Stitches in Time (9 page)

C
hadwick headed south on A1A and pulled into the parking lot of Andy Romano Park overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. We had both remained quiet on the drive.

He reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Feel like talking?”

“Are you shocked or disgusted by what I told you?” I asked.

“Not at all. Discovering that your husband is gay has nothing to do with you.”

I was surprised to hear him say this. “That's not what I've felt these past two years. I thought maybe if I had been different. Sexier. More beautiful. More . . . something.”

I heard him let out a sigh and squeeze my hand again. “Isabelle, this isn't about you. It's about marrying a person you simply didn't know. Even after eight years. But that's not uncommon. People have a way of projecting only what they want us to see. We all have secrets. Some are minor and not that important. But others have life-shattering consequences. I'm afraid that's the kind of secret Roger had.”

I nodded. He was right. Then why did I still feel so inadequate as a wife and a woman?

“I just can't help but feel that maybe if I had done something different, maybe—”

Chadwick interrupted me and shifted in his seat to face me. “Look at me,” he said.

I turned and saw the concerned expression on his face.

“Isabelle, there isn't a thing
you
could have done differently. Nothing. Unfortunately, Roger was never honest with you. For that, he was wrong. However, you also have to know how difficult it's been for homosexuals. It still is in many places. Some of society has become more accepting and of course laws have helped that to happen. But it's still not always easy. People discriminate and many are consumed with hate. Maybe he felt the time had finally come to be honest, and federal laws probably helped his decision. Do you know the fellow he's with?”

I nodded. “I don't really know Gordon, but yes, I've met him. He works at the television station with Roger. I just assumed they were good friends. You know,
guy
buddies. I sure as hell never thought they were
gay
buddies.”

“Does your daughter know about this?”

I shook my head. “God! No! And she wants to go visit him in April. Roger and Gordon are now living together. I have no idea how I'm going to tell Haley. And apparently, now that the laws have changed, they're planning to make it legal and get married.” I let out a groan. “I can't even imagine explaining this to my daughter.”

“You know, kids today aren't like we were. Everything is out in the open now. Being gay or a lesbian is something today's generation is exposed to and I think that's gone a long way to make kids more broadminded. They might not all accept homosexuality, but it's not hidden like it was in my parents' generation.”

I knew Chadwick was right about the sweeping changes in society but I dreaded having to tell my daughter why her father had really left.

“When the time is right, you'll tell her, and her reaction might surprise you.”

I nodded and recalled that Petra had said the same thing.

He leaned toward me and took my face in his hands. “You'll do just fine.”

I felt his lips brush mine and all thoughts of Roger were gone. The pressure of Chadwick's lips increased as I slid my arms around his neck and returned his kiss. A few moments later we broke apart, both of us breathing heavily. Without a doubt this man made up for all of the passion that Roger had lacked.

He pulled back and stared into my eyes. “That . . . was incredibly nice.”

“It was,” I whispered.

He bent his head to kiss me again and there was no denying the desire that he created in my body.

But what really surprised me was when we broke apart and I looked into his eyes, I saw my own desire reflected there—a desire I had never witnessed with my husband.

He buried his face in my neck and whispered, “Thank you for a wonderful evening.”

I released a sigh of contentment and nodded.

Chadwick pulled away, and I saw the dashboard clock read almost midnight. The entire evening had slipped away much too quickly.

“Gosh, I can't believe the time,” I said.

“I know. I'll drive you home.”

He backed the car out of the parking spot, reached for my hand, and gave me a smile. “I'm hoping this was the first of many dates to come.”

I returned his smile. “I hope so too.”

When he pulled into the driveway of Koi House, he was still holding my hand. He leaned over to kiss my cheek before getting out, opening my door, and walking me to the porch.

Putting his hands on my shoulders, he leaned toward me for another kiss, which was quickly becoming more heated than the previous ones.

He abruptly pulled away, held me at arm's length, and said, “Okay. If I don't leave now, you're going to end up having a guest overnight.” He kissed my cheek and smiled. “I'll call you tomorrow.”

I watched him jog to his car, get in, and wave good night as I wondered why having him as an overnight guest would be a bad thing.

I walked into the house, shut off the porch light, and locked the door before heading to the kitchen for a glass of ice water to bring upstairs.

Walking into the bedroom, I noticed the aroma of Chanel No. 5 was much stronger than earlier and I smiled. The entire night had been magical. Wearing Emmalyn's gorgeous dress, the supper club, the champagne, the dancing—but most of all, Chadwick Price had been enchanting and made me feel like I'd just lived a page from a fairy tale.

