Tangled Love on Pelican Point (Island County Series Book 3) (12 page)

Their marriage thrived on hidden animosity and overall disdain for one another, but it couldn’t have always been that way. There had to have been a moment where they loved being together, talked about life plans, and felt the power of a kiss.

And that was precisely what worried me about getting wrapped up in a relationship with Anthony—or anyone, for that matter. What happened once the spark left?

“You okay? You’ve gotten pretty quiet,” Natalie said softly.

“Yeah. Just thinking about my mom and dad and where it all went wrong.”

“From pulling into the driveway?” she asked.

“You got it. Living with my mind is exhausting.”

Natalie laughed and turned off the car. “You ready?”

I nodded, my hand moving to the door handle, but I turned to face Natalie.

“Question for you. The second time around with Cole, has it been easier or harder?”

“It wasn’t hard the first time, and I have to admit, the second time around has been even better. Why?”

I shrugged. “Relationships have never been a priority for me. I’ve managed to avoid anything serious for thirty years.”

“First, let’s say the last ten years. I doubt we really want to count your toddler years in the relationship total. You just haven’t found the right person. It’s not a family curse. You’ve been busy living and building a life for yourself.”

“True, but I’m not sure I’d know if I found the right guy if he was standing right in front of me.”

“With a bouquet from your best friend’s shop?”

“Okay, time to go in.” I chuckled. “They’ll think we’ve lost our minds, hanging out in the driveway.”

“Nice way to redirect the convo.” Natalie climbed out of the car, and I stayed inside for a few more seconds, taking in a couple of deep breaths as I prayed for the discussion to go smoothly.

Natalie opened my door, and I crawled out of the passenger seat.

“You’ve got this. I’ll be there for moral support, but I’ll keep my lips sealed.”

“Thank you,” I muttered as we wound along the overgrown sidewalk and made our way to the front door. I knocked softly, hearing the television on with the sports announcers commentating on the latest play, exactly as I’d imagined. I heard a grumble from my dad and opened the front door to find him sitting in the recliner, sipping his beer.

“Hey, Dad,” I said, waving in his direction.

His eyes lit up, but his mouth had a hard time catching up. I caught a slight curve of his lips as I bent down to give him a hug.

Natalie waited her turn and gave him a big squeeze, which brought a full-blown smile.

“Where’s Cindy?” I asked, not hearing any noise in the rest of the house. “Is she sleeping or something?”

My dad slowly turned his head, indicating she wasn’t at home, and my heart hammered in my chest. My dad could speak, but he didn’t like attempting conversation by the time evening rolled around and he was worn out. He certainly wasn’t at the stage where he could be left alone for long stretches. He might not ever be able to be alone for an extended period, but regardless, I couldn’t show my dad how upset I was that he’d been left to fend for himself.

“Did she go to the store?” I asked, catching a worried look in Natalie’s gaze.

He turned his head slightly. “No.”

“Did she go to get dinner?” My dad’s gaze turned back to the television, and my heart sank.

He knew what Cindy was up to, and there was nothing he could do about it.

My dad had always been a capable man, working in highway construction for most of his life and riding motorcycles in his off time. Everything he enjoyed came to a screeching halt when he’d had a stroke last year. He’d only been married to Cindy for two years before his health declined.

“Did you need anything?” I asked him. “I’m gonna grab some water from the kitchen.”

He shook his head and kept his eyes on the screen while Natalie followed me into the kitchen. The moment I walked into the tiny space, my heart fell. Dishes were stacked along the counters, old food was stuck on bowls, and cigarette butts littered salad bowls. It had only been a couple of days since I’d been here last, and the kitchen had looked nothing like this.

“This isn’t looking good,” I whispered, knowing Cindy was well on her way out of my father’s life.

“No. It’s really not.” Natalie looked under the sink for dish soap and a sponge, and I bit my tongue, willing myself not to cry as all hopes and dreams from my earlier euphoria began to slip away. If Cindy wasn’t going to be a part of his life, the burden would fall on me, but I still had to work to pay the bills. Panic began to set in as I grabbed the sponge from Natalie and began washing the dishes. Natalie didn’t say a word as she began tidying up the counters and throwing away trash.

I mean . . . what was there to say?

“You’re here early,” Cindy said, nearly tumbling through the front door. Natalie pressed her lips together as we saw headlights backing out of the driveway. My fury rose to a new high.

My dad had fallen asleep in the chair sometime before midnight, and Natalie had called Cole to fill him in on the turn of events. He wanted to come over to help, but I made him promise to stay away. Whatever situation was about to go down, I didn’t need Cindy feeling like she was being attacked. I wanted a civilized discussion among adults.

“Hey, Cindy.” I gripped my cell, watching her carelessly flick on the light with not even a bit of consideration for my dad. In fact, she didn’t even glance in his direction.

She dumped her purse off in a worn, brown suede armchair and walked toward the kitchen. I glanced at Natalie, who looked as perplexed as I felt.

My phone buzzed, and I looked down to see a text from Anthony.

You doing okay? What can I do to help?

“Cole must have said something to Anthony,” I whispered to Natalie, showing her the text.

“Those two are worse than you and me.”

I glanced at my dad, who still appeared to be sleeping, but I wasn’t so sure. I didn’t blame him for not wanting to be involved. He had enough to deal with.

I stood up and made my way into the kitchen with Natalie following a few steps behind.

Cindy was lighting up a cigarette and my jaw tensed.

Natalie opened up the window near the sink, even though it was forty degrees outside, and a gust of icy air blasted into the kitchen.

“I thought you only smoked outside and brought the butts in?” I asked.

“Sue me.” She took a puff and blew it out slowly as she plopped down in a chair. “It’s my house, and I’ve had a rough night.”

