“So do you want to talk about it?” Macey asked as they settled on a pair of chairs Sylvia brought out for them.
The kids sat on the floor near the piano drinking juice procured from the gallery’s employee break room along with snacks purchased from a vending machine. Caden had finally left off playing to join them while they ate.
“Ava told you.”
“Of course she did,” Macey scoffed. “We’ve been so worried about you. All we’ve gotten for the past four years are updates from Ruth, seriously. How could you just leave and not tell us?”
“I just…I had to leave.”
“Did you? So you cut out all the people who love and care about you for what? You didn’t think we would have defended you or taken your side? Didn’t you trust us?”
“I trusted you. I do trust you. But I couldn’t stay, not after…”
“Sarah, you can’t keep running away. Believe me. I know.” Macey shook her head. “I ran all the way to Paris, remember?”
“It’s different for me than it was for you and Julius.”
“You think so? You think I wasn’t ostracized because everyone thought I was below him? You think I didn’t have to endure rumors about him having women on the side?”
“But they were just rumors. You knew the truth. He was there for you. It’s not the same.”
“Maybe on the outside it looked that way,” Macey said. “Just because Julius was there physically doesn’t mean he was there emotionally or that I didn’t feel alone.”
Sarah chewed her lip.
“And when it got bad I ran away. I ran when I should have talked to him. We could have saved ourselves a lot of time and pain if we just talked.”
“So you think I should forgive him too.”
“Did I say that?” Macey snapped. “Don’t put words in my mouth, Sarah. I said talk to him. Tell him all the ways he made you suffer. All the pain he made you feel. Make him earn his place if he wants it. Lord knows these men need a few lessons in working for something after the way they are handed things all their lives.”
Sarah stifled a laugh.
“And I know you still love him,” Macey sighed.
Sarah stared at her mouth agape.
“You don’t have to say it. We know.”
“We?”
“Me and Ava. It’s our curse. We always fall in love with the wrong men…stupid ones.”
Sarah bowed her head trying to contain the laughter that bubbled up. Macey chuckled along with her. Taking a breath Sarah said, “We should start a club.”
“Right. Wives with Stupid Husbands Club.”
* * *
While their moms chatted and laughed Zoe suddenly looked at Aria with a serious expression asking, “How do you make your mommy and daddy love each other?”
Aria blinked, “Do your mom and dad not love each other?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do they hug and kiss each other?”
“No.”
“That’s not good,” Aria shook her head.
“That doesn’t mean anything,” Caden said. “Our mom and dad didn’t hug and kiss in the beginning either.”
“Oh. That’s right. I forgot that part.”
“What are your parents like when they are together?” Caden asked.
“Well, daddy’s always looking at mommy but she tries to ignore him.”
“What about when your dad isn’t around? What is your mom like then?”
“…Sad. She smiles and tries to be happy but she’s sad. I can tell. Sometimes I hear her cry in her sleep.”
Caden nodded. All of this was just like when their parents weren’t together. Finally he said, “Your mom and dad already love each other. They just pretend not to.”
“Why do that?”
“Because adults are silly,” he shrugged. “The important thing is to encourage your dad without being pushy.”
“How do I do that?”
“Well, answer all your dad’s questions,” Aria said, “especially when he asks about your mom. He needs to know about what your mom likes and doesn’t like.”
Zoe nodded recalling her breakfast conversation with her father. He did seem to be curious about her mother.
“And it’s important he doesn’t scare your mom by being too aggressive,” Aria said. “Otherwise your mom will run away from him. And you have to keep an eye on people trying to get between them.”
Zoe gave them a puzzled look.
“There may be some people trying to keep them apart,” Caden agreed. “You have to watch out for them.”
“What do I do if they show up? I’m only three.”
“Honestly, Sean, Lexi and Theo have more experience with that than we do,” Caden said.
Zoe sighed. This was certainly not going to be as easy as she thought it would be but she wanted her mother to be happy.
“Just don’t try to push them too quickly,” Aria said. “Adults have to think they are in charge and they usually do things too slowly but you can’t rush them.”
Zoe nodded. There seemed to be a lot of rules. She hoped she could remember them all.
* * *
“Oh! You are coming to the DaLair Mixer aren’t you?” Macey said clutching Sarah’s arm.
“Well I don’t know.”
“You have to! You and Zoe will have such a good time.”
Sarah shook her head. She absolutely couldn’t expose Zoe to that world. Her baby needed to be protected.
“Oh please say yes!” Macey pleaded. “March, Rose and Augustus all want to meet Zoe. Caden, Aria, Coda and Lyra will be there…not to mention Sean, Lexi, Theo, Isaac and Ben too. Augustus insists all the kids be there. Ruth is also invited of course.”
Sarah hesitated. It would be nice to see all the kids playing together. Zoe needed kids her own age to play with, a dog simply wasn’t enough. She occasionally played with kids when they went out to the park but she never asked if they could come to their house for an actual play date.
“I don’t even have anything to wear.”
“Then we’ll go shopping!” Macey laughed. “You and Zoe can each get matching dresses.”
“I get to wear a pretty dress like mommy?” Zoe suddenly perked up.