* * *

Sunlight streaming through the windows woke me the next morning. The bedside clock readjust after eight. I stretched and smiled as I recalled the previous evening. Had it all been a dream? No, this time it was real. I really had shared a very special evening with Chadwick. I was pretty sure he liked me. A lot. I certainly had not been looking to get involved with somebody. But maybe it's accurate that we truly have no control over matters of the heart. Love is involuntary—it happens with no control from us.

And what was with those passionate kisses, I wondered. I recalled Chloe saying she detected chemistry between Chadwick and me the first time we'd met at LuLu's. Was there also some truth about love at first sight? Many people seemed to think so. I was more of the belief that people didn't
fall
in love but rather
grew
in love. But after spending the previous evening with Chadwick, I was beginning to have my doubts about this.

I got up, headed to the bathroom, and then went downstairs. The house was so quiet with Chloe at Henry's condo and Haley at Mavis Anne's house. I started the coffee and opened the front door to get the newspaper. I smiled when I saw the newspaper had a bouquet of flowers attached to it with ribbon. Bending down, I picked it up and noticed there was also a small envelope there.

My smile increased as I took the newspaper and flowers into the kitchen. After pouring myself a mug of coffee, I settled on the stool to read the card written in bold, masculine script.

Just a small thank you for an evening that I wish didn't have to end.
It was signed,
Fondly
,
Chadwick
.

I glanced at the bouquet and wondered when he had stopped by to leave them. And then I looked more closely at the flowers. They weren't from a florist shop. Had he handpicked these roses and daisies? I had visions of him sneaking into a neighbor's yard and burst out laughing.

I was filling a vase with water when Haley walked in the back door with Tina.

“Good morning,” I said. “How'd it go staying with Mavis Anne?”

“She's so cool,” Haley said.

“Yeah,” Tina agreed. “We had the best time. Oh, pretty flowers, Mrs. W.”

I grinned at the new moniker that Tina had recently begun using. “Thank you.”

“From Chadwick?” Haley questioned.

I nodded. “Yeah. I found them on the porch this morning with the newspaper.”

“Oh, wow,” Tina gushed. “Straight out of a Jane Austen novel.”

I laughed. “Have you girls had breakfast?”

“Yes,” Haley said. “Marta came over and made French toast for all of us. She brought her daughter Krystina and the three of us are going to the beach. Is that okay?”

“Sure. So Mavis slept okay and everything went well?”

“Yup,” Haley assured me. “Oh, and David called this morning. He and Clive had just landed at the airport in Milan and were getting their rental car to drive to Lake Como.”

“Oh, good. I'm sure that made Mavis Anne feel good to know they arrived safely.”

The mention of David made me think of something else.

“What time will you be home, Haley?”

“Probably by two. Tina's mom gets done with work at three today, so she's going home to be with her.”

“Okay.”

“Why? What's going on?”

I waved a hand in the air. “Oh, nothing really. I just wanted to talk to you about something.”

A
fter I showered and dressed, I walked next door to check on Mavis Anne. She was sitting on the patio knitting.

“There you are,” she said. “Details. I want details of that date last night.”

I laughed as I sat down to join her. “Well . . .
magical
would pretty well cover it. It was simply . . . magical. All of it. The supper club, the food, the champagne, and, of course, Chadwick.”

Mavis Anne grinned. “Ah, yes. Chadwick. He's a special guy. I've known him for quite a few years and he's never failed to impress me. So I can assume that the two of you hit it off quite well?”

“Hmm, you could say that. He left me some flowers this morning on the porch with the newspaper and he said he'd call me today.”

Mavis Anne put her knitting down and leaned forward to pat my hand. “I'm happy for you, Isabelle. I had no doubt that you'd make a good couple. I excel in the romance department. Unfortunately, I lost my Jackson way too soon, but the time we had together has always stayed with me.”

I recalled Chloe telling me about the love of Mavis Anne's life. But she was right. She'd lost him much too soon to the war in Vietnam. But it seemed that over the years her love for Jackson had only deepened.

“The entire evening just felt so
right
,” I told her. “I surprised myself by sharing things with him that I never discuss. And he's so understanding. Yeah, he's a pretty special guy.”

“Sounds to me that your fall in that parking lot was meant to be.”

“You really believe that sort of stuff?”

A look of surprise crossed Mavis Anne's face. “Oh, yes, of course. Nothing happens by chance. We might think it does, but no. I've always felt the universe knows precisely what it's doing. Especially when it comes to the heart and love.”

“Hmm, maybe you're right. So what are your plans for today? Can I prepare your lunch?”