“How so?”

“Have you looked around?”

“I’m not sure I’m following you. You’ve been out all night.”

“You wonder why?” She blew out more smoke, and I willed myself to stay calm. Flaring tempers would get nothing accomplished.

“Cindy, listen. I appreciate what you’ve done for my father. I know it hasn’t been easy and it wasn’t what you expected when you married him.” I clenched my fists under the table, watching her roll her eyes. “Life has a way of turning its nose up on plans.”

“What’s your point?”

Natalie cleared her throat and took a seat next to me.

“I can no longer provide financial support of any kind. I’ve drowned myself in debt as it is, and my head’s no longer above water.”

She narrowed her cool blue eyes at me and combed her fingers through her sandy colored hair.

“How do you expect your father and me to survive? I can’t get a job. I need to take care of him. I need to be here to look after him.” Her voice had no emotion.

“About that.” I pressed my lips together. “I’ve tried to help out as much as I can, and I’ll continue to come over whenever it’s possible, but my help won’t be so you can continue an affair.”

The eruption I expected didn’t happen. It didn’t happen because Cindy already had an out.

“Well, let’s see how it goes for you when you have to watch over your father full-time.” She put out her cigarette in an empty cereal bowl and sat back in her chair.

“Is that a threat?”

“I’m leaving him.”

My stomach tightened with a physical sickness. Those three words represented everything I’d despised about the idea of love and everything being in a relationship encompassed. There was always a way out.

Natalie’s eyes stayed on me while I stared at the table and pushed aside my worries. Everything would be fine. I could handle whatever was going to come my way. I could focus on my two jobs and try to get help in between. I could move into my dad’s home.

“Have you told Charlie?” Natalie asked, sensing my inability to look at Cindy without wanting to strangle her.

“Like he knows what I’m saying,” she scoffed.

“How much have you had to drink?” I asked, my eyes narrowing on her.

“Not too much. Not too little. I’d call it just right.”

This was the Cindy I always knew lurked under the surface. She’d only recently been somewhat decent toward me once I started helping them out.

“My father is fully capable of understanding. The speech therapist explained that to both of us.”

She shrugged. “He’s not going to get any better. You know that. This is where he’s going to be for the rest of his life. His recovery has plateaued, and so has our life together.”

“I’m not going to discuss my father’s prognosis with you.”

Cindy stood up and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Natalie and me to stare at one another in disbelief.

“I can’t believe she’s so cruel. Your dad’s going to continue to improve. I can see a huge difference since the last time I was here.”

“Thank you.” The doctors told me that a stroke of this magnitude took time to recover from, and it would be a lifelong journey. I had no doubt he’d continue to improve, but seeing this side of Cindy made me wonder how much of a hindrance she’d been to his recovery. He hated to feel like a burden, and now I was certain Cindy made sure he felt like one every day he was alive.

“What are you going to do?” Natalie whispered.

“I have no idea. I don’t think there’s anything I can do. She’s still legally his wife.” I slid my head into my hands and let out a soft groan of frustration. “I’m not going to be able to do Anthony’s house. If my stepmom leaves my dad, I need to move in.”

“Don’t jump ahead. One thing at a time,” Natalie replied, her voice quiet. “There are lots of organizations that provide help and relief. I remember something about them from when my grandma had her stroke.”

“But she lived in Seattle.” I glanced over at Natalie. “I doubt they have much over here. Cindy said they didn’t.”

“Promise me you won’t make any rash decisions. We will figure this out together.”

I watched Cindy walk down the hall toward their bedroom without a care in the world. Part of me wanted all of this to be forgotten by morning because she’d sober up by then, and the other half wanted her to walk out the door and never come back.

But it wasn’t about me. It was about my father and what he wanted.

“I can’t believe she’d smoke inside.” I glanced at the cereal bowl filled with cigarette butts and pushed it away from me. The smell of stale smoke lingered in the air, and my life felt depressing.

“There are a lot of things I can’t believe.” Natalie squeezed herself into a hug and sighed.

“Why don’t you go on home? I’m going to stay here tonight and see how things shake out in the morning,” I told her.

“I don’t want to leave you.”

“It’s totally fine. Nothing has gone as I expected, and I need time to wrap my head around things.”

“She might not actually leave him,” Natalie whispered.

“True, but she might. It’s obviously rattled around in her head some.”

A click sounded from the front of the house, and Natalie’s eyes flashed to the front door. I couldn’t see the entry from where I was sitting, but I knew.

“I think she left,” Natalie whispered.

We bolted from our chairs and quietly ran to the living room window to catch a glimpse of a man shoving Cindy’s suitcase in the back seat as she climbed into the front seat of his SUV.

My body stiffened and my breathing quieted as I watched my stepmom shut the door on my father and the life he thought they would share. I slowly turned around, surprised to see my dad sitting up in the recliner, watching Natalie and me with a blank stare.

“She’s gone.” He mumbled the words.

“It might be temporary.” I walked over to my dad as he reached for his walker, and my insides twisted with a pain I didn’t know possible. My father wasn’t perfect, but he was a good man, and seeing him get kicked when he was already down hurt more than I could put into words.

My dad looked a little unsteady as his fingers wrapped around the rubber, but he threw his shoulders forward and began shuffling out of the living room into the hall. Once I heard the bathroom door close, I let out a soft groan.

“This is what happens when I try to take life by the reins and show it who’s boss.” I attempted a smile, but my lips fell to a frown.

“Is the pullout couch still in the basement?” Natalie asked, ignoring my statement.

“Yeah.”

“Great. I’ll be in bed downstairs if you need anything.” She gave me a long hug. “You need to get some sleep and recharge. I promise you, tomorrow is a new day—a better day.”