Page 17 of All Autumn
Mary was the best doughnut and pastry baker in all the Blue Ridge Mountains. I suppose if you were going to punish someone, depriving them of her baked goods was high on the list, and Brian did love her chocolate-iced doughnuts.
Standing with her was Hamburger Harry, our infamous moonshiner, and Melba Waters, the owner of Melba’s Pancake House. Harry’s sign said NO MOONSHINE FOR CHEATERS, and Melba’s naturally said NO PANCAKES FOR CHEATERS.
I turned on the sound to hear them chanting, “Brian Stratton is a cheater,” over and over. Crazy people. I closed my laptop.
“Unbelievable,” I said, coming back on the line. “It’s both funny and embarrassing.”
Jenn chuckled. “Well, it’s not like what he did is a secret anymore. He’s the one who should be embarrassed.”
Yeah, the big disadvantage of small-town living. Everyone knew your business almost before you did. “Can you get Dylan to talk to them, make them stop?”
“He’s already headed that way. Brian called, wanting them arrested.”
“Will he do that?” How many people was I going to have to feel guilty over for getting them jailed?
“No. He’s just going to send them on their way.”
That was a relief. After hanging up, I grabbed my purse and keys to go to my mother’s for lunch. I didn’t bother changing out of my yoga pants and favorite oversize T-shirt. In her depressed cycle Mom wouldn’t look any better than me. Dad had been kicked out again, and it would be the same thing I’d heard countless times before. How miserable she was, what a bastard he was, a detailed report on his newest squeeze. And then at the end, how much she missed him and wanted him back. I dreaded the visit, but she was my mother.
She only lived ten minutes from me, and as I drove over in the used SUV that I’d bought yesterday, I wished that Connor was with me. She was always on her best behavior when there was a man around. Sometimes she was even flirty, and I often wondered if she was practicing for when she took my father back, because she always did. But who knew what went on in her mind? Not me.
Since walking in on Lina and Brian, it had been seven days of crying jags, feeling sorry for myself, and then being angry that I’d fallen for Brian’s charm. Except when I was with Connor, I’d forget that I was supposed to be miserable.
I didn’t know how he managed to cheer me up, but he did. And he’d been there for me every day. Jenn would have been, too, if I’d let her, but she’s got Dylan now, and they’re planning their wedding. She doesn’t need my mess dumped on her.
The good news—I had a new bed, and a call from my doctor this morning that my test results were all negative. Brian could count his blessings for that because if he’d passed anything on to me, I would have made his sorry life miserable.
Mom’s car was in her driveway, which was odd because she always parked in the garage except when Dad was home. Had she forgiven him already? That would be a new record, since she’d kicked him out again only yesterday. If he was here, I wasn’t staying. The two of them in the same room were toxic.
Before I reached the front door, it opened, my mom stepping out to meet me. When she was alone, miserable because of my dad’s latest cheat, she lived in her robe, no makeup, and her blonde hair limp. Today she was, as she liked to say, “all dolled up.” That meant my father was inside. I was tempted to turn on my heels and get back in my car. She must have sensed I was on the verge of bolting, because she grabbed my hand.
“I guess Dad’s home?”
“Why would you think that? I told you on the phone last night that he’d moved out.”
Okay, I’d apparently stepped into an alternate universe. “Well, you look nice.” And she was smiling. Very weird.
“Thank you, honey. Come in. Lunch is ready.”
And she was cheerful or was pretending to be. Her smile seemed forced though, and there was an edge to her voice, which put me on alert. Something was up. I dropped my purse on the foyer table and then followed her into the kitchen.
“Oh no.” I came to a dead stop at seeing Brian leaning against the counter. “What are you doing here?” And it was a dirty trick to hide his car in Mom’s garage.
When I turned to leave, my mom grabbed my arm. “He just wants to talk to you.”
“If you would answer my calls, maybe answer the damn door”—he glared at me as if I were the one who was a slimy worm—“which you had no right to change the locks to, since my name is also on the mortgage, then I wouldn’t have to pull a sneak attack.” His expression softened, and I trusted that even less. “I screwed up, babe, but you love me, so stop this foolish drama trip you’re on. You’ve made your point.”
“Foolish drama trip?” And yes, I was shouting like a deranged person. All I needed were about six dozen cats and I could be classified as certifiably crazy.
I walked up to him and poked him in the chest. “This is the last thing I’ll ever say to you. From this moment on you only communicate with me through my lawyer.” As for still loving him, it might not happen overnight, but I was working on putting an end to that.
With his chestnut-colored hair and golden brown eyes, Brian was a good-looking guy. I think I fell in love with his dimples and easy smile first. There had been a few times this past week that I’d had some doubts, that maybe I was being unreasonable. But they hadn’t lasted long. Mostly because of how he’d cheated on me. In his freaking office where every one of his employees—people I personally knew—had to be aware of what was happening. That told me he didn’t have any respect for me.
Then there was the fact that he’d never really apologized. He made a mistake. He was weak. It was Lina Kramer’s fault. All of that was an excuse for his behavior, and I think the only thing he was sorry for was getting caught.
Where was the man I’d fallen in love with? The one with the sweet dimpled smile and honest eyes? The man standing in my mother’s kitchen wasn’t him. How had I been so blind to his faults? In my heart I knew the answer. Because I’d wanted my dream of a loving, stable home to come true so badly that I’d refused to see the warning signs, but I saw everything clearly now. There was no difference between Brian and my father.
“Please, just listen to what he has to say, Autumn.”
