Jordie had a great time at Betsy's, even asking for three chocolate milks. They were such regulars there that Tina Rogers, "Betsy," made sure Jordie was kept satisfied with pancakes until he couldn't eat any more. She even brought out a washcloth to wipe away the syrup that didn't make it into his mouth. Cherish sat there, smiling, as the older woman doted all over Jordie as if he was the king of the world. Jordie just laughed and ate it up.Once they finished breakfast, Cherish decided it was a good idea to take Jordie to the park and allow him to run off some of the energy all that syrup pumped into him. Besides, it was a beautiful day, and her misery had cooped them up inside too long, wallowing in her self-pity. Today called for wallowing outside.There were two other moms there with their children, so Jordie at least had someone else to run around with, giving Cherish time to herself to sit and wonder where she went wrong. She knew she should focus on Glen and repairing her marria
Having made his decision that morning, Glen couldn't focus on work, so he took off for the rest of the day. The jobs were light, and Brent could handle them himself. Glen's thoughts were a recycling of what his father told him Sunday night, Tanya's unwanted advice, and his mother's conversation with him that morning. You're miserable, and I don't blame you. The woman you love betrayed you. Broke your heart. That hurts like hell. Can you forgive her, though? Can you move past it? The two of you waded through deep waters before. Is this ocean too deep? If not, you won't fix it here. You need to be home with your family, in bed with your wife. His father was right; Glen wouldn't be able to move past it if he was away from Cherish. To fix the mess, they needed to be together. Did he want a divorce? No. Definitely not. He knew that even as he walked out the door a week ago. He just needed space to think, to move past what he felt right then. It didn't work, however. He still felt miserable.
Glen pulled up along the front of his parents' house, shifting his car into park and turning the ignition off. He didn't rush to get out of the car however, choosing to sit there a bit longer in the silence. He even drove with the radio off as his mind continued to replay his conversation with Cherish after she tucked Jordie into bed. That had been tough, telling Jordie he was going back to his parents' house to sleep, that he wasn't sleeping in their home just yet. Jordie just hugged him, saying he missed him, before asking if his daddy could tuck him into bed.Once Jordie was out, the real conversation began around the kitchen table and over coffee."You've been awfully quiet tonight. Would you rather I hadn't come over?"Her hands wrapped around her coffee mug, Cherish shrugged. "I'm sorry. I'm glad you came over. Jordie loved seeing you. To be honest, it felt nice to act like a normal family again. I just have so much on my mind; I can't get it to turn off.""So, talk about it. Tha
Cherish just laid there, the night a dark blanket around her as she contemplated everything Glen said to her earlier. It was the first time she slept in her marriage bed since Glen walked out of the house over a week ago. It felt weird, lying there, alone. It had been his suggestion to try to make things as normal as possible for Jordie until they figured out their next move.They had spent the night focusing on Jordie because neither of them knew how to talk about the other. When they did talk, it was all casual chitchat about everything other than the two of them and where their marriage headed. Neither wanted to go down that road just yet, and the walking on eggshells drove her crazy. It was hard just being in the same room at times. He couldn't keep the hurt from his eyes, no matter how hard he tried, and she couldn't get past what she did, waiting for him to explode at any moment. It was always at the forefront of her mind.Yet, he came back. She really didn't think he would. Not
Cherish had just finished brushing her hair when the knock came at the door. She dropped the brush on the counter as she took a deep breath."Oh, Cher!" Aubrey called out as she entered the Lansky home."In here!" Cherish stared at herself in the mirror, her hair a waterfall along her shoulders. She wore her business finest, straight gray skirt, burgundy button-down blouse conservatively buttoned. She thought about revealing the swell of her breasts just a little, but sex had cost her the last job, and she didn't need it infecting this one. She decided to play it safe.Aubrey popped her head through Cherish's doorway. "You decent? Tell me you're not decent."Cherish saw her friend's dark hair as Aubrey peeked around the door. She forced a smile onto her face. "Sorry to disappoint. Maybe later if you're good."Entering the room, Aubrey let out a dramatic sigh. "Ah, well. Story of my life." She collapsed onto the bed, bouncing a couple of times before sitting still. "You all set for your
Three days. It had been three days since he told Cherish he wanted to make their marriage work, and yet, they had barely even talked since then. He knew what she needed. Adventure. To feel desired. To be chased. However, he had no idea how to do that. How do you date someone you already married? How was he supposed to give her what she wanted? What had Edwin given her that she felt she needed?"You know, the hammer, the one in the bucket, next to your leg, right there, beside you…"Glen turned his gaze away from the Indian River and stared at Brent. "What?"Brent shook his head. "Where the hell have you gone in that mind of yours? I've asked you three times to hand me a hammer."Glen gave himself a mental shake, jerking the fog out of his head. "Oh, sorry. I guess I was lost in thought." He reached into the tool bucket beside him and pulled out a hammer. Handing it to his partner, he said, "Sorry," again and leaned over the dock to see what Brent worked on below.Brent took the hammer
The interview took less time than Cherish thought it would, so she decided to leave Jordie in Aubrey's care a bit longer while she took a much-needed break and enjoyed one of those chain coffee shops for some peace and quiet. She needed to clear her head a bit and unwind a little. On a positive note, she had a job now and wouldn't starve, not that she thought Glen would allow that, anyway. Or at least, the Glen she knew before she cheated on him wouldn't have allowed it. The new, devastated Glen she wasn't so sure about.She parked in a spot almost too small for her car, grabbed her purse, and headed inside the coffee shop that rested between Harbor City Carpet and home. The Tuesday crowd was busy, but she wasn't in any hurry, so it didn't matter. She just needed to sit for a while without Jordie hanging onto her, asking when his father was coming home. She never realized how much going to work gave her a break before this. She loved her son, but she wasn't sure she had ever been ready
"Selby!" Glen called out as the bell over his head sounded, announcing his arrival inside Selby's Downtown Books. Once they finished Mr. Jenkins' dock, the day was over, and Glen decided a visit to his wife's brother-in-law might help him get steered in the right direction."Be right there!" came the reply from the back of the store.Glen heard some shuffling in the back, and a few minutes later, Selby came out followed by a short redhead with a very satisfied smile on her face. Suddenly, Glen felt as if he should have called first. "Um, sorry, I should have…" He didn't know what to say. Selby had left the door unlocked, the OPEN sign still facing out. How was Glen supposed to know Selby was getting busy in the back?"Glen, good to see you. I don't think you've met Tracey yet. Tracey, this is Cherish's husband, Glen." Selby introduced the two as if nothing had just happened in the back room or that Glen hadn't busted them acting out a scene from an erotic novel. Well, he didn't actuall