Contingency (Covenant of Trust) (37 page)
Read Contingency (Covenant of Trust) Online
Authors: Paula Wiseman
Bobbi watched him disappear, then turned and gave Ann a long hug. “I am so glad you’re here,” she whispered.
“It was hard.” Ann inhaled deeply. “You’ve been baking. Cookies.”
“Chocolate chip, and oatmeal, and peanut butter,” Joel said with a grin. “And Brad missed it all, the lazy bum.”
Bobbi put a hand on his shoulder. “My taste tester and I got started this morning. I figure we’ve got two big meals in two days, and I don’t want to cook all day tomorrow.”
“You need help,” Ann smiled. “Lead the way.” The women settled in the kitchen amid bowls, cookbooks, and measuring cups. For a long time, they made small talk, then at last, Ann spoke. “Bobbi, I can’t thank you enough for the grace you showed my son. I don’t know many people who could have forgiven him.”
Bobbi looked up from the chopped celery and laid the paring knife down. Had she misread her mother-in-law all these months? That didn’t sound like a mother siding with her son. “He hurt me so much, and hurt so many other people but ...” She looked down and pushed the celery aside as she stalled. “I couldn’t add unforgiving bitterness to the other pain. I had to forgive him, for my own sanity as much as anything.”
“Things seem to be improving.”
“They are.”
“But?”
“I don’t know. He’s dying to come home, and the boys want him home.”
“You’re not ready.”
“It would be dishonest to let him come home as long as I’m unsure. Coming home would mean it was over, all over.”
“Honey, when you say you’re unsure, are you afraid he’s going to cheat again?”
“It’s not that. I can’t explain it.”
“Then how will you know when it’s time?”
“He doesn’t understand why he did it, so how can I be sure, how can
he
be sure it won’t happen again? I need to know what he was thinking, what he was looking for.”
“Are you certain you want to know all that?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because it will reopen the wounds you’ve tried so hard to heal. For Chuck to sit down and say, ‘Sweetheart, here’s why I wanted this other woman and not you’ ... no good can come of that.”
Bobbi scooped the celery bits into a nearby mixing bowl. “So stop dwelling on the sin.”
“In a way, but it’s bigger than that. Listen to me very carefully, because I don’t want you to misunderstand me. Chuck hurt you, he sinned against you, but he ultimately answers to God.” Ann paused and added, “And not you.”
“I know that.” Bobbi rinsed her paring knife and tapped it against the sink. “But I think he owes me an explanation.”
“Understanding the sin is not going to prevent it from happening again. The Bible never says we need to know more about sin. If you and Chuck fixate on the steps leading to adultery, it will make you suspicious, it will beat him down, and it will tear apart this fledgling trust you’re rebuilding.” Ann walked to the sink to wash the dishes so they could start the next round of cooking. “I’m through meddling now.”
“It’s not meddling. I wish you’d been here through this whole mess. There were so many times I wanted to sit down and talk with you.”
“I’ve thought about that myself. This really scared me, and I hated that helpless feeling.” She glanced back toward the kitchen doorway. “I picked up some real estate catalogs this morning. I’m moving back.”
Bobbi turned to hug her mother-in-law. “How soon?”
“As soon as I can find a place that suits me,” she said, then a mischievous smile spread across her face. “I’m a little particular, you know.”
*******
The Molinskys attended
the candlelight Christmas Eve worship service as a family, complete and intact. After church, the five of them drove around town looking at the Christmas lights and decorations. Rita sent over a pecan pie, a pumpkin pie, and a chocolate cake, and after a late snack, Ann and the boys said goodnight and headed upstairs to their bedrooms.
Chuck settled in the corner of the family room sofa, finishing his glass of milk.
“Do you care if I sit with you?” Bobbi asked. So far, Christmas was low key, just as she hoped. Now the test. Could Chuck maintain the truce? Could he sit here with her, and not bring up their marriage?
“I’d love it,” he said, tossing a pillow to the floor. “Thank you.”
“For what? Sitting with you?”
“That and for letting me be here.”
“Good grief,” Bobbi said, rolling her eyes.
“I’m serious. You could have divorced me, and been perfectly justified, but you didn’t. I will never take that for granted.”
“I couldn’t divorce you.” She pulled the afghan from the back of the sofa and spread it across her legs. So much for the truce. “And it’s not because I’m some super-forgiving person.”
“Phil says women have a much better understanding of the tender heart of God because of the things they face in life. You have been grace to me when everyone else called for justice. I can’t thank you, or thank God for you, enough.” Chuck shifted and fished in his pants pocket, pulling out a small, unwrapped box. “Here,” he said, placing the box in Bobbi’s hand.
Bobbi slid away from him on the sofa. “You promised we wouldn’t get each other anything for Christmas.”
“It’s not what you think. Just open it.”
She frowned and opened it. “It’s your wedding band. I don’t understand.”
“Keep it for me, until you’re ready for me to come home again. I don’t feel right just putting it on and wearing it.”
“I wear mine. You don’t ‘feel right’ wearing a wedding band?”
“It’s not that,” he said. “I don’t want to assume a commitment from you that you aren’t ready to make.”
“So I won’t commit? Are you honestly suggesting that it’s my fault we aren’t reconciled?”
“Not at all! I’m doing this wrong.” He rubbed his eyes and let a long slow breath go. “I wanted it, the ring, to symbolize when this was over. That’s all. Like a new beginning.”
“Does it fit?”
“Better than the day you first gave it to me.”
