His gaze met hers, and although she couldn’t decipher his expression, she knew exactly how she was feeling—ashamed and frustrated at herself. She’d always put her clients first... and Rusty was more than just a client to her. How could she have been so careless?
“I gotta get this food back to Percy and Hank,” he said, holding up the bag.
“Right. Food.” Questions filled her mind. Was he back at work? He wasn’t dressed like it. Had Senior gone home? Did Amber know when she was moving? And was he really dropping out of the auction?
“I’ll call you with an appointment time,” was all she said.
“I’ll make sure to answer.” He went to his truck and set the bag on the seat. Then he climbed in and drove away.
Harper hugged her arms as he left the parking lot, then walked back inside the diner, trying to drum up enthusiasm for showing him the Miles Road property. She slid into the booth. Now she had to deal with Brielle again. But instead of being angry, all she felt was tired.
She glanced at the clock above the serving counter. One o’clock. She quickly checked her phone to see if either of her parents had texted back. They hadn’t.
Harper leaned her forehead against the heel of her hand and closed her eyes.Divorce time.
“Can I get you anything else?”
She glanced up at Bailey, who now looked truly concerned. Digging deep, Harper somehow managed to smile. “Just a box,” she said, as if her world wasn’t disintegrating. “This was too much for one meal.”
Bailey glanced at the untouched salad, then nodded. “Sure thing. Be right back.”
Her smile fading, Harper stared at the evenly sliced grilled chicken breast perched on a bed of fresh greens. Her parents. Rusty. Brielle. Her business. All of it blended into one tangled ball of stress. Her stomach lurched. She couldn’t solve her parents’ problems, but she had to do something about Brielle, she had to make things right with Rusty, and she had to get her business back on track.
She had no idea how she was going to do any of it.
***
Twenty minutes before she had to sign the documents ending her marriage, Madge turned into the law office parking lot and pulled into a space. After shutting off the engine, she glanced at all the shopping bags covering the back seat. When she’d arrived at the mall, she had hit one store after another, blindly grabbing tops, pants, and accessories off the racks, purchasing them without trying them on. With each dollar she spent, she’d expected the pain in her heart to diminish. It didn’t. Now she was stuck with hundreds of dollars of stuff she barely remembered buying.
She touched her head to the steering wheel, continuing her fight against the tears that had threatened to fall for the pasttwo hours. Until now she’d been able to shove the imagery of the affair aside, refusing to dwell on the specifics of what Don had done. Now she couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Is she younger? Thinner? Prettier? Better?
Rage exploded inside her, and she pounded the steering wheel with the heel of her hand.I’m the one who stayed home and took care of everything! I raised Harper and dealt with the tears when Don didn’t show up for her milestones. I’m the one who was lonely... who slept in an empty bed when he was gone and... and...
Sobs heaved from her chest, and she couldn’t stop them. All those nights alone, longing to have her husband next to her, for his touch and support. Phone calls didn’t make up for the lack of intimacy, and because she’d had a daughter to take care of, she had learned early on to toughen up. Back then she couldn’t let anyone see her cry, especially Harper. Now all she could do was cry.
A knock sounded on her car window, making her jump. Don. Of course it was Don, and he was seeing her at her absolute worst.
“Open the door, Maddie.”
She tried to stem the tears, and when she couldn’t, she put her head on the steering wheel, ignoring his pleas. Finally he walked away. She would get it together somehow before she headed into that office and signed those papers. She just needed a minute—
The passenger door opened, and Don slid into the seat.
Madge glared at him, too weak to sit up and angry she’d forgotten he had a key to her car. “Go... away...”
“No. Not this time.”
Wiping her face with her fingers, she fought for breath, refusing to look at him.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly.
“No.” She scrubbed her hands on her black pants. “I’m not okay. I’veneverbeen okay since the moment I met you.”
“Never?” He shifted in his seat. “There wasn’t a single moment of our marriage that made you happy?”
She blew out a breath. If she said no, he would know she was lying. “There were far more unhappy moments.”
