Her Perfect Life

by Hinze, Vicki

  “Sure.” What was going on with C.D.? He had a weird look on his face, and he was acting even weirder. “They fit, C.D. Like me and you.”

  The tension slid off his face. “So what do you want to do?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “Would it be too bizarre if we had a little reception for them or something?”

  “Jason would probably have a cow,” C.D. said. “Elizabeth would have starched shoulders about it. Could be fun.”

  “C.D.” She swatted him. “If Elizabeth thought it was a show of unity for the kids, she’d be all for it.”

  “And she’d be all over Jason to keep his mouth shut.”

  “It’d work, but silent disapproval can be worse than voiced disapproval. I’d hate to screw it up for Blair.” Katie reached over and snagged C.D.’s hand. “Maybe we won’t push it, giving them a reception. But I do think we should go to the wedding. You agree, right?”

  “Angel, I’m with you wherever you go.”

  Katie smiled, happy from the inside out. Unprepared for it, she stilled.

  C.D. noticed. “What’s wrong?”

  She pressed a hand to her chest, dropped her voice so only he could hear. “It’s odd, C.D. All the bad stuff—it’s still here.” Every memory. Every violation and cruelty. “This morning in court, I closed the door on most of my adult life. But I’m happy. Inside, I’m really happy.” She looked worried. “Shouldn’t I be sad? I mean, after thirteen years, I should be sad, right?”

  “Why should you be anything?” C.D. refilled his coffee cup from the silver pot on the table. “Because someone somewhere decided you should be? Come on, Katie. You and Sam have a much better relationship right now than you ever had when you were together.”

  “That’s true,” she said. “But there’s more to it than that, C.D. I’m just not sure what it is—yet.”

  He looked away, out onto the stretch of lawn to the water, and at the waves rolling ashore. “Maybe when you figure it out, you’ll be able to walk in the sand.” He gave her a bittersweet smile. “I’ll rejoice that day.”

  “Because…”

  “Because then the past will be behind you, and we can look ahead to the future.”

  “Aren’t we doing that? The garden center, the—”

  “Not you, Angel. We.” He signed off on the bill, then wiped his mouth with his white linen napkin. “In the mean time, let’s put our heads together with Molly and Jake and think of something nice to do for Sam and Blair.”

  “After the ordeal they’ve had with the press, and with me coming back, they deserve it.” Katie stood up. “It’ll be fun to bring Molly and Jake into it, too.”

  “There’s nothing like a good conspiracy to strengthen the ties that bind.” C.D. winked at her.

  C.D., Katie and Molly and Jake sat on the concrete floor inside the new flower shop. The walls were up and the roof was on, but the fixtures weren’t yet in place or the floors tiled. The windows were in and still had the stickers on them.

  “So you guys really want to send them to Europe for two weeks?”

  “Yeah,” Jake said. “Blair talks about Sweden all the time. Dad keeps promising to take her but he never gets around to it.”

  “Sounds too familiar,” Katie said. “Let’s help them out getting there, then.”

  “Whoa,” C.D. said. “What about his patients?”

  “I’ll take care of that,” Katie said. “I’ll have to let Miranda in on the secret, though.” She glanced at Molly. “Can your dad’s secretary be trusted?”

  Molly nodded. “She’s never told on me. Not once.”

  “That’s good enough for me, then.” Katie looked at C.D. “She can make arrangements for someone else to cover for him, and handle his appointments.”

  “What about other appointments.”

  “I’ll take care of that,” Jake said. “Mom keeps everyone’s appointments on the fridge. Me and Molly can change any that come during their trip.”

  Molly bounced in excitement. “They’re going to be so happy.”

  Or kill them, Katie thought, not willing to bet a nickel either way. Especially with Sam. He was still a pretty tight control freak. Katie looked around. “C.D. where’s the water?”

  She heard rustling and looked back to the circle.

  Molly, Jake and C.D. all sat with their arms stretched out, passing her bottles of water.

  Katie smiled. “God, but I love you guys.” Chuckling, she drank a sip from each of the bottles and passed them back.

  “Okay, then,” C.D. said. “We’re armed and ready to go. Everyone knows their jobs, right?”

