Pieces of Us (15 page)

I sighed and glanced at Ellen, who gave me an encouraging look.

“Lucy and Cam were seeing each other while we were married,” I whispered.

Bonnie and Sarah both gasped loudly, and Bonnie shot out of her chair to pace around the room. Sarah mumbled something under her breath that sounded like swearing, but I couldn’t quite make it out.

“While you were married? You mean
before
you left him?” Bonnie clarified. “Because we knew they dated after you left.”

I nodded. “Yes, she was the reason I left.”

“That fucking bitch!” Bonnie yelled.

“Bonnie!” I scolded, looking at Ellen and silently apologizing with my eyes.

“No, she’s right. Lucy is a fucking bitch,” Ellen said.

“You knew about this?” Bonnie asked her mother incredulously.

“Charlotte told me last week when she came for dinner with Owen.”

“Well, I’m going to talk to Cam about what a moron he is,” Bonnie said firmly.

“I’ve already done that, dear. It didn’t change anything,” Ellen told her.

“What did you say to him?” I asked. “You both looked so sad when you came down the stairs.”

Ellen sighed and shifted in her seat.

“I asked him what he’d been thinking. He didn’t really want to give me any answers; he just kept saying he needed to talk to you before he could explain anything to me. So I told him I was disappointed in him and he’d broken my heart.”

“You let him off easy. I would have yelled and thrown things,” Bonnie said, continuing to stomp around the room.

“I’m sorry, Ellen,” I whispered.

“No, I’m sorry, Charlotte. I’m sorry my son treated you so badly. I didn’t raise him to behave that way, and I’m deeply ashamed of him.”

“What did he tell you happened between us?”

“He didn’t say much. We asked him over and over what had happened, and all he would say was that he’d ‘messed up.’ He wouldn’t give any details.”

“I know Ryan tried to talk with him as well but got a similar response. All he would say was he wished he could make it right,” Sarah said, rubbing her hand over her swollen abdomen.

“That’s it. I’m going to talk to him right now!” Bonnie threatened, walking back over to the couch to get her purse.

“He’s at work. You can’t interrupt his appointments,” Ellen said firmly.

Bonnie thought for a moment before an evil smile broke over her face. She grabbed her cell phone and quickly dialed a number.

“Hello, I need to see Dr. Harper today. I have a terrible toothache,” she said into the phone. “I’m his sister Bonnie…See you then…Thanks very much.”

She hung up and smiled.

“He had a cancellation at two o’clock, and they can see me right away. I now have a whole hour booked with him, and no one will interrupt,” she said smugly.

“Now hang on — ” I began, but Sarah was trying to stand, and I stopped talking as I rushed over to help her.

“Let’s stop in at Dad’s surgery on our way and give Lucy a hard time too!” Sarah laughed.

“Oh, why didn’t I think of that?” Bonnie squealed.

Bonnie and Sarah walked out the front door, and I heard Bonnie’s car start.

“We’d better go with them to make sure they don’t get into trouble,” Ellen said, heading for the door.

I stayed on the couch, not really wanting to watch the drama that was about to unfold. I couldn’t think of anything I wanted less than to see Lucy. Just the thought of it had my palms sweating and pulse racing.

Ellen looked back over her shoulder and saw me still on the couch.

“Everything okay, dear?” she asked.

“I think I’ll just go home. The walk will do me good. I don’t want to be involved with whatever’s going to go on.”

Ellen sat down next to me on the loveseat. “I know Cameron and Lucy are probably the last people you want to see, but maybe it will help you put this behind you if you can confront them.”

I considered that she might be right. It
would
give me a chance to evaluate the situation after the conversation Cameron and I’d had in the forest.

I nodded and Ellen took my hand.

“If you want to leave, just let me know and we’ll go right away,” she assured me as we stood and went out to her car. We followed Bonnie and Sarah to Cameron’s office.

As we drove into town, I closed my eyes. I wasn’t as concerned about seeing Cameron as I was about facing Lucy. I hadn’t seen her since that day at the grocery store five years ago, and I was terrified that all those emotions would come flooding back as soon as I saw her. Lucy and I had such a history. We’d been best friends since grade school and a part of me missed the friendship I’d had with the Lucy who hadn’t stolen my husband.

