Life After Perfect (16 page)

In her room, she undressed and got into bed. She toyed with her phone before laying it on the nightstand. She lay there in the quiet. It had been a nice evening. A busy day full of a lot of different emotions, but good all the same.

She picked up her phone and clicked on the phone icon. The message from Ron still showed as unplayed.

She held her finger steady over the button, and then she pressed it.

“Katherine.”

The way he said her name always had the same effect on her. Like he’d been waiting all day to say it. The way he dragged the syllables unrushed—kind of like the way he kissed her. Slow and wholly. Even now . . . knowing what he’d done, that simple word—her name—made her acutely aware of the increase in her heart rate. Damn him.

But what followed the sweet roll of her name from his lips was less alluring.

“What the hell?” His voice sounded tight. “You think you can just up and leave? Handle things without so much as a word to me? I’m not one of your projects. I get a say in this, too.” His voice held an edge as sharp as a samurai sword.

“I know she’s your friend, but you really called that bitch Shaleigh? You know her reputation. She’s a man-eater. She hates men. She’ll ruin my reputation. What are you thinking? If you weren’t off flying around the country half of the time, this would have never happened. It doesn’t mean anything. You need to come back home and we need to discuss this. You can’t ruin everything we’ve built. Although you did a pretty damn good job ruining my birthday present, by the way. What the hell is going on in that head of yours? Katherine. Listen, we have the perfect life. You leaving is just f—. It’s crazy.”

Oh, yeah he was mad. Almost dropped the f-bomb on her right there and he knew how she hated that.

“Katherine. Baby. You’re upset. I get it. Let me explain. Come home. Don’t let Shaleigh turn this into something ugly. I love you. You know that.”

She replayed the message four times.

“Don’t let Shaleigh turn this into something ugly?” She could barely repeat his words without a snicker of disgust. “You made it ugly, Ron. You.”

Katy got up early and accessed her online banking to make sure all of her bills were paid. Since she wouldn’t have a paycheck the next few weeks, she needed to be sure she was careful with what she spent.

Feeling good about the early-hour accomplishment, she joined Naomi for coffee.

“Naomi, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind if I did a little of the cooking in that amazing kitchen of yours, as long as it’s just you, me, and Kelly Jo.”

“Don’t be silly. You are a paying guest in this house. That wouldn’t be right.”

“But it would be fun for me, and quite honestly, you are not charging near enough for the hospitality and quality you provide.”

“It’s plenty enough,” Naomi said.

“Please? Really. I’d enjoy it. Or we could cook some things together, maybe. That would be fun.” And maybe that whole cooking-for-one thing had made her feel a little itchy. Cooking for others is what made cooking enjoyable.

“I do have some special recipes that someone needs to learn, especially now that Kelly Jo won’t be the one to carry on that legacy.” She looked away for a moment, and Katy, though sad, felt honored to be able to stand next to Naomi and be a surrogate in some small way.

“We have a deal then?”

Naomi looked a little hesitant, but said, “Yes. We have a deal. You’re more like family than a guest already anyway. Make yourself at home in my kitchen.”

Katy could hardly wait. “Do you like quiche? I make an amazing quiche.”

“I do,” Naomi said.

“Great.” Katy jumped up from the table. “I’m going to make a list of what I need. Have you had breakfast?”

“
No, but don’t go running off to the grocery store. L
ook in the fridge and pantry first. I keep it stocked. If you’re going to cook, at least use my groceries.”

It turned out Naomi was not exaggerating about the grocery situation. If there was ever a famine, this was the place to be stuck. No one would go hungry for months.

While the quiche baked, Katy cut fresh fruit into a bowl. It was fun to cook in a kitchen like this. She felt a little like a contestant on one of those fancy food competition shows. There’d been a time when Katy cooked every night. She used to be a pretty good cook, in fact, but over the years, as Ron’s and her careers had advanced, their schedules just got too hectic and her specialty had turned into reservations and takeout.

Katy went ahead and set the table for the three of them, hoping Kelly Jo would feel up to coming into the dining room with the help of the walker. Maybe with a nice setting, the ladies would feel a little perkier.

