Payback and a Bottle of Merlot: Like Sisters Series Book One

by Bria Marche

  The concern on her face was clear as she watched Mia at the sink. “Excuse me, are you alright? You seem pale. Should I call someone for you?”

  Mia stared in disbelief. “What?” was the only audible word she could utter.

  “Would you like me to call someone for you? Why don’t you sit down over here for a minute? I’ll wait with you, if you like. I’m Sasha, by the way.”

  “Um… I’m fine. Don’t let me hold you up. I have somewhere to be anyway.” Mia couldn’t think, her head was spinning. She damn well didn’t need this Sasha woman being nice to her. Go away and leave me alone, you home wrecking harlot. You have no idea who I am, or that I’m married to your lover. Mia grabbed her gear and ran out of the restroom, leaving Sasha in her wake. She would have called Vic or Tina, but she knew how busy they were on Saturdays at the salon. I have to get through this photo shoot without going off the deep end. I’ve got to get a grip, if I can.

  ***

  The photo shoot proved difficult after what Mia just witnessed. The family consisted of the grandparents, parents and three children, ranging from a toddler to a ten year old. What a beautiful family, if only that was my life, she thought. Just seeing them together made Mia miss her parents more than she imagined. Mia’s mom and dad moved to Palm Harbor, Florida seven years ago. Their leaving broke her heart, but she understood how they wanted to get away from the cold winters. She missed them now more than ever. Mia only had one sibling, Matt, and they weren’t close. He had long since moved to Los Angeles with his wife and kids. The distance and age difference between them was too great to form a solid bond. Their parents called Mia the accidental angel in their life, since she was an unplanned, but much loved surprise. With an eight year age difference between Matt and Mia, their lives never really connected.

  Mia made a mental note to check into the cost of an airline ticket to Tampa when she got home. She needed time with her mom and dad, and the sooner the better.

  The fifty minute ride back to Tarrytown gave her a lot of time to think. Should I fight for my marriage, or just give up? Jack is a two-timing jerk. Why would I even want him after the shock of what I saw earlier? She wondered if she did something to initiate his behavior. Aren’t I pretty enough, successful enough, or smart enough for him? Why did he marry me in the first place? Mia couldn’t turn off the questions in her mind. The headache coming and dread of going home was taking over her body and soul. She would be home by eight-fifteen. Will Jack even be there, or will he be having dinner downtown at Johnny’s like he usually does? He’s never been one to consider anyone else, but then there was the different Jack I saw at the train station. It was like watching a stranger. He displayed a side of himself to this woman that I never felt from him. Who is he anyway? Why can’t he be like that with me?

  Mia arrived home and noticed the house was dark when she pulled into the driveway. No note inside saying where Jack was, just empty loneliness.

  “I should be used to this,” she grumbled out loud. With a Diet Coke in hand, she headed into the office to check airline schedules and fares to Tampa. It surprised Mia to see Jack forgot to close out his email before leaving the house. I’ve never been one to snoop, but the hell with him. I want to know what he’s been up to. Mia’s heart pounded in her throat. She didn’t know if she really wanted to see what Jack had been doing, or accept the idea that there was some merit to being blissfully ignorant. Too late for that. I’ve already caught him in the act. She began scrolling through his in-box to find numerous messages from Sasha, the “other woman” in his life. The late night emails went back and forth for years. How is this possible? As tears rolled down her cheeks, Mia read the messages he received, and the messages he sent, as well. She went back to the beginning and started to read. He wrote how he loved Sasha and dreamed of her every night. He went on to describe how his body ached for her and how he couldn’t wait to make love to her again. When the remodeling was completed on his parent’s house, he would move back to the city and into her waiting arms. Living together with his brother in New Rochelle had been difficult, but necessary. The house belonged to their parents, but they died in a car accident. There was so much red tape to deal with, and the house needed remodeling before they could put it on the market. Living with his brother and pitching in on the remodeling and legal issues was the right thing to do. Now, with the house finished, people were showing interest. All the parent’s assets were sold, and the house was on the market.

