Never Is A Very Long Time

by Donna McDonald

  Chapter Fourteen

  There was a definite déjà vu vibe happening this morning. They sat in her mother’s Florida room in the same chairs as when she’d first told her mother that Dan had filed for divorce.

  “I’m so stunned that I don’t know what to say. All this time, I just figured he was chomping at the bit to experience some sort of second youth or something. It never occurred to me Dan might have children with another woman. Did you have any idea?”

  “No, Dan having another family never occurred to me.”

  The question itself revealed her mother’s shock. Oddly, it was helpful to see her mother react that way. If someone had witnessed her meltdown yesterday, Mariah was sure she would have looked far worse.

  “There’s a boy of six or seven… and a sweet baby girl. The boy’s name is Daniel and he looks just like him. He’s married to their mother now, or at least that’s what the grandmother said.”

  Georgia leaned forward in her chair, looking at her daughter’s calm face. “You’re awfully serene this morning. Did spending the night with John Monroe take the sting out of Dan’s betrayal?”

  Mariah shrugged at her mother’s directness. “I won’t deny it helped, but I will blame Bill for me going to him so soon.”

  Georgia rolled her eyes as she chuckled. “Girl, I wouldn’t have bought that lame excuse when you were a teenager, and I’m not buying it now. Either you said yes to staying the night with the man or you didn’t. I think I know my daughter at least that much.”

  Laughter rose in Mariah’s chest. No one was more black and white in her thinking than her mother. “Bill said I shouldn’t let Dan take my attraction to John away like he had taken everything else. That may just be the best advice he’s ever given me. Or at least I’m thinking that way today. John’s a die-hard Bengals fan. You have to wonder when you learn something so sad about a man.”

  “I know you’re teasing because you’re still unsure. Do you love him, Mariah?” Georgia asked.

  Mariah knew she meant John, not Dan. After what she’d shared, it wouldn’t surprise her if her mother never uttered Dan’s name again.

  “Not sure about the big L yet, but I certainly do like him a lot. John’s seen me at my worst and not gone running. There’s definitely enough chemistry and attraction between us for me to protect our chance to pursue it. That’s why I’m going to confront Dan about what I know. As ugly as the discussion might get, if he stops his harassment, it could make all this easier.”

  “Great. I think you should confront him. Want to take my gun with you?” Georgia asked.

  Mariah snickered. “No, Mom. You know I don’t like handling firearms. And I’m heading to his office downtown. You get a pat down when you go in there.”

  Georgia scooted back in her chair. “Okay. What are you going to do if Dan gets snotty about being caught red-handed? He’s done a bang up job of hiding everything up to now.”

  “I have one goal and one goal only. Kick Dan out of what’s left of my life. Then I’m going to go to work at my business that he better leave the hell alone if he knows what’s good for him.”

  Georgia chuckled. “In other words, you have no idea how you’re going to handle it if he gets mean and pissy.”

  “You do know me well,” Mariah said, rising to hug the good-humored woman who bore her.

  Instead of heading to Dan’s office, she’d gotten a text from Elliston and swung by her office to see him. Della was already in residence and in rare form today. The woman tended to sport a very Goth look when she was dealing with negative personal stuff.

  “Boyfriend problems this weekend?” Mariah asked.

  “And that’s why you get the big bucks,” Della muttered with a sad smile. “It’s over and I ended it. I’m fine though. No need to concern yourself.”

  “Did Elliston let you know he was stopping by?”

  Della shook her head. “No. The sexy geek did not tell me he was coming. What did he do? Text you for an appointment?”

  Mariah nodded. “Yes, but he earned that right and more this weekend. I’ll explain it later.”

  “If he’s responsible for that genuine smile on your face, you need to give him a discount.”

  Mariah chuckled and wagged a finger. They turned when Elliston came through the door.

  “Morning, ladies,” he said, grinning at both of them.

