“Really?”
“I know it’s hard to picture now, but he used to be so friendly and full of life. That’s why it kills me to see him wasting away in that pool house all the time.”
My mind drifts to those tormented eyes of his. “What happened to him? Was his divorce really that bad?”
“It’s more than that,” she says with a sigh. “But yeah. The divorce was rough.”
I want to pry, curious about what more there is to Cole’s story. But if Josie wanted to tell me, she already would have. It’s not her story to tell, and I get that.
“Divorce has to be scary,” I say. “I can’t imagine where I’d go or what I’d do if Paul and I split up.”
Josie straightens in her chair. “You wouldn’t have to worry about that. You’d come stay with me and Dan. We’d help you get on your feet.”
“I know you’d be there for me. I just meant long-term. I don’t have a job. I don’t have my own money.” I pop a mac-and-cheese bite into my mouth. “I give Cole a lot of credit for coming out here and starting over. I don’t know if I could do something like that.”
Josie’s hand covers mine. “You can do anything, Callie Kingston. You hear me?”
I laugh. “Yes, best friend. I hear you.”
“I’m serious.” She slides her wine glass to the side of the table. “You could stay with us for as long as you needed to. We have plenty of room. You have a college degree, so you’d have no trouble finding a decent job to start out with. Plus, you’d get alimony from Paul in the divorce settlement.”
My eyebrows press together. “Geez, Josie. I wasn’t being serious about divorcing Paul.”
Her eyes narrow as she crosses her arms over her chest. “Maybe you should be.”
Realization slaps me in the face.
Shit shit shit shit.
“Cole told you.”
She grimaces as she leans forward. “Callie, why wouldn’t you tell me? Why are you hiding this?”
I roll my eyes, angry with myself for not seeing this ambush coming. “That’s what this girls’ night is really about.”
“No. I mean, yes, but ... I’m scared for you, Cal. I just want to talk about what’s going on.”
“Nothing’s going on. Everything’s fine.”
“Are you kidding?” She lowers her voice to a whisper. “Your husband is putting his hands on you. How is that fine?”
My stomach twists into a knot. I need to do some major damage control, and I need to do it fast.
“Look, Cole jumped to conclusions when he saw me the other day. I told him not to say anything to you because I didn’t want you to worry over nothing. Paul was helping me in the garden, and I got too close, and he accidentally elbowed me in the face.” I wave my hand. “The bruise was barely visible. It wasn’t a big deal.”
Josie grits her teeth. “Why are you lying to me?”
“You know Paul. You’ve known him for years. You know he wouldn’t hurt me. Not on purpose.”
Disbelief contorts her features. “He’s obviously not the man I thought he was.”
“Josie, it’s not—”
“How long has this been going on?”
“It hasn’t—”
“How long have you been keeping this from me?”
“I’m telling—”
“Why are you protecting him?”
“Enough!” My palm slams on the table, garnering the looks from several people nearby.
Josie sits back against her chair, a smug smirk on her face. “Good. So, you do have some fight left in you.”
“I don’t expect you to understand,” I mutter.
“So help me, Cal. Help me understand.”
I massage my forehead with my fingertips. “You know how I’ve been for these past couple of years. I became obsessed with getting pregnant, and it was all I could focus on, all I could see. I put Paul under so much stress, and now he thinks that he’s only good to me if he can get me pregnant. I did that. I put this huge strain on our marriage, and now ... I just need to fix it so we can go back to normal.”
Josie’s eyebrows shoot up. “Are you saying you deserve this? That you deserve to be abused?”
“You have a perfect marriage and a perfect family. You don’t know what it’s like to feel like everything around you is crumbling.”
“You’re right. I don’t understand. I don’t understand how my best friend can lie to my face about the fact that her husband is mistreating her.”
I shake my head. “You don’t have to understand. What I need is for you to be my friend.”
“I am being your friend. This is what friends do. They talk about shit, and they help each other. They don’t sit idly by while their friend is in trouble.” She reaches for my hand again. “Please, Callie. Let me help you.”
“You can help me by dropping this. Forget about it. And please, don’t say anything to Dan. The last thing I need is Paul catching wind of this.”
The incredulous look on Josie’s face kills me, like she doesn’t recognize me. I want to be honest with her—God, do I want to—but things between me and Paul are finally getting better. I don’t need this ruining everything. Not now.
“I don’t know if I can do that,” Josie says, her voice low. “I don’t know if I can sit and watch you go through this, not saying a word, pretending like everything is fine.”
My heart sinks.
I fight back tears as I dig into my wallet and toss a fifty-dollar bill onto the table. “Then I guess the only way you can help me is by taking me home.”
I had a terrible night’s sleep, so I’m still in bed when the doorbell rings the next morning.
Maverick, who was snuggled under the covers with me, shoots off the bed and barks the entire way down the stairs.
When the bell rings again, followed by knocking, I flip the comforter off my legs and peek out my bedroom window.
Brandon is standing outside, hands in his pockets.
“Shit.” I tie my robe tightly around my waist as I dash down the stairs. “Coming!”
I swing open the door, and Brandon smiles wide. “Hi, Callie! I’m here for dog walking!”
On cue, Maverick leaps up to lick Brandon’s face.
Totally forgot about that. I’m surprised Josie even let him over here after our fight.
But I’d never turn her kids away.
I run a hand through my disheveled hair. “Come on in, B.”
He steps inside and closes the door behind him. “Geez. You look as bad as Mom does.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Oh, yeah? What’s wrong with her?”
“Dad says she drank too much last night.” His eyes dart around before landing on mine. “But I heard them talking.”
My stomach constricts. “What about?”
“They were whispering, so I didn’t hear everything.” He hikes a shoulder. “Mom said you guys got into a fight at dinner.”
I heave a sigh and wave him into the kitchen. “Want some orange juice?”
“Sure.”
I pour Brandon a tall glass and one for myself. “You shouldn’t be eavesdropping on your parents, you know.”