Page 8 of The Wife Stalker

Matthew was gone, and nothing would bring him back. She stood up straighter and took a deep breath. It was time to put old ghosts to rest.

8

Joanna

I had only a few hours to finalize all the details before the guests began to arrive for the party. Pouring a cup of coffee, I sat at the kitchen table and went over the list one more time. I decided to see if perhaps my mother would change her mind and come. At first, she had promised to be there, but then she’d called me two days ago to say she was under the weather. When I took her to the doctor yesterday, he could find nothing wrong, but she still insisted that she was too tired even to attempt a showing. She’d battled chronic fatigue syndrome and depression for as long as I could remember, vacillating between bouts of energy and months when she could barely get out of bed, so I’d learned to become self-sufficient at an early age. I brought her number up on my phone. It rang seven times, and, just as I was about to hang up, she answered.

“Hello?” Her voice was thready.

“Hi, Mom. Just calling to see how you’re feeling.”

“A little better, hon. Just tired. Ready for the big day?”

“Pretty much. Are you sure you don’t want to come for a little bit?” I asked, even though I knew crowds made her anxious and she’d feel out of place. She rarely ventured from her house, and I wished there were a way I could help her to expand her world.

“No, I’m going to take a pass. I’ll finish the jigsaw puzzle you got me. I love this kitten one. It’s much better than the one you brought over last month with all those skyscrapers.”

Why were her compliments always backhanded? I bit back the urge to snap at her; this was one of the things Celeste and I were working on in therapy. “I’m glad you like it, Mom. I’m just sorry you’re not up to coming.”

“Besides, it’s no fun going unescorted. Just another casualty of being left by your husband,” she continued, a whine in her voice.

My parents had gotten divorced a lifetime ago, when I was only nineteen, but my mother still played the martyr all these years later.

I suppressed a sigh and forced a cheerful note into my voice. “Okay, then. Get some rest. Feel better.” I hung up.

The kids were bursting with excitement, counting down the hours until the fun began. Practically every area of the backyard had been designated for one kind of game or another. There was a face-painting station, a bouncy house, a row of carnival games with stuffed animal prizes, and a snack bar for the kids with all sorts of delicious treats, my favorite being the caramel apples. There was even a photo booth. When they got tired of all of that, the saltwater pool had been filled with floats of all shapes and sizes, and we’d hired two lifeguards to be on duty for the party. Many of the adults would enjoy one of the two hot tubs and the frozen drink bars set up next to them, with bartenders at the ready. Aside from the standard Memorial Day fare of hot dogs and hamburgers, the spread would include pit beef barbecue, corn on the cob, coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, and watermelon. No one would leave hungry.

I poured myself another cup of coffee and started to review the list one last time, then realized that Stelli and Evie already had their bathing suits on.

“Guys, get over here—let’s get some sunscreen on you before we forget.”

Evie came right away, but Stelli ran in the other direction. I sighed. I didn’t have time for this today, but I knew that Stelli wouldn’t respond to my being cross, so I got Evie covered in lotion, then called to her in a stage whisper. “I wonder where Stelli has gone. Did he disappear? I can’t see him.”

Evie giggled and pointed to where Stelli was partially visible behind a chair.

“I think he must be using his powers of invisibility, Evie. I need to find him and put this magic lotion on him before he disappears forever.”

“If you don’t do it soon, we’ll never see him again,” Evie said, playing along.

“That would be so sad. Then I couldn’t see him to give him the special Spider-Man comic book I just got him.”

“Here I am!” Stelli jumped out from behind the chair.

I pretended to look around. “Where? I can’t see you.”

He ran to me and threw his arms around my legs. “Here. Put the lotion on so you can see me.”

As I rubbed it on, Evie and I pretended to watch him appear one area at a time. By the time I finished, we were all laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Leo said as he came into the kitchen.

Stelli ran up to him. “We were putting my magic lotion on.” Leo smiled, looking over at me.

“Good thing. I’d hate for you to disappear.”

By four o’clock, there were over a hundred guests roaming the property, and I began to make the rounds, greeting everyone and making sure all was going well. I was standing at the bar by the pool, the summer heat making me wilt, and wishing I’d chosen something cooler than linen capris and the long-sleeved cotton shirt I’d picked only because it hid my jiggling upper arms. It was while I was chatting with Annette Morris, one of Leo’s partners’assistants, that I noticed a stunning blonde in shorts and a tank top walk over to Leo. She didn’t work at the firm, and she wasn’t a neighbor, and something about the way they were talking to each other sent alarm signals through me.

“Who’s that?” Annette asked.

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