  Mariah nodded to her office with her head. After they were inside, she closed the door. “Thank you for helping me find your uncle. Asking you for his address was the most unethical thing I’ve ever done.”

  Elliston chuckled. “It wasn’t unethical. It was obvious that he liked you. Even Lynn noticed it at the fundraiser. Plus, Uncle John sent me a very interesting text this morning that confirmed everything.”

  Mariah felt her face heat. “He did? Oh, lord.”

  Elliston nodded. “All it said was—thank you.”

  Mariah sat in her chair, smiling as she studied the ceiling. “I’m surprised he was so nice. I caught him watching a Bengal’s game.”

  Elliston burst out laughing. “I can only imagine how that went. He refuses to have company during game time.”

  “I got a pass because I slept through it all.” Mariah felt the laughing young man’s gaze on her face. “He did give me a piece of pizza and a glass of wine. Should I feel special?”

  “Extremely,” Elliston declared.

  “What can I do for you, Elliston? I owe you one.”

  “Nope. We’re even,” Elliston said firmly. He pointed to himself. “I’m proud to say that you are looking at Elliston 2.0. That’s what I came to tell you.”

  Mariah laughed at his description of himself. “Elliston 2.0. How so?”

  “Lynn was great. The physical chemistry wasn’t there, but the friendship was. It was actually fun getting to know her. I hadn’t had fun with a woman in a long while. I also talked her into dating the younger man she’s actually in love with, but had been refusing to date because of their age difference. It turns out Lynn and I were mutually good for each other. Except you’re down one client now.”

  Mariah sighed. “That’s too bad. I’ll be very sorry to see you go.”

  “Not me,” Elliston protested with a laugh, waving a hand. “Meeting Lynn made me optimistic. I’m more gung ho than ever to find my perfect match. I was talking about Lynn leaving you. She told me she spent the weekend with her very happy beau who now wants to meet me. It made me feel really good to know I’d helped them get together. I figure that’s how you must feel when things work out.”

  Mariah smiled. “It is indeed. If Lynn is that happy, that’s all I want… it’s all I want for any of my clients.”

  Elliston nodded. “That’s why I wanted to tell you this before I forgot how it felt to get things straight for once. I see people spending money all the time on expensive vacations, expensive toys, lots of things that don’t bring them much satisfaction. I’ve done that mindless material stuff myself. Spending money to meet Lynn was great because meeting her helped me figure out what I actually wanted from a real relationship. In my opinion, your services are worth every penny. Next time I look at potential dates, I won’t be looking at age or appearance. I’ll be looking at the whole package. That seems a lot healthier.”

  Mariah sighed in satisfaction. “I’m so very glad you came to see me this morning. Your praise is the perfect start to my week. So are you ready to go back to the database again? It will be on the house this round. I really do owe you one.”

  Elliston grinned widely. “Let’s hold off a bit. I’ve got a couple months of crunching to do. I got a lot of business after the fundraiser.”

  “More good news,” Mariah said, smiling at him.

  She walked Elliston out and accepted his masculine, cologne-scented hug when he offered it.

  “Goodbye, Mr. McElroy,” Della said politely.

  “I’ll see you in a couple months, Dr. Livingston,” Elliston said, exiting as quickly as he’d arrived.

  Della
’s sigh was not lost on Mariah. “Crushing on a client, Della? You can tell me. I won’t have you flogged for it,” she teased.

  But Della shook her head. “No. Elliston McElroy just makes me hope one day I’ll meet a guy that level and nice.”

  “They’re out there waiting for you too,” Mariah said confidently. “The trick is in finding them. Luckily, you work for an expert.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Mariah hadn’t been here in years, but nothing had changed in all that time. No matter how many promotions Dan had received, the atmosphere where he worked remained the same. There was still the open room with desks crammed into rows. There was no privacy for most cops, but at Dan’s level, he had his own office at least.

  Yet that wasn’t where she waited for him this morning. Dan’s boss had put her into a conference room instead. Based on the security camera in the corner, and the total absence of the still secretive Detective Monroe, she’d guess John had already laid the groundwork for her not to be put too much into Dan’s turf for their confrontation.

