It's Better This Way(65)

Julia hardly knew what to say.

“Oh, that’s not all,” Hillary continued. “He spoke with someone, I think it must have been a pastor—not Pastor Rick, that’s for sure. Dad went to great lengths to explain how these things work when the bride’s parents are no longer married. He had the church pews drawn with little spaces for each of the families.”

“Did you consider he was only trying to be helpful?”

“Mom, no. He was manipulating me again, or trying to. It wasn’t only the seating chart for the wedding, either. He had another one for the reception, and the crazy part is he excluded Heath from both charts. And this is the killer. He included Michael and Adam; like I’d ever consider them as guests. Not a chance.”

“Oh boy,” Julia said and expelled a sigh.

“When I asked him about Heath, he said inviting him would be uncomfortable for Laura.”

Clearly Eddie hadn’t given a thought to her own comfort, Julia mused.

“That was when I lost it. I mean, I tried to hold on to my cool, I really did. I told Dad exactly what I thought about his seating chart and where he should put it and then I asked him to leave.”

Julia felt terrible for Hillary, and Eddie, who couldn’t seem to do anything right when it came to his daughters. She wanted to shake him, only she doubted it would do any good.

    “I called Marie and told her what happened, and she was as angry as I was. I didn’t know she called Dad; she must have. I never meant for Heath to get mixed up in this. It was that night that we went to dinner with Heath and the argument with Dad was fresh on my mind. I shouldn’t have said anything. I regret it now.”

Hillary left soon afterward, and Julia sat in silence, debating how best to respond or even if she should. She had never wanted to be put in this position, even though Eddie had repeatedly thrust her into the space between him and their daughters.

Her thoughts were heavy, and she almost didn’t hear the phone ring. She reached for it and noticed it was from a number she didn’t recognize. Thinking it might be one of those pesky robocalls, she ignored it until, a few minutes later, the same number called again.

“Hello,” she answered tentatively.

“Julia?”

It was a voice she didn’t recognize.

“This is Laura, Edward’s wife…”

Julia gasped, completely taken aback to hear from the other woman.

“I’m sorry to ask this…Would it be possible for the two of us to meet and talk?”

Julia was stunned speechless. This was the very woman who had turned her life upside down. The woman who had destroyed her marriage and nearly destroyed her. The woman who had taunted and ridiculed her.

When she didn’t immediately respond, Laura added, “I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”

“Does Eddie know you’re calling me?”

    She hesitated. “No, and he wouldn’t like it if he did know.”

Julia had no desire to meet Laura. None whatsoever. In all the years since the affair, followed by the divorce, she had seen the woman only once, and then from a distance. She didn’t want to have anything to do with her, and it hit her hard, right between the eyes.

In that moment, Julia realized she was more like Hillary and Marie than she’d ever realized. She had encouraged her children to resolve their anger, when clearly she was holding on to some of her own.

“All right,” she said, and was surprised how hard it was to get the words out.





Chapter 26




Julia wasn’t sure what she should wear to meet Eddie’s wife. Before she left, she changed clothes three times. The first outfit she chose was a business suit, one she wore into the office when meeting an important client. Checking her reflection, she quickly changed clothes. Laura wasn’t anyone important to her, nor was she a client.

Next, she tried an expensive pair of designer jeans and a blue cashmere sweater. Standing in front of the mirror to assess herself, she decided the outfit screamed success, as if she was hoping to impress Laura with how well-off she was. Like she cared how Laura viewed her. In the end she went with a simple pair of black slacks and a soft blue top. Simple. Classy. The perfect look for what she intended.

Laura had suggested they not mention the meeting to their children or to their partners. Julia wasn’t sure what to make of the request, but reluctantly agreed. If she did happen to mention it to Heath, she wasn’t sure what he’d say.

    When Julia arrived at the Starbucks near Pacific Place, an upscale mall in downtown Seattle a short walking distance from The Heritage, Laura was sitting at a table by the window. Julia bought a cup of coffee and confidently approached the other woman. Or what she hoped looked like confidence.

Laura offered her a weak smile. Her gaze bounced to her coffee and back, and Julia could see she was nervous. Well, that made two of them.

Pulling out the chair, she sat and waited for Laura to speak. The other woman was the one who had asked for this meeting. Julia was patient and had no intention of initiating the conversation.

Eddie’s wife paused for several uncomfortable seconds before removing her focus from her coffee to look at Julia.

“Thank you for meeting me.”

She nodded, still waiting. If she was silent long enough, she figured Laura would eventually state her purpose.