The Other Woman

“I’ll be right there.” Pulling up in front of the house across the street, the one she’d rented when she and Isaac had first moved to town, Liz shut off the engine. That house reminded her of some of the darkest hours of her life. She was glad she’d moved across town six months ago, when her lease had expired. She was living in another rental house, but her situation was improving. Maybe not her love life, but…other aspects. And she was going to make sure that trend continued.

Mica crowded the car door as soon as Liz opened it. “Did you have fun on your date? Did you like him?”

Liz refused to meet her daughter’s eyes. A gifted child, Mica would likely guess the truth if given half a chance. Fortunately, the purple of dusk had deepened into darkness, which provided Liz with some cover.

“We had a great time,” she said, averting her face as she leaned across the seat to get her purse. The sensible sedan she’d bought when she could no longer afford the Cadillac Esplanade she’d leased while she’d been married still had a comforting new-car smell, but it wasn’t half as good as the vehicle she’d lost.

Angela peered over Mica’s shoulder. “He really likes you, too.”

Masking her skepticism, Liz turned off her headlights. “What makes you think so?”

“He said it,” Mica replied.

From what Liz had gathered so far, Carter Hudson didn’t tell many lies. So this surprised her. “He did?”

“Yeah. When he first got here, he told Mrs. Holbrook you’re attractive.” Shoving her glasses higher on her nose, Mica gave Liz a smile. “He also said I’ll be as pretty as my mother someday.”

“How charming,” Liz said, but she was hardly convinced of Carter’s sincerity. The man she’d met wasn’t the type to compliment a gangly ten-year-old girl. “But he’s wrong.”

Mica blinked at her with wide, owlish eyes. “He is?”

“Yes. You’re both already far prettier than I am.” She pecked her daughter’s cheek while giving Angela an affectionate squeeze.

They laughed and held hands as they crossed the street. “We’ll tell everyone you’re here,” Mica hollered back.

Liz opened her mouth to stop them. She wanted to ask Mica to go in, collect her brother and quietly mention to Reenie that they were leaving. But she knew it would look odd if she didn’t put in an appearance, so she said nothing.

Striding up the walkway, she followed the girls past the tall, heavy door they’d left standing open. “Hello?” she called. “Mind if I come in?”

“Liz, is that you?” Reenie’s voice could be heard somewhere out back. “We’re in the yard.”

The entryway smelled of exotic flowers. After taking a moment to admire the floral arrangement in front of the large gilded mirror, Liz proceeded through the house.

Her heels clacked on the marble floor as she passed a tall table topped with a glass bowl full of marbles. The kitchen, with its center island and shiny copper pots dangling from hooks near the ceiling, came next. Beyond that, French doors opened onto an elaborate brick patio illuminated by tulip-shaped yard lights. Senator Holbrook, Celeste, Reenie, Isaac and Carter were out there, relaxing in lawn chairs.

“Here she is,” the senator said, getting up to kiss her cheek. “I told you she was special, didn’t I?” he said to Carter.

Carter’s eyes lifted momentarily to Liz’s, and she thought she recognized a hint of amusement in their depths. “Yes, you did.”

“Can I get you a drink?” Celeste asked.

Liz raised a hand. “No, thank you. I won’t be staying long. I’m just here to pick up the kids.”

“What happened to your dress?” Reenie asked. She and Isaac sat across the patio at a circular table.

Liz did her best to wipe dust and taping mixture from her dress. “Oh, I stopped by the shop.”

Her brother stretched out his legs and toyed with the stem of his empty wineglass. “How’s it coming over there?”

“Good,” she said. “Keith’s almost finished repairing the wall that was damaged when LeRoy ripped out the television.”

“I think LeRoy will regret moving,” Senator Holbrook volunteered, nursing what appeared to be a brandy.

“Why do you say that, Dad?” Reenie asked.

“Folks have been going to his barbershop for years. They won’t like the change.”

“You’re the one who doesn’t like it,” Celeste corrected with a soft chuckle. “Because it means you’ll have to drive somewhere in order to get your hair cut.”

“With all the new shops going in on either side of him, I think he made the right decision,” Isaac said. “His rent was going up, and there wasn’t any good reason for him to pay the extra. At this point in his career, he has all the business he wants from regulars. Tourists aren’t really his target market.”

The senator winked at Liz. “At least it created a nice spot for a candy store. That makes me happy.”

Liz smiled at Reenie’s father. With his dark hair and strong chin, he looked exactly like Reenie and her brother Gabe. The only feature Reenie and Gabe seemed to have inherited from their mother was the shocking blue color of their eyes. “Now you’ll have to walk over to get some fudge instead of a haircut,” she told him.

“You bet I will.” He pulled out an extra chair. “Here, have a seat.”

“I can’t stay. The kids have school tomorrow.”

“It’s only nine o’clock,” he said. “Why not give them fifteen more minutes? They’re downstairs playing pool. They won’t be happy if you drag them away so soon.”

“You generally don’t put them to bed until nine-thirty, anyway,” Reenie added.

Liz glanced from father to daughter. She wanted to refuse. But she couldn’t tell them she didn’t enjoy Carter’s company. Neither could she say she was in a hurry to get home so she could call a friend in L.A. Reenie and Isaac would both know exactly who she was talking about.

“I guess I’ve got a few minutes.” Slipping into the chair Senator Holbrook held out for her, she helped herself to a cookie from a plate on the table. If she had to join the fun, she might as well indulge. It wasn’t as if she’d eaten much dinner.

“Are you excited about opening the shop?” Celeste asked.

Liz dusted a few crumbs from her lap. “I am,” she said, without adding that she was worried about the competition from Mary Thornton, now that Mary had had a two-month jump on attracting chocolate-loving patrons. “But I was hoping to be ready in time for Memorial Day.”

“You’re not going to make it?”

“No.”

“Why not? Keith promised he’d help you,” Reenie said.

“You know him.” When she said this, Liz could feel a spike in Carter’s interest level, and she figured he was sizing up the relationship, wondering how she and Reenie could be so friendly. Liz knew it was remarkable that they had overcome the past. But Reenie was a remarkable woman, and what had happened wasn’t her fault. “He doesn’t know enough about carpentry,” she explained. “And I’m having trouble finding someone else I can afford.”

“What about me?” Isaac said.

Liz shook her head. Isaac wasn’t any better at construction than Keith, and besides he was always so busy. “You already have your hands full.”

“There’s Gabe,” Celeste said. “You’ve seen his furniture. He can build anything.”

“He and Hannah should be back from Boston in a few days,” the senator added.

Liz exchanged a quick glance with Reenie. They both knew her brother and his wife, Hannah, wouldn’t be home for some time. They’d met a doctor in Massachusetts who thought he could restore some of the mobility in Gabe’s legs, maybe even get him out of his wheelchair. He was scheduled to have surgery a week from now but because of the risks, he’d made Reenie promise to keep it a secret from his parents and Hannah’s sons. Her two boys were staying at home—when they weren’t at the Holbrooks’—since Kenny at nineteen was old enough to care for his ten-year-old brother.