by Judith Keim
“My God, Betsy! Are you all right? What happened?”
The words came tumbling out of Betsy’s mouth. “I had a terrible fight with Sarah. She told me I couldn’t see Caitlin and Garrett again. I was so mad and hurt, I decided to go to their school to see them. Sarah accused me of trying to kidnap them. It was awful. We ended up in a physical fight. She left and Bill made me come here to cool off.” Her voice quivered. “Can you imagine what my grandchildren think? They saw me put into a patrol car and driven off. Caitlin’s eyes were round as could be. Garrett ducked down in the car as we drove past.”
“I’ll be right there,” said Sukie. “Take a deep breath. Somehow we’ll get all this straightened out.”
Feeling like a truant sitting in the principal’s office, Betsy waited for Sukie to arrive. She thought about calling Richie and decided against it.
Sukie arrived and gave Betsy a sympathetic look.
“I can’t believe she did this to me,” said Betsy. “I swear I hate her, Sukie.”
Sukie shook her head. “Take it easy. Remember, you don’t want to lose Richie. Be careful when you talk to him. He’s caught between the two of you.”
“Don’t I know it?” Betsy wouldn’t put it past Sarah to make him disown her.
“C’mon, let’s go home.” Sukie’s voice was full of understanding.
Feeling twenty years older, Betsy stood and grabbed her purse. A glance at her reflection in the only window in the office showed her a defeated woman. For that reason alone, she’d willingly assault Sarah all over again.
“Why don’t you come to my house for a while?” Sukie said gently.
“Thanks. I don’t want to be alone right now. Karen’s away.”
Betsy’s cell phone rang. Richie. She picked it up eagerly. He’d always been a good son. They shared many common traits. But before she could begin talking, he launched into a diatribe about her and Sarah fighting like seventh-graders, humiliating him and his children. “This has got to stop, Mom. Enough is enough.”
“But...” Betsy began, and realized he’d already hung up. She turned to Sukie, sick to her stomach. “He’s furious at me. Oh, crap! I’ve ruined everything.”
“Hold on!” said Sukie. “Give everybody time to settle down, including yourself. What you need right now is a hot cup of coffee or maybe some tea.”
“What I need right now, is a glass of wine. It’s got to be five o’clock somewhere.”
Sukie grinned. “As a matter of fact, it’s quarter to five right now.”
They got settled in the car and, exhausted, Betsy leaned back against the passenger seat and closed her eyes.
Sukie’s cell phone rang. She picked it up. “Hi, Tiffany. Betsy? As a matter of fact, she’s here with me now. We’re on our way to my house.” She paused. “Okay, great.”
Sukie hung up and turned to her. “That was Tiffany. Everyone in the group is coming to my house. They’re worried about you.”
Gratitude filled Betsy. Sarah wasn’t the only one who’d turned against her. Several women in the neighborhood club had looked the other way when she approached. And some people in her church refused to talk to her. She’d even been asked to resign from the greeting committee.
Rejection made Betsy more determined to be true to herself. All her life, she’d wondered what was wrong with her as she’d struggled to meet the expectations of others. When she and Karen had finally voiced their feelings for each other, Betsy felt as if she’d been given a gift—the gift of her true self, the one she’d hidden for so long. As painful as the situation was, Betsy couldn’t change who she was, not even to be near her grandchildren.
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN
SUKIE
Sukie went to work putting together snacks for the group. Betsy sat at the kitchen table, sipping a glass of Pinot Grigio, looking totally drained.
Sukie was chilled to the bone by Sarah’s actions. The sheriff had told her he considered it nothing more than a nasty family feud and that no formal charges had been made, but Sukie saw how destroyed Betsy looked. Her eyes were swollen and red-rimmed. More than that, her natural bubbling spirit was broken.
The doorbell chimed. Sukie went to answer it.
Standing on the front porch, Carol Ann peered over Lynn’s shoulder. Tiffany stood behind her. Sukie’s heart warmed at the sight of them. Their friendship worked because they each had issues to sort out, and sharing them made it easier and them stronger.