“Would you like that?” Macey asked.
“Yes!”
“There, you see. She wants to go. You have to come, Sarah. Please?”
“Oh…all right. We’ll go.”
“Excellent,” Macey took out her phone sending off a couple of texts. “I just told Ava, Ruth and Tracy so you can’t back out.”
Sarah sighed as her own phone chirped no doubt with their eager replies. Following Macey and the kids Sarah drove to the mall only to find Ava and the other kids already waiting. Her mouth dropped open as she looked at Macey who just smiled. Either they broke speed records to arrive ahead of time or they were already at the mall waiting. Was this really all planned?
Phalanxed by the four guards Ava and the children always traveled with they made their way through the shopping center with an ever-eager Zoe. Sales clerks practically fell over themselves to engage the trio of society’s elite and their children. Sarah was a little uncomfortable with the attention but Macey and Ava simply shrugged. Both had enough experience to know it was a reaction they couldn’t control.
While their mothers chatted and caught up with one another, the kids wandered the racks looking at gowns not only for their mothers but also for the girls. They would stop at another store for the boys.
“Lexi?” Zoe hesitated.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
Zoe hesitated looking at Aria who gave her an encouraging nod.
“Is there a way to find out if daddy has a girlfriend?”
“You think your dad has a girlfriend?” Lexi asked.
Zoe shrugged, “I don’t know. He promised not to hurt mommy.”
“Sean.”
“Social media,” Sean answered taking out his phone and searching through posts. It took a few moments before he finally said. “Madeline Rogers.”
Zoe’s face fell, “So daddy does have a girlfriend.”
“Not necessarily,” Sean frowned, “although Lexi is a better judge of body language than I am.”
He handed over his phone and let her look at the pictures he found along with their headlines. Clearly the gossip columns were pairing them up. It was also pretty obvious what Madeline wanted but…
“A video would be better but…Yeah I don’t think your dad likes this woman at all,” Lexi said.
“Really?” Zoe asked hopefully.
“When we first met our dad there was a woman hanging around him too even though he made it clear he didn’t like her,” Lexi said handing Sean his phone back. “She even tried to break our parents up.”
“You know, this post is from four years ago,” Sean said. “I can’t find anything more recent either.”
“Four years?” Lexis thought about it. “That’s when Aunt Sarah left. Sounds like Madeline was trying to break them up so she could take her place.”
“But if they aren’t together after four years then Zoe’s dad probably doesn’t like this woman at all,” Theo agreed.
“So…daddy likes mommy?” Zoe asked hopefully. “And that woman tried to hurt mommy before. Do you think she’ll try it again?”
The older kids shared a look and nodded. In their experience women who were obsessed with powerful men like their dads didn’t give up easily.
“I think she had help,” Sean announced. “Looks like she’s friends with Lidia Stanton.”
“Who’s that?” Zoe asked.
“She’s your dad’s sister.”
“So…she’s my auntie? But mommy never talked about her.”
“Well if Lidia was helping Madeline to break up your parents it’s safe to say she and your mom didn’t get along,” Theo said.
“So I have a mean auntie?” Zoe’s face fell.
Aria grimaced. Her mother was an only child and her father’s sibling was affectionate and kind as was her aunt so she didn’t have any experience with cruel relatives like the Prescott siblings.
Alexis knelt to Zoe’s level saying, “Our mom’s sister is mean too so we don’t consider her our aunt. So you don’t have to call Lidia your aunt either.”
“Okay. I don’t want a mean auntie.”
Alexis nodded patting her head and stood. After everything their own parents had gone through she and her brothers made certain their little brothers never learned about their earlier struggles. She felt that same protective instinct now for Zoe.
“So…what are we going to do?” Theo asked.
“I think that should be obvious,” Alexis announced giving Sean a pointed look.
“Hack their socials and flood the media with compromising photos,” Sean nodded. “Looks like we’re in the gossip business again.”
“Just like old times,” Theo chuckled.
“Speaking of old times,” Lexi said, “if they broke up Zoe’s parents once they’ll try to do it again.”
“So keep an eye on Aunt Sarah and get footage.” Theo took out his phone. With a wink he slipped away.
“Don’t worry Zoe,” Lexi smiled encouragement. “We got this.”
“Aria, look at this dress!” Lyra said. “Won’t mommy look pretty?”
“Yep. She will.” Aria agreed when she saw the dress her younger sister picked. “What about your mom, Zoe? What kind of dresses does she like? Our mom likes mermaid-style.”
Zoe shrugged. Her mother didn’t wear many dresses especially fancy ones. Aloud she said, “She likes all kinds but her favorite colors are purple, gold and red.”
“That’s a weird combo,” Sean commented but the girls remembered autumn was Sarah’s favorite season.
“Then how about this one?” Aria pointed out a burgundy gown with a cowl-style neckline.
“That’s pretty,” Zoe declared liking the sparkly fabric.
“Then we’ll definitely grab that one,” Lexi agreed recognizing the need to distract the three-year-old. Taking care of adults was best left to older kids.