  “Well, aren’t you the honorable one? You lying piece of shit. Living with your brother in your dead parent’s house, really, Jack? Is that the best you can do? Your parents are alive and healthy, golfing every day, in Scottsdale. And when have you ever lifted a finger to do manual labor?”

  Chapter Four

  Confronting Jack about his betrayal and filing for divorce was the right thing to do, but Mia had other plans. She wanted to hurt and humiliate him as much as he had to her, before she kicked his butt to the curb.

  “You deserve to feel the same heartache you’ve caused me, you loser. It’s time for me to stand up for myself. Sasha needs to know what kind of man you really are.”

  Mia had to find out where Sasha lived, and her last name, before she could really take any action. I am a photographer, I could learn how to be a sleuth too, and start following him into the city. The trip to Florida had to wait. Mia wanted to turn Jack’s life into shambles before divorcing him. You’ve wasted three years of my life. You know what they say about payback, she thought, as she closed out Jack’s email, logged off the Internet, and shut down the computer.

  Retribution and revenge was new to Mia. She was going to call the shots from now on. There were three obvious things important to Jack, and that was his career, his daughter and this mystery woman. I’m going to take him down so he loses his dignity and his job. With a new sense of confidence, Mia began to formulate a plan. She knew who she needed to talk to. It would be uncomfortable, but she needed information.

  Mia heard Jack’s car pull into the garage as she went to the kitchen to make dinner for herself.

  He walked in and gave her a mindless peck on the cheek. “Didn’t eat yet? Don’t bother making me anything, I ate downtown,” he said, while grabbing a frosty beer out of the refrigerator.

  “I wasn’t going to make you anything,” Mia replied, while she whipped together a turkey sandwich and soup.

  A surprised expression crossed Jack’s face. “What? Fine then… I have work to do in the office.”

  “I bet you do.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I said, I bet you do. Go do your work, Jack. Don’t let me stop you.”

  He turned, snarled under his breath about the hideous china in the cabinet, and how everything in the house looked like it belonged to old people. He went to the office and slammed the door behind him.

  Mia took her soup and sandwich into the bedroom and began a rough outline of her plan on paper. She needed to buy a high power zoom lens. The rest of the camera equipment she already had. Thoughts of billboards and subway ads filled her mind. She envisioned the horror on Jack’s face seeing himself in compromising positions, with someone other than his wife. The thought of it made her laugh out loud. Hmmm… there are tons of ads at bus stops, on cabs, benches and subway stations on Fifth Avenue near Jack’s office building. She decided to check out the cost of renting an ad tomorrow. Wouldn’t his co-workers and boss be stunned to see Jack as the star of his own infidelity ad? Pleased with the idea, Mia hid her notes under the mattress and turned out the light.

  ***

  She couldn’t wait until Jack left for work Monday morning. Mia had calls to make and notes to take. It turned out, for several thousand dollars she could rent a billboard, a subway terminal ad, and a cab ad for a month. She would give it consideration. At least she had options.

  Following Jack and catching him with Sasha, would be a problem all its own. He came home late most nights, or not at all, many times on Fridays. Of course Mia alwa
ys thought the late nights and Saturday returns had something to do with his daughter and ex, but not anymore. Claire was a convenient excuse to use, which was wrong on so many levels. Mia didn’t want to hurt Jack’s daughter, but that wasn’t her problem. “You figure it out Jack, you’re a big boy,” she said out loud, with an angry snarl.

  Tuesday morning Mia was awake long before five-thirty. She had too much on her mind. Dawn was breaking when she rose, and she needed to find the phone number for Karen, Jack’s ex-wife, on his cell. She tiptoed to the dresser, about to reach for Jack’s phone to take into the bathroom, when he woke up. “What are you doing?” he asked, sleepily.

  “Nothing. I’m going to start the coffee. I can’t sleep anymore. Damn it,” she whispered under her breath, as she closed the bedroom door behind her.