After greetings and hugs were exchanged, they poured themselves assorted drinks and gathered around the kitchen table. Sukie passed around cheese and crackers and carrot sticks with dip, set a bowl of nuts on the table and listened as Betsy told them the whole story.
The antique Ogee clock in the living room chimed six times. Tiffany jumped to her feet. “I’ve got to go. I told Beau I had to work late, but he’ll still be wondering why it took me so long to get home.”
“You didn’t tell him you were coming here?” Sukie asked Tiffany, walking her to the front door.
Tiffany shook her head. “No way. He doesn’t like me being part of this group or any other group.”
Sukie pressed her lips together.
Tiffany sighed. “Regard called a family meeting Sunday night and it did not go well. I’m fighting back, Sukie, and they don’t like it.”
Observing the pain etched on Tiffany’s face, Sukie studied her. “Are you all right?”
Tiffany’s eyes welled. “I can’t talk about it now. I have to get home.”
Sukie stopped her. “If you ever need a place to stay, you can come here. Got it?”
Tiffany nodded and gave Sukie a shaky smile. “I might just do that. See you.”
Sukie stayed by the door, watching Tiffany climb into her car. It was the first time Tiffany had admitted things were so bad she might have to leave Beau.
###
It was one of those humid summery days that clung to Sukie. The air was heavy with moisture, scarcely allowing her to catch her breath. It drained the energy from her as she hurried from the library to the car to meet the women for another Fat Fridays lunch. Sukie’s mouth watered at the thought of Bea’s famous chicken salad. The cold chicken and fruit concoction was one of her favorites.
Sukie was the last to arrive. She slid onto the empty chair at the table, catching the tail end of Carol Ann’s conversation.
“Sorry I’m late. What’s going on?”
Carol Ann sighed. “It’s John. We had a fight. Last weekend, we picked out some furniture for his place. I told him I couldn’t afford to buy all of it, and he got mad. He’s just started a new job at an insurance agency and he doesn’t have the money to buy it himself. I told him what y’all had said about not spending all my money on furniture and he blew up.”
“He didn’t rough you up, did he?” Sukie asked, recalling their first date.
Carol Ann shook her head. “No, he didn’t touch me, but he was really, really angry. Today, he told me he’d have to rethink our exclusive relationship.” Her mouth turned down. “He’s the first man who’s wanted to date me exclusively. Know what I mean?”
“He’s asking you to give up all you’ve worked so hard for,” Lynn said forcefully. “What is he giving up in return? You gotta be firm. He’s not the only guy around.”
Carol Ann nodded glumly. “Yeah, but then I’ll end up with someone like my boss Ed Pritchard. Ugh!”
“There you go again. If you want my opinion, I’d take Ed over John any day. He’s really nice.” Tiffany shook her head. “Carol Ann, Ed’s a far better catch.”
Carol Ann’s face became pinched with anger. “Just because you have someone handsome and rich like Beau doesn’t give you the right to tell me who I should or should not date.”
Tiffany bowed her head and took a deep breath. The rest of them remained quiet in the tense moments that followed.
Sukie turned to Betsy. “How are things going?”
Betsy let out a sigh that told its own story. “I’ve written letters to Ca
itlin and Garrett. Richie promised to see that they get them. At least they’ll know that I still love them.” Her voice cracked on the last two words.
The waitress appeared, and they placed their orders.
After the waitress left, Tiffany spoke up. “Beau’s parents are paying for us to spend the weekend at Chateau Elan.”
“See?” said Carol Ann, bitterly. “You’ve got it all.”
Tiffany glared at her. “At our family meeting last Sunday, his parents decided we needed to get away—just the two of us—so I wouldn’t be so uppity. Pampering, they said, would calm my nerves. How do you like that?”
Sukie understood what a barbed gift had been offered. By accepting their invitation, Tiffany was forced to agree she’d been on edge; by refusing to go for the weekend, she would be considered nervous, as Beau’s family put it. It was a no-win situation.
“Maybe it will help make things better between you and Beau,” said Betsy tentatively. “I hope so.”
