Things Remembered Read Free

affair.
    What she’d never shared with Heather were her personal doubts. Maybe if she’d tried harder to please Jim, had been more adventuresome in the bedroom during the marriage, he wouldn’t have looked elsewhere to fulfill his needs. But when she came home and discovered him in their bed with another woman, there was no turning back.
    â€œAs I was about to say,” Karla went on. “I’ve been thinking about trading my king-size bed in for a double anyway. It would give me more room, and the sheets are cheaper. Jim bringing his girlfriend just gave me the push I needed.”
    â€œWhen you end up with lemons, make lemonade, huh?” Heather said.
    â€œIf you want to look at it that way.”
    â€œDo me one favor.”
    â€œWhat now?”
    â€œDeduct the cost of the new bed from his final paycheck.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief at the suggestion.
    Karla would have laughed but was afraid if she let one emotion go another would follow. Reason should have dulled the disappointment or at least numbed the pain, but she’d allowed the hope that she and Jim could work things out between them to ride too high too long for it to be brought down so easily. “I think I could manage that. Thanks for the idea.”
    Heather took the salad out of the refrigerator. “I’m sorry, Karla. I know you don’t want to hear any more, but I can’t believe you’re going to let him get away with this without fighting back.”
    â€œWhy should I care who he’s living with? I’m over him. I have been for a long time now.” Finally she sounded convincing, even to herself. Maybe Heather would let it go if she added just a little more. “I admit it would have been nice if he’d been more up-front about the whole thing, but then that’s not Jim’s style. It never has been.”
    They seemed to be the words Heather needed to hear. “You know, Jim doing this could be a blessing in disguise. Maybe all you needed was for him to do one more really shitty thing to prove he was never going to change. Now you can really get on with your life instead of simply going through the motions and telling everyone you are.”
    â€œTell you what—I’ll get on with my life if you get on another subject.” Karla took the salad bowl and headed for the dining room.
    â€œI didn’t say that to hurt your feelings. You know as well as I do—”
    The front door opened. “We’re home,” Bill called out.
    â€œWe got ice cream,” Jamie shouted as he tore through the living room. “And cookies.”
    â€œI hope you got the salad dressing, too,” Heather said, reaching for the brown bag Jamie held aloft.
    Bill came in with the three-year-old, Jason, tucked under his arm. “It smells great in here.” He gave Heather a quick kiss, smiled at Karla, and lowered Jason to the ground. He instantly attached himself to Heather’s legs. “Daddy let us ride the horsey. Two times. I got to go all by myself because Jamie was being mean.”
    Thankful for the distraction and for having the focus shifted to something other than herself, Karla busied herself filling glasses with water and milk and putting hot pads on the table for the lasagna.

Chapter
    2
    D inner was lively and full of childhood chatter as both Jamie and Jason fought for their parents’ and Karla’s attention. When a lull finally appeared, Bill took advantage of it to ask Karla, “How did the car buying go?”
    At the last minute, Karla had made an inconvenient detour to L.A. in response to Grace’s impassioned plea for help. It seemed that it had suddenly become critically necessary for their little sister to have a new car, at least a new used one from Car Max. There was no way she could wait until Karla came home and no way she could ever make the purchase without her oldest sister’s expertise.
    â€œFine,” Karla