It wasn’t marketing material.
Ice traveled down her spine and shot through her veins as she read the letter a second time. Three months in arrears? How was this possible? As far as she knew, the mortgage was getting paid each month, just like all the other bills. If it wasn’t, there’d be a lot more money sitting in the account right now. Unless...
She dug into her bag and pulled out her phone, her hand trembling as she scrolled to his name and tapped the screen. Voicemail. Libbie drew a steadying breath and waited for the beep.
“I’m sorry, but the voicemail box you’re trying to reach is full.”
Libbie nearly screamed into the phone, not that it would’ve done any good. Her heart pounded as she shot off a text to Chris and asked him to call her as soon as possible. If he suspected that she knew what he’d done, she had a feeling he’d be in hiding for as long as possible.
Slowly, she lowered herself onto a chair. Now that the idea had taken shape, there was no doubt in her mind about what happened. Chris had been taking the money intended for the mortgage and using it for his own purposes. How could he do such a thing? Didn’t he realize it would eventually come to light, and then what?
Libbie knew what. He’d twist the facts and make it seem like Libbie’s fault, and she would’ve acquiesced. Anything to keep the peace. To not push the limits of what their relationship could handle.
Anything to please him so that he’d love her enough to stay.
The irony, of course, was that he was already gone, and Libbie wasn’t the least bit sorry. She hadn’t even pushed the limits. She’d simply opened the channels of communication, and that had been enough to send him packing.
No, wait. It was only after she told him that she’d quit her job that he’d announced he was moving out. Now that she’d no longer be a source of revenue, he was gone.
Libbie checked the savings account and discovered there was barely any money left in there, too. Enough to keep the bank from closing it, which would have alerted her to his misdeeds. She felt like an idiot for trusting him. For falling into the trap of letting a man handle things for her that she could’ve done for herself. This was her house. It had been her bank account. Why had she let him control things that already belonged to her?
Because she loved him, of course. Or at least she thought she did. She felt very confused right now.
Her gaze drifted to Inga’s book still on the counter. She thought of the special cocktail and the jar and the strange tingling sensation. What if this was some kind of test that she had to pass before she could claim her share of Inga’s assets? What if she’d been cursed? She’d felt so good this morning, like a whole new Libbie. No, a better version of Libbie.
Now she felt like her world was about to collapse on top of her.
She barely had enough money to make it through the month. How would she explain this to her kids? Her hands shook as she glanced again at her phone. Yesterday, she’d believed Chris’s worst vice was his inconsideration. Now she knew he was also a liar and a thief. The knowledge didn’t make her feel any better.
Libbie fingers traced the outline of the phone as she tried to remember the name of the witch the lawyer had mentioned during their meeting. Luna? No, that was a Harry Potter character her daughter liked. Loretta? Even her memory was cursed these days, although she blamed perimenopause for that. She texted Kate and asked for the name, knowing her friend would remember. Libbie was convinced that Kate was skipping menopause all together and going straight to goddess. Knowing Kate, she was feigning her ailments to fit in with the other women. The reply was immediate and, naturally, correct.
Lorraine. Voice of the Moon Goddess.
Libbie searched online for a phone number and address. Lorraine wasn’t far, only twenty minutes by car. The problem was that her friends would likely have questions, too, once they knew what had happened to Libbie. She decided to make it easy for everyone. Her conversation with Lorraine was brief and to the point. She clicked off the phone, satisfied with the arrangement. If her life was falling apart, then maybe a witch was exactly what she needed to put it back together. She wouldn’t need to wait long. Friday night was just around the corner. Inga might be gone, but it looked like there would be five women present at cocktail club after all.
With the help of her daughter’s graphic design skills, Libbie wasted no time creating attractive menu options and a logo for her catering business. She was pleased when Nick agreed to help spread the word at Cone Hut. She didn’t expect her ex-husband to use his business to help hers.
“The kids told me about Chris,” Nick said. He’d stopped by to drop off flea and tick pills for Hercules that he’d picked up from the vet’s office. He was as good about shared custody of Hercules as he was about the kids.
“These things happen,” Libbie said vaguely. She didn’t want him to know the appalling details. She was too embarrassed. She tucked the box of pills in the medicine cabinet in the kitchen.
“It’s because you jumped,” he said.
She turned to look at him. “What are you talking about?”
“From me to him. You jumped.”
Libbie frowned. “I didn’t jump. We’d been divorced for a year when I started dating Chris.”
“But you didn’t even pause to think about whether or not he was good enough for you. You just went along with it.”
She put a hand on her hip. “When did you become privy to my deepest thoughts?”
“Don’t be mad. It’s a compliment, really.”
“Telling me how bad I am at relationships is a compliment?”
“I’m not trying to be unkind. I just thought I could say what I think now that he’s not in the picture. I never wanted to say it before because you’d think I was only being bitter or spiteful.”
“I wouldn’t have thought that, Nick.” Her ex was a lot of things, but bitter and spiteful weren’t among them.
“Just for the record, the kids are glad too. They didn’t hate him or anything, but they didn’t like him much.”
Guilt gnawed at Libbie’s insides. She’d tried to create a safe space at home where her kids would feel comfortable telling her whatever was on their minds. “I’m glad they talked to you about it.”
“They’re good kids, Lib. We’re doing well for a couple of clueless people.”
She laughed, remembering their early struggles as parents. “I guess not everything is falling apart.” Her smile evaporated as a question occurred to her. “Why would you say that I jumped when you’re the one who got married and had another baby?”
He gave her a sheepish grin. “Oh, I jumped, too, but I got lucky. My wife isn’t an asshole. It could easily have gone the other way.”
Libbie laughed softly. “Why didn’t we talk like this when we were married?”
“Because we were both too afraid of upsetting the apple cart. It’s an accomplishment that we managed to get divorced, to be honest. We could’ve easily stayed married another fifty years, secretly miserable but telling everyone we were fine.”
“Thank you for divorcing me,” Libbie said, smiling.
He bowed. “And thank you for divorcing me. One decision that we both got right. Let me know if you need help with anything now that Chris is gone. I’m happy to help however I can. Anything to make it easier on the kids.”