Tiffany shrugged. “I said I’d go, but I don’t think much is going to help us out. On top of everything else, Beau hates his job and he takes it out on me. He’s afraid to leave it and try something new.”
“How does he take it out on you? He hasn’t hit you, has he?” Lynn’s voice was low but it held a hardness that no one could miss.
Tiffany lifted her shoulders and let them fall. “After his parents left on Sunday, we got into it. He slapped me, but he didn’t hurt the baby.”
A collective gasp rose from their table.
Lynn’s face turned an ugly red. Eyes narrowed, she leaned forward. “If that bastard ever touches you again, let me know.” She looked around the table at each of them. “Are we together on this? Anything happens to Tiffany, we’re there for her?”
They all nodded solemnly.
###
That night, Sukie told Cam her concerns for Tiffany.
As he listened, his brow furrowed. “Tiffany had better be careful. Sounds like a volatile situation to me.”
“I suppose a number of people from prominent families like Beau’s feel undue pressure to succeed,” Sukie said. “I can’t imagine how it must be for him, with parents like Muffy and Regard Wright.”
Cam nodded. “Like I said, it’s a disaster waiting to happen.”
A shiver crossed Sukie’s shoulders. Why did so many men turn violent?
She got up to pour Cam another cup of coffee. “I talked to Elizabeth today. She’s thrilled to be named Jonathan’s godmother. She’s planning on coming home in two to three weeks.” Setting his coffee in front of him, Sukie tweaked Cam’s cheek playfully. “She’s anxious to meet you.”
He grinned at her. “What do you think? Will I pass the test?”
Sukie chuckled and settled on his lap for a hug. “You’ve already passed all of mine.”
Cam smiled. “Things are going well, aren’t they?”
“Very well,” Sukie murmured and immediately wished she hadn’t said it. It was sure to bring bad luck.
At home alone later that week, Sukie pressed a shirt for work and then curled up on the couch to watch a movie with a bowl of buttery popcorn. The phone rang during a crucial love scene. She checked the number on Caller ID. Nobody she knew. Probably a sales call, she told herself, turning back to the movie.
A short while later, the chiming of the doorbell brought Sukie to her feet. Fear stiffened her body. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Cam was staying at home with Chloe. Heart pounding in skipping beats, Sukie tip-toed to the front door, turned on the front porch light and peered through the peep hole in the door.
Tiffany stood in the circle of light cast around her, a rolling suitcase at her feet.
Sukie swung the door open. “Tiffany! What are you doing here? Are you all right?”
“I tried to call you earlier,” Tiffany said. “I’m leaving Beau. Can I stay here?”
“Sure. What happened?”
Tiffany took a deep breath, and Sukie knew the effort it cost her to keep from breaking down. “He hit me in the stomach. Not hard, but, still...”
Sukie pulled her inside and looked her over. “Are you sure you’re all right? Any bleeding? Is the baby still moving?”
Tiffany nodded. “It really wasn’t that hard. . . ”
“He struck you, Tiffany. That’s wrong.”
Tiffany buried her face in her hands. “Sukie, he’s become a monster since we married. First, I never measured up to his standards. Then, the baby turned out to be a girl. Next, his job fell apart. Now, he’s gone from shouting at me to shoving me around.”
She looked up at Sukie with eyes that were so sad, Sukie drew in a breath. “When he struck out at my belly, I knew I had to leave. I’ve had it. I can’t do all this pretending anymore. No matter how famous his people are, things at home suck. I hate him and his hoity-toity family.” Her hands fell to her sides and her shoulders slumped in defeat. “I’m pretty sure he’s taking drugs.”
“Does Beau know you’re here?” Sukie couldn’t help glancing out at the night.
Tiffany shook her head. “He thinks I’ve gone to a motel. He told me he’d give me overnight to straighten up, then I was to get my fat ass back home before his mother found out I was gone.” Tiffany’s face crumbled. “They don’t like me, but they won’t let me leave. Weird, huh?”
Sukie’s lips tightened. It was a power issue as well as an image problem.
“Come on, Sweetheart.” Sukie picked up the suitcase and led Tiffany up the stairs to the guest suite at the end of the hall. “Can I get you something? Water? Juice?”