  She decided to check the phone while he was showering instead. She hoped he wouldn’t take it into the bathroom with him, as he so often did. Mia slid into her robe and slippers and went outside to retrieve the rolled up newspaper from the driveway. Back in the house, she waited impatiently, tapping on the kitchen table with a pencil as she drank her coffee. She finally heard the bathroom door close and the shower start. Mia peeked around the bedroom door and looked toward the dresser. The phone was gone. “Damn you, Jack,” she snarled.

  She had to get that phone number somehow. Mia hurried back to the kitchen and grabbed the newspaper off the table. She took it outside, wound up her pitching arm, and flung it as far as possible to the very end of the driveway. Thank God nobody saw that. The neighbors would think I’m crazy. Now Jack can go fetch the damn paper himself, being the dog he is. Maybe I’ll have another chance with his phone.

  He sat at the table where a steaming cup of coffee waited for him. “I have to get the paper again?” he asked, angrily. “This is getting ridiculous.”

  “Sorry… I’m trying to make breakfast, you know.” Mia glanced in his direction and saw Jack’s phone sitting next to his coffee cup.

  “Fine,” was his only response, as he got up and put on his shoes.

  Mia had the pencil and a piece of paper in her robe pocket, ready to go as soon as he stepped outside. With the sound of the screen door slamming, she grabbed Jack’s cell phone and hit the contacts tab. Mia found Karen’s name about halfway down the list as she scrolled through the contacts. Her hand shook as she wrote the phone number down. She turned back toward the stove just as Jack returned to the kitchen.

  “I’m going to be home late tonight,” he said, as he sat to read the paper.

  “Yeah, what do you call late?” Mia asked, still unnerved. “Are you doing something with Claire?”

  “No, I’m having drinks with the guys from our office. John Taylor gave his notice. He received a better job offer in Dallas, I guess.”

  “So, what do you call late?” she asked again.

  “I don’t know, when I get home. Don’t bother waiting up.”

  “I don’t intend to,” Mia replied, with indifference.

  “What’s your problem anyway? Why are you so combative? It isn’t smart to challenge me, Mia,” Jack said, sneering at her.

  “Why do you care?” she snapped back.

  “I didn’t say I did. I’m out of here.” He grabbed his briefcase, phone and keys, gave her a defiant look, and slammed the door as he left.

  “Good riddance,” Mia snarled. She sat alone and ate breakfast with Reggie at her feet.

  Mia planned to make the uncomfortable call to Karen at ten o’clock. Right now she needed to call her friends. She wanted their opinions.

  “Vic, can you come over at lunch time today? I have to run something past you and Tina.”

  “No problem, hon, should I call Tina, or are you going to?”

  “I haven’t called her yet, but I’ll do it right now.”

  “Okay, Chica, I’ll bring a few bottles of wine. Tell Tina I’ll pick her up. See you at noon.”

  “Thanks, Vic, I’ll make some snacks. Out.”

  Mia called Tina as soon as she hung up with Vic. “Hey, Tina, can you come by at noon with Vic? She said she’ll pick you up. I’m making snacks and she has the wine. I have to talk to both of you about something.”

  “Sure, Mia, I’ll watch for Vic. Out.”

  ***

  Mia decided to turn on The Today Show before calling Karen. There was time to kill and nerves to settle. “Damn it, it’s too early for a glass of wine. I can’t let this anxiety get the best of me.” She never met Karen or Claire, and never spoke to either of them. It hurt Mia when Jack didn’t invite Claire to their wedding. He told her Karen wouldn’t allow it anyway. It would be too confusing for Claire at her young age, and she needed to be protected. Mia never understood what that meant. Protected from what?

  She stared at the hands of her beloved grandfather’s clock as they moved closer and closer to ten o’clock. “I should forget this whole idea,” she said, trying to convince herself not to call. She knew in her heart Karen might have answers to some of her questions, though. Mia entered the numbers on her cell phone and hit save, in case she may have to call her again sometime. She stared at Karen’s name on the screen. With her fingertip on the call button, she took a deep breath, and pressed the phone icon. It rang three times. She was relieved, and ready to hang up when a female voice answered.

  Mia stammered out a “Hello, is this Karen?”

  “Yes.”

