Certainly Sensible (8 page)

Susan and Emily came out of the kitchen. Daniel shifted his footing, looked up at the chandelier dangling from the cathedral ceiling, put Sharlene’s oversized Gucci handbag on the bottom step of the staircase, and then stepped out of the line of fire between his current wife and his ex-wife.

“Caroline, darling, lovely to see you,” Sharlene said with an air kiss. “Can’t you get your sister to stop that racket?”

“That ‘racket,’ Sharlene,” Caroline said through gritted teeth, “is Mozart.”

“Daniel, you’re looking well.” Susan slowly turned her back on Sharlene and faced her ex-husband. “We’re just about out of your way here. Caroline was rounding up Megan a few minutes ago, and I guess you can tell where Allie is.”

“Hello, Daniel,” Emily said, an amused look on her face.

Sharlene was getting quite annoyed at all the useless small talk. She had lots to do and was itching to get started on the makeover of this house. “Susan, dear, it’s lovely to see you again. And your friend, too. Please don’t let us keep you any longer than necessary.” She waved her hand to dismiss them. “Our movers will be arriving shortly and goodness knows this place needs some updating, so I have to call the decorator right away. Besides, I’m sure you have unpacking to do in your new little cottage. Where is it again? Oh, yes, Rosslyn Village. How quaint.”

“Daniel always liked the decorations in this house,” Susan shot back.

Daniel coughed and shifted nervously from one foot to the other. “Hey, what’s a guy got to do to get a beer around here?”

Sharlene looked from Daniel to Susan and then back again in bewilderment. She saw Susan as a mousy housewife and boring school teacher, so what Daniel had ever seen in her was beyond comprehension. Despite her fancy college education, Susan had nothing to offer. As far as Sharlene was concerned, Susan was never the kind of wife Daniel needed for his rightful place in society.
He certainly traded up when he married me
.

“Now where is my brother? I’m sure he’s just as impressed with this house as Grandmother will be, once I’ve got it all set to rights.”

In truth, Sharlene doubted Grandmother would be fazed by the opulence in this house. She and Richard had been raised mostly by their widowed father and his opinionated mother, herself a widow. Sharlene had resented Grandmother Adele’s interference in her social life at school. Adele wanted her to get involved in clubs and athletics, and Sharlene only wanted to attend parties and dances. The more lavish the party, the better she liked it. Back then her friends pretty much assumed she was the life of every social event. Sharlene briefly attended community college until her father asked her to work at Meadows Advertising. Even without a degree, Sharlene proved to be a natural advertising saleswoman, bringing in lucrative business from around town and the surrounding counties.

“Susan, dear, I don’t want to keep you. If I find anything you’ve left behind…” Sharlene glanced at her husband and bit her tongue before she blurted out that she’d throw it out. “Of course I’ll see that you get it back.”

Richard came back down the stairs with his arms free of baggage, noticed the tension in the room, and grabbed his sister’s arm. “Come on Sharlene, let’s go look at the garden.”

“I’ve seen the garden, Richard,” Sharlene said as she jerked her arm away, “and I’m aware of how much work needs to be done out there.”

Richard threw an
I tried
look at Caroline, who smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

“Emily, are you ready to leave?” Susan turned on her heel and reached for the box of bed linens Caroline had left by the front door.

“Beyond ready.” Emily flashed Sharlene a wicked smile as she picked up an expensive designer lamp on the entryway table.

“Emma, dear, are you sure you want to take
that
lamp?” Sharlene lunged for it, but Emily ducked out of her reach and marched triumphantly out the door with it.

“Daniel…” Sharlene whined.

“Where’s Megan?” Daniel asked Caroline, ignoring his wife. “I haven’t seen her in days.”

“Or possibly weeks,” Caroline muttered.

Sharlene narrowed her eyes at Caroline. “Isn’t that a bit harsh, dear? Your father’s a terribly busy man.”

“Megan?” Daniel called out. His voice echoed in the empty stairwell.

Megan appeared at the top of the stairs. She was now wearing an oversized hooded sweatshirt with her khaki shorts, a noticeable bulge in its middle.

“Hi, Dad.” Megan dejectedly walked down the stairs, dragging each foot on the way.

Daniel put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a tentative hug. Megan pulled away, hugging her arms tightly around herself.