She walked out the back door of the kitchen to the garden, where fresh herbs and flowers abounded. She plucked some basil, and then a cluster of small colorful flowers that kind of looked like daisies, only these had a lot more leaves. Didn’t matter. They were pretty.

She took them inside and pulled the quiche out of the oven. She garnished the plates with the fresh basil and a slice of orange and placed a perfect wedge of quiche on each plate.

Just as she was getting ready to go check on Kelly Jo and Naomi, Kelly Jo came through the door alone, steadied by the bright red walker on wheels.

“I’m so glad you decided to stay.” Her voice sounded weak.

“You look like you feel better today.” Katy tucked the flowers into a white milk vase. “I made some brunch. Maybe you can eat a little something.”

“That was so nice of you. Thank you.”

Katy motioned her to the table. “I’m going to go round up Naomi.”

Kelly Jo sat down. “I think she’s on her way. I heard her singing down the hall. She loves to sing.”

Naomi came through the doorway. “I thought I heard voices in here.” Her mouth dropped open. “Katy? This is way more extravagant than I’d ever expected.”

A sense of pride washed over her. “Just trying to keep up with you, Naomi.”

“I think you’re going to give me a run for my money, dear.” Naomi sat down next to her, then reached over and took Katy’s hand in one hand and Kelly Jo’s hand in the other. “I’ll bless the food real quick.”

“Thank you,” Kelly Jo said.

Katy bowed her head.

Naomi closed her eyes. “Lord, we are so grateful to be here together on this beautiful day. Lord bless this food to our use that we might better serve you. And thank you for bringing Derek into our lives at a time when all of us need his guidance and fellowship. Amen.”

Katy had a feeling each one of them at the table needed that blessing right now, and she’d give a big amen to that.

After brunch, Katy insisted on cleaning up while Kelly Jo and Naomi talked. Katy had a feeling they were discussing something of a personal nature and she didn’t want to intrude, so afterward she grabbed her phone and went outside.

Angie was walking up the stairs when Katy stepped out on the porch.

“Good to see you again,” Angie said.

“We just finished up brunch, but there’s quiche in the kitchen if you’re hungry,” Katy said.

“I’m good. I just have a few minutes. I wanted to check in on you girls.”

“That’s really nice of you.”

She shrugged it off. “Nothing any of you wouldn’t do for me or anyone else in this town.”

Katy nodded. The sincerity of those words touched her deeply. Just a few weeks ago she’d have said that about Preakness Heights, but the truth was this was a whole new level of community.

Angie headed inside and Katy walked outside and sat in one of the rocking chairs.

She was so disappointed in Ron. She’d have never broken that trust. And yet, maybe she was just as guilty for what had happened. Work kept them both busy. They were tired when they got home. Well, maybe she’d been the only one tired.

If she extended her leave of absence, she’d have three months to figure things out. Where she would live. Whether she’d go back to work at the bank or find something new to do. But time wasn’t going to fix this alone. She had to use her hiatus wisely.

Even her job, which she’d loved, just didn’t seem to have the kind of purpose her contribution to this world should. Certainly there was something different she could do that would matter. Would make a difference.

She dialed Peggy, who answered with a cheerful “Hello.”

“I was just thinking about you,” Peggy said. “How are you doing?”

“I’m doing okay. How are things with you and Tucker?”

Peggy made a sound like she was coughing up phlegm. “I don’t know. I think he’d rather I have to live in a tent than work out something with me. What is wrong with him? Doesn’t the fact I put up with him all this time amount to anything? He even took my dealer car and gave me a minivan. Me. A minivan. Are you believing that? Shaleigh says he can do that too. Just has to be sure I have wheels. For now. Once the divorce is over, it will be different though. I guaran-damn-tee that.”

Well, she’d certainly caught Peggy in a mood. That fiery redhead temper was rolling hot.

Now, none of it seemed important. The big house. The fancy car. The expensive dinners and fancy parties where she’d spend nearly a mortgage payment on a dress for one night.

For what?

She realized that all the stuff, and making a fair split of it, didn’t even really matter much to her. She just wanted to be out of the lie. “I’m sorry things aren’t going the way you’d like,” she said to her friend.

“Yeah. Me too. I thought it would be way easier than this. I mean it’s not like I ever did anything wrong.”

