Payback and a Bottle of Merlot: Like Sisters Series Book One (12 page)

“I know that. Love you right back, sister. Night, Chica.”

“Night, Vic.”

Mia made a phone call to Tina, keeping it short since she was beginning to fade.
Maybe I’ve had a little too much wine. I’m getting pretty tired.
She went over the same details she had earlier with Vic about her dad’s recovery, and she also asked Tina about Aaron. The call only lasted fifteen minutes. Mia professed her love, said she would call again in two days, and hung up. After the final gulp of wine from her glass, Mia began nodding off, wondering why she was thinking about Aaron so much.

“Morning, Sis.” Matt was scrambling up a dozen eggs as Mia walked into the kitchen. Ann busied herself at the table with Tom, trying to help him pick up a folk with his left hand. “Mom and I talked to Dr. Eriksen this morning. He said he would arrange the transfer of dad’s therapy to L.A. until September. I think by then they should be able to come home and do fine.”

“Mom, are you cool with all of this? And Dad, you’re on board, right?” Mia asked, wanting to make sure her parents didn’t feel pressured into the decision.

“We’re fine, Honey. We can consider it an extended vacation. We haven’t seen Liz and the kids in over a year. Matt is going to help us set up our bill pay right through the bank, and the post office can hold the unimportant mail. Otherwise, we’re good to go.”

“Is there anything I can do for you guys before I leave Saturday? Matt, do you need me to take care of anything?”

“Yeah, take care of yourself.” Matt gave her a smile. They both knew what he meant.

Mia walked over to her brother and gave him a hug from behind. She flipped the bacon over and tossed a few slices of bread into the toaster. She whispered in his ear, “You’re the best brother.”

“I better be. I’m the only one you’ve got,” he replied, grinning. “Okay, who’s ready for breakfast?”

Chapter Fifteen

Mia finished packing Friday afternoon, then relaxed with her family on the patio after dinner. She put together a pitcher of iced tea and sat it on the wrought iron table. “God, I miss being around all of you. I hate to leave, but you’ll both be in good hands with Matt and Liz.” Mia poured glasses of lemon flavored sweet tea for everyone as they sat in the backyard enjoying the evening. She put a straw in her dad’s glass so he could drink it easier. The evening air was warm but not stifling, since the Gulf breezes kept everything more tolerable.

“Why don’t you and Jack think about moving to Florida, honey?” her mom asked.

“That’s just not in the cards right now, Mom. Anyway, I love Tarrytown. Maybe someday… you never know.” Mia’s mind began drifting off. She didn’t know if Jack was going to be home or not when she arrived tomorrow. And if he was, what would she say? In her heart, she hoped the house would be empty. She needed to talk to her friends and think about the next move, before she faced Jack again.

“Mia? Did you hear me?” Ann asked.

“What? I’m sorry, I guess I blanked out. What did you say?”

“I asked why Jack didn’t come with you.”

Matt gave Mia a sideways glance, waiting for the white lie to cross her lips.

“Oh… he’s busy, but he did send his regards. I’ve been keeping him up to date on Dad’s progress.” Another white lie. Mia hadn’t talked to Jack at all since she left New York.

“That’s nice. You two should come visit in the winter, as a little getaway to warm weather. Wouldn’t that be nice, Tom?”

Tom agreed with a slurred “yes indeed” and a cockeyed smile.

“I love you guys so much,” Mia said, teary eyed. She walked around the table and gave each member of her family a hug and kiss.

Mia’s flight was scheduled to leave Tampa at two o’clock Saturday afternoon. She’d leave for the airport at eleven-thirty to return the rental car. It would be early evening by the time she reached Tarrytown. She sat at the computer in her dad’s office, printing out her boarding passes.
Damn it! I have a two hour layover in Atlanta… ugh! Now it will be eight o’clock before I get home. Tomorrow will be a long day.
Mia sat with her parents and watched a TV show for an hour, then said good night. She wanted to take a few minutes to call Aaron before she went to bed. With a glass of wine in hand, she walked down the hallway to the spare bedroom. She closed the door and let out a big sigh as she sat on the edge of the bed. Mia felt irritated as she kicked off her shoes and put on her pajamas.
Jeez… how in the hell did my life get so screwed up? I’ve wasted enough time on Jack. It’s my turn to be happy.
She grabbed her cell phone, lying on the dresser, and tapped the calendar icon. She scrolled across the months and chose Saturday, July 26.
That’s the day my life is going to change. I’m going to Vic’s cousin’s wedding that night. Something good will happen, I can feel it.
She tapped the button at the top of the screen to create an event. The three word event she wrote across that date on the calendar read—Start New Life.

