When she stepped off the elevator, Crystal was waiting near her doorway with a Kleenex in her hand. Noting the other woman’s puffy eyes, Gwen was certain that either her mother or her ex-husband had been at it again. “Hey, Crys,” she said gently as she opened her door and motioned her friend inside. Shutting the door behind them, she asked, “What’s going on?”
Crystal took one of the chairs in front of Gwen’s desk and she perched on the other one. “Just the usual crap. My mom started bright and early this morning telling me what a big mistake I’d made by divorcing Bill. She assured me that he’d probably take me back if I really showed him how sorry I was and that I was willing to change to make him happy. Oh and agree to take his last name again. I had that changed back to Webber as soon as we divorced.”
Gwen slumped back against her seat, rubbing her head. “You’re kidding? She’s completely taking his side?”
Sniffling, Crystal shook her head dejectedly. “Nope, there was more, but that’s the gist of it. I’m a colossal disappointment to her. She thinks that I’m going through some rebellion. I swear I’m half-afraid that she will join forces with Bill and they will try to have me committed somewhere for temporary insanity because that’s exactly what they both feel has happened. It just hasn’t occurred to either of them that they might be the problem and not me.”
Handing Crystal another Kleenex from her desk, Gwen asked, “Did you tell Ella yet?”
Crystal looked away but not before Gwen saw another tear trickle down her cheek. “No. Ella has too much going on in her life to worry about me.” Gwen didn’t know Crystal’s sister that well, but from their interactions at lunch, she couldn’t doubt that Ella loved her sister and would want to know that she was this upset.
“From what you’ve told me, Crys, Ella went through something similar when she began dating Declan. She, better than anyone, would understand what you’re going through.”
“I know she would,” Crystal agreed, “but she has a new baby, a wonderful husband, and a life away from our mother. She served her time as the single daughter catching hell. Back then, I was the golden child because I went along with the program. It’s shitty, but I admit to sitting back and letting Mom give Ella hell because I was just relieved that it wasn’t me. But when Ella met Declan and refused to let Mom control her, it made me realize how unhappy I’d been for years. You would think that getting a divorce would prove that it’s over with Bill, but I’m still living in turmoil that I can’t seem to escape from.”
“Oh, Crystal,” Gwen murmured, taking the other woman’s hand between her own. “I had no idea that things were this bad for you. I mean, I knew that your mother harassed you, but I thought it was more of a random thing.”
Crystal gave her a watery smile full of misery. “Oh no, there’s nothing random about it. I mean, I might go a few days between calls or e-mails, but a whole week never passes without some kind of speech about how I’ve made a fool out of her in front of her church or how disappointed Daddy is in me. Then there are the ones about ‘poor Bill’ who just doesn’t understand why I left him when he gave me the world. I swear, Gwen, a few times I’ve even thought of just going back to him so she would leave me alone. It’s not like I haven’t been a Stepford wife before.”
“Have you thought that you may have to completely cut your mother from your life until something changes?” Gwen asked hesitantly. She felt wrong about suggesting something so drastic to her friend, but it pissed her off that a mother would speak to her child in the way that she did. It wasn’t as if Gwen’s own parents were calling and professing their love every day, but they’d always been supportive of her choices, saying that even making mistakes was a part of life. In fact, she’d never appreciated them more than she did at this moment.
“I kept thinking that when enough time had passed, she’d accept that I wasn’t going back to Bill. I’ve tried to show her when she visits that I like the life I have now. I’ve even tried to talk to Daddy about it when she wasn’t around, but that’s basically useless. He knows that she’s wrong, but there is no way he’s going to bring her full attention down onto him. He just says the same crap about ‘you know how your mother is.’ Well, duh, we all know how she is, but that doesn’t excuse her.”
“Honey, I think you need to talk to Ella,” Gwen suggested. “You know that Mia and I are both here for you, but Ella is your sister. She knows your mother better than we do and might have some suggestions. She would also want to be there to support you in whatever decision you make—don’t you think?”
Crystal wiped the moisture from her eyes, and Gwen was relieved to see that she looked better. “You’re right,” Crystal admitted. “She would want to know. She’ll probably be really pissed that I haven’t told her how bad it’s gotten. She doesn’t like being left out of the loop for her own good. Poor Declan has caught a lot of hell for trying to do that even though he meant well. My sister is the quiet, shy one, but when she’s really angry, you had better run.”
When Crystal stood, Gwen followed her lead. “Want to go down to the lobby for coffee before the day starts?” she asked, thinking she could surprise Dominic with a cup. Since she’d already run into Mac this morning, there wasn’t much reason to keep avoiding the East Coast office. Dominic was always taking care of her and just this once, she’d like to give him a little of that back. She’d have to work through lunch to make up for her conversation with Crystal and her coffee delivery, but she was sure it would be worth it.
* * *
Dominic was on his way to pick up Gwen’s coffee when he met Gage outside of the office. Looking down at his watch, he raised a brow at the other man. “Need a little extra sleep this morning or were you researching more chick products?”
“I knew that conversation was going to come back to bite me in the ass,” Gage grumbled as he gave Dominic a dirty look. “No doubt you’ve already told Mac and anyone else in the vicinity all about it.”
“Nope,” Dominic smirked, “but the day’s still young, my friend.”
Shaking his head, Gage asked, “How are you so chirpy this morning? You couldn’t have gotten any more sleep than I did. Ohhh, wait. Let me guess. You had a certain hot, little redhead to get you going this morning.”
Dominic didn’t bother telling him that he’d seen Gwen only when he got to the office. Torturing his friend was far too amusing. “Awww, what’s the matter, buddy? No one working the corner near your house this morning?” Lowering his voice to make sure he wasn’t overheard, he added, “I hope you’re triple bagging it. They’ve been known to fall off before.”
Dominic wanted to laugh when Gage unconsciously readjusted himself as if checking to make sure his dick was still there. Giving him an evil grin, Gage said, “So, did you ask Gwen when she’ll know if she’s pregnant? You know Kandi probably won’t wait for you forever and you don’t want to lose such a talented woman do you?”
Even though he wanted to cringe at the thought of the ex-stripper he’d gone out with for a while, he refused to give Gage the satisfaction. Instead, in a voice so sincere that he was proud of himself, he said, “She promised to give me a couple more weeks. She’s it for me man, the woman of my dreams.”
There was complete silence for all of twenty seconds as Gage stared him down before bursting into laughter. “Stop screwing with me before I’ve had my coffee.”
* * *
Gwen locked herself in the bathroom, dropping the two cups of coffee that she was carrying in the sink. She had just turned the corner to Dominic’s office, when she’d spotted him standing a few feet away talking to Gage. Not wanting to interrupt, she’d stepped back and stayed out of sight as Dominic had teased his friend. The smile that had been on her face had quickly slid away though when she’d heard Gage say her name. The conversation that had followed had been the all too familiar story of her life—with the exception of a possible pregnancy. Apparently, yet another man in her dating life was bored with her and ready to move on to greener pastures.