Eligible Ex-husband - Marie Johnston Page 0,68
world isn’t a good thing.
Simon drives us to the country club. I swear he’s only a member for the occasions his parents are in town.
Trent is opening the door of a dark sedan for his wife when we pull into the parking lot. Phyllis Gainesworth unfolds her long, glamorous body. Her pale blond hair is in a tight chignon and she’s wearing a purple sleeveless dress that fits every inch of her svelte frame and short black heels. No matter what her personality is, I’ll always feel short and frumpy around her.
Trent closes the door after her. His smile widens when the girls race to him.
Phyllis feigns surprise and puts her hand to her chest. “Oh, my dears. Look how you’ve grown.” She stoops to catch them in a giant hug.
They really do love their grandchildren. If they showed Simon half the warmth they show the girls, he might not be such a debilitating perfectionist when it comes to his professional life.
“Simon.” Phyllis’s voice holds sincere warmth I’m grateful to hear. She stretches her lean arms out wide and enfolds him in a quick hug, giving him a peck on the cheek. Simon ducks his head like he’s embarrassed, but I know he treasures these rare affectionate moments.
As Simon exchanges an awkward back pat with his dad, Phyllis assesses me.
All warmth is gone and her familiar coolness sets in. “Natalie. Nice to see you again.”
“Glad you could make it. How was the trip?”
“Well.” She gestures around. “It was certainly a tiny plane.”
Meaning, there was no first class. “That’s too bad.”
Maddy tugs on Phyllis’s dress and usually I’d try to curb her tendency to be handsy with loved ones, but I refrain. Phyllis clasps her hands together and delightedly listens to the story Maddy tells of her swimming lessons.
Trent even waits until she’s done before saying, “Shall we?”
Simon escorts us inside and we’re seated at a rectangular table. The girls fight to sit around their grandma. Phyllis is on one end with Abby across from her and Maddy right beside her. Simon’s on the other side of Maddy. I’m between Abby and Trent.
Simon starts in with business, makes a few attempts to draw me into the conversation, but other than a polite smile and nod, Trent doesn’t address my existence. Soon, they’re talking nothing but business.
Turning my attention toward Phyllis, I’m relieved that she’s deep in discussion about the Frozen movies and how she hasn’t seen them and when the soonest she can see them is.
“How’s Chloe?” Abby asks.
Phyllis’s smile is bittersweet. “Doing well, I hear. She’s also learning to swim.”
“Do you get to watch her swim?” Maddy’s practically sitting on Phyllis’s lap, but my mother-in-law doesn’t seem to mind. “Does she sleep over a lot?”
The smile turns sad. “No, she splits her time between her mom and her dad.”
Abby tilts her head. “But I thought Uncle Liam was her dad.”
Phyllis’s expression freezes and a line forms between her brows.
I squeeze her hand. “Remember when we talked about all the ways kids can have more than one dad or mom? It’s like that.”
“Aunt Genevieve remarried?”
“Uh, no.”
Phyllis’s brows rise and she adopts the usual disapproving face she gets when she talks to me. An icy chill washes down my spine. What’s she going to say? “No, dear, it’d be like if you weren’t really your father’s biological daughter but he raised you without knowing that. Chloe has a biological father and one who raised her for her first few years.”
Her pointed stare rests on me a moment too long. Does she think I cheated on Simon? That I lured him into marrying me?
Abby looks at me, eyes wide. “Do I have a biological father too?”
I barely keep from shooting Phyllis a glare. “Your biological dad and the dad who’s raising you is the same.”
“Unless your mom was to remarry.” Phyllis’s voice is sugary sweet. “Then you’d have a stepdad.”
“But she won’t.” Maddy’s voice overflows with confidence. “Mom and Daddy are back together.”
Phyllis’s smile is tight as she pats Maddy’s hand. “So I hear. Tell me more about this summer camp.”
Abby starts in on soccer and I smile fondly at every word, but it’s fake.
Moral support. Simon’s moved onto the stock market with Trent. Phyllis is taking advantage of the kids to ignore me. I’m stuck in the middle, twiddling my damn thumbs.
I shouldn’t have come. I study the menu for way too long, rereading every entry at least ten times. When we finally order, I go for the cheapest meal option. Chicken