By the time that Liza arrived at Charles' Pound Ridge residence mid-morning, it was a bustling city of caterers and event workers. She had only seen pictures of the home and took a few minutes to take it all in. It was a beautiful brick mansion with balconies, carefully manicured gardens and ivy crawling up the side of the house, like something out of an English novel. The yard was huge, and in the distance, she saw what appeared to be a pool house and fenced in inground pool. She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that this was a "vacation house". I could fit four of my house in New Jersey in this place, she thought, as she walked the path around to the back of the house.
A team of caterers were fluttering around a small tent, preparing tables and chafing dishes, while a group of young men finished setting up a gigantic bounce house on the other side of the lawn. Other workers were setting up a volleyball net and other various yard games. At first sight it appeared to be chaos, but in reality, it was a well-oiled machine overseen by Diana. For the past two years she had taken charge of this event, according to what Kelsey had told her, and she ran her crew of workers like members of a military team.
"Hey gorgeous." A husky, quiet voice drew Liza out of her reverie, and she spun on the spot to see Charles leaning against the door to what looked like a covered patio, partially hidden from view by manicured hydrangea bushes. Liza flipped her hair over her shoulder and tilted her head, smiling at him. He looked like he had fallen straight out of a J Crew catalog. He was wearing a navy-blue polo shirt and crisp white shorts. He looked as if he should be out sailing a yacht.
"Don't you look dashing."
"You're not looking too shabby, either." He let his eyes slide over her body slowly. She had done her hair the way she knew he liked, in soft wavy curls, but had pinned it up partially. She wore cropped jeans that were ripped carefully in places, giving him glimpses of her long, tan legs, and she wore a pink tank top that exposed her long, toned arms. She looked like a vision.
"C'mere" He tilted his head towards the room behind him, standing aside to let her walk past. He closed the door behind her, breathing in that familiar scent of coconut and vanilla.
"This place is amazing, Charles, oh." He cut her off mid-sentence, pulling her to him and backing them up against a wall. He kissed her tenderly at first, his tongue flicking lightly over her lips, gently asking permission. She welcomed him enthusiastically, emitting what he could only describe as a purr as his hands glide down her sides, his hands slipping into the back pockets of her jeans. Liza slid her hands up to his chest and onto his arms, her fingers bunching up the fabric on his sleeves. He pulled away for a second, nuzzling his head against her hers.
"Don't go home tonight." He whispered quietly. Liza lifted her hand to his cheek, lightly caressing his face. She could see the want in his eyes, feel his heart beating, rhythmic and steady, and her heart swelled with love for him. She couldn't remember anyone ever looking at her the way that he did.
"I already packed a bag. It's in the car." She leaned back into him, and he pulled her mouth to his, kissing her with a frenzied passion that made her knees weak. They continued like this for a few minutes until Liza heard Diana's voice outside the porch, terrorizing some poor worker. She started to pull away, but Charles wasn't having it.
"Diana." She murmured, pressing a hand to his chest and pushing him back. Charles sighed, leaning his head against her.
"You know, when you say your boss's name while we're making out, it's kind of kills the mood." Smiling, Liza stood up straighter, tidying her clothes.
"And she'll serve me as a side dish if I don't get out there and help her." Charles sighed and nodded towards the door.
"You better get out there then. I'll be out in a minute." He had gotten a little excited when he saw Liza and needed a minute to compose himself unless he wanted to thoroughly embarrass himself.
Liza followed the sound of Diana's voice over to the food tent, where she was chewing out a catering assistant for some ungodly reason.
"Diana!"
"Ah, you finally decided to show up, I see. Here." She thrust a small object on a chain at Liza.
"A whistle?"
"For the potato sack race."
"Oh, okay. Is there anything else I can do?"
"I'll let you know. These insipid caterers laid out the tables all wrong, but that's been taken care of. Oh, you can make sure the bartenders have enough ice. I had someone fill the freezer in the garage with bags of ice, so make sure they know where that is."
"Sounds good, boss." Liza started to walk away but paused as Diana spoke again.
"Have you spoken to Charles yet?"
Liza smiled at her. "Yes. I don't know if I would have if it weren't for you Diana. He asked her for a divorce last night."
Diana raised her eyebrows. "That'll make for an interesting day, today. She's coming, isn't she?"
"I think so."
"Tread carefully, Liza." Nodding, Liza turned and headed back out into the yard. She stopped and talked to the bartender, making sure they had everything they needed.
