Page 50 of Twisted Fate

Over the next few weeks, the unrelenting heat finally gave way to the crisp mornings and changing leaves of autumn. Charlie, Vance, and I visited pumpkin patches and apple festivals nearly every week. Charlie and I baked cinnamon scented goodies for Vance to take to the office and jumped in heaping piles of leaves. Now that Vance and I had laid all our cards on the table, our arrangement was working out perfectly. I was spending more time at their house than I was my own. And it was the happiest I’d been in years. It was like I’d been given a second chance, and I wasn’t going to squander it.

Everything was going great until I came downstairs one Tuesday morning and came face to face with Vivian. My hair was mussed from sleep, and I hadn’t yet put on a bra. Luckily, I’d been chilled when I woke up in bed alone and slipped on my oversized cardigan. Vivian’s eyes bugged out of her head when she took in the sight of me. As far as I knew, Vance never told her about me staying here some nights, so to her it probably looked like I just rolled out of his bed. She wasn’t exactly wrong, although technically I rolled out of the guest bed, but he’d been in it with me. We still kept our encounters in that room, and I planned for it to stay that way.

“Delilah, I didn’t expect to see you here.” Her gaze slid from me to her son and narrowed with accusation. There was a sharpness to her tone I didn’t care for, but Vance didn’t let it ruffle him.

“Didn’t I tell you? Delilah stays here Monday and Tuesday nights now.” Vance brought his coffee to his lips and casually took a sip. He was the picture of calm and collected, and I looked like the kid who’d just got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. I needed to relax and school my features before I gave us away.

“Is that so?” she asked, looking to me for confirmation.

“Yeah, um, it’s a lot easier on me. I don’t have to travel as much.”

“She was driving an hour and a half every day just to go home and sleep. I figured since I have a guest room, she could just stay here. Besides, Charlie loves having her here.”

“I see,” Vivian replied, trying to hide her displeasure. She definitely knew something was up, but she wasn’t saying anything. I couldn’t help but wonder why.

“That actually reminds me why I’m here this morning,” she began, and I held my breath, awaiting her explanation. It wasn’t even eight o’clock yet, and she was standing in Vance’s Kitchen. She must’ve stopped on her way to the shop. “I’ve finally got my new part-time employee trained and can start watching Charlie on Tuesdays again.” My stomach dipped, and my heart ached. I would have to give up one of my days with Charlie now. I had gotten used to seeing her more days than not, and now I’d lose that extra day. I wouldn’t be able to take her to therapy and get ice cream after which had become our routine. Sadness washed over me as I mourned that time with my daughter.

But Vivian wasn’t done ruining my morning yet. “I also brought this,” she announced, shoving her hand into the oversized bag slung over her shoulder. She pulled out a brochure of some kind, but I was too far away to make out what was on it before she handed it to Vance.

“What’s this?” Vance asked, turning it over. He read the front of it aloud. “First Years Prep. Virginia’s top learning center for preschool and beyond.” My stomach sank. Was she trying to push me out of Charlie’s life completely?

Vance lifted his gaze to his mother, brow pinched in confusion. “Why would I need this? I—” he began, then cleared his throat before continuing, “we have Delilah,” he explained. I didn’t miss his slip up, but Vivian didn’t seem to notice.

“Well, yes, of course,” she crooned, placatingly. “But Charlie will be starting school next fall. She needs to become reacclimated to the traditional classroom setting.” Vance opened his mouth for a rebuttal, but she beat him to the punch. “She can still watch Charlie,” she said in a rush, motioning to me, and Vance snapped his mouth shut. “They have a half-day program. You could drop her off in the morning on your way to work, and Delilah could pick her up at noon,” she explained, and I could see Vance warming to the idea. “Onherdays,” Vivian added, nodding to me. I gritted my teeth against the argument forming on my tongue. It wasn’t enough for her to take a full day with Charlie away from me. Now she wanted to steal our mornings too. We loved that time together.

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Vance mused, and my head snapped up. He studied the brochure as though he was considering it, and the sharp sting of betrayal speared through my chest. He knew how important my time was with Charlie. How could he be okay with this?

“This would help her get used to being in a classroom again and allow her to interact with her peers without it being too overwhelming since she’d only be there a few hours,” he continued. He looked up to me, and I relaxed my features so he wouldn’t sense my distress. “What do you think?” he asked, easing the sting just a tad. He was asking for my opinion.

I wanted to scream a resounding “hell no,” but I couldn’t. Vivian already disliked me, and Vance thought it was a good idea. If I disagreed with them, it would make me look like I was trying to keep Charlie to myself. As I mulled it over, I realized itcouldbe beneficial to her, but I worried she wasn’t ready. She’d made great strides with me, but the last time they tried to send her to preschool, it ended disastrously.

I swallowed thickly and forced a smile before replying. “I think it could possibly be good for Charlie.” The words tasted like poison on my tongue, but I had to remember this wasn’t about me. I wanted what was best for Charlie. “However, I worry she will run into the same problems as before. Perhaps they’ll let her try it out on a trial basis,” I offered hopefully.

“I’m sure we could talk to them and explain the situation and see if that’s an option,” Vance offered, shifting his gaze from me to his mother. “When would she start?”

“They have a student who’s moving away next month and said Charlie could take his spot. This late in the year they don’t normally have openings, and the children on their waiting list have opted for other schools by now. It was pure luck they had a spot opening up.” I eyed her skeptically, wondering if she pulled some strings to make this happen. She and Vance’s father were active in the community and quite well off. It wouldn’t surprise me if she made a “donation” to the school to get Charlie accepted.

“I’ll give them a call when I get to the office and see about doing a tour. Do you want to join us?” he asked and at first, I thought he was talking to Vivian, but I looked up to find him watching me expectantly.

“Yes,” I blurted out, eyes widening at my excited tone. “Of course,” I added more calmly, appreciating the inclusion. Vivian’s expression morphed from disbelief to affronted, and I secretly celebrated the small victory.

“Great, I’ll set it up.”

Vivian all but harrumphed as she tried to hide her disappointment. Her features softened when Vance placed a kiss to the top of her head and bid her goodbye.

He offered me an awkward “see you later” before heading out the door, leaving me alone with his mother. She waved him off as he pulled out of the driveway and onto the road. Then she turned to me, the adoring smile falling from her face as her lip curled with disgust.

“Do you think I don’t know what you’re doing with my son?” She spat, and I drew back, shocked. I opened my mouth to speak, but she cut me off. “Don’t try to deny it either. I’ve seen the way you look at each other, and I’ve driven by when your car has been parked in the driveway on a Saturday night when it didn’t have any business being here. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

Stunned, I drew back as though she had slapped me.

“His wife, your own flesh and blood hasn’t even been gone a year, and already you’ve moved in on her husband. He’s grieving and vulnerable, and you took advantage of that.”

“That’s not wha—” I began attempting to defend myself, but she threw up a hand, interrupting me again.

“I don’t know what your motives are: whether you’re looking for a man to take care of you and keep paying your bills, or if you’re trying to get Charlie back. But I can tell you one thing for certain, you will never replace Sarah in either of their eyes.”

“I’m not trying to—”

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