“Do you think it might have been any easier if you’d talked to Tucker yourself? I mean instead of going the lawyer route?”

“Who knows? Somehow I doubt it. You know Shaleigh’s reputation. If Tucker is going to be a jerk, I darn sure want her fighting my fight for me. Better to know now than be tricked out of it later. Who knows if it really does make a difference who your lawyer is?”

And that was the question of the century. Who decided right from wrong anymore? The lines sure did seem gray.

Maybe all of this was her chance to find a new direction.

Things could certainly be worse.

Chapter Fourteen

Katy needed a plan. Despite the residual negative feelings from her talk with Peggy, Angie’s comments about using her time wisely had really resonated with her. Ron had screwed up plain and simple, and she had no intention of trying to repair the damage.

There
was
no good reason for someone to go outside of the marriage for attention, ever. So how she used this time she had off of work was up to her. She could sit idle wondering what was going to happen next, or move the heck on.

After ten years of marriage, there was no reason to try to start brand-new. What he’d done was unforgivable in her eyes and she didn’t need to hide behind Shaleigh or anyone else. She was in the right here.

Peggy had meant well, and Katy getting out of town while she was stunned and hurt had absolutely been the right thing. Putting some distance between what she’d seen in that bistro and Ron had given her time to catch her breath, regain her sensibilities.

Katy made two pretty fruit parfaits for Kelly Jo and Naomi and left them on the top shelf in the refrigerator.

Satisfied with this, she was determined to make today meaningful.

She’d head to Atlanta for a night or two. Sync up with Ron and set things straight. They could be adults about this. There was no reason they couldn’t be amicable. He could have his little girlfriend and half the stuff. At this point she just wanted to move on. And from that visit, she could at least have a feeling for whether her life would be in Atlanta or somewhere else.

Did he want the house, or like Peggy, would she still reside in Preakness Heights? And if he wanted the house, where would her life be?

Even if she decided that her life was back in Atlanta, she thought she might come back and help Naomi and Kelly Jo for a little while. She left a quick note for Naomi about the parfaits and explained that she’d had to run back down to Atlanta for work, but that she’d be back.

Then she grabbed her purse and headed out. Navigating the twisting back roads was becoming easier. She was able to get from the inn to the interstate in nearly half the time it had taken her to find the inn that first day.

She dropped in behind a trucker on the interstate and let him push the speed limit, following in his draft.

At this pace she’d be in Atlanta before Ron even got off of work; then she could visit with Peggy and that would be good, too. She’d give her a quick call when she got closer to see if they could swing a short visit.

By three-thirty she was off the interstate. It felt like her car was poking along in the city traffic after hours of interstate driving.

Her hands shook a little as she reached for the radio button. She knew better than to go all day without eating, but it wouldn’t be the first time that she had her mind set on something and didn’t bother to stop for the basic necessities. Since she was early, she swung by her favorite frozen yogurt place and grabbed a snack.

She sat at an outdoor table under a bright pink-and-green umbrella eating her yogurt.

Katy texted Peggy to see if she was home.

PEGGY:
Sure am. How are you? I was getting ready to text you.

KATHERINE:
OK. In town. Thought I’d stop by and see you.

Her phone rang. It was Peggy.

“Too much trouble to type?” Katy asked.

“Too hard to type.”

“What? You just get your nails done? This is Tuesday. You get your nails done on Wednesday.”

“I’m texting you a picture. Hang on,” Peggy said. “Where are you?”

“Just around the corner. At the yogurt place.”

“Get over here. I’m home.”

Katy threw her trash away and got into the car. As she pulled up to the stoplight,
bah-doop
. Peggy’s picture must have come through.

The light turned so Katy held the phone in her hand as she drove, waiting to check the text until she took the turn into her neighborhood. She slowed to a stop at the first stop sign.

The picture was of a light-greenish Prius.

KATHERINE:
New car?

PEGGY:
No. It’s in front of your house.

Katy’s fingers folded into her own palm.

“My house?” Ron would never drive a car like that. She tossed her phone on the passenger seat and gunned the engine toward her house. When she came around the corner, sure enough, that little car was parked right in front of her side of the garage.