  Dan walked into the conference room some half hour after she’d arrived, smelling like a million dollars, an irony that was probably always going to make her twinge. She’d given him half that amount in cash already. Once Dan sold the house, his share would have exceeded the amount she’d kept. One day she was going to put all that aside. That wouldn’t be today though.

  “Mariah—what an unpleasant surprise.”

  The wry tone of Dan’s one word greeting packed an odd blend of resignation and defensiveness in it. Mariah dredged up a polite smile, determined to be as fair as possible. “Did your new mother-in-law tell you and Beth I stopped by?”

  Dan simply nodded at the question and slid into one of the seats at the table. Mariah continued to stand… and to wait for him to really answer her.

  “I know you’re not going to believe this, but I honestly never meant to hurt you. Everything I did was to preserve what you had achieved.”

  Mariah rolled her eyes. “You sent the prosecutor’s office after my new business… twice.”

  “The second time was Beth’s idea. I tried to stop her.”

  “How stupid do you think I am? You showed up to serve the subpoena for records yourself.”

  She couldn’t believe Dan had the gall to shrug at her statement.

  “I really was trying to help you with my advice. You gave up a job that made you more money than you could spend in a lifetime. Why would you throw all that away? I’d have stayed if you’d kept your job. I never would have married Beth.”

  His insane rationalization over his infidelity exceeded anything she’d expected of him. Mariah threw up her hands. “Why would I want to stay married to someone who left me for another woman? Do you think I’m that desperate?”

  “No. I think you’re that smart. You know I was good to you and the kids,” Dan said.

  “Speaking of our children. Do they know you’ve remarried? Do they know about your other children? Do they know their father is a lying, cheating douchebag?”

  Dan’s sigh was large. “I was going to tell them about Beth and the kids eventually.”

  “When?” Mariah demanded. “When the new Daniel junior started college?”

  “You don’t understand,” Dan said tightly. “This is your fault as well as mine.”

  “My fault? How in your warped mind does your cheating with another woman, and keeping a whole new family from me, equate to being my fault?” Mariah glared.

  “All you ever did was work, Mariah. We made gobs of money and all you ever wanted to do was spend time with the kids and our loser friends. We could have done anything. We could have taken trips and drove fun cars. We could have really lived. You wouldn’t even buy a country club membership. You made more money than most of the current members.”

  “My mother was so right about you. The only reason you stayed with me was because of the money. I think I hate you most because Georgia Bates is never going to let me live this down.”

  “Your mother is some piece of work alright. I always figured she’d be the one to find out. Your sleuthing skills surprised me. Knowing you saw the kids made Beth have to take a sedative to sleep that night. She’s been dreading what you would do when you discovered them.”

  Mariah crossed her arms. “Who are you? What have you done to the man I married? He was not this shitty of a person.”

  Dan laughed, even more amused. “Oh, I’m still here, honey. You’re just mad at me.”

  Mariah snorted. “No. You’ve turned into someone I don’t recognize. You even offered to take me back when you knew damn well you’d gotten remarried. That’s disgusting, Dan.”

  Dan shrugged. “What can I say? I miss sleeping with you. Beth’s exciting, but she has very expensive tastes. It’s all I can do to keep up with her. You’re my speed. It would have been nice to have our old life back too. I don’t see why this is such a big deal. It only bothers you because you found out.”

  He was a narcissist. Had Dan always been one? Or had he become one somewhere along the line and she’d just missed the change happening? Mariah paced, staring at the floor as she walked. She was grateful there was a conference table between them. She was also grateful she hadn’t brought her mother’s gun because Dan’s blasé attitude about screwing her over would have sorely tempted her to use it on him.

  “Finding out you lied and cheated only validated the end of what we had. We’ve been divorced nearly a year now, Dan. I’ve moved on,” Mariah said bitterly.

