“You don’t look fine. Tell me what’s up. I’m a good listener and won’t tell a soul. We’ll never see each other again, so your secrets will be just that—secrets.”
Those deep brown puppy dog eyes stared down at her because with his tall torso, he sat much taller than she did in the seat. Something about those eyes made her want to spill the story.
“I just caught my husband cheating on me with, with a man.”
“That sucks,” he said. He reached up and pushed the bell to get the flight attendant’s attention. When she arrived, he said, “Two more drinks, please, and keep them coming.”
“I had no idea he was into guys,” Ashley confessed, and somehow telling someone made it more real, yet less her issue than Brody’s.
“Well, to start, it’s not because you aren’t hot as hell. Pardon me for saying, but the dude is definitely into guys if he’d pass up someone like you for any dude. You’re perfection.”
She laughed. “Thanks, I guess.”
“Don’t guess. Even bawling your eyes out and all puffed up like you are, you are drop dead beautiful, so fuck him and move on. Find someone who appreciates a fine woman like you.”
The drinks came and she raised her glass to his. “Cheers to you, who knows how to cheer a woman up. Thank you.”
They spent the rest of the trip chatting about everything but Brody, which was just what she needed. Edward Ridgewood, who liked to be called Eddie, was fascinated by her work as a restoration specialist. He’d even heard of G & J Renovations because they’d been featured in Yankee Magazine the year before. He was a hardscaper, who specialized in creating stone walls, walkways, patios, fire pits, and any outdoor stone projects upscale customers could imagine. His business, Ridgewood’s Hardscaping, was based in New Hampshire. They exchanged business cards as entrepreneurs are like to do and swapped stories about their most demanding, endearing, and ridiculous customers. Not a minute went by where they didn’t have something to talk about.
When they landed at Manchester International Airport, Eddie had to wait for his luggage at the turnstiles because he’d been in Miami for a week visiting with his sister and her new baby. Ashley only had the one carryon, so she thanked him again for the good company he’d been, and they gave each other a hug. She felt dwarfed in his arms.
As she drove past the Schmitt’s home that evening, she was tempted to stop in and let Ruth know about Douglas’ business trip. She recalled that Ruth had said Douglas often took business trips. That was something Brody didn’t do. Perhaps Douglas played around, and Brody would eventually be hurt by him. Not her problem. Ruth, she decided was not her concern either. She didn’t need the conflict. She’d have enough to deal with in the coming weeks for certain.
If Douglas was playing the field and Brody was playing with Douglas, she’d make an appointment for AIDS and STD testing that week, and, of course, hire a lawyer pronto.
Chapter Six
And she did. She dealt with the situation as quickly as humanly possible, even neglecting work to get some of it accomplished before Brody returned home. Since she didn’t expect Brody to return until Wednesday, she had a few days to get ahead of all that was required for the circumstances. She didn’t call him, and he didn’t contact her; she was glad for that because she truly had nothing she cared to say to him accept through the attorney she hired on that Saturday morning. Mitchell Westmore promised he’d have all the papers drawn up and would serve Brody with the divorce papers on Wednesday afternoon when he returned to Brattleboro.
She contacted her favorite realtor, Julia Valentine, who she worked with often on restoration projects. They went through Ashley and Brody’s home together and discussed what would need to be done to prepare the house for open houses. Since Ashley and Rex had really gone through the house thoroughly when she and Brody purchased it just three years before, Julia only recommended that Ashley paint the office where Brody had scuffed up the wall behind his desk. That was a task she could accomplish practically with one hand tied behind her back.
Julia agreed that they’d start having open houses the following weekend, but thought that the house in its current updated and well-kept condition would sell at top value very quickly.
“Good, I can’t get out of here soon enough,” Ashley said.
“Are you sure, hon? You and Brody seem like such a happy couple. This feels like it’s coming from left field. I’ve known you two for at least five years now. I’d never guess you two were having trouble,” Julia said.
Ashley looked at her friend and took a deep breath to calm herself. “I never would have guessed it either, but we were. I just never saw it until now. And now is too late.”
“I’m sorry, hon,” Julia said and reached out and pulled her into a comforting hug. It was then that Ashley broke down again. Not as much as she had on the plane, but Julia hadn’t seen that, yet she knew Ashley was heartbroken for sure.
On Saturday evening, she called Rex and asked him how things had gone on the Harris site. He teased her for not being able to trust him for even one full day of working alone.
“Are you going into work tomorrow?” she asked.
“Just for a few hours in the morning, but the crew’s not coming in. Why?”
“I’ll join you. I decided to come home early,” she said.
“What’s up?” Rex asked.
“We can talk about it tomorrow, okay. I’m kinda beat now. The plane ride and all. How’s seven a.m. sound?”
“Perfect. I’ll bring the coffees,” he answered as if nothing was amiss, but when he got off the phone he told his wife, Liz, “Something’s wrong with Ashley. She sounds sick, depressed or something. She came home early from Florida. Do you think they had a fight?”
“Are you kidding me? Brody wouldn’t fight with a kitten, and Ashley’s crazy about him. She’s probably just tired; that’s what you’re hearing in her voice.”
“She did say she was tired, but why come home early?”
“Maybe Brody was too busy to spend any time with her, and she got bored.”
“Yeah, I guess. She’s bored enough to come into work with me in the morning. But I’ll only be there about three hours. Then the day is yours. I promise,” he said as he leaned into her and gave her a ravenous kiss. She kissed him back with the ferocity of a newlywed even though they’d dated for four years and had been married for five.
They went off to bed and a night of warm, hungry lovemaking, while Ashley laid awake wondering way she hadn’t noticed signs of Brody’s cheating before. When had it started? How many lovers had he had? Were they all men? Were there others that she knew or were the rest strangers? She’d been faithful to him despite working with dozens of men in a mostly male-dominated industry. Sure, she and Rex hired women when they were available, but there weren’t many who applied for the heavy lifting, sometimes tedious, usually very messy work they did. Reconstruction and renovation sometimes meant asbestos abatement, dead rodents found in walls, cellars and attics, rotting wood infested with insects. Not everyone—man or woman—wanted to work with those conditions. She and Rex and those who did well on her crew liked the variety in the work, the challenge of it, and the joy of the finished product. But it certainly was not for everyone. Yet, over the years, she’d had guys make passes at her, ask her out even, and she never once considered cheating on Brody. How could he have been so flippant about their commitment to each other? It had been a full day and one-half and still not one text or call from him. No communication. But she’d be damned if she’d make the first contact. They’d talk again, but not until he was back home.