She rubbed her hand over her stomach and looked at her watch. Both girls were home right now, still in their pajamas. She wished she were sitting on the couch between them, eating cold cereal and watching television. Not thinking. Not hearing accusing voices and guilty thoughts.
Back to normal. She could do that now, just her and the kids. That would be nice. Things could calm down and she could focus on her new life. Find some of that independence Terri kept touting. Find herself.
Terri frowned and reached for her own Mimosa. “You weren’t supposed to fall in love with him, you know,” she said softly.
“I know.” Karen’s throat grew thick and her nose burned. “I’m such a putz.”
“You’re not a putz. You’re just…naïve, I guess.”
“I’ve been single all of, what…a day? And already I’ve done one of the stupid things radio psychologists write entire books about.” Midge had arranged yellow and brown paper napkins into a beautiful sunflower on the table. Karen grabbed one of the yellow ones and swiped at her nose. “Look at me! It’s like I’m eighteen again. Sixteen. He was supposed to be the wild thing I did to remind myself I was still young and alive, still attractive to men.”
“And did it work?”
“Oh yeah. For a couple of days. Till I found out he was just using me to get at Michael.”
“That’s cold.”
Karen shrugged. “I was just using him, too. Right? I mean, that was my plan. I had no intention of getting… emotionally involved. So I guess all’s fair.”
“I guess. Except…”
“Except he played by the rules. I didn’t. It’s my own fault I let myself go too far.”
“Honey, it’s going to be okay. This probably isn’t even that big a deal. It feels bad now, but once you get things back to normal, you’ll realize you didn’t really love him. It was just the heat of the moment. The intensity of the situation. Infatuation.”
Karen stared down at the wad of damp napkin in her hand and took a deep breath. She shook her head. “No. Michael was infatuation. He was the heat of the moment. This is…this is a lot different.”
“Okay girls, it’s almost time.” Midge rushed up and squeezed Karen’s elbow. “I’ve put you up at the front table, near the auctioneer. I think we’re going to have a great turnout this year.”
“Wonderful!” Terri said with a beaming smile. “We’ll be there in a second.”
Midge gave the nametag table a once over, straightening and moving, before she rushed on to irritate someone else.
Terri took Karen by the elbow. “Come on, let’s get this over with. I wonder who’s going to bid on your muffins?”
Karen shrugged. “I can honestly say I don’t care. They’re not even my muffins. Midge replaced the ones I made with her own.” She pointed to the basket as they passed the table, wrapped prettily in colored cling wrap and a fancy bow.
“So does that guarantee the magical charm, or jinx it?”
Karen just laughed and shook her head. “I guess we’ll see when Prince Charming bursts in to save the day.”
One very long hour later Karen was asking herself why she thought it was important that she be here. Midge’s husband Tom fancied himself to be witty, and Karen was ready to stick her own fork in her eye simply to have a reason to leave.
“We're going to start the bidding on those famous Hallelujah muffins now. As you all probably know, Karen Way made these special, using Midge's famous recipe. I know there will be lots of you men interested in these special muffins, so I just want to remind everyone now that we do have Billy Plummer working security this afternoon, and he has strict orders to take anyone out if they get out of hand.”
The crowd tittered as they were supposed to, and Karen smiled, not giving a rat’s ass who bid on her stupid muffins. That was one good thing about her entire life falling apart and her heart breaking overnight. It kinda put the whole muffin thing in perspective.
“We'll start the bidding at –”
“Five thousand dollars.”
Karen jerked her head up. She could have picked that voice out of the choir of the St. Paul Cathedral in the middle of the Hallelujah chorus.
Tom froze. “Five…” He blinked and stared at the back of the room.
“Five thousand dollars,” Will said again, making his way through the round tables to the front.
He was all the way to the front before people actually started murmuring. Karen said a quick but fervent prayer that the floor would open up and swallow her.
Tom was lost. He cleared his throat and said, “Well. We have a bid of five thou-” He leaned over and whispered to Will. “Are you serious?”
“Hell yes.” Will nodded. “Start it at five thousand.”
“We're starting at five thousand. Dollars. Do I hear…ummm…five thousand five?”
Will threw a glance at Karen, then nodded curtly at Terri. He looked like a man on a life-or-death, justice-and-revenge mission.
The crowd remained silent. Karen didn't blame them. For one thing, no one was going to bid five grand on a basket of muffins, even a really cute basket. And for another, Will looked like he was more than willing to shoot anyone who tried.
Tom didn't give them much time, just in case. He did a lightning quick going-once-going-twice-sold! and banged his gavel. He practically threw the basket at Will.
