If the man was as good as Brenda thought, then she’d be so happy that her mother had found someone to love again, but if he was taking advantage of her, then he’d have Marianne to answer to.
“Mom, take it slow. Tell him you won’t hide from his friends and family and give him comfort when he’s sad about his wife. He has to be grieving for her, just like you grieved for dad, only her body is still there, not her mind.”
Brenda sat back and shook her head at her daughter. “I didn’t intend to date someone who is not free to commit. I never dreamed I’d fall in love with a married man.”
“It’s okay, Mom. I want you to be happy.”
“I was afraid that you would be reminded of Daniel’s cheating,” Brenda said, staring at her daughter.
“No, mother. It’s not even close to being the same. Take it slow and if he’s the right man for you, go for it.”
Katie came running up to their table, her face red. “You are not going to believe what the doctor just told me,” she said, breathing hard.
“What?” Marianne said, almost afraid of what her daughter had just learned.
“I was so embarrassed, I could have just died.”
Marianne gazed at her dramatic daughter and gingerly asked, “What did he tell you?”
“Dad has no cardiac blockages, which is a good thing. But what triggered this heart attack was that his dominatrix almost killed him when her chokehold was too tight. He wasn’t getting enough oxygen, which made his heart start racing which caused the heart attack. My father gets off by almost dying! That’s just sick!”
Marianne watched her daughter shake her head. “Mom, if you are into kinky sex stuff, I really don’t want to know.”
Brenda started laughing. “He almost died because of his dominatrix! That’s classic!”
Marianne couldn’t suppress a giggle. Her daughter was going to learn so much about her father that she didn’t know. Boy, was she going to be shocked.
“At first, I didn’t believe the doctor, but then he explained that’s why he has such a red ring around his neck.” Katie rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh. “Please, this is my father who could have died that we’re laughing at!”
Both women were laughing so hard, they had tears rolling down their cheeks.
“Your father is into kinky sex,” Marianne said, trying to control her laughter.
“No, duh!” Katie said, shaking her head. “I’m starting to understand more by the minute why you guys divorced.”
Brenda wiped her eyes. “Shall we tell her how you ended your marriage to Daniel?”
“Mom, please! I don’t know if I’m ready for my daughter to know everything.”
Katie looked between the two of them, obviously intrigued.
Brenda smiled. “Your mother knew he was at his dominatrix’s place. She took his clothes, all packed up, over to the woman’s apartment and rang the doorbell.”
“Oh God, Mother,” Katie said, gazing at her mother with new respect. “You go, girl. What a way to dump someone.”
“It wasn’t as funny as it sounds. It was actually traumatic and life changing. But I’m glad I did it.”
The three women looked at each other and laughed.
Marianne gazed at the strong women in her family and her heart swelled with pride. “Promise me that nothing will ever come between us again. Not men, babies, or money. That we’ll always talk when we have a problem.”
Katie held up her hand and gave her mother a high five and then her grandmother. “Never again,” she said.
“Never again,” said Brenda.
“Never again,” said Marianne.
They laughed and it was such a pleasant sound that Marianne couldn’t believe they were here for a serious reason.
“Did the doctor say when they would release him?”
“Possibly tomorrow.”
Marianne nodded. “I don’t want to leave, but I have finals next week and I can’t miss much more time at school.”
“Yeah, I know. Me too,” said Katie.
“Let’s get together at Christmas,” Brenda said.
Katie frowned. “Maybe.”
“Oh, that’s right. You’re going to the fiancé’s parents,” Brenda said.
Katie frowned. “I don’t know if he’s still my fiancé. Let’s just say boyfriend for now.”
Brenda raised her eyebrows, but didn’t say anything.
Marianne smiled. “We’ll all try to meet either the week of Christmas or the week after, whenever it’s convenient.”
Brenda grinned. “Maybe I’ll bring Paul.”
Katie frowned. “Who’s Paul?”
“Your grandmother has a serious boyfriend.”
Marianne felt a sense of peace settle over her. Her relationship with the other women in her life was better than ever. Daniel was the past, and now she couldn’t wait to get on that airplane and return to her life in Colorado. She had classes to attend, tests to take, and a man she couldn’t wait to see.
Two days later, Katie glanced around the room at the party. She hadn’t been attending these since dating Jake, but tonight she’d decided what the hay? She’d gotten back in town late last night. She’d caught up on her studies and now she needed to have some fun.
Jake was playing in a gaming tournament and couldn’t go with her. So to hell with him. She and Crystal went out, and so far, she was having a good time.
“Hey, girl,” Frank said, plopping down beside her on the couch. “Where’s your other half?”
“He’s playing in some tournament in Denver.”
“And you’re partying without him,” he asked in astonishment.
She looked at her hand. “I don’t see a ring on my finger, so I’m free to do what I want.”
“I thought you were fiancé number three.”
What was he talking about? There had been other women before her that Jake had been engaged to?”
“Fiancé number three?”