"Liza! Liza!" Bianca and Nicole came running around the corner of the house towards her, Charles in tow with a woman Liza assumed to be his cousin.
"Slow down, girls!" Charles called, laughing as they effectively body slammed Liza, wrapping their tiny arms around her waist. He couldn't keep the grin off of his face as he watched Liza return their hugs, reaching down to smooth their hair and kiss them on the cheek. She was a natural mother, he thought, no wonder his girls adored her.
"Is that your Liza?" His cousin, Anna, leaned over and whispered to him. He had told her about Liza a long time ago. Anna, about 8 years his junior, was the closest thing he had to a sister. She had 2 daughters and a son close to Bianca and Nicole's age, and the 5 children were fast friends.
Charles nodded, not able to pull his eyes away from Liza, who had looked up at him and smiled as the girls chattered at her.
"She's beautiful, cuz. And it looks like the girls are pretty enamored with her." Anna turned and caught the expression on her cousin's face. "Looks like their Dad is too."
"She's incredible." He murmured.
"Well then, why haven't you introduced me yet?" She hooked her arm through his and pulled him towards her nieces and this new woman.
Liza stood and straightened back up as Charles walked over with "Aunt Anna", as Nicole had just referred to her before she and Bianca had run off across the lawn. She was pretty, with black hair pulled into a ponytail and eyes that were the exact same shade as Charles'.
"Liza, this is Anna Brooks-Baker, my cousin. Anna, this is Liza," he added, "my girlfriend."
"It's nice to finally meet you, Liza. My cousin here can't stop talking about you."
"Oh, really?" Liza's eyes sparkle as Charles rolled his eyes at his cousin. "Well, I'm quite the fan of his, too. It's so nice to meet you."
"Oh, I better go stop that from happening." Charles had caught sight of Bianca attempting to climb into the bounce house, her wrist cast preventing her from getting a good grip on the material to pull herself up. He jogged across the lawn, Liza watching his retreating figure.
"You've got it bad, don't you?" Anna observed, squinting at her.
"You've got no idea."
"He's told me a lot about you, Liza. Everything that the two of you have gone through to get to this point. Listen, I never liked Pauline, and I want to like you because he," she pointed to Charles, "is head over heels in love with you, but I swear to god, if you hurt him, it won't be pretty."
"Anna, I don't plan on hurting him. I love him too, very much."
"Well then," she said, sliding her sunglasses back down over her eyes and checking her Michael Kors watch, "we won't have a problem. Tell Chucky that I'll pick the girls up at 6:00. They're having a camp out at my house with their cousins."
"Absolutely. Again, it was really nice to meet you, Anna. I hope we get a chance to talk again soon."
"I'm planning on it. See you later, Liza." Liza watched her walk away before turning her attention back to the party.
The next hour or so passed quickly as employees and authors alike started to arrive. The noise level continued to rise as the yard became populated with children milling around the bounce house, blowing bubbles and crowding around the face painting booth and the guy making animal balloons that Diana had hired. A group of scantily clad interns led by Becky started a pickup game of volleyball and the women from HR settled themselves into a row of chairs within reach of the bar.
Liza saw Pauline arrive, brushing past Charles and making a beeline for the girls, who ran to her and hugged her. She watched Charles watch from a distance for a moment, before turning to her and smiling at her from across the lawn.
Kelsey arrived a few minutes after Pauline with Josh and Clare in tow. She settled in with them, fetching them all drinks and playing a round of yard Jenga, she and Clare teaming up against Kelsey and Josh. Every few minutes she scanned the yard for Charles, catching his eye and grinning across the room or blowing him a discreet kiss. He passed by their game a few times, pausing to watch as Liza struggled to push a piece out of the precariously leaning puzzle. Her face was scrunched up in concentration, and he thought she looked absolutely adorable.
After Kelsey toppled the Jenga game, Liza excused herself from their group to go get a drink and see if Diana needed any assistance. Grabbing a bottle of water from a bucket of ice, she turned and ran right into Pauline.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Pauline. Didn't see you there." She smiled tightly at her and turned to walk away, but Pauline reached out and touched her lightly on the arm.
"I haven't seen you all week, Liza. Is everything alright?"
"Of course. It's just been busy, that's all."
"Me too." Pauline said absentmindedly, her eyes straying to where Charles sat with Bianca and Nicole on the lawn, deep in conversation about something. Liza followed her eyes and squirmed, trying to think of a quick way to excuse herself.
"He asked me for a divorce last night." Pauline nodded at Charles. "Kind of took me by surprise."