  “Right.” Jake nodded. “This is cool.”

  “Right,” Molly said, then stuck her hand out to Jake.

  He slapped two one-dollar bills into it. “Okay, okay. Stop gloating. You said Mom would come to the wedding, and I thought she wouldn’t.” He glanced at Katie. “No offense, Mom, but I thought it would upset you.”

  “Not at all, Jake. Your dad and Blair love each other and we all love you and Molly. I’m not sad. I’m very happy for them.”

  Jake looked totally baffled. “So when are you going to go nuts, tell us all this bad stuff about how rotten Dad is and buy us stuff to bribe us into liking you best?”

  “What?” Katie couldn’t believe her ears.

  “Bribery, oooh.” Molly said. “I want a new TV for my room.”

  “Then you’ll work here at the center when it opens and earn the money to buy one.”

  Molly looked at Jake as if betrayed. “That isn’t how you said it’d work.”

  “They’re weird. Everyone else I know says it works just like I told you.”

  C.D. couldn’t help himself. He laughed, which ticked off Jake and that pleased Molly. “Sorry, champ. It’s just that your mother never does things the way other people do.”

  “That’s not true, C.D.” She whacked him on the arm. “You’re going to have Jake thinking I really am weird.”

  “He already said you were.”

  Jake looked worried about that. “But it’s a good weird, Mom, like Molly knowing stuff. I hate the way Mark’s parents fight all the time. It makes me just want to get away from them.”

  “I’m sure it does.” She looked at Jake. He was struggling to make all in his world make sense. “Honey, our situation is a little different. Your dad and I didn’t divorce each other because we didn’t love each other anymore. We still love each other, and of course, we love you and Molly. Our lives just changed a lot while I was gone. We changed a lot.” She rubbed Jake’s shoulder. “Usually when people divorce, there’s anger and bitterness and both people are hurt and the kids are hurt, too. But we’re lucky. We don’t have any of those things making times rough for us. That’s the difference.”

  He nodded. “It sure is easier on us,” he said, motioning between him and Molly. “I’m glad you’re not stressed out like Mark’s mom. Man, she’s a wreck.” His eyes were serious, too seeing and too old for his years. “It cuts Mark up, seeing her like that.”

  “I hate to break this up, but time’s running out.” C.D. stood up. “Meeting’s over, or you’re going to miss swim practice, Jake.”

  “Remember, this is a secret. No slipping,” Katie said. “Molly, are Blair’s parents coming for the wedding?”

  “She doesn’t have any.”

  “I see,” Katie said, and thought she just might. When Katie was supposedly dead, had Blair adopted Katie’s parents, who had no other children, because she had no other parents? And then when Katie had returned, she’d removed herself from them—likely feeling that to continue that relationship would be infringing on Katie.

  Considering the odds good that’s what had happened, Katie told C.D. “Mom and Dad are going to be at that wedding.”

  “I think that’ll mean a lot to Blair.” He looked over at Katie, who was locking the door. “She got really close to them while you were dead.”

  “Gone, C.D. I wasn’t dead,” Katie reminded him. “But I know w
hat you mean, and now I know why she did.” Why C.D. had, too. “She was alone.”

  Alone. Isolated. Empty.

  No one knew better than Katie how merciless those feelings could be.

  Two weeks later, Katie’s dad gave Blair to Sam in a simple ceremony in Judge Haines’s chambers. Jake stood up for his dad and, as Katie stood next to C.D. and watched, she beamed with pride. Jake looked so handsome in his gray suit. So grown up. And in her heart, she ached a little because of all she’d missed, but mostly she was just the proud mama of all he’d become. In no small part, that was due to the loving care of the woman now marrying his dad.

  They exchanged vows, and Katie remembered. The church where she’d stood before the altar next to Sam. The words they’d spoken and the pledges they’d made. They were divorced now and their lives had taken different roads, but in her heart she didn’t feel she’d violated those vows, just expanded them and let them come to mean what they should have meant all along.

  C.D. curled an arm around her shoulder. She smiled at him, weepy-eyed. He brushed her damp cheek with his thumb and rubbed their noses. He knew what she was feeling, that she was remembering, and yet there was no jealousy in his eyes. No fear of his place in her life being second or less important. He really did understand her as well as she understood herself.