“Oh, thank you, but no. Louise is coming to get me. We made plans to drive down to Cocoa Beach and do some browsing in the shops and then we're going to have lunch at that great French restaurant, Café Margaux. Would you like to join us?”

“Thanks but no. I have some chores to get done around the house and Haley will be back from the beach by two.”

I kept Mavis Anne company for another hour and then went home.

I had just walked in when my cell phone rang and I saw Chadwick's name on the caller ID.

“Hello,” he said. “And how are you this morning?”

“I'm great. Thank you so much for the flowers.”

His laughter came across the line. “Oh, good. You found them.”

“I did. With the newspaper. Did you steal those from a neighbor's yard?”

I heard him laugh again. “No. I picked them from my own garden. Unfortunately, Maddie's florist shop was closed today.”

“Well, you did a great job. I have them in a vase and I love them.”

“That was my intention. So what are your plans for today?”

“Actually . . . I've decided to have that talk with Haley later this afternoon. About Roger.”

“Good for you. I think it's the right thing to do. I hope it goes well.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

“The beginning of the week is busy for me, but I was wondering if you might be free on Thursday evening.”

I walked to the cabinet to check the calendar. “Yeah. I have to take Mavis Anne for a hair appointment in the afternoon, but I'm free that evening.”

“Great. How about if I pick you up about six? I'd like to bring you to my house for dinner.”

“That would be nice. So, yes.”

“Okay. Well, if I don't talk to you before, I'll see you Thursday at six.”

I hung up and recalled what Mavis Anne had said about love at first sight. I wasn't sure about love, but I did know I had been strongly attracted to Chadwick Price from the moment I'd met him the year before. And that attraction seemed to be getting stronger.

* * *

Haley returned home shortly after two and headed to the fridge to make herself a salad.

“So, what's up?” she asked as I finished loading the dishwasher. “You wanted to talk to me about something?”

“Yeah,” I said, dreading the impending conversation. “Fix your salad and we'll talk.” I poured myself a glass of iced tea and watched my daughter place lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and onions into a salad bowl. She added some tuna fish and dressing and joined me at the counter with an expectant look on her face.

I took a sip of iced tea. “Well, I wanted to talk to you about visiting your father in April.”

“Oh, okay. You said I could go, right?”

“Yes, of course you can, and we'll get your flight tickets soon. But . . . ah . . . well, there's something I wanted to tell you about why your father left me.”

Haley nodded. “I know. You said he had somebody else in his life. I hope you know I'd never take sides, Mom. I love you both but I'm sorry he did that to you.”

I let out a deep sigh. “Well, Haley, sometimes things just aren't meant to be. Sometimes things happen in life that are good and wonderful, but . . . they're just not supposed to last a lifetime. Things change. People change. And sometimes things were always a certain way but people just weren't honest with themselves or others.”

I saw the blank expression on my daughter's face and realized I was beginning to ramble.

I cleared my throat. “What I'm trying to say is . . . this person that your father left me for . . . well, it wasn't another woman.”

Haley's head shot up as she stared at me. “Oh,” was all she said.

“No. It was a man.” Her expression told me she was trying to digest this information.

After a few moments, she said, “Are you saying that Dad is gay?”

I nodded as a pain shot through my heart. This was probably one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do. “Yes. He is.” I waited to see which way she'd take the conversation.

She put down her fork and stopped eating. “Was he always gay?”

“Yes, he was. Although he never told me until a couple of years ago. I'm not sure he could admit it to himself until then.”

Haley blew out a loud puff of air. “Wow.” She shook her head. “Wow,” she said again. “Is the man Gordon?”

Now it was my turn to be surprised. “Yes, it is. But how did you know that?”

“Well, I never knew for sure. But a few years ago I'd stopped by the television studio to see Dad after school. I went to his office but didn't knock before going in. Dad and Gordon were hugging. I didn't think too much of that because a lot of men hug in a friendly way. But this was different. First of all, they both looked embarrassed and then they got all awkward. Dad tried to explain they'd just been notified they'd both won some kind of award for broadcasting. But something just didn't feel right. I never said anything because I thought it was my imagination.”

“I'll be damned,” I said.

“But I guess it wasn't my imagination.”

I shook my head. “No, it wasn't. It is Gordon and they've been together for about three years now.”

“So that's who Dad wants to marry? Gordon?”

I nodded. “Yes. How do you feel about all of this?”

Haley jumped up to give me a hug. “Oh, Mom. This isn't about
me
. How do
you
feel about all of it? Why didn't you tell me any of this before? It had to have been so hard on you.”

I felt moisture stinging my eyes. This was one of those moments when the maturity of my daughter blew me away.

