see the blue, kind eyes of Camden, Billy’s ex-wife’s new partner.
“Oh, hey! Camden, I’m just—uh …”
“Pregnant as fudge and in need of chocolate!” Eliza pipes up, making me cringe a little.
“About that—”
“Don’t worry about it. Their dad owns a car shop, and I work with athletes. You really think they aren’t around it?” They laugh good-naturedly and pat me on the shoulder. “I’m guessing you assumed nobody here would know you, huh?”
I nod mutely, newly mortified and ready to go and bury my head in the sand. Instead, I divert my attention to slowly typing in my phone number for my membership benefits, then focus more on Camden. “How is Cheyenne doing?”
“Oh, you know how she is. Can’t stop, won’t stop.” Camden’s smile grows fond, and a little jealousy creeps in—something I’m unable to stymie with logic and reasoning.
“Yeah …” We drift into the awkward silence of two people who know of each other more than they actually know each other.
“Are you getting a divorce?” Joey pipes up. Camden’s eyes widen, and her cheeks turn red.
I ignore the immediate, visceral denial and keep a strained smile on my face.
“Joey! I’m so sorry. They had an appointment today, and I thought I’d get some groceries—”
“Jacob says that you all are living apart, and that’s what Mom and Dad did, and then it was over.”
The cashier coughs an exceptionally bad attempt at a real cough, and when I look at her, she studiously avoids making eye contact.
“That’ll be one $59.26, ma’am.” I heave a deep sigh, pull out my purse, and hand over my own card to pay the girl.
Our shared debit card remains in my wallet, but I haven’t touched it.
Thankfully, I also haven’t touched any of my savings.
She hands over the receipt and starts working through Camden and the nosy Saul children’s items, and I use the opportunity to make a hasty escape. “Well, it’s been nice talking to you! Have a great day!”
Back to the Suburban, my groceries away, I settle into the driver’s seat and try to chill the hell out. Rubbing my belly does the trick, taking my stress down, and helping me focus on what’s most important. My babies and my boy who misses his daddy.
A horn out the window jolts me back to what I’m supposed to be doing. Right. Go home, put away groceries … “Shit.” I look back at the grocery store and shake my head. Not going back in there. I promised both Bethany and Jacob ice cream.
Piggies it is.
Mentally tallying and comparing the prices of the different brands and flavors of ice cream, I’m distracted by an annoying tittering sound coming from the end of the aisle.
I look around me to see what could be so funny.
Seeing nothing, I continue debating the merits of name-brand vs.
cheaper, larger options when voices carry to where I’m standing, minding my own business.
“That’s definitely her. She’s the one who bagged the dad. Her husband left her, and his wife left him.”
“Shhhh. She’s going to hear us! How do you know it’s her?”
“She’s a short hoe with big hooker hair!”
I freeze where I stand, hand in the freezer, resting on the name brand because I’m a sucker and know Jacob would prefer it. Heat flames my cheeks because I know they’re talking about me. I drop my hand but remain in the open door. Not hiding, just unable to move.
“She stole Josh, or did Josh steal her?”
“Really? Josh, steal her? Compared to Caroline? Even after the baby, Carri is practically a supermodel. I think her name is Book? Brooke?”
“It’s Paige, dumbass.”
“Oh my God. Whatever. Anyway, no. Obviously, she swayed him with her … easy—”
“What the fuck are you guys talking about in my store? Shit or get off the pot, you gossipy hens.”
“Jesus, Francine. We’re shopping. Alright? We get it.”
“I don’t get why your dad lets you talk like this to paying customers and still work here.”
“It’s Frankie. You know this. I’d like to see him try to fire me. Now fuck off.”
I listen as feet scuffle across the linoleum, and Francine Boars, the daughter of the owner of Piggies Grocery, steps around the corner. Her shoulders fall when we make eye contact.
“Damn, I hoped you didn’t hear ’em.”
I attempt a smile, but I’m sure I end up grimacing instead. “Yeah. It’s fine.”
“Not really, hun, but that’s okay. I know we don’t know each other well, but I’m not really someone you need to put on a brave face around, alright? My daddy has the meanest mouth in the county, and I’ve cried stupid amounts of times in front of the members of our fine town.”
Francine, or Frankie, is not much older than me, now that I look at her more closely. She has a little gray in her hair, but few lines on her face. She’s pretty, but dressed severely with her bun and unflattering work uniform. “Thank you, Frankie. I’m fine, though. Sticks and stones, you know?”
I try to laugh it off, but she just gives me a side-eye.
“Do you mind if I hover a little until I know they’re gone?
They’re mindless gossips, and should be working on their homework or something, not harassing my customers.
I’m really sorry, Paige.” Her expression gentles significantly, softening the lines remaining into a smooth, her face marred only by a slender but jagged scar running through her eyebrow and down her cheek.
Her eyes, an odd tannish, brown color, blink at my perusal. “Is that alright?”
“Oh, yeah. Of course. I’m finished, though. This is all I have.” I lift the name-brand stuff and question myself again.