“Megan, darling, how nice to see you. Aren’t you a bit overdressed for the heat?” Sharlene tossed an exasperated glance at her other stepdaughter. “And Caroline, really, what is so funny?”

Daniel tried again to hug Megan, but she backed away from him. “Hey, Megs, what if you and I have dinner one night soon? Just the two of us.”

Megan brightened up. “Okay. When?”

Sharlene stepped between them. “Daniel, you know that isn’t possible right now,” she said. “We have dinner commitments already lined up, and of course you’re out of town on business next week. Maybe after we’re settled in here, but really it’s not a good time right now.”

Daniel shrugged and took a few steps toward the living room. “Allie?” he called. “Allie, can you leave off that playing a minute? I haven’t seen you in months.”

The music stopped, and Allie appeared in the doorway, sheet music clutched in her arms, her jaw set tight and a glum look on her face. Daniel held out his arms, inviting her to come give him a hug. Instead, Allie walked right by him and toward the door, never making eye contact.

“Allie?” Daniel tried again as she swept by him.

She stopped in the open doorway and turned to face him. “Take care of the piano, Dad. It needs tuning.”

“Allie, listen, hon. You’re welcome to use the piano any time.”

Sharlene wanted to scream, but again she calmly reminded him, “Daniel, that isn’t going to work either. The contractors will be here, and the piano will just have to be covered with a tarp and moved aside until they’re done. I don’t see how Allison could possibly practice under those circumstances.”

“Well, then, Allie, how about when the renovations are done?” Daniel asked. “Allie?”

Allie grabbed Megan by the arm and stormed out the door.

Sharlene smirked.
Mission accomplished.

****

Susan looked around the new house. Boxes were stacked everywhere, furniture left sitting askew, and at that moment it didn’t seem possible that order would ever be restored. The house had just the one family room, an eat-in kitchen, a small master bedroom with full bath, two other tiny bedrooms and a hallway shower/bath for the girls’ use, and finally a screened-in back porch that needed the piles of leaves swept out.
It’s going to be an adjustment, that’s for
sure
. At least the previous owners had completely renovated it, with all new kitchen cabinets and appliances, fresh paint and laminate flooring, and new bathroom fixtures. The plumbing and electrical systems had been updated in the fifty-year-old house, and there were some lovely large trees in the fenced backyard.

Maybe we can get a dog
. Daniel had always hated dogs, and Megan had always wanted one.

Emily found Susan gazing at the backyard. “Maybe you can adopt a dog.”

Susan laughed. “It’s like you can read my mind.” She gave her best friend’s shoulders a squeeze. “Emily, I can’t thank you enough for all your help these last couple of days.”

Emily smiled. “That’s what friends are for.”

“I imagine you’d like to be on the freeway headed to Chicago about now. You’re welcome to stay the night, but this isn’t the mansion of yore. I do have a free sofa, though.”

Emily chuckled. “Truthfully, I was thinking that if I got started right away I could be home in time for a late supper with Sara. Would you mind?”

“Of course not.” Susan hugged her friend again, then went back to staring at the boxes stacked everywhere in the small family room.

Emily watched her in silence for a moment. “What’s wrong?”

Susan sighed. “I’m really worried about Allie. She usually spends her summers taking private music lessons, but now, well… Caroline will be fine, you know how strong she is, plus she has a job, sort of, and Megan will adjust. But Allie.” She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“Say, listen, I’ve had an idea about Allie. A former client of mine lives near here in the Meridian-Kessler neighborhood. He’s a music professor at Bradley University, and he also gives private lessons in his home. I know he has a piano because the house I found him had to be large enough to accommodate it. I’m wondering if he’d be willing to take Allie on as a student for the summer.”

Susan gave that some thought. “How much would that cost me? You know I’m on a tight budget.”

“I’m sure you could work something out. His name’s Brandon Phillips, and he’s a great guy. Let me give him a call tomorrow and see what he says.”

Susan wasn’t sure how Allie would react to yet another change, especially one arranged by her mother and Emily. “What’s he like? Old and stodgy?”

Emily laughed. “Heavens no. Actually Brandon’s young to be a tenured professor.”

Susan took a deep breath as she mulled over Emily’s suggestion. “Well, give him a call and see what he says.”

“I’m sure he’ll want to get in touch with you—and meet Allie.”