Karen stood and took Will's free hand. “Come outside with me, please.”
He followed her onto the balcony overlooking the pool and tennis courts. She waited until they were clear of the door before she rounded on him.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Trying to get your attention.”
“Well, bravo.” She clapped twice. “You got mine and everyone else's in the neighborhood. Are you happy?”
“Not yet.”
“Please tell me you're going to do something else outrageous to create a scene.”
“I'm not trying to create a scene. You're the one who said this whole thing was about men bidding ridiculous amounts on the food.”
“Yes, ridiculous. Not completely frigging insane!” She took a deep breath and cast a quick glance through the window to the room full of people staring at them. About twenty people had the good grace to look away, embarrassed. The rest continued to stare.
“So…five thousand might have been a little extreme?” Will said slowly.
“Ya think?!” Karen walked to the edge of the balcony.
She heard Will step behind her, felt his hesitation and sensed when he struggled with whether or not to touch her.
He decided against, apparently. He stepped beside her and rested the basket of muffins on the wide stone balcony ledge.
“What are you doing here, Will? You don't owe me an apology, if that's what you're worried about. You haven't done anything wrong.”
“I do owe you an apology, and you’re going to listen. I am sorry. For the way things turned out. For not telling you what I was thinking about doing.”
She shrugged. “You don't owe me any explanations. You've already gone above and beyond the call of duty.”
“Karen, come on. Don't shut me out.”
“Tell me why you're here. Tell me what you want.”
“I want…” He stepped close and touched her ear, stroked her neck, and she had to grip the ledge to keep from leaning into him. “I want you. I want to start over.”
“No.” She stepped away, irritated. “We can't just keep starting over.
“You used me and I used you. And what's even worse, I knew exactly what I was doing and what could happen if and when you found out.”
“If Brad hadn't told me, what would you have done?”
He shook his head. “I've been asking myself the same thing. Would I have had the guts to stand up and tell you that I was going to do my best to expose Michael, to humiliate him? I don't know the answer to that, Karen. I don't. I've wanted to get revenge against Michael Way for half my life. Half my life. For a long time I ha
ted him more than it should be possible to hate another human being.”
He gripped his hands together and squeezed them hard enough to turn his knuckles white. “And then…and then I was handed the perfect revenge on a silver platter, and I realized that it was over a long time ago, and all I wanted now was to live my life. All I wanted was you.”
He relaxed his grip. “Karen, his office is definitely going to be investigated.”
She swallowed and nodded.
“There will be publicity. It could get ugly.”
“I understand.”
“I hope you do. Because personal vendettas aside, you know that if Michael was able to do what he did to us, he can't be clean. You know he can't.”
“I know.” That thought had been in the back of her mind for the past few days. “So do what you have to do. I certainly won’t stand in your way.”
Will took a deep breath. “I’m not going to do it.”
Karen raised an eyebrow. “No? Who is?”
“Steve Nash, the lawyer I told you about.”
“I know Steve. He’s a good man. He should…” She shook her head and raised her hands. “Why? Why aren’t you doing it? Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”
“I thought it was. But all I really want is…is to be with you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the envelope full of photographs. “That's why I'm giving you these.”
Karen blinked and stared at the envelope. “You're giving me…”
“I'm not going to use them. I'm not writing any books about Michael. I'm not even going to post the pictures on the Roosevelt alumni web page.”
“But…that would be the perfect revenge.”
“I know that.”
“He would be humiliated.”
“I know.”
“So why…”
“It's the only way I could think to convince you I'm not using you. And like I said, I don't really want revenge anymore. I just want a future. With you.”
He stopped and swallowed. “I know none of this was supposed to happen. We weren't supposed to fit together like this. You and I aren’t…we weren't supposed to…” He stopped and reached for her, then drew his hand back. “I wasn't supposed to fall I love with you. Not a man like me. But I did.”
She couldn't breathe. She was going to suffocate on the balcony of the Rockridge Country Club and she didn't care.
She would have liked to be able to say something to him, but since she couldn't get any air she simply stared with the faint hope that she wouldn't keel over.
He slid his hands down her arms, then took her hands in his. “I fell in love with you, Karen. I love you. And as crazy as it sounds, I think we would be good together.”
Karen took a deep breath. “Will, I love you, too. I really do. I can’t believe it, but I do.”
He closed his eyes, took the breath of a man on the verge of drowning, and took her hands. “Thank God.”
“But Will, this is…”
“A bad time?”
She nodded.
“I know.”