Satisfied with something concrete and written down, Mia knew she couldn’t change her mind, nor did she want to.
It’s written. Now I have to make it happen.
She didn’t have to scroll through her contact list to find Aaron’s number. His name came up first anyway, being in alphabetical order. She plopped down on the bed and waited for his friendly voice to answer. Three rings later, the familiar sound of Aaron’s happy go lucky “Hello” crossed the phone lines and the miles.

“Hi Aaron, how’s it going?”

“Mia… I’m fine. How are you? What’s up?”

Something sounded different in Aaron’s voice. His tone was off. His words sounded anxious, rushed, and not at all like he wanted to talk right then.

“What’s up? Are you okay? You seem weird.” Mia could hear Reggie barking and carrying on in the background. Then from nowhere, a female voice laughed, and called out to Aaron to come back and join them. “Oh… you have company? Sorry, Aaron, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ll catch up with you Sunday when I pick up Reggie. I’ll be home tomorrow night.”

“Sure, Mia, not a problem. Reggie is fine and we’re having a great time. I’ll talk to you when you get back, bye.”

“Okay… bye.” Mia was shocked to say the least when she hung up. “There’s no way. I swear to God, I’m gonna go nuts. Who the hell was playing with my dog? Damn it. He didn’t even answer my question when I asked if he had company. Suddenly your hearing is bad, Aaron? And you’re having a great time with Reggie, and who else?” Mia stormed out of the bedroom and back down the hallway to the kitchen.

“I thought you went to bed,” Matt said, as she flew past him. “Uh oh… not the wine again. Luckily Mom and Dad turned in already. Are you sure you don’t have a tiny wine indulgence issue, Sis?”

“Shut the hell up, and no I don’t. There happens to be a few people in my life that are really pissing me off lately. Yes, I am self-medicating this week. There, I said it, are you happy? And would you care to join me?”

“Well now that you brought it up, why not?”

Mia and Matt polished off the rest of the Mad Housewife she opened before dinner. Matt grabbed the last bottle of wine from the shelf in the refrigerator. The four bottles Mia purchased earlier in the week were already gone. He took a look at the label. “Really Mia? Menage a trois? Is this what you’ve stooped to?”

She threw a couch pillow across the breakfast bar at him and laughed. “I’m on a roll, damn it! Until I’m in a happier place, I’m going to buy the most inappropriate, raunchy, ridiculously named wines I can get my hands on, especially if the names are descriptive to my life. That is my new and improved purpose in life. Now sit! We have some liquid bonding to do.”

“You are seriously deranged, Mia.”

“Yes I am, and I love you too.”

***

They ate their last breakfast together as a complete family, for now anyway. Mia would leave soon to go back to New York. Tom had a speech therapy appointment later that Ann and Matt were taking him to. Mia felt a twinge of guilt and jealousy knowing that she couldn’t participate in the care of her parents.

There’s no way I could bring them to Tarrytown with the crap going on now. I can’t stay here either if I plan to get rid of Jack. Soon this will be over with and I can move on with my life.
Mia looked at the clock on the microwave: 10:00 a.m. “I guess I better shower and start getting ready. What time is Dad’s appointment?”

“It’s at eleven forty-five. We’ll be leaving in less than an hour, Sis. We’ll wait for you to come back out before we take off.”

“Okay, I won’t be long.” Mia showered and dressed. She liked letting her long locks dry naturally when there was time, and today would be fine. She walked back to the kitchen and said good bye to everyone. “I love you guys so much. Dad, take care of yourself. Mom, take care of Dad. Matt, take care of both of them.” They laughed and hugged each other. Mia reassured them she would lock everything up when she left. “I’ll talk to you in a few days. I love you all.”

“We love you too, Mia. Bye, honey,” her mom said, with a sweet smile.

Mia watched Ann and Matt get Tom comfortably seated in the car, then waved from the screen porch as they drove away. She shook her head in disbelief while she drank the last cup of coffee and washed the remaining dishes in the sink. She thought about the unimaginable turn of events that took place over the last six weeks.
Jeez… if Mom and Dad knew what was going on they would be devastated.

Mia gathered all her belongings and loaded the car. Back in the house, she took one last look around to make sure the lights were off and the doors were locked. She smiled as her hand lingered on the plaque next to the front door. It read, Everyone Welcome ~ Wipe Your Feet.

Mia got into the rental car and headed for Tampa International. She sat back and relaxed as the jet made its way to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. Now her thoughts were drifting from Jack the jerk, to Aaron the ambivalent.
Who the heck was at his house last night?
Mia surprised herself for giving that phone call so much thought. Knowing Aaron as well as she did, made it seem even more suspicious that a woman would be there, and playing with her dog.
Whatever.
She reached up and hit the call button. The flight attendant appeared within a minute.