  But he, too, had his secrets.

  And she hoped that she lived long enough for him to share them with her.

  “You may kiss your bride.”

  Sam and Blair kissed and she flushed prettily. Jake cast Katie a worried look—no doubt, Mark’s warnings were nagging at him again—and she smiled to reassure him.

  “Congratulations.” Katie hugged Sam and then Blair. “I know you’ll be very happy.”

  C.D. shook Sam’s hand. “Nicely done, Sam.”

  He grunted. “Just wait.”

  Jason was flustered by Katie and C.D. and Katie’s parents being there, and made no bones about it. “This is the strangest bunch of people I’ve ever seen.”

  “Jason, not another word.” Elizabeth sent him a look that warned if he crossed her there would be steep consequences to pay.

  Katie imagined it was odd. But the kids weren’t depressed or in trauma, Sam and Blair were happy—she’d cried on seeing Katie’s parents there, which was very touching—and Katie and C.D., well, things seemed to be great for everyone. C.D. still hadn’t talked to Katie about a lot of things, including her own net worth, but what difference did it make? They worked together at the bar, worked with the contractor and team setting up the garden center—the flower shop part of it was Ashley’s domain and that suited Katie just fine—and Katie and C.D. were together most of the time. They hadn’t looked down the road five years or ten yet. But was that bad or good?

  Sometimes Katie thought it was great. Other times, she sensed impending doom. Half the time, she didn’t know what to think. But she was happy. Everyone was happy. Why push it? Happiness was far too elusive to risk losing just to speculate on what might be happening down the road.

  The reception was at Sam and Blair’s, and Jason finally had stopped shaking his head, thinking his whole family had gone off the deep end. In his esteemed opinion, when you divorced someone, you didn’t tell her you loved her, and you sure didn’t invite her to your next wedding. Sam had finally gotten his priorities on image in order and summoned the guts to tell his dad he didn’t care how other families dealt with things, only his, and the way they were dealing with events was working out just fine.

  Katie was so proud of him. And she and Blair exchanged a high-five in the kitchen to celebrate, gushing their disbelief.

  As the festivities were winding down, Katie told Jake, “It’s time.”

  He nodded and pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket, mimicking C.D.’s penchant for tucking things in there. “Mom, Dad?”

  Sam and Blair turned to Jake. “Yes?” Sam asked.

  Molly edged up beside Jake. “We have a wedding present for you,” she said. “Go ahead, Jake. Give it to them.”

  He passed the large envelope. “We’re glad you’re married again.”

  “What’s this?” Sam took it. “It’s too heavy to be a card.”

  Molly was dancing, too excited to wait another second. “It’s plane tickets—to Switzerland.”

  Not to be outdone, Jake added, “And hotel reservations and other tickets to stuff and, well, just look.”

  Blair’s jaw dropped. Her mouth rounded in an O, and she pressed her fingertips against her lips. “Oh, my goodness. You’re kidding?”

  “No way,” Jake said. “It’s true.”

  Blair danced with Molly, hugged Jake and her both at once. “Oh, Sam. It’s our dream trip!”

  He glanced through the contents of the envelope, looked at Katie, then C.D. “Thank you.” He shook his head.

  “Have a great time.” Katie wrinkled her nose, then whispered a taunt to Sam, “And stay out of the sun.”

  He laughed, clearly remembering his week on the shaded balcony in Hawaii. “Definitely no sun.”

  “Sam! Sam!” Blair said. “These say we leave tonight.”

  His face fell. “I—I can’t do that.”

  Blair went still.

  “Yes, you can,” Molly said. “Mom fixed it. She told Miranda and everything is fixed.”

  “Katie?” Blair looked at her, eyes shining. “Really?”

  Katie lifted her right hand and smiled. “Promise.”

  “That’s right,” Miranda stepped out of the crowd. “Everything is done, Dr. Slater. The office is directed to not even take a phone call from you for the next two weeks.”

  “Oh, Katie.” Blair launched at her, grabbed her in a hug so tight it nearly cracked Katie’s back. They both erupted into giggles.

