Lydia smiled over at Lando. “No. When I found out, we tried to work it out, and we simply could not. After three months, we gave up. Now please, no more talk about it. Let’s dig in and eat this food before it gets stone-cold.”
“You’re taking it well,” Leia said. “I’ve worked beside you for the past three months and didn’t know you were having issues.”
“That’s because I dealt with it when it happened back in December. After coming to a reckoning, there’s not much reason to throw dishes and have a hissy fit. I accepted the fact that Paul and I were over, and that was it.”
Luke frowned. “You knew back in December you guys were done?”
“New Year’s Eve, to be exact. That’s when I discovered all these texts and calls on his phone. They were from a woman named Jill, who lived right across from his place in Yontocket. Jill is a young widow in her forties who moved there last summer. He admitted he was smitten with her. I told him if that’s what he wanted, he should leave. And he did.”
“So all the while Lianne and I were having problems, you’d already decided to end things with Paul?”
Lydia picked up the wine and poured herself a full glass. “Look, I’m a lot older and a lot less likely to put up with BS, especially from a man. And especially one who has lost interest in me. It turns out, Paul and this Jill met way before Christmas, and they were immediately taken with one another. I could tell Paul just wanted a clean break. That’s what he got.”
“And yet Paul just moved out a week ago?” Lando pointed out.
Sipping the red wine, Lydia smiled and nodded. “Observant like a cop. Yes, Paul packed a bag the first week of January and moved out. And yes, he came back for the rest of his belongings last week. There were little things like shirts and shoes. He never fully moved in with me. Happy now, knowing all the juicy details?”
“We just want to know you’re okay,” Lianne opined. “We know you’re strong. There’s no doubt you’ll be fine. But a breakup can hurt. I know.” She turned to lock hands with Luke. “I realized the hard way what was important.”
“I am strong. And I am fine,” Lydia assured them. “When you realize it’s over, there’s an adjustment, sure. But I knew something wasn’t right around Thanksgiving. With our relationship. Paul and I just stopped working. We weren’t getting along. It happens. And by then, he’d dropped the topic of marriage. That was the first tell.”
“Well, he’s an idiot,” Gemma acknowledged. “The man doesn’t know how lucky he was to have you.”
“You’re right about that,” Lydia said with a laugh. “I’m better off without him.”
Zeb raised his beer in the air. “To Lydia. She’s stronger than ever. To hell with Paul Eddington.”
“To Lydia,” the group chorused with drinks raised in a toast.
Amused, Lydia picked up her fork and looked around the table. “Now this is what I needed right now. Just know that after this discussion, after this meal, I don’t want anyone bringing up his name. This conversation is the end of Paul Eddington as far as I’m concerned.”
“No problem,” Lando muttered. “We’re glad you finally told us. To be honest, I had serious concerns about Paul.”
Intrigued, Lydia put her fork down. “How so?”
A sheepish look crossed Lando’s face. He wasn’t sure he should admit to what he’d seen. But since he’d opened his big mouth, he had no choice. “About four months ago, I took a call south of town. When I finished up, I spotted Paul’s vehicle parked at the drive-in next to another sedan. He was sitting in a white Toyota with a woman.”
Lydia’s face fell. “And you never said a word?”
“What could I have said? That I saw Paul sitting in a white car at the old Cactus Flower Drive-in?”
Lydia sipped her wine, then let out a soulful sigh. “I take it this incident happened before Christmas?”
“It did. It was closer to Thanksgiving.”
She set her jaw. “So Paul lied to me about when it started up with Jill.”
“It could’ve been someone else other than Jill.”
“No, I happen to know for certain that Jill drives a white Toyota Avalon. I saw it when she helped him pack up his stuff.”
“I’m sorry. Maybe I should’ve said something.”
“You should have. But you know what? I had to see him for what he really was for myself.