She slowly drove by, jotting down the license plate number, not sure even why. T
hen
she pulled into Peggy’s driveway.

Peggy raised the electric garage door and waved Katy inside.

She clamped her jaw tight, got out of her car, and peered out of the glass windows of the carriage house garage doors at that car. She spun around and faced Peggy.

“It’s been there all night. I saw her get out of the car last night. Ron had her put the car in the garage overnight. I saw the whole thing.”

“She?”

Peggy folded her arms. “Oh yeah. Definitely a she.” She walked over and stood next to Katy. She punched some buttons on her phone and then handed it to Katy.

Katy flipped through the pictures.

“Is it the same girl that you saw him with? I know the pictures aren’t that clear. I did the best I could.”

The little dark-haired girl could rock a pair of skinny jeans. “It’s her.” Saliva pooled in Katy’s mouth.

“Katherine, I’m so sorry.” Peggy wrapped her arms around her. “I wasn’t sure if she’d left sometime during the night, but then I saw her pull the car out of the garage a little while ago and go somewhere. She’s only been back about a half an hour.”

“Do you think he’s there, too?” Katy bit down on her lip.

“I don’t know, honey.”

Katy stared at the pictures. Oh, it was the same girl all right. Had she been there when Ron was leaving her messages? She handed the phone back to Peggy, and then went and got her purse out of the car. She dug through it and then walked to the garage’s side door. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Just wait.”

Katy stepped outside, and then ran across the yard to her own house. On the passenger side of the car, in the same magenta lipstick that she’d used to leave the note for Ron, she scrawled
S L U T
across the side of the car. The
T
scratched into the paint a little as the lipstick tube hit bottom.

She turned and walked back over to Peggy’s.

“I can’t believe you just did that. Sweet Katherine Barclift just broke bad.”

“Believe it.” She tossed the empty tube of lipstick into her purse and got her phone. She dialed Ron.

“Hey, Ron. It’s me. I wasn’t sure if you’d take my call.”

“Well, thank God you’ve come to your senses. What the hell were you thinking siccing Shaleigh on me? Were you serious or were just trying to scare me?”

“I wasn’t playing games, Ron. You brought this on yourself.”

“It’s not what you think it is.”

Katy shook her head and held the phone away from her ear. “Unbelievable,” she mouthed to Peggy. “So if it’s not what I think it is, what is it?”

“Take a picture of that car,” she mouthed to Peggy.

Peggy ran to the side door and stepped outside, clicking off several, and then came back inside and sat on the stoop with a front-row seat.

“Uh-huh, so it doesn’t mean anything? You haven’t seen her since?”

“Of course not, babe. It was innocent. She kissed me. You know how pushy some women can be these days when they smell a successful guy. I told her I was totally off-limits. I swear.”

“Really.” It took all she had not to scream “Liar” into the phone at him. Man, she wished she had this conversation recorded. “Well, isn’t she just a little slut to take advantage of you like that. She could have ruined our marriage.”

“I would never let that happen.”

“Of course not.”

“People don’t throw away the success we have together, Katherine. We have the perfect life.”

And there it was. The bottom line. Not that it was a surprise. Not exactly her kind of perfect. If this was the perfect life, then what would life after perfect be like?

He’d miss her paycheck. He had champagne taste, and it wasn’t the cheap stuff. They both made good money, but cutting their income by half would put a dent in his preferred lifestyle.

She wondered what he’d have done if she’d become ill. Like Laney. What if he’d been put in that position? Would he have made sacrifices? Or maybe he’d have just left right then. Replace her with someone else with a decent income. Was he doing that now?

“Tell you what. I’ll come talk to you about it. You’re right. We shouldn’t let Shaleigh make this into something it’s not.”

Peggy’s brow wrinkled.

Katy shook her head, hoping Peggy would realize she didn’t need to worry.

Oh, this was going to be good.

She waved Peggy to follow her and she walked back outside and stood at the edge of Peggy’s yard with her back to the little car, the word
SLUT
screaming in magenta across the passenger side, and her beautiful home in the background.

“Actually, honey, I’m on my way there. I should be home any minute. I can’t wait to talk this out.”

“You’re on the way? You’ll be here tonight?”

