Chapter One
Marrying George was a mistake. After Alex denied her unconventional proposal that morning, she ran into her old lover in town.
"Look, you're an attractive woman. I'm sure you'll find someone else pretty quickly."
The sheriff's words from that morning stuck with her. As the two were catching up Norma decided to conveniently slip in the fact that Norman wasn't doing so well. All she needed to do was flash him a sad face and throw in a little bit of her manipulative charm. Sure enough George gave in, confessed that he still had strong feelings for her, and soon they were walking hand in hand down the street to grab a cup of celebratory coffee.
Norma silently congratulated herself that night. Sure the previous breakup with George had left an uncomfortable tension between her and Christine, but she knew the two would be on the mend. She would go back to putting in a good word for her and the motel business would boom. George had great standing in the social scene of White Pine Bay and a successful job. He had the insurance she needed and plenty of money to help get Norman the care he needed at Pine View. To top it all off, he was a nice guy. So nice to the point that it was almost too good to be true.
He was a good choice, but he was her second choice. She couldn't help but think what things would be like if Alex said yes. She couldn't help but imagine what their "marriage" together would have been like. She knew he had feelings for her. Why didn't he want to at least help her and her son? He knew Norman was troubled and needed more help. He had to know Norman was beyond her control. Was it all in her head? Did she misinterpret his feelings? Why did he have to turn her down? That's right, Norma thought, I'm a mess. A sorry excuse for a sheriff's wife. How could Alex Romero ever want someone like me?