I wiped at my eyes. “I'm okay, Haley. Really. Well . . . I am now. It took a while to soak it all in but . . . yes, I'm okay with it now.”

She pulled me into another embrace. “Well,” she said in a matter of fact tone, “if you're okay with it, then I'm okay with it.”

“Really? Do you still want to go visit your father?”

“Of course I do. He'll always be my dad. And I only met Gordon that one time, but he seemed really nice. They're living together, aren't they?”

“Yeah. Do you think that'll be a problem with visiting?”

“No. Dad's moving, you know.”

“Really? No, I didn't know. We've really only texted since I left Atlanta. Where is he moving?”

“To a beautiful house just outside of Atlanta. He sent me photos on the computer. Three bedrooms and a pool. He said he'll have my room decorated any way I want. They'll have a guest room, too, but nobody will use my room. That's just for me.”

I knew this made Haley happy and made her feel special, which was great. “That's wonderful. So they'll certainly have the room for you to visit anytime you want. Will they be in the house when you go in April?”

“Yes. They're moving next month.”

“That's wonderful,” I said again. And it was. It was apparent that Roger was making the proper provisions to keep his daughter in his life. Even though things had changed with me, he was doing the right thing for Haley.

“Do you have any questions?” I asked.

“Yeah. Can I go to their wedding?”

I was surprised about her request. “You'd really like to go?”

“Sure. Why not? A girl at school went to her mom's lesbian wedding a couple weeks ago. It was held at some fancy place in Orlando.”

Yup. This new generation was definitely more openminded and accepting than previous ones. And I could see that this was a very good thing.

“Of course you can go,” I told her. “I'll take you shopping for a nice outfit to wear.”

Haley finished her salad and we continued to discuss Roger, Gordon, and their situation. By the time my daughter left the kitchen to go do some homework, I knew she was a well-adjusted, compassionate, and loving young lady. And I was mighty proud of her.

I brewed a pot of coffee and decided the time had come to speak to Roger on the phone. He had a right to know about the conversation that had transpired with Haley.

“Roger, this is Isabelle,” I said when he answered.

“Isabelle, how nice to hear your voice.” I could tell he meant it by his tone.

“How have you been?” I asked.

“Fine. And you? How have
you
been?” I could detect a sincere concern.

I let out a sigh. “I wasn't good for quite a while. I won't lie. But now . . . I'm fine. I really am. I feel like I've turned a corner.”

“You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear this. Isabelle . . . I never wanted to hurt you. Not ever. I'm not sure you can ever forgive me for what happened, but . . . I've always hoped at least you would have a chance to go on and be happy.”

It suddenly struck me that I
was
happy. “I am. I love living here and Haley's happy too. It was the right thing to do, moving away from Atlanta. Listen, the main reason I'm calling is about Haley. I know she's planning to come visit you in April and, well . . . I thought the time had come to be honest with her about you and why our marriage really broke up.”

There was a moment of silence before he said, “Are you saying you told Haley that I'm gay?”

“I did. And I told her your upcoming marriage isn't to a woman, but you'll be marrying Gordon.”

“Oh, Isabelle, I never wanted you to have to be the one to tell her. I was planning to do that when she came here in April. I'm so sorry.”

“No, it was okay. I thought it might actually be better if the news came from me.”

“How did she take it?”

“Surprisingly, she took it way better than I would have expected. We really have a daughter to be proud of. That's one thing that you and I got perfectly right.”

I heard a whoosh of air come across the line. “Haley has always been extra special. So I shouldn't be surprised. But are you sure she's okay with all of this?”

“Very sure, Roger. She can't wait to visit you and she wants to attend the wedding.”

“That's way more than I could have hoped for. Isabelle, thank you. Thank you for telling her in a way that she understood. This could have all gone very differently.”

“Hey, you're her father. And you always will be. I'll be getting her flight tickets as soon as you both decide on dates.”

“Absolutely not. I'm paying for her flight and I'll get it booked after I speak to Haley. By the way, are you okay financially? Can I send you more money?”

I felt a smile cross my face. “No, but thank you. I'm doing just fine. Oh, and Roger . . . I've met somebody. It's a brand new relationship and I'm not sure where it will go, but right now . . . I'm very happy.”

“And I couldn't be happier for you. You deserve all the love and good things there are in life.”

“Okay, well, you take care and keep in touch. I'll sign the divorce documents when they arrive this week.”

“Thanks again, Isabelle. You're the best. You really are. We'll talk soon.”

I hung up as I felt a warm spot touch my heart. Roger and I would always have the connection of our daughter. And I had no doubt that, in his own way, Roger loved me. It just had never been in the way I had wanted to be loved as a woman.