揟his is your last chance for happiness.?He was still talking when she made his face disappear.
揥ho were you talking to??Oscar asked as he came around the corner of the house.
揔evin, but don抰 worry, Daddy, it抯 over,?she answered as she scrolled down her contact list and called Haley.
揟hat抯 a good thing. I抎 hate to have to go to prison right here at a time when we抮e all getting a bar ready to open up for business,?he said.
揧ou wouldn抰 have to.?She smiled up at him as she listened to Haley抯 voice mail message. 揑f he shows up here, I抣l take care of him, and they抣l never find his body.?
揟hat抯 my girl,?Oscar said with a grin.
Haley was on the phone when the call came from Mary Nell. She sent a quick text: On the phone. Will call ASAP.
She got one back that said: Meet me at the bar.
揑抦 sorry,?Haley said. 揟hat was a friend. What were you saying??
The woman on the other end had begun to sob. 揑 shouldn抰敆she stopped and blew her nose loudly棑bother you with . . .?Another bout of weeping.
揑t抯 okay, just tell me what is going on,?Haley said.
揑t抯 just that you were the counselor, and you helped me pick out my wedding cake, and I need to talk to someone, and敆she stopped long enough to take in a breath棑and my life is in the toilet, and I抦 mad, and if I don抰 talk to someone, I抦 going to go to jail for homicide.?
揝weet Jesus!?Haley muttered when she figured out that this was the very woman whose fianc?Haley had had a fling with梩he father of the child she was carrying.
揑抳e been married a month, and I抦 filing for divorce tomorrow,?the woman said.
揂manda??Haley asked just to be sure.
揧es, I got your number from the faculty list. Can you meet me somewhere for a drink? We need to talk,?Amanda said.
揑抳e moved to Texas and am no longer affiliated with the school. I turned in my resignation a few days ago. I guess they haven抰 gotten around to taking my name off the faculty list,?Haley said, 揵ut I抦 so sorry things didn抰 work out for you.?Hopefully that fool hadn抰 told her about his little premarital affair with Haley.
揑 should have listened to my mama.?Amanda had gotten a bit of control and was talking in complete sentences. 揑抦 glad Daddy insisted on a prenup, or Mark would have taken me to the cleaners.?
揇id you catch him cheating??Haley held her breath for a moment for fear that he had told Amanda about the fling he抎 had with her.
揘o, he just came in an hour ago and admitted that he抎 been seeing another woman since the night before our wedding. It抯 my . . .?Here came the sobs again.
揑t抯 who??Haley asked.
揝he was my maid of honor.?Amanda抯 voice went all high and squeaky. 揌e said he has found his soul mate, and as soon as the divorce is final, they are getting married.?
揙h. My. Goodness.?Haley let all the pent-up air out in a whoosh. 揂re you going to work at the school with him??
揙h, hell no!?Amanda said clearly. 揃ut neither is he. He抯 resigned already and he抣l be going to work for my friend抯 daddy in the oil business. He and Missy are moving to Mexico. I hope she抯 got enough sense to make him sign a prenup.?
揟hat would be good,?Haley said.
揟hanks for talking to me. I just needed to vent,?Amanda said. 揑抦 going home to Marion, Virginia, for the rest of the summer. I抣l find a teaching job around that area so I can be close to my folks.?
揋lad to be of help,?Haley said. 揑 wish you all the best.?
揟hanks again. Bye, now,?Amanda said.
Haley slumped down in a chair just in time to hear a phone ring again. She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling and gave thanks it wasn抰 her ringtone this time. She抎 had enough of the past coming back to haunt her, and tomorrow she was changing her phone number.
Risa had just finished reading through the divorce papers that had come in the mail that day. Basically, the wording was easy to understand梥he could have what she brought into the marriage, plus full custody of the girls, just like Paul had said. She signed her name on the lines where the lawyer had put a yellow sticker and slipped the papers back into the self-addressed, stamped envelope that had been provided, and tucked it into her purse. She would mail it tomorrow on her way to work.
The setting sun threw a yellow glow across the kitchen floor and reminded her of the color of that little sticker designating the place for her to sign the papers. 揧ellow is my new favorite color,?she said with a smile.
How do you really feel about that? Haley抯 voice popped into her head.
揜elieved,?she muttered, 揳nd yet a little sad that Paul and I won抰 enjoy being grandparents together some day.?
Her phone rang before she could fully analyze her feelings, and she fished it out of the hip pocket of her jeans. When she saw that it was Paul, a dark cloud covered the sun and the pretty rays spreading across the tile floor disappeared.