“Just one more debt I owe you, Emily. If it weren’t for you…”

Emily held up her hand. “I know, Susan. You don’t have to say it.”

Susan smiled, opened a box, and started unpacking it. “How did I end up with this?” They both laughed as she held up Daniel’s beer mug embossed with his fraternity’s letters.

Emily pulled her cell phone out of her jeans pocket and pushed speed dial #1. “Hi, Sara. It’s me. Yeah, we’re done. I’m coming home tonight after all. Sure…” Emily walked off into the kitchen, and Susan gladly gave her some privacy.

Chapter Six

Caroline glanced into Richard’s office and quickly turned back to her computer when he looked up and their eyes met. She blushed and was trying to focus on work, when her attention was diverted by a text from Lucy.

—
Red alert!
—

Before Caroline could reply or ask what that meant, Richard motioned for her to come into his office. She got up from her desk and walked in.

He was beaming. “Caroline, I have those art books I promised Megan. They’re sitting on…”

Then Caroline heard the dreaded click-click-click coming down the hall and cringed.

“Richard! Richard Meadows, where are you?”

Richard groaned. “That would be Misty. I’d know those stilettos anywhere.”

Misty Peterson waltzed down the hall toward Richard’s office, and suddenly Caroline understood Lucy’s message. Misty was wearing a bright red camisole, a white skirt with red polka dots, red high-heeled sandals, a mauve headband around her frizzy bleached blonde hair, and way too much ruby red lipstick. Caroline turned her face away to avoid laughing.

“Richard, thank goodness.” Misty brushed past Caroline with a dirty look as she swept into his office. “I’ve got a
ton
of things to talk to you about. Our wedding’s less than three months away, and I’m positively crazed! Let me show you these invitations.” She plopped the sample books on top of his desk, scattering his work papers everywhere.

Caroline watched the two of them, wondering yet again what the attraction was. Richard looked chagrined as he glanced over at Caroline but quickly turned back to his fiancée.

“What’s going on here?” Misty demanded, looking from one to the other.

“It’s just that we were working, Misty, and we didn’t know you were coming.” Caroline sighed as she leaned down to pick up Richard’s papers off the floor. It galled her to be polite to the woman, but for Richard’s sake she had to fake it.

“See here, Caroline, I’ll drop by whenever I like. Richard is my fiancé.”

“Yes, I know.” Caroline bit her tongue.

She might have wondered how a classless woman like Misty ever snagged a great guy like Richard, but she already knew. She’d heard some of it from Richard, some from his grandmother, and some of the story from Jack, who had helped facilitate the whole thing. If Caroline were prone to violence, she’d throttle Jack. True, he thought he was just being a friend to Richard, but his involvement allowed Misty to make her sneaky move. Caroline understood why Richard had gotten sucked into the plan. But she’d never understood what was in it for Misty, who didn’t even seem to really like Richard. Yet the wedding plans were in full swing.

Misty was the spoiled daughter of coffee magnate Merrill Peterson, which gave Caroline pause every time she bought a Peterson’s coffee. Misty mostly spent her days shopping, going to spas, and spending money however she pleased, all with her father’s credit cards of course. Then one day last summer, Caroline and Richard were having lunch at an outdoor café near their office and Misty, who was out shopping with her best friend Krystal McAlister, spotted them. The two of them stopped by the table, supposedly just to say hello. But then Misty sat down, squeezed herself between Caroline and Richard, and pointed to a chair for Krystal to sit, too. Misty monopolized the conversation, going on and on about how she hadn’t seen Richard in ages, reminding him they were high school sweethearts, and what would his mother think if she knew he’d neglected her, yada yada yada. Caroline had to stop eating her salad, because Misty’s whole performance made her nauseous.

Later that day, Misty called Jack at work. Lucy patched the call through, but since his office was adjacent to the lobby, Lucy could easily hear the whole conversation, at least Jack’s side of it. Mostly it centered on who Richard had been having lunch with.

According to Lucy, who gleefully dished to Caroline, Misty must have told Jack that seeing Richard again brought back all the old feelings she had for him.

“Old feelings?” Caroline asked. “Seriously?”

“Well,” Lucy continued with a gleam in her eye, “Misty must have been pumping Jack for info about his girlfriend, aka you, because Jack told her you were just an employee. So then I heard Jack agree to set up some kind of get-together.”