“I don’t know how much longer it’ll be.” She slid the lid back on the box. “There’s more to coming home than just bringing your clothes back. We have a history here.” She glanced around the room. “Everything is tainted now.”
“Let’s move then.” He moved closer to her and took her hands. “Let’s move, or build a place.” His eyes twinkled and he nodded. He’d made his mind up already. “Get a fresh start.”
“It’s not the house. It’s the memories.”
“Then we’ll make new ones. Rita can find us the perfect place!”
“What about the boys? This is the only home they’ve ever known.”
“Honey, when they hear the reasoning behind it, they’ll be all for it.”
“Well ... what about our finances?”
“You know them better than I do. This house has tripled in value since we bought it, and it’s nearly paid off. With the equity built up in it, we’d come out ahead unless we bought something outrageous.”
*******
Sunday, December 25, Christmas Day
Bobbi poured a
scoop of Indonesian coffee into the basket of her single cup coffeemaker, pushed the button, and waited while it brewed. Chuck and Ann had gone back to his place, and the boys disappeared upstairs. The house was quiet again at last.
Lord, we did it. We got through Christmas. Thank You.
Before the coffeemaker kicked off, the phone rang. “Hey, Baby, how did things go?” Rita asked. “Good Christmas?”
“Yeah, just a couple of weird moments, but this morning was good. The boys were totally blown away by their laptops. How’s the Heatley tribe?”
“Two of Gavin’s brothers are gonna be granddads, and one of his nieces is engaged. So, what kind of weird?”
“Chuck ... He wants me to keep his wedding ring until we reconcile. Said he didn’t want to just wear it.”
“You’re wearing yours, aren’t you?”
“That’s what I told him. Not only that, he thinks we should move.”
“Because?”
“Because he’s tired of waiting on me, and he’s pressuring me to drop my very legitimate protests, just like he’s done on everything for eighteen years.”
“He said that?”
“I’m inferring. I said we had a history here, and he wants to start over somewhere else.”
“He may have a point.”
“I’m sorry, you have a wrong number. I thought this was my sister calling.”
“Baby, think about it for just a minute. You won’t sleep in your bed because of what it reminds you of. You have too many triggers in that house.”
“That’s crazy.”
“Which coffee mug were you drinking out of the morning you found Chuck’s e-mail?”
“The lighthouse one.”
“Have you used it since then?”
“No.”
“But it’s still in your cabinet, and you see it every day, and you think, ‘that’s the cup from the day I found out Chuck cheated,’ don’t you?”
“You’re really obnoxious, you know that?”
“I think it would help you move on.”
“I’m not sure I can handle the stress right now.”
“What stress? I’ll find the house, and Chuck can hire professional movers. All you’ll have to do is unlock the front door on your new house.”
“I don’t know—”
“Let me start the process. You can shut it down at any time before the offer.”
“Ask Gavin. If he thinks it’s a good idea, then ... start the ball rolling.”
*******
Thursday, January 5
After a hectic
morning with her students still wound up from Christmas break, Bobbi enjoyed the peace of a working lunch in her classroom. Just a few minutes into the lunch period, though, her phone rang. “Hey, you want to sell your house this week? I have a highly motivated buyer.”
“Rita, I’m at school. I can’t do this now.”
“It’s lunch time, isn’t it?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Okay, then. Like I said, the buyer is highly motivated. They’ll pay the asking price, no questions, no conditions, and they want it as soon as possible.”
“No inspection, even?”
“Nothing.”
“Who in the world is it?”
“It’s a young couple. He’s being transferred here, and they need a place fast, but they don’t want to rent.”
“This sounds vaguely familiar ... At Thanksgiving, didn’t Kara say that John was taking a new sales territory with the chemical company?”
“She did.”
“You’re selling my house to Kara and John?”
“Listen, they were all over it when they found out you were selling. If you still like the house on Danbury, we can close this in a couple of weeks.”
“No, they don’t need that kind of house payment. I couldn’t do it in good conscience.”
“John’s going to put down sixty percent. Their payment will probably be less than yours.”
“I doubt that.”
“Maybe not, but he also said if you’d come down twenty-five grand, he’d pay cash.”
“Where did they get that kind of money?”
“John’s parents gave them a huge chunk of change when they got married, which John invested, and they’ve put every dime of Kara’s salary in mutual funds. That boy is loaded.”
“This is too fast,” Bobbi sighed. “The house has only been on the market for a week.”
“You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”
“No. I guess I’m not mentally prepared to sell yet. I’ll talk to Chuck, but I can’t imagine that he would have any objections. If they’re sure—”
“They’re positive. Call me after you talk to Chuck, and we’ll start the paperwork.”
Bobbi clicked her phone off and dropped it back into her purse. Chuck expected her to have everything resolved when they moved. That was the purpose of moving, after all. With a good offer on her house, she was running out of time.
*******
Friday, January 6
Donna set her
coffee down and waved when Bobbi bustled into Dear Joe for their weekly cup.
“It’s not after four, is it?” She dropped her bag on the floor under the table. “Ted called a staff meeting ... On a Friday! Let me grab a cup, then I have some questions for you.”
“Thanks for the warning.” Donna watched as Bobbi stood at the counter for a few seconds, then a young man, who bore more than a passing resemblance to Chuck, pushed through the double doors from the back of the shop.
“Hey, Beautiful.” He flashed a smile and leaned on the counter. “Where’ve you been?”
This was not typical customer-shop owner banter, and as Donna watched the conversation, she began to rack up questions of her own.
“I was here last week,” Bobbi said.
He hung his head. “I was over at the Forest Park shop. Definitely my loss. You look great.”