“You’re like the third girl he’s asked to marry him. Usually whenever Mamma’s talking about cutting off the funds if his grades don’t improve.”
Katie moved closer to Frank and put her hand on his arm. “Okay, spill it. Tell me everything.”
“Girl, he’s a man-whore. He’s done half the women on this campus and the others he has in his line-of-sight,” Frank said, close to her ear so that she would hear him over the loud pounding of the music.
Anger filled her at the idea that Jake had slept with so many women on campus and used them to further himself. She'd been used by him. It wasn’t one drunken mistake with one girl, it wasn’t even a hundred drunken mistakes, it was – calculated! Everything about their relationship had been a lie.
“You don’t think you’re the only one he’s banging right now, do you?”
Oh God, yes, she thought they were a couple. She'd put her faith in him, had spent so much time dreaming about their future together.
“Who else?” Katie asked.
“While you were gone, he was doing Shanda Reynolds.”
“You’re kidding me.”
She was in a class with Shanda. They sat not far from one another.
“No,” he said. “Ask her. She’s here somewhere.”
“What about Jennifer, the girl he used to date?”
“No, she finally wised up. He was using her to do his biology homework.”
“So, I did his English and History, and she did his biology,” Katie said, with disbelief.
“Yes and Shanda was doing his sociology papers,” Frank said, his lips touching her ear lobe.
What the hell?
She drew back and gave him the once over. He wasn’t half bad looking. Why hadn’t she ever noticed him before?
Because she’d been blinded by Jake.
But that didn't mean she was ready to jump in with someone new. Right now, she needed to get herself together and a man would only complicate things. Not happening.
She drew back a little more and locked he
r gaze with his. “Do you know if he reads these papers we write for him before he turns them in?”
“Only if he has time,” he said.
Katie pulled Frank a little closer and leaned into his ear. “I think I have an idea of how to get even with him. Thank you for being honest with me.”
Standing, she glanced around the room. “Gotta run. I see someone I need to talk to.”
Katie crossed the room and tapped Shanda Reynolds on the back. “Hey, can I talk to you for a moment?”
Brenda hummed as she drove the RV into the state park. She pulled up to the gate.
“Hey, Ed,” she said as she rolled down the window. “Can you tell me if Paul is still here?”
The attendant checked his records. “He’s supposed to check out today.”
“Like hell,” she said. “Here. I’m paying his and my spaces for the next two days. I’m hanging out a Do Not Disturb sign, so keep everyone away, will you?”
“As long as the trailer’s a-rocking, we won’t come a knocking.” The guy laughed.
She shook her head at him. “Can’t you come up with anything better than that?”
“All I can say is we are so glad to see you. He’s been in a hell of a mood since you left.”
“Well, I’m going to sweeten him up for you.”
“Thank God,” he replied, and waved her through.
Brenda drove her RV into the space she’d been assigned, put the motor home in park, and turned off the key. She checked her makeup and put on some fresh lipstick, and then hurried out the door.
Time was a-wasting. She had to catch Paul before he pulled out.
She strolled over to the parking spot she’d been told he was in and saw him busy packing up.
“Hey,” she called.
He turned and gazed at her, a shocked expression on his face.
Her heart seemed to race at the welcome sight of him. His brown hair and big brown eyes were shadowed with pain.
“I hear you’ve been kind of cranky since I’ve been gone.”
He sauntered over to her, his face not revealing his emotions at seeing her. “I haven’t been Miss Mary Sunshine, if that’s what you’ve been told.”
She took his hand. “I haven’t been too happy myself. To me married is married. It took my daughter, whose husband actually cheated on her, to help me see that though you’re still married, it’s different with us. If your wife was mentally there, you wouldn’t be here.”
“Absolutely. I’d be at her side if this was only physical, but she’s gone,” Paul said. “I’m sorry, I know I should have told you before we slept together.”
She could see the pain cross his face and his expression turned dark.
“You should have told me when we first met.”
He nodded. “It’s hard to talk about and there are days I try not to think of her in that place. It keeps me all torn up inside. You were a bright spot in my life that chased away the loneliness.”
Brenda took his hand. “I enjoy your company; we have fun together. We just seem to fit together like two old shoes. But I’m not willing to hide our relationship. I would like to be here for you. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I’m willing to hang around and find out.”
Paul drew her into his arms and held her tight against him. “God, I’ve missed you so much. I’ve been miserable. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I should have told you sooner.”
“That would have been nice,” Brenda said, wrapping her arms around him, knowing she’d found a companion to spend the rest of her days with. He was a good man, even if he was married.
“So, were you comparing me to tough old leather shoes?” Paul asked.
“Hey, you’re catching on.”
“You can call me an old boot anytime, as long as you’re by my side.”
“There is one thing I’d like,” Brenda said.
“Anything,” Paul said, still holding her.
“I’d like to meet your wife,” she said. “I’d like to see the woman who first captured your heart.”