"Oh. I'm sorry, Pauline."
"I don't know what to do Liza. He made it pretty clear that there's no chance of us ever getting back together. What do you think I should do?"
Liza swallowed uncomfortably. She couldn't have this conversation with Pauline, that was for sure. "Pauline, it's really not my place to commentate on your marriage. But you've got to find a way to move forward, regardless of what happens. You can't go back and change what happened."
"You're quite the diplomat, Liza. Always finding the right thing to say to people."
"Trust me, I'm not that good at talking. I tend to ramble."
"I asked him if he was seeing anyone. He didn't really give me an answer. I know I've asked before, but are you sure you don't know anything? Please, Liza, I'm desperate here."
"Pauline, I've had this conversation with you before, and I'm not going to have it again. And I'm sorry, but I've got to run. Diana has me officiating all these yard games. Sorry." Liza turned and walked away before Pauline could say anything. She strode over to Bianca and Nicole, bending down next to them. Charles watched her striding across the lawn and saw Pauline eyeing them, expressionless.
"Everything okay?" He asked, quietly, as she bent down by the girls.
"Yeah. So, who's ready for the potato sack race?!" She smiled down at the girls.
"No! I wanted to do the three-legged race first!"
"Yeah, me too!"
"Alrighty then, three-legged race it is!" Liza stood and whistled, yelling out to the crowd that it was time for the games to begin. Grinning, she reached out a hand to Charles to help him up off the ground. The two walked behind the girls, arms casually grazing. Bianca turned and looked up at Charles.
"Daddy, whose gonna be your partner?"
"Oh, I'll probably sit this one out. I'm a little old for races."
"No, Daddy, please!"
"Yeah, Dad, pretty please!" Both girls put on their best pout and it was clear to Liza that they had Charles completely wrapped around their fingers.
"Liza can be your partner." Nicole looked up at Liza, eyes wide and puppylike, and she had to admit that they had her hooked pretty bad as well. Charles looked over at her and shrugged, his eyes glinting.
"If the boss insists." He grinned at her, taking the whistle out of her hand and waving Zane over. "Do you mind, Zane? Liza's been commandeered by my girls."
"No problem, boss." Zane jogged down to the head of the line as Liza and Charles settled in between Bianca and Nicole and Josh and Clare.
"Liza, will you tie our rope?" Bianca waved around the short piece of rope meant to bind her to Nicole.
"Of course, sweetie." She bent down and wrapped the rope around the girls' legs, whispering something to them that made them both burst into a fit of giggles. Charles watched from a few feet away, overcome with a surge of pride and affection. His girls were more open and affectionate with Liza than most people, their mother included. And the way Liza so effortlessly bonded with them made him fall even more in love with her, if that was possible. She stood, helping the girls get back into line and walked back over to him, a piece of rope in her hand.
"I've got it." He took the rope from her and bent down; his left leg pressed against her right. He felt her hand rest on his back to steady herself, and he could feel the blood rushing to the southern regions of his body as he reached down and grazed her thigh as he wrapped the rope around their legs, once, twice, three times, tying a knot at the front. He straightened slowly and leaned over to whisper in her ear, "We should hold onto a few of these ropes for later, Ms. Miller." Liza turned a shade of pink and started coughing and he smirked, triumphant.
"Three, two, one, Go!" Zane blew the whistle and the pairs started wobbling across the lawn to the line 30 feet away. Liza caught sight of a few people topple over, and she snaked her arm around Charles to stabilize herself. Bianca and Nicole were a few feet ahead of them and Clare and Josh were right next to them. She saw Clare trip out of the corner of her eye and turned her head, but at the same moment she lost her balance.
"Oh shit, we're going down!" She felt Charles grab onto her as they tumbled onto the ground, collapsing in a fit of laughter.
Pauline watched the scene unfold from the shadow of an oak tree on the side of the lawn. She had been annoyed by being brushed off by her editor. Liza was supposed to be her friend, wasn't she? Instead, she treated Pauline like an annoyance now that the book was done. What was her problem? She had watched, her temper continuing to rise, as Liza had gone over to her girls, who treated her like she was their long-lost best friend. She was struggling to connect with the girls, who were still mildly standoffish with her, and in waltzed Liza, and they couldn't stop hugging her and giggling with her. It made Pauline's blood boil. She knew she shouldn't be jealous of her, but she couldn't help it. That should be me, she thought, as she watched Liza make her way across the lawn with Charles, watched her talk with the girls, helping them get ready for the race.