  Dan laughed at her statement.

  “What was the laugh for?” Mariah asked.

  “I had John Monroe following you for weeks,” Dan said. “He already confirmed there’s no man in your life.”

  Mariah ran a hand through her hair, glared at her arrogant ex-husband, and bit back the brag she could have made. But no. She wasn’t going to let Dan force her to go there. Her relationship to John would not become fodder for this hateful debate.

  “That brings up another good question. Why did you have Detective Monroe following me?” Mariah asked.

  “For evidence that doesn’t matter now,” Dan said tightly. “Beth’s already withdrawn her case. You beat mine in the ground early on. Congratulations, Dr. Bates. I’ve given up trying to save you from yourself.”

  Mariah held his gaze. “When I came in here, that’s all I wanted—just for you to quit harassing me. Now I’m not sure that’s good enough. Bill advised me to counter-sue to protect myself and my business. He says I have enough evidence to bring a criminal case against Beth for possible extortion. The children are the only reason I haven’t filed yet.”

  Dan shook his head. “You’re bluffing. Suing is not your style. That would be very bad PR for the kind-hearted Dr. Bates.”

  “Bad PR?” Now it was Mariah’s turn to laugh. “You’ve betrayed our marriage and the family we created together. You’ve been part of two wrongful court cases against me which is evidence of your collusion with Beth. Did it ever occur to you that your actions might at some point have some consequences for you as well? If you and Beth Stanley do anything else to me, I promise you that I’ll make sure you get investigated by your superiors… and she will go to jail. Her mother’s probably already raising the kids anyway. I saw the truth with my own eyes, Dan. And I’m done being nice.”

  “You’d never do any of that stuff,” Dan said firmly.

  Mariah barked out a harsh laugh. “Watch me. Next time I go to court, I promise you it will be you or Beth or both of you in the hot seat—not me. And you’re already being investigated. All the bad PR will be about my bad choices in trusting my cheating cop husband who married the other woman. The court cases will just prove the lengths the two of you were willing to go to. Do you honestly think your currently sketchy reputation can stand up to the bad PR I can bring? I don’t.”

  “Nothing from one of Bill’s private investigator flacks is going to hurt me.”

  “No? Then how about the stuff your fellow
cops will find when they get involved? How about the prosecutors you’ve been bulling around to bring bogus cases? Think their office will help? You’re ruining yourself, Dan. Technically, all I need to do is wait for you to implode your own career.”

  Mariah could tell the moment she got through his shields. She stared at him… stared hard at the stranger that the man she’d once loved had become. There was nothing left in Dan’s face or his eyes that seemed familiar to her. There was certainly no regret for how he’d treated her reflected there. Dan had become very much like the woman he’d chosen over her, but thank God it wasn’t her job anymore to save him. What she’d said to him was truer than Dan knew.

  She really had moved on.

  “You’re all but gloating and that’s not like you. What do you know that you’re not saying, Mariah?”

  Hearing the worry in his voice was surprisingly reassuring. “I know you need to leave me and my business alone. I know you need to watch your back and get your life straight. You’re not nearly as insulated from your actions as you want to believe. I also know that the last money you’re ever going to see from me is whatever you get from selling the house. You better make that money last for the rest of your life, Dan. When that’s gone, it’s all gone.”

  Dan rose from his seat. “Fine. We have Amanda and Randy to think about. Things don’t have to get ugly between us.”

  Mariah glared. “They’re already ugly and that’s your fault. So if Bill brings one suit, I’ll make sure he brings as many as I’m entitled to bring. I’ll ask for the house back in lieu of other payment. There’s no other way you or Beth will be able to come up with the large amounts I’m going to ask for to make up for all the pain and suffering you two have caused me. Then you can see how your new expensive wife handles living off a cop’s salary. We’ll also see how your department handles learning the truth about their golden boy detective. I’ll feel a bit bad to ruin your reputation and your new life, but I guarantee you that I will not regret one moment of protecting my own assets.”