The View from Alameda Island - Robyn Carr Page 0,115

daughter. Lacey seemed to be getting her footing, which probably had a lot to do with spending more time with Lauren at Beau’s house. She might be spoiled and a bit shallow, but she was growing more fond of Beau by the day. And she was seeing Brad less. Brad had, in his lifetime, driven a lot of people crazy.

In truth, Lauren hardly cared about her divorce anymore. Brad signing off on the marriage, even giving her a big check, could not possibly make her any happier than she was. She tried to explain that to Lacey. “I live in a stable environment with a very good man and his boys treat me kindly, with respect. I have a great job, good friends, my girls are in good health and while I’m not able to contribute much, I’m still able to help both of you.”

“But what am I going to do after I get my master’s? In less than six months? Teach junior high? I’ll have to give up everything! The salaries are so low!”

“I don’t know, kiddo. You might have to find a different kind of job. You’re welcome to stay with me and Beau if you want to. You might have to start over like a lot of us have had to do.”

“But start over doing what?” Lacey asked.

Lauren shrugged sympathetically. “Some choices are very hard to make. God knows I’ve put off the hard choices and regretted it, but once I dared to start over I’ve been so happy. Just finish your degree for now, then keep an open mind. I don’t have a lot of money to give you but I’ll cover your head and feed you.” Then she laughed and said, “Wait till you see the garden in Beau’s backyard.”

And Lacey said, “I don’t think his garden is going to get me as excited as it gets you.”

* * *

Brad asked Lacey regularly what her mother was doing for work, for fun, for getting along financially and Lacey just said, “We’ll get along so much better if I don’t talk about you with Mom or about Mom with you.”

But Brad knew. He couldn’t get near her—there was that restraining order, something he believed she’d done for show and leverage. It didn’t help her in any way that he could see. He knew she’d lost her job before Christmas, that his buddy Stu had resigned because of it, and that she was seeing a younger man. Some blue-collar type. A landscaper. A damn gardener. What was her problem? Was the pool boy all tied up? The landscaper probably supported her on his tips.

And he knew the gardener’s ex-wife had tried to have them killed. Once the police had interviewed him and explained why, he began following that story obsessively. The woman had been arrested and indicted and would stand trial. He wondered how smart Lauren thought she was now. Had that been a wiser choice than saving her marriage? But then Lauren wasn’t that bright, was she?

He knew Lauren was talking to Cassie and must be barely talking to Lacey; Lacey was deep in her studies and didn’t even always take his calls. He wasn’t sure how Cassie was affording law school but he did know she’d chosen that wimpy Jeremy who would probably never amount to much over her own family. Cassie had written him off over that misunderstanding—Lauren’s black eye. That could all be explained. He couldn’t help it that no one believed him. He was set up. It wasn’t him.

He knew he still had control of the family money and wasn’t going to part with it gracefully.

Things weren’t going well at home. He had the same yard crew, house cleaners, window washers, but there was no one to pull it all together. When the housekeeper washed his pants instead of taking them to the cleaners, there was no one to grab them, take them in for appropriate pressing. All the details fell through the cracks and it made him furious. He had immediately hired an assistant, someone to run his errands and handle any other details for him. He found out that domestic assistants didn’t weather him “correcting” them, pointing out the right way to do things, as well as a wife. He was now on his fifth in nine months and he couldn’t stand her. He never mentioned this to his daughter because he didn’t want Lauren to know.

He was having trouble at the hospital. He was always in a bad mood,