Sooner than I would have liked, we pulled up outside the clinic. I scanned the parking lot and saw Cameron’s black car a few spaces over, its metallic paint glittering in the sun. I looked up at the building and felt a shiver run through my body. Cameron was in there right now, and so was Lucy. They were in there together every day.

It didn’t seem fair that after all the history I had with each of them,
I
was the one isolated. I still remembered the day they met…

…“You’re going to love Lucy!” I’d gushed as I pulled Cameron toward the diner.

“Well, I’m sure I’ll like her just fine, but you’re the only one I love,” Cameron growled, pulling me to his chest and kissing me fiercely.

“It’s really important to me that you like her. She’s my best friend,” I told him, resting my cheek on his chest.

“Don’t worry, love, I’m sure we’ll get along fine.” He grasped my hand tightly as we walked into the diner.

Lucy smiled as we approached the table. Of course she’d heard me gushing about Cameron for weeks, but I hadn’t been ready for them to meet until I was sure what I was feeling for him was real.

“Hey, Char,” she called, waving us over to her table. I saw the way she was running her eyes over Cameron, and I possessively put my hand around his waist.

“Lucy, this is Cameron,” I said proudly when we reached the table.

“Hey,” she said with a smile.

This was a new experience for us. We’d been best friends for as long as we could remember and neither of us had had a serious boyfriend before. I knew Lucy was jealous of the time I’d been spending with Cameron, but I hoped now we could all hang out together.

“Hi, Lucy,” Cameron said, pulling me close to him in the booth and picking up a menu. “What do you want to drink, babe?”

“I’ll have a vanilla Coke,” I said, smiling at him.

I looked over at Lucy and raised my eyebrows, questioning what she thought of him. She nodded and licked her lips, our code that she thought he was hot. I giggled.

“So, Cameron, is Charlotte your first-ever girlfriend? You look like a guy who’s had a bit of experience.”

My eyes narrowed. What she was trying to do?

Cameron shifted awkwardly and cleared his throat. “No, Charlotte isn’t my first girlfriend. But I wouldn’t say I’ve had a lot of experience. I dated a few girls in high school — nothing serious.”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to explain yourself,” I said, giving Lucy a firm stare.

“I’m just looking out for you, Char. I want to make sure you’re with a good guy,” Lucy said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I need to go to the bathroom, excuse me,” I said to Cameron as I stood up. “Join me, Lucy?”

She made a big drama about getting up before following me through the diner to the bathroom.

“What are you doing?” I asked as soon as we were through the door.

“Nothing. I just don’t think he’s good for you. He looks like a player. He’s probably just going to cheat on you — or dump you because he gets bored.”

I stared at her for a moment, but then I understood. “You’re jealous!”

“Am not!”

“Yes, you are! You think he’s attractive, and you don’t know what he’s doing with me,” I elaborated. I knew Lucy always thought of herself as prettier than me, and we’d had a similar argument when Ethan asked me to the prom.

She gave me a smug look. “You’ll see, and I’m the one who’ll have to pick up the pieces when he breaks your heart, just like I did with Ethan.”

Maybe she was looking out for me. My anger quickly dissipated. “I need you to like him. I love him, and he loves me, and he’s going to be in my life.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay, I’ll be nicer,” she promised, giving me a hug.

We walked back through the diner, and I smiled when I saw Cameron waiting for us to return. I could tell he was nervous because his leg was bouncing and he tapped his fingertips on the table. I wished I could run my hands through his thick black hair and calm him down.

“He is fucking hot!” Lucy said as we returned to the table…

“I don’t know about this.” Suddenly the idea of seeing Lucy was making me ill.

“What do you mean? Don’t you want to get back at her?” Bonnie asked. “Ooh, I know — you should walk into the office, pretend you don’t recognize her, and say you need to see
David
because you’re pregnant with his son’s child!”

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, and
that
information wouldn’t fly around town at the speed of light and give Owen a heart attack when he heard it from a stranger at the gas station.”

“Oh, right,” Bonnie replied, looking disappointed.

We rode up the elevator to the second floor and got out. The sign on the door said
D. Harper, Chiropractor
, and Ellen strolled in as if she owned the place. We all followed. I kept my head down so Lucy wouldn’t see me right away.