“There are so many reasons for me to stay away from you.” She turned the envelope over and over in her hands. “Both my girls need me right now.”
“I know.”
“I've been divorced for less than two days.”
“I know.” His voice dropped low, but he didn't move.
“Terri keeps telling me I need to spend time alone to find out who I really am.” She shrugged. “Maybe she's right.”
“Maybe.” He looked off, then back at her. “But if you'll forgive me for saying so, you seem like a person who already knows who she is.”
“Well, I thought so too. But…”
“But?”
“But everything is different now. I really don't know how I'm going to handle being on my own.”
“I can understand that. Not having Michael around to help out with all the little things around the house.”
“Well, he never really took much interest in the house. I've handled all that for a long time. Maintenance and repairs and stuff like that.”
“Yes, but it has to be kind of scary, handling all the finances by yourself now.”
She lifted a shoulder. “It's not that either, really. I've been the one to do our budget and handle the finances since we got married, basically. He just deposits his check and I pay bills with it and make sure we have something to retire on.”
“But you'll be responsible for all the expenses now.”
“Sure, but we're in pretty good shape as far as that goes. The house is paid for and Paws and Claws is making enough to support us. It’s not so much a money thing.”
“With the girls, then. Being the only one there for them most of the time.”
“Actually I’ve always been the only one there for them most of the time. Michael was hardly ever home and he never got involved in their schools or sports, anything like that. He was always too busy for any of that.”
“I hate to be the one to break this to you, Karen, but you know what it’s like to be alone. You’ve been alone for almost twenty years.”
“Sounds like it, doesn’t it?” She swallowed and blinked fast.
“Maybe you ought to see what it’s like to actually be with someone. Someone who loves you and thinks you’re amazing and wants to spend every moment of the rest of his life with you.” He cupped her cheek, his blue eyes searching hers. “Maybe you ought to give that a shot.”
There she was, unable to breathe again. “The rest of your life. That sounds…serious.”
“Very.”
“I still have the girls to think about. They’re not ready for this.”
“I know. So we’ll have to take it slow.”
“Maybe…maybe just an occasional night out at first.”
“Like a weekly sleepover?” He lifted his eyebrows hopefully.
“Funny. Seriously, Will, we’ll have to be careful. This is going to require a lot of patience. I’m a package deal, you know. When you get me, you get my kids. And my ex-husband.”
“Who? Oh yeah. Him. No big deal.” He took her hands in his. “I know it won’t be easy, Karen, and that it’s going to take some time to work things out. I don’t care. I have the rest of my life.”
She gripped his hands and closed her eyes. So this was what it felt like to be in love, really in love, to have a heart full of hope and a future of endless promise.
“I’m about to kiss you in front of all your friends.”
“I certainly hope so.” She leaned into him, sliding her arms up his arms, around his neck.
“All your friends who know you’ve only been divorced for two days. It’ll cause a terrible scandal. People will talk for months.”
“No problem.” She lifted her lips to meet his. “We’ll just blame it on the muffins.”
Karen ripped little tears in the turquoise paper napkin that wrapped around her frosty drink. “I wish I hadn’t been getting the massage when Cait called. What did she say?”
Will set down his drink. “Just that they’d made it to Dallas and had checked into their hotel room.”
“I know they’re grown now, but still, don’t you think they’re too young to go so far on their own?”
He reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “Karen, they are adults now, whether you like it or not, and they have good heads on their shoulders.” He shrugged. “Well, Pam does anyway, and Cait listens to Pam.” He stroked one thumb over her hand. “This vacation is supposed to get your mind off them while they do this cross-country thing.” He leaned forward and kissed her softly. “Obviously I need to work a little harder at keeping you distracted.”
“You folks on your honeymoon?”
Their waitress stood over them with a tray of drinks. Karen smiled and shook her head. “Not exactly.”
“Really? I can usually spot ‘em. You look so in love.”
“That’s because we are.”
“That’s sweet.” She smiled. “How d
id you meet?”
The corner of Will’s mouth dipped in as he winked at Karen. “Her ex-husband set us up.”
The End
Thank you so much for reading Her Something Impetuous! It was so much fun for me to write, and if you enjoyed it even half as much as I did, then I’ll feel I’ve done a good job. I hope you’ll take the time to click on the link below and leave a review on Amazon.com – it’s enormously helpful to have feedback of any kind, and thrilling beyond belief to know that people (People who don’t even know me! People who aren’t related to me!) have read my books. Thanks to good, generous people like you, I am living my dream of being a writer and I am so grateful to you. Happy reading!
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