“Next time I go see her, I’ll take you with me. I’d like for you to meet her. She was a wonderful wife and mother and I’ll always love her,” he said, gazing at Brenda. “But you’ve shown me there’s room in my heart for another love. A love that knows who I am.”
Brenda squeezed him a little tighter and thought of how her life had moved on since George’s death. She thought of her friend, Liz, who was just beginning the journey.
“I love you, Paul,” she said, “And I’m happy to have you in my life.”
“I love you, Brenda,” he said. “Stay with me until the end.”
“I’ll be here as long as I can,” she said and kissed him.
Chapter 18
Katie stood anxiously waiting for Jake with Shanda and Jennifer alongside her. Crystal, her roommate, was hidden with a camera. They had his term papers ready for him to turn in.
Jake came around the corner, hurrying toward them until he saw all three girls standing there. He hesitated, his face tightening in a frown, but then strode forward in his cocky manner.
“Hey,” he said, glancing at each of them. “What’s up?”
“Jake, I ran into Shanda at a party the other night and found out we have a common interest. You. And then when we compared notes, I learned about Jennifer. Together, we all figured out that we’re pretty much taking care of your schoolwork for you.”
He looked from girl to girl, his gaze darting desperately between them. “Ladies, without you, I wouldn’t be able to compete in tournaments.”
“Or have time to sleep with each one of us,” Shanda replied.
“Or tell us we’re the only one,” Jennifer said.
“Or ask us to marry you,” Katie replied. “I learned from someone else that I’m the third fiancé in six months.”
His face went white.
Her mother was right. He wasn’t good enough for her and she deserved better. Her focus was now in the right place and she wasn’t going to waste any more time after today on this loser.
“We thought about taking out an ad in the campus newsletter to warn other women about you, but you’d just say we were a couple of mean bitches who were out to get you,” Shanda said.
Jennifer smiled at him. “Normally we’d just walk away, but we know that as soon as you walk away from us, you’ll be finding someone else to use. We can’t stop you, but maybe we can warn others.”
Katie stared at the boy who’d been her first. “So Jake, smile into the camera. Ready Girls?”
He glanced around, looking to see who held the camera, and Crystal waved her hand as she zoomed in on his expression.
They each took out a cigarette lighter, held up the papers they had written, and set fire to them. The paper burned quickly, dropping the ashes onto the snow and extinguishing the flames.
Jake groaned. “I’m going to fail. My mother is going to refuse to pay for my tuition.”
“Oh and by the way Jake,” Katie said. “Your third engagement is over.”
The girls joined arms, turned, and walked away, laughing. Katie couldn’t help but think how much she’d grown in the last four months. College was a tough time, but right now she felt capable of handling anything.
Later that evening, Katie sat in the dorm room with Crystal and they checked their YouTube clip. Just since that afternoon, they had over 10,000 hits.
“Wow, look at his face, he’s in shock,” Crystal said. “I knew he was a player, but doing his homework, that’s cold. So, how are you doing?”
“I feel better than I have in months. Next semester I’m concentrating on my grades. I think I might want to go to law school.”
“You and your Mom are on good terms again?” Crystal asked.
“Yeah. I get now how strong she’s been through this whole thing. I can learn a lot from her, you know? And she loves me. I don’t need a guy like Jake to fill the hole in my life where my parents were. They’re both still there – my mom more than
my dad, of course. I'm spending Christmas with her.”
Crystal plopped onto the bed. “Well, we have survived our first semester at college, and I can honestly say, I’m not the same person I was when I arrived here.”
Katie laid back on her bed and thought about the angry young woman she’d been when she arrived. She laughed. “Definitely!”
“How about if we go to the end of semester party?”
“Let’s go, but if I start appearing interested in any guys, remind me of what happened with Jake.”
“You’ve given up boys?”
“No, but I’m bumping them down to third or fourth place in my life. Priority one is finishing college. Priority two is having fun.”
“Wow, you really have had a life-changing semester.”
“It’s been an interesting few months. Let’s go have some fun.”
Katie stood and looked around the small room that had become her home. She was going to spend some time with her mother over the holidays and maybe even see her grandmother, but this was now her home until she either moved off campus or graduated. She felt at peace with that decision.
She even liked the place her life was at right now. It somehow seemed right. For the first time in months, she felt like she had the security and the stability her life had been lacking.
“Come on let’s go!” Crystal said.
The two girls went out the door, looking for fun.
Marianne had spent most of the morning studying. She had one last test to take and then she would have completed her first semester at school. And what a time. She felt like she’d lived a lifetime during these last four months.
She glanced out the window of her apartment and watched the snowflakes pelting the ground. A blizzard warning had been issued for later this afternoon and she knew she needed to leave early to get to school on time.
Outside, she swept the snow off her car windows and started the car. It slowly cranked and the engine turned over with a grinding noise.
She’d been back from Texas for three days and had yet to see Luke. He hadn’t been home when she returned, and she’d thrown herself into her studies the last few days to prepare for her final exams.
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