Marriage Seasons 04 - Winter Turns to Spring (23 page)

“The other day I got to looking around the salon, and I realized it was just plain-old, been-through-the-washer-too-many-times shabby. It needs a paint job in the worst way.”

“What about Cody’s mural of all the Jennifers with their different hairstyles? You won’t paint over that, will you?”

“Heavens, no. That’s a treasure.” Patsy took a sip of cider from her china cup. “I want to get this work done before summer starts up and things get too busy. Charlie Moore is going to help Bitty remodel the Pop-In into a bona fide bistro, so I feel like I simply have to make some changes to Just As I Am.”

“After you’re done, maybe you can rename it Better Than I Was.”

Patsy laughed. “Actually, the name is very important to me. The words are from an old hymn.”

“I was kidding, Patsy. I like the salon’s name.” Ashley hadn’t heard of the hymn, but she had always thought Patsy’s beauty shop had a welcoming feel. Both her place of business and her home mirrored the woman herself. Patsy was warm, encouraging, quick to offer a hug or a tissue, always ready with a word of sympathy.

Most people weren’t like that. At the snack shop Ashley’s parents owned, she had seen more than her share of humanity’s nasty side. Same thing at the country club. Rich or poor, young or old, it didn’t matter. Customers loved to find fault. Always ready with a complaint, they were rarely grateful or complimentary. Their snide comments sometimes rang in her ears.

“I asked for mustard on this hot dog,”
one would say.

Another—fury rising like mist off the lake—would march up to the snack shop window.
“Why on earth did you put mustard on my hot dog?”

In the country club dining room, she often heard,
“My steak is overcooked. Take it back to the kitchen.”

Or,
“This meat is so rare I can almost hear it moo.”

“What are you thinking about, honey?” Patsy asked. “You look like you’re a million miles away.”

“People can be so rude.” Ashley dipped her fingers into the bowl of popcorn again. “I’m glad you’re not like that.”

“I have my moments. Don’t let anyone tell you different.”

“Patsy … I really appreciate you taking me in on Christmas Eve.”

“Mercy’s sake, you were a godsend. With my sprained ankle swollen up like an overripe plum, I could hardly get around. A week later, it still gets to hurting if I don’t rest it now and then.”

“I heard sprains can take a long time to heal.” Ashley didn’t want to remember who had given her that piece of information—a former football player who’d experienced his share of injuries. Fighting the memory, she dropped a few more kernels of popcorn down to Yappy, who was growing larger and more shaggy by the day. The dog crunched the popcorn, licked his lips, then sat staring up at her, his tail wagging and his brown eyes filled with hope.

For a couple of days, Ashley had been trying to figure out a way to discuss something important with her friend. Now she decided simply to blurt it out.

“Patsy, I’ve decided to rent an apartment in Osage Beach. I already put down a deposit.”

Patsy paused, caramel apple halfway to her mouth. “An apartment?”

“I found one in the paper last week. I haven’t seen the place, but I called and got it at a reasonable price. And I can cancel the lease with two weeks’ notice, in case I don’t like it. When the summer crowd comes in, the owner said he’ll raise the rent, and I’ll have to find something else. But this gives me four months to look. Also … I’m going to quit my job at the country club.”

“Quit?” Patsy sat up and put the apple slice back on the tray. Then she looked at it, popped it into her mouth, and began to chew.

Ashley lifted her chin. “I made a lot of money on my beads, Patsy. I mean, a
whole
lot. I can hardly believe it, but it’s true. Since the holidays are over, I expected things to slow down, but they haven’t. I checked my Web site the other day, and orders are still coming in.”

“Well, my goodness.”

“And guess what else.” She shivered at the news she had kept secret from everyone. “You’ll never guess, so I’ll tell you. One of my customers, a lady in St. Louis, owns a small chain of gift and furniture boutiques. She has five of them, all in Missouri. Plus, two people are talking to her about buying franchises for out-of-state stores. She called me and said she got so many compliments on the necklace I made that she wants to carry my beads in her stores. I got a huge order, Patsy. She paid me a chunk of money up front. I have enough for several months’ rent and food and bead-making supplies, too. I have so much work to do that I’m almost overwhelmed.”

“Are you going to keep working in Brenda’s basement?”