“No. I left this morning. I had time last night to think it through and, of course, you were right. You’d never do anything to put our life together at risk. I mean it was perfect. You said so yourself.”

“Okay. Yeah. Well, then I’ll see you in just a little while.”

“I’ll be home waiting for you.”

She pressed
END
before he could answer, and then said to Peggy, “Start videotaping, girl.”

Katy held her phone up and put it on video too. In selfie mode, she had half of her own face and the car in view.

Just as she predicted, little Miss Carpe Diem came hot-stepping it out of the house. She didn’t even seem to notice that not just one, but two women were videotaping the whole thing . . . or that she had a banner scrawled down the side of her car.

Katy and Peggy kept videotaping as the green Prius cruised out of the neighborhood.

“Oh. My. God.” Peggy was laughing hysterically. “That is too much. They say timing is everything and damn if you didn’t just prove it.”

Katy was so mad she was tempted to go in and ransack her own house, but if Shaleigh was going to be pissed that she’d contacted Ron, she’d be double-pissed if she did something like that. And if Ron was inside and trying to hide the fact, she wasn’t up for a confrontation either. No. She couldn’t stoop to that level. Karma had a way of keeping the score even and she just as soon be on the positive side of that pendulum.

Katy spun around and faced Peggy. “Do you have wine?”

“Do bears shit in the woods?” They walked inside and Peggy broke open a bottle of the good stuff from Tucker’s collection.

“I have a toast for us,” Katy said.

Peggy held up her glass and Katy did too.

Katy said, “To new beginnings. May all the yellow ribbons of hope and opportunity bring us all the good things we deserve. Thank you for being my friend, Peggy.”

“I love being your friend,” she said. “And I really am heartbroken this is happening to you.”

They walked into the living room and sat down.

“How are things going with Tucker?”

“Slow. He’s going to make this as laborious and as painful as he can. I think he’s hoping he’ll wear me down and I’ll let him come back.” Peggy pulled her feet up into the chair. “He’s staying in a hotel near the dealership. For now.”

“Is that good? Is that what you want?”

“He wants to give me some time.” Peggy refilled their glasses. “Were you really coming back to try to make things right?”

Katy shrugged. “No, but I thought we might be able to be adults about it and just come to an agreement on how things were going to be split up. I definitely had myself convinced we could be civil. I mean ten years of marriage should mean something.”

“One would think. Mine isn’t any easier. At least you don’t need his income to stay afloat. I feel so trapped.”

There was no doubt that she was sitting in a pretty good position. She wondered if Ron was dashing around the house in an attempt to hide all the evidence of his little visitor, or was he sitting in traffic heading for home, thinking he was in the clear since he’d run little Miss Carpe Diem out of the house? Didn’t really matter one way or the other.

She looked at her watch. She’d give him another fifteen minutes and then burn all his happy little thoughts to a crisp. Would serve him right.

“Are you driving back tonight?” Peggy asked.

“I was just thinking about that. It only took me six hours to get here. It’s not a bad drive. I think after all of this, I’ll be plenty charged up for the drive.”

“He’ll know you’re over here.”

“I was thinking about that too. I don’t want you stuck in the middle of it.” Katy took another sip of wine and then picked up her phone again. “Can you send me the video you took?”

Peggy pressed keys and then went and sat next to Katy on the couch. “Which do you think is better?” Katy played the one Peggy took and the one she’d taken.

“Oh, the one with your face just in the frame is priceless! That girl was booking. Talk about looking guilty. And she looked pissed too.”

“Good. Serves her right.”

“He sure dug his own grave.”

Katy brought up the text to Ron and then added the video. “Here goes nothing.” She pressed
SEND
. Then she typed. “Looks like we’re back to working through Shaleigh. Thanks for making this so much easier.”

Then she blocked his number.

“You blocked him?”

“Yep.”

“Aren’t you curious what he’s going to say?”

She took in a deep breath. “You know, I’m not. I’m just over it. Numb. I’m better than this.” Katy forwarded the video to Shaleigh too. “I just forwarded it to Shaleigh. I’ll probably get a vandalism ticket for the lipstick. Hope she knows a good attorney for that.”

“You can probably plead insanity.”