Filed to story: Love on the Sidelines (Natalie & Karl)
“Karl. It’s wonderful to have you home again. But next time, you might want to pull your truck inside the barn. I practically had to hogtie, gag, and stuff Darla in the hall closet to keep her from coming over here and flogging you with a broom.” He returned her smile as he buttoned his shirt. “I’ll remember that. Do you have a ride to work this morning?” he asked me.
I’d almost forgotten about my car. “I can take the Judge’s truck.”
“Okay. I’ll go by and see what I can do with the Chevy.” He leaned down and gave me a long kiss. “See you tonight.”
Aunt Jane and I stood and watched him walk to his truck, then she turned and studied me. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing, Natalie?”
“No.” My gaze met hers. “I’m not sure about much of anything right now.” She reached over and brushed a strand of hair away from my cheek. “It almost destroyed you when he had to leave before. I don’t want to see you hurt again.”
“Neither do I. But if it’s going to happen, I don’t think I can stop it, Aunt Jane. I still love him.”
Suddenly, she hugged me. “Then fight for him, Sweetheart. Don’t let anything stand in your way or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.” Before I could respond, she headed back toward the house, but I caught the glimmer of moisture in her eyes and sighed.
For some reason, Southern Supply was a madhouse that morning. First, three semis full of material, two of which I hadn’t ordered, all showed up at the same time. Then an entire pallet of concrete birdbaths toppled over without warning, shaking the walls until it felt like we were having an earthquake, and barely missing two of the dock workers. For the next hour, concrete dust from the pulverized baths filled the air. It was almost as if the powers-that-be had decided I didn’t have enough chaos in my life and gleefully added more.
The one highlight was when Kenny came intomyofficeandhandedmeablue official-looking envelope. “Messenger just brought this over from your lawyer.” Gingerly, I opened it and pulled out the document inside. Relief and an exhilarating sense of happiness swept over me as I saw the words on top. Decree of Divorcement.
Signed, sealed and delivered. It was finally over. Hugh no longer had any hold on me. I was free.
It took an effort to suppress my laughter as I wondered who had won the pool at the barbershop. I hoped it was someone who needed the money. From what I’d heard, it was a pretty sizable pot.
By noon, things had calmed down somewhat and I finally had a chance to think about Jenna. Oddly enough, my anger was gone as though it had never existed. The only thing remaining was a sense of loss. Not for me, but for her.
Because after thinking it over, I knew deep inside that Karl was right. She hadn’t been using me. Jenna loved Hugh, and God knows, I understood what it was like to love a man you couldn’t have. She must have been absolutely miserable all these years.
But it hadn’t stopped her from being there when I needed her, and she’d never shown me any resentment or jealousy. Which was more than I could say about my feelings for Lindsey.
I rubbed my forehead tiredly as depression settled over me like a wet blanket. As far as I knew, Lindsey was still living in the same house with Karl, although I made it a point to stay out of that area of town. Part of me wanted to confront him about it, but this time, things were going to be different. This time I wasn’t going to demand he choose between us. I wasn’t going to demand it for one simple reason. It had to be his choice, his decision. And if he couldn’t decide, if he continued to live with Lindsey, then no matter how much I loved him, I didn’t want him. It would hurt, but I’d lived without him for fifteen years. I could do it again if I had to.
How many times had I heard people say, that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger? More than I could count. But I didn’t know how sorely I would be put to the test before the day was over, or that fate was rushing toward me at the speed of light.
Fate in the form of Lindsey Swanner and my cousin, Cody.
After the brief hiatus around lunch, things started to go bad again at Southern Supply, and I started to wonder if the gods took dinner breaks. First, Kenny told me Jenna was on the phone. I hesitated. I really did want to talk to her, but not on the phone, and not when I knew we’d be interrupted every five seconds.
“Tell her you can’t find me, that I’m out in the store somewhere.” Kenny arched an eyebrow, but went to do what I’d asked. Five minutes later, he was back. “Doug just called up from the dock. The cabinets for the Bergman job are here and he says they’re a mess. All banged up, the doors are hung crooked, and they’re even the wrong color.”
“Christ. What next?” I mumbled. “Okay, tell him to pack them up and send them back. I’ll call the cabinet people and tell them they just ran out of second chances. Do you remember the carpenter I talked to about a month ago? The guy that handcrafts cabinets in his workshop?” I shuffled through a drawer looking for the man’s business card.
“Herman English?”
“Yeah.” I shoved the drawer closed. “That’s the one. See if you can find his number for me?”
One very heated argument later, I’d fired my old cabinet company and hired Mr.
English, who was ecstatic over the chance to do our work. Then I took a couple of aspirin.
From there, the day went downhill. By quitting time, I was exhausted and my whole body ached, although I suspected thatlasthadmoretodowithlastnight’s activities than it did with the disastrous day I’d just been through. I’d reached the point where I dreaded seeing Kenny appear at my door. Which is why I frowned when he showed up again.
“Whatever is it, I don’t want to hear it.”
He grinned. “Look on the bright side. Tomorrow has to be better. You’ve got company.”
“Who?” I prayed it wasn’t Jenna because I was simply too tired to deal with her right now. All I wanted to do was soak in a tub of hot water for about an hour, and then get my talk with Karl over with.
“Your cousin.”
“Cody?” I sat down in the chair I’d just vacated, more than a little curious. Cody called me occasionally, but he rarely paid unexpected visits. “Tell him to come on in.”
“Okay. If you don’t need me, I’m heading home. Want me to lock up on my way out?”
“Please.”
I heard the murmur of voices as Kenny left, then glanced up at a sound from my door. And froze, my smile fading. Cody was standing there, still in uniform, and he wasn’t alone. Lindsey was with him.
My gaze shifted between the two of them before coming to rest on my cousin.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, bringing her here?” I managed to keep my voice cool even though inside I was seething with anger.