“No, I’m moving everything to the apartment. I’ve decided to ask Jennifer to be my partner, and I’ll give her a share of the profits. Before Christmas, she told me she’s not going to take any missionary classes this semester. I know she and I can string the necklaces and bracelets and headbands and things. Then while I create more beads, she can do the packaging and mailing. I haven’t told Miranda Finley yet, but I’m sure she’ll keep my Web site running. Patsy, isn’t it amazing? I’ll have a real company.”

“Ah.” Patsy was trying to swallow the bite of apple. “A company.”

“Yes, and why shouldn’t I?” Ashley’s eyes narrowed in resentment at the memory that filled her mind. “My former husband used to tell me that I was a dreamer just like my father. He said I was nuts to believe I could do anything besides work at a regular job, but I know I can do this.”

“Wait. Did you say your
former
husband? Ashley, have you filed for divorce?”

“Not yet, but I plan to. I need to settle everything. The debts. The house. And Yappy. I’m not giving back my dog. There’s no way I’m letting him take Yappy away. He’s mine now. I’m the one who takes care of him, and I’m the one who’s keeping him.”

“You’re doing a lot of
him-
ing, Ashley. Is one of those
him
s Brad?”

“Don’t even say that name around me, Patsy. You know how I feel.”

“Honey, you can’t file for divorce yet. It’s only been a week. You two haven’t even
tried
to fix your problems.”

“Our problems started right after we got married. Besides, why would I want to try to fix anything? I don’t care if I lay eyes on the man ever again. I saw all I needed to see that night.”

The tears that misted her vision mortified Ashley. She had already done all the crying she intended to do. The husband she had loved and believed in was nothing but a cheat. Who needed that? Not her, that’s for sure.

“Honey, please don’t give up yet.” Patsy’s eyes went deep. “I realize it was a shock to find Brad the way you did. I can’t imagine … though at work I do hear so much about this kind of thing. It happens more often than I would have thought.”

Ashley sniffled. “Yeah, I know lots of people. My cousin, for one. She told me her affair was a long, drawn-out thing at her job. She said it started with flirting. Then they fell in love, and finally they just did it.”

“I guess her husband found out.”

“He saw the calls on the phone bill. They’re divorced now. The man she had the affair with stayed married. My cousin was tempted to call and tell his wife, but she didn’t. The wife never found out, and now he’s seeing another woman. The guy’s a scuzzbucket.”

Patsy shook her head. “I reckon I’ve heard every possible thing that could go wrong in a marriage. The real trouble is patching it back together.”

“Why would anyone want to? I sure don’t.”

“Yes, you do, honey. Your brain is angry, but your heart remembers falling in love with Brad Hanes. A heart never forgets.”

At that, Ashley grabbed her teacup and drained it, hoping the hot liquid would stop her tears. “It’s too late. I don’t trust him, Patsy. For all I know, he’s just like my cousin … or the guy she was with. Maybe he’s had more than one affair. Maybe he and that bar singer have been hooking up for months—even before we got married.”

“I doubt that.”

“What if he’s in love with her? She’s probably crazy about him. Who wouldn’t be? Look at him. He’s got the perfect body. He’s handsome, and he charms the socks off everyone. The girls in school were nuts about him. If he loves that woman … if he tells her the same things he told me …” She clenched her fists, battling the agony in her heart. “We’ll never get back together. It’s impossible.”

“Impossible,” Patsy repeated.

For a moment, she sat gazing at the candles on the coffee table. When she spoke again, her voice was soft. “Ashley, do you remember those antique teacups Pete knocked off the wall when he first moved into Rods-N-Ends last spring? I was so mad I wanted to bite his head off.”

“You tried.”

Patsy smiled. “After that, he started buying cups for me—one by one, until he had replaced the whole collection.”

“Pete’s a good man.”

“He’s good enough for me. Are you done with your cider?” She glanced over. “Take your empty cup and hold it up to the lamp beside you. Tell me what you see.”

To her surprise, Ashley noted a spiderweb of thin lines running across and around the yellow-flowered cup.

“That one’s from my original collection,” Patsy said. “You just drank hot apple cider out of it.”

Ashley turned the cup upside down and studied the almost seamless base with its maker’s mark. “No way. Those cups were shattered. You couldn’t possibly have glued this back together, Patsy.”

“I sure could—and I did. I had all the pieces. Those cups were very precious to me, so I figured it was worth a try. I sorted the chips into piles and began gluing them back together while I watched TV. You know, honey … nothing is so broken that it can’t be fixed.”

