It's Better This Way(67)

“Last week. I showed up at his office unannounced. I wanted to talk to Adam, but he sent Michael to meet me instead.”

“How did it go?”

“Badly. If my girls were looking for someone to blame, they chose you. Your sons apparently blame me.”

“You?”

“They told Heath if he wanted a relationship with me to keep them out of it. Like Hillary and Marie with you, Michael and Adam would prefer there be no contact between them and me.”

    “I’m sorry,” Laura whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

Julia nodded silently, accepting her apology.

“I know my boys have negative feelings toward your daughters.”

Remembering the scene in the hospital, Julia said, “That’s putting it mildly.”

Laura looked genuinely miserable. “How did everything get so twisted and unpleasant?”

Julia was tempted to remind this woman it had started when she sought Eddie out for private golf lessons. However, mentioning it wouldn’t help either of them. The past was behind them. What they needed now was a plan to make things right for all involved, and that appeared to be an insurmountable task.

Ever hopeful, Laura turned her focus on Julia. “Do you think it would help if you told Hillary I’ve agreed to not attend the wedding?”

“Probably not, and I’ll tell you why. Eddie won’t stand for it. He’ll insist you be part of the wedding or he won’t go, and then we’re back right where we started.”

“What could I have done differently?” Laura asked.

On hearing the question, Julia thought Laura couldn’t possibly be serious. For the six years that the other woman had been married to Eddie, not once had she made a single effort to connect with Hillary and Marie. After this meeting, Julia was convinced there would be a spiritual award awaiting her for holding back her opinion.

“It would have helped if you had made an effort with the girls,” she suggested. She had tried with Michael, and while the results weren’t what she’d wanted, at least she’d made the effort. Given the chance, she’d try again.

    “Yes…I suppose, only the girls have made it abundantly clear they wanted nothing to do with me. I’m the enemy.”

“And they see you as heartless, caring nothing for them, because you haven’t done anything to prove otherwise.”

Laura agreed. “It’s a weak excuse, but no one likes to be rejected.”

“True. However, when you married Eddie, you married his children right along with him. If you tried, even now, I believe in time Hillary and Marie would come to accept you.”

“That isn’t going to happen in a few months, though.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. All I can say is that it’s never too late to start.”

Laura looked completely clueless. “Where do you suggest I begin?”

Julia shrugged, unsure herself. “A card or a text congratulating Hillary and Blake on their engagement. Something small. I never could get Eddie to start with baby steps. I’m hoping you can. With him, it was all or nothing, and his tactics failed miserably.”

Laura reached for her phone. “I’ll do it. I’ll do anything to clear the way for Eddie to have a relationship with his children, especially after finding him in tears.”

“Don’t expect Hillary to respond. Give it a day or two and try again. Perhaps suggest a florist. I know she and Blake have been searching for one and would appreciate the help.”

Laura nodded eagerly. “My cousin has a flower shop, and I know she’d give Hillary a discount.”

“That’s a great start.”

Laura released a deep sigh. “Julia,” she said, and her eyes were sincere. “Thank you.”

    “You’re welcome.” To her surprise, she didn’t choke on the words.

Laura hesitated, as if uncertain. “Would you mind if we meet again?”

Should she? It didn’t take Julia long to see they had a far better chance of bringing all their loved ones together if they were on the same page.

“I think that might be a good idea,” she said, and hoped she wasn’t making a big mistake.





Chapter 27




“You’re meeting with who?” Amanda demanded, as she carried a cup of coffee to Julia.

“You heard me.”

“This is a joke, right?” Her sister sat down across the kitchen table from Julia and stared at her with her mouth sagging open. “You do remember this is the very woman who tore your marriage apart, right?”

“As horrible as it sounds, Laura may be the only option I have to move forward.” Julia could hold on to the pain or she could let it go; she chose healing.

She needed to tell someone she’d been meeting with Heath’s ex-wife. Her sister seemed the most logical person, and, frankly, she was surprised by Amanda’s reaction. Perhaps she shouldn’t be, remembering how conflicted she’d felt the first time Laura called.

    “I didn’t start out intending to have anything to do with her. Then, once we got past the awkwardness of the situation, I wasn’t as put off as I assumed I would be.”

Shaking her head, Amanda leaned forward and braced her elbows on the table. “You better start at the beginning. She contacted you?”