She watched as Charles leaned over and said something to Liza, watched as he had bound them together with a rope and wrapped his arm around Liza as they fumbled their way across the lawn. They fell down at the same time as the blonde girl and that tattooed guy, she had seen Liza with earlier, a tangle of limbs. She could feel the blood rushing to her head as she tried to process what was going through her mind. She had never seen Charles act that casually, that comfortably around another woman, except for her. The way he talked to Liza, the way he looked at her. Something was going on that she didn't know about, and she intended to find out.
The afternoon wore on peacefully as the crowd began to dwindle. Liza could feel the exhaustion of the last few days settling in and wanted nothing more than to disappear into an airconditioned room and take a nap. Diana had thankfully not handed off any more tasks to her, which was out of character, but Liza was choosing to take full advantage, and was sitting in a lawn chair, waiting for Kelsey to come back with drinks. She had had a few more drinks than normal and was definitely feeling a buzz. Which, in hindsight, was probably the only reason why she had brushed Pauline off earlier instead of talking to her. She was just sick of it, sick of her. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but part of her wanted Pauline to find out about her and Charles, just to get it out of the way.
"Penny for your thoughts." Josh climbed into Kelsey's vacated chair, a beer in his hand. Liza squinted over at him.
"Just thinking. Where's Clare?"
"At the bar with Kels. Those two can knock em back."
"You're no lightweight, mister. But, yes, they can." She waved across the lawn to Charles, who had glanced over at her as he spoke with a departing employee. They seemed to have a radar for each other – all afternoon they had scanned the crown for each other, quickly finding the other and returning a smile or a wave.
"How are things with you two?" He nodded towards Charles. "I'm not a fan, but I want to make sure you're happy, Liza, and the last time I saw you with him, you definitely weren't."
"It's been tricky, but we're figuring things out. He told Pauline he wants a divorce."
Josh nodded. "That's good, I guess. Not for her, but for you."
"Liza!" Their conversation was cut off as Diana called to her, waving her over.
"Duty calls. Talk more later?"
"Yeah. We're probably going to take off in a bit, but let's get together soon. I miss talking to you Liza." She stood and rested a hand on Josh's shoulder. "I miss talking to you too, Josh. I want us to be friends."
"Me too."
"Ready to go, girls?" Charles ushered the girls out the back door of the house after spending the last 20 minutes struggling to get them to focus long enough to finish packing their bags. They had indulged in a little too much cotton candy this afternoon, and were wired, bouncing off the walls and collapsing into incoherent fits of giggles. It was adorable, but exhausting. Anna would have her hands full tonight. So would he, Charles thought, but for an entirely different reason, a reason that stirred something inside of him. It had been too long since he had been with Liza, the two of them alone together.
"We've gotta go say goodbye to Mommy."
"Alrighty," he said, crouching down to give them hugs. "Be good for Aunt Anna tonight, okay? I'll pick you up tomorrow and we'll go home. How about pizza for dinner tomorrow?" He knew he shouldn't, that he should make a proper dinner, but the girls loved pizza, and he felt guilty for the tumultuous past couple of weeks. He would have to tell them tomorrow that Pauline was moving out, he thought, and god only knows how they would take that. He also resolved to tell them about Liza, because he wanted them to get to know her as Dad's girlfriend, not as Liza the babysitter.
"Bye, Daddy. Love you. Bye Liza!" The girls called out to Liza, who was standing on the second-floor balcony of the house, talking to Kelsey and Diana. Most of the guests had gone, and the caterers and other workers were packing up the last of their things. Pauline was around here somewhere, and Josh and his girlfriend were still here, which mildly annoyed him, but Liza had mentioned something about them having driven out here with Kelsey. He just wanted everyone to leave. Everyone except Liza.
Liza waved to them from her spot on the balcony, blowing them kisses, which they returned, giggling, before running over to Pauline, who was sitting on a bench off to the side of the lawn, scrolling through her phone. He shook his head and retreated inside to his study to grab the final check for the caterer.
"You two be good for Anna, okay? I love you and I'll see you soon." Pauline kissed both girls on the forehead before watching them run to Charles's cousin Anna, who glanced in Pauline's direction and gave her a curt nod. Anna had never liked her and had made no qualms about letting Pauline know that. She stood, watching, as the girls piled into Anna's SUV and closed the door, never turning to wave a final goodbye to her.