Ashley set the cup back on its saucer. “Is this supposed to be like one of Cody’s metaphors, Patsy? Get real. Marriage is not a teacup. You can’t fix a relationship with glue. It’s impossible.”

“That word again. But couldn’t you at least give it a try?”

“
No.
I couldn’t. How would you feel, Patsy? If you opened a door and found Pete in another woman’s bed? If you saw his … his jeans lying on the …” Ashley gritted her teeth. “I am not going to cry anymore! I’m done with that man. It’s over. The thought of him ever, ever, ever touching me again makes me sick! Don’t you get it? The places he touched her … the things she did to him … Patsy, he belonged to
me
! He promised himself to
me
!”

The flash of an image tore through Ashley’s brain like summer lightning. She was standing at the altar in her glorious white satin gown, a bouquet of red roses in her hands. Brad waited beside her, so tall and handsome in his black tuxedo. They looked at each other as they exchanged vows. His blue eyes were filled with love. That day, she had believed she was the happiest woman in the universe.

“I think I’m going to throw up.” Ashley bent over, holding her stomach.

“Oh, dear. Do you need help getting to the bathroom?”

“Ugh … no, I’ll be okay. It’s just that every time I remember opening that woman’s apartment door, I feel sick all over again.” Covering her face with one hand, Ashley held her stomach with the other and gave in to her tears. “I hate him, Patsy. I hate him forever. I’ll never forgive him. Never!”

As sobs racked her, she sensed Patsy coming to kneel on the floor in front of her. Warm arms encircled Ashley’s quaking shoulders. As the women embraced, Yappy began to worm his way between them. He snuffled and wiggled and clawed until he had clambered onto Patsy’s knees and was able to put his head on Ashley’s lap.

“Brooo,”
he mouthed softly. His wet nose pressed against Ashley’s cheek as his soft pink tongue licked her tears.

“Aw, looky there.” Patsy leaned back and stroked the puppy’s head. “We’ve got Yappy all upset. Maybe he heard us talking bad about Brad. Don’t tell me your husband was mean to this little guy.”

Ashley wiped her cheeks. “He was okay. He taught Yappy to go outside and do his business.”

“Did he? Well, at least Brad is good for something. He’s a fine potty trainer—let’s give him a point for that.”

With some effort Patsy edged back onto the sofa. “Oh, I’ve got to lose some weight or I won’t be worth beans on my wedding day. Who knows when that will be? I can’t get Pete to set a date, let alone talk about the honeymoon.”

Ashley reflected on the man she had married. “On the way to Branson for our honeymoon, Brad wouldn’t let go of me for a second. He drove the whole time with one arm around me, kissing me and holding me. He knew how much I loved being close to him. But back home, it turned out he wasn’t as great as I’d thought. He expected me to cook, but then he griped about what I’d made. Neither of us had the energy to pick stuff up and keep the place looking decent. You know, he never once cleaned the shower drain. He said it was all my hair, but it wasn’t. What a jerk.”

Patsy picked up another slice of caramel apple and chewed on it for a while. “Sounds like you both stopped taking care of things … including your marriage.”

“That is
not
true. I loved Brad. I never did anything to hurt him.”

“I’m afraid I can’t agree with that one, petunia. You had a death grip on the late shift at the country club. Exactly what did you expect your husband to do from four in the afternoon until you got home at midnight?”

“But I made twice the money from tips in the evenings. That income was important.”

“Uh-huh.” Patsy sniffed, clearly unimpressed.

Yappy had crawled onto Ashley’s lap. She’d been trying to break him of getting on the furniture. He had chewed a big hole in the corner of one of Patsy’s sofa pillows. Several legs on the dining room chairs bore tiny tooth marks too. If the woman hadn’t been so kind, she would have kicked the dog and his owner out long before.

“Patsy, you don’t really believe I should stay with Brad, do you?” Ashley asked. “You know how cocky and self-centered he is. If he betrayed me once, he’ll do it again. Won’t he? Be honest.”

“People
can
change—especially if they’re motivated.”

“My husband was never motivated to change—not for me.”

“He is now. He’s been looking for you the whole time you’ve been hiding. People have told me he called them trying to find you. Brad is raw and ignorant. Definitely immature. Arrogant, too. I won’t deny that about him. But the boy has always been respectful and polite to me. Now he’s become downright humble. Who knows what could happen next? He might just turn into the best husband a girl could ever want.”