It was unfortunate they wouldn’t be able to maintain proper surveillance since they didn’t live under the same roof as Zoe and her mother. They could only hope her father was aware of his sister and Madeline’s plot and was maintaining watch himself. Then again…adults were not very observant. This would take some strategic thinking.
* * *
“Oh! Sarah, that’s the one!” Ava declared as she stood in front of the mirrors for their approval.
The kids clapped loudly especially Zoe who loved to see her mother dressed-up. Both Macey and Ava had their turns on the pedestal so the focus was on Sarah. Now that their gowns were set it was time to choose dresses for the girls.
“Oh stay right there and we’ll help Zoe find something to match,” Macey said.
Rounding up the kids Macey and Ava herded them to the kid’s section eager to see Zoe and her mother dressed up together. Sarah chuckled at their eagerness. In fact she was also looking forward to seeing it too. She had always been jealous of Ava and Macey when they shopped with their daughters. For the first time she could experience it herself.
“Well, well, what do we have here?”
Sarah stiffened and slowly turned. Standing a few feet from her was not a person she ever wanted to see again. Lidia held a little black dress as if she wanted to use the fitting rooms. Beside her was Madeline also looking to try on a dress. Sarah’s gaze briefly scanned the shop floor expecting to see Lucas but remarkably he was nowhere to be seen. So Lidia and Madeline were shopping alone?
Sarah glared at them mustering the strength she so carefully built over the last three years. That’s right. She was strong. She had done everything on her own while these two hadn’t worked a day in their lives expecting everything to be handed to them. They couldn’t intimidate her.
“Hello Lidia, long time, no see,” Sarah answered evenly. “It was nice while it lasted.”
Lidia sneered, “Just who do you think you’re kidding? Coming back here when it was pretty obvious no one cared you left. No one came looking for you, did they? My brother threw a party to celebrate.”
“And let me guess you stained the carpet of his condo so badly he had to move out,” Sarah sighed. “That tracks. Neither one of you is housebroken.”
Madeline grew red though Lidia managed to maintain a somewhat neutral expression. Even so, it was clear Sarah struck a nerve. Perhaps neither of them had been aware he moved out of his condo, or if they did they didn’t know where he lived now. What else didn’t they know? After all Ava assured her Lucas had been looking for her despite what Lidia claimed.
“You think you are so smart,” Lidia laughed. “I took a peek at your phone. It seems you erased all those text messages I sent you. Oh well.”
Sarah frowned glancing at her purse which sat open alongside Macey’s and Ava’s. Reaching into it she pulled out her phone seeing that it was opened to her messages though of course Lidia and Madeline’s contact information and previous messages weren’t there. It was hard not to laugh.
“So this is what you were concerned about,” Sarah shook her head. “What’s the matter? Afraid you’d get caught in your little scheme. Well let me put your fears to bed. All your little messages aren’t on this phone because you never had this phone’s number.”
Lidia’s smile slowly disappeared but Sarah wasn’t done.
“But don’t worry, I have all of your messages and your sadistic mother’s and of course I have all of Madeline’s. That phone is with my lawyer who has kept it safe all these years. Just waiting.”
Not only had Lidia’s smile completely faded she had gone deathly pale.
“So if you don’t want the scandal of the century coming down on your heads…I suggest you stay as far from me and my daughter as you can.” Sarah smiled enjoying their shocked faces. “Because my lawyer can’t wait to plaster your names in the headlines and drag you through the mud.”
Lidia hesitated but she had no comeback. If word got out she deliberately broke up her brother’s marriage it was unlikely she would recover her reputation and her mother…dear god the things her mother wrote sounded like they came from a wicked witch. If that ever became public knowledge…
“Ma’am, did you want to try on that dress?” the sales clerk nervously asked. She had fallen silent during the exchange and wisely so.
“No. I won’t be buying anything here. It seems this store has lost its charm. Come on, Madeline.”
They left their dresses and Sarah felt a little lighter. Why had she ever let herself be intimidated by them in the first place?
“Mommy! Mommy! Look what I found!”
Sarah set her phone down and turned to see Zoe holding a pretty magenta dress. It wasn’t quite the same color as her gown but it was close and would look absolutely adorable on her.
“So pretty, let’s put it on so we can see how we’ll match.”
“Okay!”
“So?” Alexis sidled up to Theo as they watched Sarah take Zoe into the changing rooms.
Wordlessly Theo handed over his phone and played the video he just took. Once it finished he smiled, “Aunt Sarah is vicious. Maybe we don’t have to worry about her.”
“Maybe,” Alexis frowned. “We’ll still keep an eye on it the best we can. Lidia doesn’t strike me as the type to give up after one lost battle.”
“True that.”
* * *
“Oh my god, Lidia what are we going to do?” Madeline asked. “If your brother reads those texts…he’ll…”
“Calm down,” Lidia said. “Clearly she hasn’t shown them yet. We just have to get rid of her before she does.”
“How are we going to do that? She doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave.”
“I know what we’ll do,” Lidia took out her phone and selected a contact. “Sarah thinks she’s so smart but we’ll just take her down a peg or two…Hi James! How are you? Look, I got a proposal for you…”