  “Um… this is Mia James… or Mia Barnes, I guess. I’m Jack’s wife… current wife, ugh… sorry. It’s so weird to be calling you, but please give me one minute. This is a strange request, but I’d like to talk to you, face to face, if that’s possible.”

  “Why?”

  “Okay, this isn’t easy for me, but I have some important questions to ask you about Jack. I just need clarification on a few things, so can we meet for an hour? I won’t take any more of your time than that, I promise. You can say when and where. It’s important, please say yes.”

  “Fine, tomorrow at two o’clock at my house.”

  “I have no idea where you live,” Mia said, now exasperated.

  “I live at 4217 Bayfield Boulevard in Greenwich.”

  “Greenwich… Greenwich, Connecticut?”

  “Do you know of any other?”

  “No, but… never mind. I’ll see you then. Thank you, Karen, goodbye.” What the hell? She doesn’t even live in Manhattan. I can’t believe all the lies Jack’s told me. My God, am I that blind? Mia sobbed into her hands feeling more foolish than ever.

  Mia was blessed to have Vic and Tina in her life. She would be leaning on them, a lot now. Today was a good day to talk to them both, since the salon was closed on Tuesdays anyway. Mia put together a large salad, a cheese plate and some sandwiches.

  Vic’s car pulled into the driveway at eleven-fifty. The girls bounced in, making their typical grand entrance. Hugs, air kisses, laughter and jokes were tossed around as Vic pulled the wine glasses out of the liquor cabinet, and Tina set the table. They sat, stared at Mia, and waited for her to begin.

  “You guys won’t believe what I’m about to tell you, but you’ll be happy to hear what I have to say. I’m sorry for not calling both of you right away, but I had to think things through on my own.”

  Vic and Tina looked at her, puzzled as they set their wine glasses down.

  “What’s going on?” Tina asked, leaning in.

  “Jack is cheating on me. I saw him with some mystery woman at the train station Saturday when I had to do a shoot in the city. He had no idea I was there and saw them together.”

  “You’ve got to be shitting me,” Vic piped in, totally pissed off. “What a dick!”

  “I’m not shitting you, and I’m not sad, either. I’m floored at myself for not realizing it sooner. Our relationship was never about love, at least not on his part. Jack needed a wife to make him look more like a family man for his career, and I guess I was the pasty. The weird part is, I ran into that very woman in the restroom after I saw them together. She wa
s concerned because I was crying, and believe it or not, she wanted to help. She told me her name was Sasha. How crazy is that? The jackass I’m crying about, is having an affair with the woman trying to console me. It’s ridiculous. What surprises me, is what I want to do about it.”

  “So what’s that?” Tina asked.

  “I want to ruin him, not financially, because I don’t care about his money. I want to ruin his reputation and take his over-sized ego down to ground level. I want to see him embarrassed and humiliated.”

  “I like where this is going, and I’m with you all the way, babe. What do you want us to do?” Vic asked, with a devilish grin.

  “Well, that’s where I need your help. I have an idea, but I’m ready to hear anything you two might think of. Let’s put our heads together and come up with a kick ass plan. Before we go on, here’s something else that’s weird. I got up the nerve to call Jack’s ex-wife, and I asked her if we could talk. She agreed, so I’m going to meet her tomorrow. Get this, she doesn’t even live in Manhattan like Jack the liar said all along. Karen lives in friggin Greenwich!” Mia poured another round of wine and waited for a response.

  “Friggin Greenwich, Connecticut?” Tina squealed. Wine shot out of her nose as she choked.

  “The very one,” Mia smirked, as she handed Tina a napkin.

  “OM double G! What a lying sack of shit. You need to learn everything you can from the ex-wife. Then we need to find out more about this Sasha chick. She obviously has no idea Jack is married. I mean, if we got her on board with us, she might let us photograph them as long as her face is hidden. All we need is Jack’s face in pictures of him being the unfaithful sleaze he is. Or we could torment him by leaving anonymous messages on his cell phone, saying we know what he’s up to. Maybe, you could just clear out the bank accounts and put the money somewhere else. There’s all kinds of ideas I’m coming up with now. I think I’m on a roll,” Vic said, laughing about the situation.