“Hello, Mrs. Harper. David is in with a patient, but he’ll be free to see you in a few minutes,” Lucy said pleasantly.

When I heard her voice I felt bile rise up in my throat. How could Cameron have ever cared about her?

“Actually, Lucy, we’re here to see you,” Bonnie said.

Lucy looked curiously at Bonnie and Sarah, and her eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw me standing behind them.

“Ch-Charlotte?” she asked.

I opened my mouth to say something, but I couldn’t get any words out.

“Don’t you speak to her,” Bonnie threatened.

“I’ll say whatever I like to her. Charlotte and I were friends long before she ever met you!”

“Yeah, well, you aren’t friends anymore! And neither are we! I can’t believe you could do this to Charlotte…to all of us! You destroyed our family,” Bonnie said. I could hear in her voice that she was close to tears.

“You can’t come in here and talk to me like this!” Lucy said, standing behind her desk.

“How could you hide this from us all these years?” Sarah asked, stepping forward to face Lucy.

I watched their interactions silently. They’d remained friends with Lucy all this time, and she’d lied to them every day.

“Are you going to let them talk to me like this?” Lucy asked Ellen in desperation.

“Yes. You deserve this and much more. If I could think of a work-related reason to dismiss you from this position, I would. Just count yourself lucky that you’re good at your job.”

“Do you have anything to add?” Lucy asked, turning toward me.

If I was ever going to confront Lucy, I knew this was the time. But I was shocked to find I didn’t have anything to say to her. The only reason to talk it out would be to mend our relationship, and that was the last thing I wanted to do. I just shook my head and turned away.

“I’m not just going to stand here and take this — tell David I wasn’t feeling well,” she said, grabbing her purse.

“Coward,” Bonnie said under her breath.

Lucy shot her a warning glare. “At least I can satisfy a man in the bedroom,” she snarled at me as she walked past.

An image of her and Cameron entangled invaded my mind, and I bit my tongue, turning so she wouldn’t see me cry. I wished I was strong enough to say something, but I knew I’d just start blubbering. She didn’t deserve the satisfaction of seeing my pain.

Just before she walked out, Lucy turned and looked at me. “You know, Charlotte, it’s a shame we couldn’t stay friends. After all the things Cameron told me about you, I really feel like I know you better than anyone,” she said with a smirk.

Rage clouded my judgment, and before I knew what I was doing, I’d slapped her hard across the face. “Shut up!” I yelled before clamping my hand over my mouth in shock.

Lucy stumbled back, clutching her cheek.

“Go, Charlotte!” Bonnie cheered as Lucy ran out the door.

Ellen’s arms were around me before I could really comprehend what had happened. “Are you okay?”

I nodded and took a moment to calm myself. The office phone rang and we all looked at each other. Ellen released me and walked over to the desk.

“David Harper’s office,” she said politely into the phone as she sat down in the chair.

“Let me just check for you…Yes, I have your appointment for three o’clock…Okay, see you then, Mr. Carter…Goodbye.”

I sat down in one of the waiting area seats and replayed what had happened. I felt like I floated out of my body and watched myself slapping Lucy. Did I really do that?

“Lucy, can you please make a return appointment for Mr. Gr — Ellen? What’s going on?” David asked, coming out of his office, a man trailing behind him.

“Hello, dear,” Ellen said, smiling from behind the desk. “I have everything under control.”

“Hello, Daddy,” Bonnie said with a wave.

David looked around his waiting room in shock as he registered that every woman in his family was there, plus me.

“Charlotte, what’s wrong?” he asked.

I shook my head, unable to put into words what had just happened.

“We talked with Lucy, and she walked out,” Bonnie said.

David sighed, and his jaw tensed as he turned back to Ellen, who was scheduling a return appointment for the patient.

“Thank you. See you next week,” Ellen said pleasantly as the man left the office.

“Okay, now let’s do Cam!” Bonnie said, clapping her hands and jumping like a child about to get ice cream.

“I have my hands full here,” Ellen said as she tapped on the keyboard.

“Do
what
to Cam?” David asked.

“Don’t worry, Dad. I’m just going to talk to him.”