Read Online Better Off Without Him by Dee Ernst - Free Book Online Page B

beaming, her eyes bright, and she looked like she, well, approved of me. I shrugged. “Well, I guess,” I muttered modestly. “Where are your sisters?”
    “Late bus. Lauren has yearbook and Miranda’s chasing after some senior in the Spanish club. Did you really threaten to take Bernadette to the Board of Ed?”
    Ah, urban myth. “I thought about it.”
    “That is so cool.” Jessica dropped her backpack, which landed with enough force to cause a few priceless figurines on the fireplace mantel to jump. “Hi, Aunt Lily. Did Mom tell you what she did?”
    Aunt Lily stood and swept Jessica up in a warm hug. “No, dear, we didn’t get around to that yet. Let’s blow this pop stand and head for the den, and you can tell me all about it. Are your nails supposed to be that color?”
    Jessica grinned happily and trailed after Aunt Lily, pulling her backpack along behind her. I slumped back down on the couch and closed my eyes.
    “She’s right,” I said. “Brian was a shitty husband, and I had a miserable marriage.”
    “Well, no,” MarshaMarsha said. I opened my eyes and looked at her.
    “Every marriage is different,” she continued. “What you and Brian had worked for a long time. You’ve been very happy with him. What Lily said might have been true, but we all pay a price for what we want. You wanted Brian. If that meant running the show, you obviously never minded because you did it beautifully. You’ve been a great wife, even if he wasn’t such a great husband.”
    Patricia nodded. “She’s right, darling. He’s the one losing here, not you. He’ll never find another woman who’s as accomplished and capable as you are. The man’s an idiot. He’ll probably figure it out for himself in a few months, when he has to start doing things like picking up his own dry-cleaning and remembering to take out the garbage.” She tilted her head at me. “This is a lot for one day. Brian is coming back tonight? Why don’t I hang around until then. You just rest for a while. I’ll deflect the girls.”
    I swallowed hard. “Thank you.”
    MarshaMarsha got up and looked at me. “The boys are going to start coming home. I’ve got to go. I’ve got eggplant parm in the freezer. I’ll have Joey run it over. The girls will want something hot for dinner, and Lily shouldn’t have to cook her first night. I’ll be by again tomorrow, okay?”
    I nodded, stretched out on the couch and closed my eyes. The room was still unsteady, and my lips were back to being slightly numb. My brain was racing, but thanks to all that vodka, I actually napped a little, hearing snatches of conversation that fit into odd, unhappy dreams. The cat curled against me, and I could have sworn Ben Cutler came in and kissed me on the cheek, but that may have been wishful thinking. I became fully awake quite suddenly when the room was turning dark and I could hear Brian’s voice.
    I jerked up from the couch, brushed down my hair, and tried to look like I was just sitting in the dark. He came into the room at a rush and angrily turned on the overhead light. I stood up and raised my chin proudly.
    “You called my mother?” he snarled.
    I nodded defiantly. Then, I crumpled just a little. I pointed to Patricia, who was standing right behind him.
    “It was her idea.”
    Brian’s eyes narrowed as he turned to look at her. “I should have known. Patricia, you are such a bitch.”
    She smiled. “Oh, darling,” she cooed. “I know.”
    Aunt Lily came downstairs. She had changed from her sensible shoes to sensible slippers. She looked at Brian coldly. “I never did like you,” she spat, then swept past him to sit by the fireplace, picking up a magazine from the side table and making quite a show of reading it.
    Brian clenched his teeth. “My mother called me at work. I can’t believe you told her.”
    “I just told her the truth, Brian,” I said.
    “We need to talk to the girls,” he snarled.
    I squared my shoulders. “No, Brian. You need