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He gasped, knowing she referred to the rape accusation.
“Why did you bring that up?” He bowed his head; the pain he’d inflicted on people comes at him in waves of shame. “Elizabeth, I’m feeling more and more like it’s a mistake that we are still together.”
“I tried to leave you once already and you talked me into staying! What do you want? Do you want to be married to me and move on with your mistakes, or live in the past?”
“I’ll think about it,” he said. “I’m too angry to make a rational decision like that right now. You need to decide if you’re going to respect my son and his family, and that means keeping your gossip to yourself.”
“I’ll take it under consideration. Nothing I told Cindy and the boys was anything Annie hasn’t blabbed about herself. I don’t know what you’re getting so bent out of shape for.”
“Because they left! You saw how upset she got. It was rude and uncalled for.”
He poured himself a cup of coffee from the carafe and took a plate of food with him, leaving her sitting alone at the dining table in the conservatory. She was used to dining alone lately; Val always had an excuse to get away from her and now she’d made it worse.
***
In Mobile, Alabama, Cindy Johnson lay on her back in the king-sized bed. The chest pain that had originally sent her to the doctor had started up again, and it scared her. The comfortable bed she’d shared with her husband, Kirk, was the only place where she felt relief from the constant discomfort.
Now Kirk was asking for forgiveness. They’d talked at length the evening before while Joel drove and she rested in the back seat, trying to hide the distress she was in from her sons.
“I’d like to come back if you’ll let me,” he said. “I acted like an idiot and hopefully, you can forgive me.”
“Kirk, you left me before Christmas. Do you have any idea how cruel that was?”
“Look, you just got done telling me that you’re going to die if you don’t have this surgery that might kill you anyway, and then you refused to have the surgery. I was scared.”
“Well, it’s not that bad, evidently. I talked to my ex’s brother and he said there’s about a two percent chance this aneurysm will rupture. I’m willing to take the risk and not have the surgery.”
“Is your ex’s brother a cardiologist?”
“No, he’s a veterinarian, but he researched.”
“Oh, great! You’re going to base your decision on a vet? Cindy, you might need professional help making the decision.”
“No, I think I’ve made it. Come home, please. I miss you.”
“I’m headed to you now. Cindy, thank you for taking me back. I guess we should talk to someone, too.”
“You mean like a marriage counselor? Isn’t it kind of rare for the man to suggest that?” she asked, chuckling.
“Not when his wife’s life is at stake, I don’t think it is,” he said. “Anyway, I’ll make your breakfast.”
“Okay, it’s a deal. I’m sick of making my own coffee.”
She’d hung up, resting her head against the seat, the sound of a popular female singer yodeling about unrequited love coming from the radio.
“I’ve got to call your dad about Val’s wife bad-mouthing Annie. I didn’t like it.”
Ben turned around in the seat. “Mom, I think you’re so cool to have taken up a stand for Annie. Thank you.”
“You should call Dad,” Joel said.
“I’ll wait until the morning. I’m sure they don’t want to hear from me so soon.”
So while she lay in bed that morning, thinking about the situation at hand, she decided to call Chris, and he wasn’t happy.
“The thing is, Cindy, I’m sure that once you get to know Annie, she’d freely tell you about meeting Steve Casson and not using the best judgment. The plus side of it is that she has an adorable son whom I am sure will just love our boys.”
“Well, I’m sorry I ever went there. I thought you should know. I stood up for her, too.”