Tiffany shook her head. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to lie down for a few minutes.”
Sukie gave her a gentle pat on the back. “Poor thing. You must be exhausted.”
“I am.” Tiffany slipped off her shoes and lay down on the bed. “Thanks, Sukie. I’ll come downstairs in a bit.”
Sukie checked on Tiffany several times, worried about any injuries, but each time she checked, Tiffany was sleeping peacefully. Sukie covered her with a light blanket and finally headed to bed herself.
The next morning, Sukie rose early and went into the guestroom to make sure Tiffany was all right. She was still asleep, so Sukie tapped gently on her shoulder.
Tiffany’s eyes flew open. Uttering a soft cry, she hunched her shoulders and curled her body around her belly.
Sukie’s heart contracted at the sight of such self-defense. “Tiffany? It’s me, Sukie. Time to get up.”
Tiffany came fully awake and sat up. “Wow... I’ve slept the whole time, huh?”
Sukie sat down on the edge of the bed. “What’s going to happen to you, Tiffany? Isn’t there a minister, a marriage counselor or someone else you can talk to? Someone to help you and Beau sort things out?”
Tiffany lowered her head. When she raised it, sparks seemed to fly from her eyes. “Like I said last night, I can’t do it anymore. He’s taken everything away from me—my self-esteem, my talent, everything, including my love for him. I’m just a freakin’ shell. I’m afraid of him, and I know from listening to you and the other women in the group that things are not going to get better. He won’t go for help. He said he’d kill me if I tried to see a counselor. I never should have let him talk me into marrying him.”
Sukie put her arms around her and felt the shudder that rippled through Tiffany’s body.
Tiffany’s eyes pleaded with her. “You’ll let me stay here, won’t you?”
“Yes, but we’re going to have to let Beau know where you are and lay down some ground rules. If he needs to talk to you, it can be done by phone or somewhere else. I don’t want him showing up here unannounced.”
“Once he realizes how serious I am, he’ll drop all pretense of wanting to be with me. He’s already told me over and over again that I’m just a worthless piece of shit.”
Anger burned a path through Sukie.
Tiffany drew in a breath. “I’ll probably have to go on welfare or something.”
“I wo
uldn’t be so sure about that,” Sukie said. “I’ll give you the name of my lawyer. Beau has responsibilities he can’t shirk.”
While Tiffany took a shower and got dressed, Sukie called her lawyer to let her know the situation. The lawyer advised Sukie to be firm about Beau not coming to the house, telling her it was too soon to have any kind of legal restraining order in place.
Sukie hung up and raced upstairs to get ready for work. Later, Tiffany joined Sukie in the kitchen. “There was no answer at the house when I tried to reach Beau.”
“Maybe he went out for breakfast,” Sukie said hopefully.
Tiffany shook her head. “I bet he headed right over to his parents’ house.” She let out a sigh. “This is no idle threat of mine, Sukie. I’m leaving him.”
“Just be careful. Here’s the number of my lawyer. You might want to meet Beau there and explain the situation to him. Whatever you do, don’t agree to meet him alone.”
“Okay, but, sometime I’ll need to go to the house and get more of my things.”
While they were together in the kitchen, Tiffany tried to reach Beau several times again. She turned to Sukie. “That’s it. I can’t take the time to keep calling him. I’ll be late for work. He can reach me there, if he even bothers to try.”
After Tiffany left, Sukie checked all the doors of the house to make sure they were locked securely. As she did every morning since she’d learned about Lynn’s situation, Sukie punched in the numbers for the security system. There had been a time she hadn’t felt the need to do that. No more.
Still lost in thought about Tiffany’s situation, Sukie pulled into the library parking lot and nearly hit Edythe Aynsley. Edythe glowered at her and made a point of taking her time to move out of the way.
“Sorry!” Sukie called out the window to her.
Edythe hunched her shoulders and hurried into the building. Sukie’s heart sank. It was not going to be a good day. Like Julie said, Edythe was a bitter woman who’d had it in for her from day one.