“Hi there, what can I get you?”

“I’ll have a glass of Merlot, please,” Mia responded, then turned to stare out the window.

It was eight-thirty by the time Mia reached the train station in Tarrytown. The day was long and now she didn’t have a ride back to her house.
Damn it. I didn’t even talk to Aaron about picking me up.
I was too distracted by his ‘friend’ in the background.
Mia didn’t feel like indulging in any drama, so instead of calling Vic or Tina for a ride, she opted for a cab. It was only a three mile ride, no big deal. It never occurred to her to even try Jack’s cell phone. As far as Mia was concerned Jack was just an inconvenient roommate for now.

The cab slowed down in front of her house. “This is it, right here. Thank you,” Mia said, to the driver, as he stopped the cab and unloaded her bags from the trunk. She handed him fifteen dollars, tossed the backpack over her shoulder and wheeled her suitcase up the sidewalk. There was just enough daylight left for her to unlock the front door without fumbling in the dark. The porch light was off and the house was dead quiet.
Good, nobody’s home. Just how I wanted it. I can get a good night’s sleep without Jack’s drama.

Chapter Sixteen

Mia woke at nine o’clock. It felt strange to her being in the house completely alone. Not even Reggie was there to welcome her home with his jumping and begging for attention.
I’ve got to call Aaron and arrange a time to pick up Reggie. Why does the thought of seeing him feel awkward now?

A bowl of cereal was the plan until Mia opened the refrigerator and saw the expired quart of milk with a definite curdled appearance to it. “Ugh… disgusting.” She poured the half full jug down the drain and cracked two eggs into the skillet instead. She popped two pieces of bread into the toaster and poured a cup of black coffee.

After breakfast and a shower, she started her day, beginning with a trip to the grocery store. Mia drove to the nearby C-Town market and loaded up with everything she enjoyed eating, not giving Jack’s interest in food a second thought. She called Vic and Tina as she drove home.

“Hey, Vic, I’m back. Do you want to do lunch today like at twelve-thirty?”

“Abso-friggin-lutely. I’ve missed you, woman. Is the jerk home yet from his sleazy trip to wherever?”

“Nope, and I don’t even care. We’ve got plans to make, and we can start our scheming over lunch. Let’s go to Amelia’s. I’ll call Tina too.”

“Sounds great. Out.”

Now I have to call Aaron. I can’t put this off any longer.
Mia nervously tapped Aaron’s name on her contact list. “What the hell is wrong with me anyway? Just get the dog and go. That’s all I have to do.”

“Hello,” he said, in the same happy tone as always.

“Hi, it’s Mia. I’m back, and was wondering when I should pick up Reggie. What works for you?”

“Come over now. Reggie’s going to go crazy the minute he sees you. It will be fun.”

“Okay, I’ll be there in a bit. I have to drop my groceries off at home first, bye.”
Could I be over thinking this? He sounded normal on the phone.

Before she arrived at Aaron’s house, Mia made a quick stop at her favorite bookstore on the corner of Second Street and Elm. She knew how much Aaron loved reading crime novels and he deserved a gift for dog-sitting. The bookstore was family owned and quaint, like many businesses downtown. Mia loved the old building smell that permeated in the air when she opened the door and stepped over the threshold. She would love to browse, but she had to save that for another day. She told Aaron she would be there soon. She picked up the newest release in hardcover, and continued the half mile to his house.

Mia loved the block Aaron lived on. It reminded her of Thomas Kinkade’s Hometown Morning painting. Charming bungalows and cottages lined the street. Original iron lampposts lit the way at night, and giant oak trees hovered overhead like protective parents. Everything was green, lush and beautiful.
What I wouldn’t give to live on Oak Terrace Lane
. Mia parked along the curb in front of Aaron’s picturesque bungalow. The home belonged to his grandparents’ years ago, but once they became too old to care for it, Aaron purchased the house. They were overjoyed, since none of them could bear the thought of selling the family home to a stranger. It was a welcoming home with a large front porch that held two wicker rocking chairs and a table between them. A fern stand was situated on either side of the double oak entry doors, each holding an enormous Boston fern. The six paneled oak doors had decorative brass hardware and an inviting aura. Mia’s hand reached for the door knocker, but something made her stop. Instead, she sat on one of the mint green wicker rockers as if she was obeying a command. It was calling out to her, and she obliged. Mia dropped onto its floral cushion and smiled. She didn’t have any camera gear along, but she did have her cell phone. Children ran by, playing tag and hide and seek. Little girls drew images on the sidewalk in pastel colored chalk. She snapped a few pictures with her phone and laughed out loud.
So there are kids that still play… go figure.