Page 1 of Casita Casanova

Chapter One

Maryn

Divorce is definitely not my favorite D-word.

Daiquiris.

Dahlias.

Dogs.

Those are good D-words, butdivorce?

My phone buzzes on the kitchen counter, my ex-husband’s face lighting up the screen.Speaking of D-words…

I hit the red button and decline his call. There’s nothing to talk about. He had the grace to stay in a hotel this week while I packed up my half of our twenty years together, and according to the time on my phone, I still have until tomorrow morning at nine o’clock to be ex-husband-free. And I’m taking every minute of that agreed-upon time without him.

Divorce was the right move—I can’t pretend that’s not the case—but spending half a lifetime with someone, just to see your life together go up in flames is not what I envisioned for my future at any point in my past. Even when something is right, it can still hurt like hell.

And this did.

Does.

Ugh.

It’s monumental, this breakup. I’ve been with him almost as long as I lived without him.

The dissolution of our marriage culminated in the entirety of the life Eddie and I created spread out before us on a mahogany conference table, his attorney to his left, mine to my right, and a mediator positioned in the middle at the head of the table, watching,judging, as we discussed who got the airline miles, the cars, the family home, the beach house…

The goddamndog…

The fact that we even debated that should tell you everything you need to know about my ex-husband.Ipicked the dog out at the shelter.Ibrought the dog home.Ifed and walked and bathed him.Idealt with the backlash from a man who very loudly—and very often—professed how very much he

Didn’t

Want

Dogs.

But when it came to deciding who would keep Ribbit? Eddie put up a fight.

Because of course he did. He’s a spiteful piece of work, that one.

Thank God Arabella was old enough that we didn’t have to bargain over who gotherin the divorce.

In actuality, neither of us got Ari. The beaches of Santa Cruz have our daughter now, which has been a blessing during this godawful divorce. Because she was away at school, she avoided seeing the bulk of our chaos, missed the back-and-forth battles between Eddie and me. She’s just finished her first year of college at UCSC, and only comes to visit on holidays and during summer break. My move has come at the perfect time; now that she’ll be home for the summer, she can split her time between her parents instead of being trapped in a home with us.

Which, I have to admit, is far from pleasant.

I never thought I’d be one of those women whose marriage ended once the child grew up and moved out, like we’d been holding on by the skin of our teeth until our obligatory eighteen years were up, but the truth is, Iwashanging on by the skin of my teeth. And as much as I would have remained in my marriage, only one of us wanted to work things out. I was willing to forgive him of all his indiscretions, but he wasn’t willing tostopsaid indiscretions.

After all is said and done, I never want Ari to think we stayed togetherbecauseof her.

We stayed together because I was weak and scared, desperately trying to cling to a life I’d once imagined for myself. We stayed together because I continued loving a man who was busy loving everyone else but me.

With a sigh, I close the box of dinner plates and reach for the tape gun, but Ari pulls it just out of my reach with a smirk.

I level my gaze on my beautiful girl.

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