  Katie’s mom smiled. “My girls.”

  “Did you hear that, Elizabeth?” Jason huffed and looked away. “The whole bunch is crazy.”

  “Shut up, darling.” Elizabeth turned on him. “And loosen your belt a notch. Maybe it’ll improve your disposition.”

  Katie looked at Blair and winked. “A convert.”

  “Don’t you just love it?” Blair asked, then kissed cheeks—both of Grace’s—all the way back to Sam.

  Katie returned to C.D., who was talking to Jake. “They really liked it, didn’t they?” Jake asked C.D. “Or were they faking it, so me and Molly wouldn’t be disappointed?”

  “Didn’t you see Blair dancing around and squealing?” C.D. asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Women only make that racket when it’s real. They can’t fake it.”

  “Really?”

  “I promise.” C.D. raised his right hand.

  Molly walked up and stuck out her hand, palm up.

  Jake groused and grimaced and slapped two dollars into it.

  “Lost another one?” Katie asked, feeling sorry for Jake. Sooner or later, he’d learn not to bet against a sister who knew things.

  “I was stupid,” he said. “I bet Mom wouldn’t cry.”

  “I can’t do it. I can’t take your money.” Molly passed the two dollars back to Jake. “It was a sucker bet.”

  “Mom.” He looked to Katie. “Did you hear what she said to me?”

  “I’m still trying to figure out how you guys can call both me and Blair Mom and yet none of us are ever confused about who you mean. How do we know this stuff?”

  Jake shrugged. “Don’t ask me. You’re the grownup.”

  Molly lifted her hands. “I don’t know, either.”

  C.D. ended the mystery. “It’s in the genes.”

  “Of course.” Katie kissed him, and told the kids. “Are your suitcases in the car?”

  “Everything but Molly’s iPad,” Jake said.

  “Good. Kiss your folks bye and let’s go home. They need to get ready for their trip.”

  “Do I have to kiss Grandpa Slater?” Molly asked. “He still looks pretty mad.”

  “Maybe it’ll sweeten his mood,” Katie said, thoug
h she wasn’t holding out a lot of hope.

  Molly slid her a level look. “That is a joke, right?”

  Katie responded with a non-committal shrug. It was the very best she could do.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The garden center was really coming along.

  By agreement, Ashley dealt with a lot of the business, leaving Katie free to “play in the dirt” and spend time with the kids. Those were her priorities, and she was determined to stick to them.

  The two weeks Sam and Blair had been in Europe on their honeymoon had been good for them and an even better time for Katie, C.D. and the kids. A special bond, developed while Katie was gone, deepened between Jake and C.D., and no one was more glad to see it than Katie. They had far more in common than Jake and Sam—not that it was any kind of competition—but Katie worried a lot about the kids. The more she learned about other kids, the more she worried about her own and the world they were growing up in. Life for them was far different than the one she’d grown up in. Kids seemed to be under so much more pressure now. Time after time, kids Jake mentioned were in counseling, on antidepressants, or dealing with problems that kids just shouldn’t have to deal with—honestly, they shouldn’t even know they existed. Was there anymore innocence in youth?

  Initially, C.D. had told Jake his doctor wanted him to start walking and build up to five miles a day, but C.D. was worried about getting started and getting stuck somewhere away from home with his bad knee and not being able to make it back.

  Katie would have offered to go with him or suggested he take the cell and call her if he got into trouble and she’d come and get him, but C.D. hadn’t told her his worry. He’d told Jake. And Jake had promptly solved the problem, telling C.D. that he’d walk with him and, if C.D. had to stop, they’d just hang together until they could walk back.

  That was the beginning of their special relationship. And in the weeks since, as they walked they talked. Now, when at Sam and Blair’s, Jake called and the most Katie heard from him was, “Mom, can I talk to C.D.? Is he too busy?”

  C.D. was never too busy—regardless of what he was doing at the time.

  This bond between them tickled Katie. A lot. Admittedly, that neither C.D. nor Jake ever mentioned what they talked about had Katie dying of curiosity, but she flatly refused to ask. She and Molly speculated, though. A lot. And often, like now, Katie paused and looked across the flowerbeds to Jake and C.D.