"They're great kids. Bianca and Nicole." The tattooed guy that had been hanging out with Liza came up beside him, watching as the SUV pulled out of the driveway. Pauline recognized him as Josh. She had spent the last few minutes scrolling through Instagram, looking at Liza and Kelsey's feeds, trying to piece together some information. She was scouring for some sort of clue that might give her some insight into the personal lives of the women that Charles spent so much of his time with. Liza's Instagram was smattered with pictures of her with this Josh guy. It looked like they had dated for a while, but he was with that willowy Irish girl now. Most of the other pictures were of her and Kelsey, or her and a black-haired woman named Maggie. She caught sight of Charles in a few pictures, but they mostly looked like pictures from publishing events, and they were always part of a larger group. Nothing useful.
"I'm Josh, by the way. A friend of Liza and Kelsey's."
"Nice to meet you, Josh. I'm Pauline. Turner-Brooks." She added. Pauline Turner, now, she thought, icily.
"Ahh, the other ex. Nice to meet you." He stuck his hand out to shake hers, but she made no move to reciprocate.
"What do you mean, the other ex?"
He looked at her for a second, a stupidly confused look on his face. "I'm Liza's ex-boyfriend. You're Charles's ex-wife, right?"
"Not quite yet. But yes, I'm his wife. Are you telling me that they are, that they're, together?" Her voice shook with a quiet rage. She stood, staring at this idiotic, overly tattooed 20 something, trying to process what she thought he was telling her.
"Oh, shit. Listen, I'm sorry. I thought you knew." He ran his hand through his hair and looked like he wanted to dissipate into thin air.
"How long?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure. A couple months, maybe. But listen, I know I don't know you, don't know anything about you, but I know Liza. Better than most people. She's happy. They're happy. Respect that, will you?"
He turned, walking away quickly towards the driveway, glancing back at her quickly. Shit, shit, shit, he thought. He hadn't meant to do that. He was trying to help. And why the fuck hadn't Liza and Charles told her they were dating. What the fuck? He pulled out his phone and typed out two quick texts.
Kels, we're ready to go. Meet us by the car.
L, I may have accidently just told Pauline about you and Charles. Thought she knew. Sry.
"Josh and Clare want to get going. I think I'm going to take off." Kelsey swallowed the last of her drink, setting the empty glass on the wooden railing of the balcony.
"Please tell me that you're not driving."
"No, no. Zane offered to drive us home. I'll see you two on Monday?" Kelsey waved a hand goodbye to Liza and Diana. Diana had been giving them a tour of the house, and they had ended up on the balcony with 3 glasses and a bottle of sipping tequila.
"Thank you for all of your assistance today, Liza." Diana leaned over the balcony. "It looks like they're just about done down there, so we're free to go, I think. Do you need a ride back to the city? I'm not going to Brooklyn, but I can have my driver drop you off at the subway."
"Actually," Liza paused, squirming a little. "I'm not going back to the city until tomorrow."
Diana appraised her for a moment, her eyebrow slightly arched. "Ahh, so you talked, then?"
"Yes, we did."
"People should always heed my advice." Diana smiled slightly, shaking her head. How her awkward assistant had bagged the most eligible man in the publishing world would continue to astound her, but she couldn't help but admit that she liked seeing them together.
Someone cleared their throat behind them, and both women turned to see Pauline standing in the doorway, arms crossed, looking particularly foul.
"I need to speak with Liza for a moment. Alone." With a pointed look at Diana, Pauline stepped out onto the balcony.
"I'll just take these insides." Diana picked up the empty glasses and the bottle of tequila, making a point to leave the door open as she stepped inside.
Liza smiled and turned back towards the lawn. The sun was starting to slowly set, casting an orangish glow on everything.
"What can I do for you, Pauline?" She felt the blonde walk forward and stop next to her, her hands resting on the railing.
"Surveying your new kingdom, are you?"
Liza fell still and silent for a moment as the words sunk in. She knows, Liza thought, with the sinking feeling like all of the blood in her body was draining out of her.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Pauline."
She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Don't play dumb with me. I know about you and Charles. How long have you been screwing my husband, Liza? Is that how you got your job? By fucking your boss?"
Liza could feel her face turning red, but she wasn't going to let Pauline speak to her like that. Like she had the right. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Pauline."
"Like hell. Are you denying it?"
"No, I'm not. We are seeing each other, but only recently. I've worked for Empirical for a year and a half. I only started dating him two months ago."
"All this time, you've been lying to my face. You both have!"
"It's more complicated than that, Pauline, and you know it. I've kept my distance since you returned. I wanted Charles to decide on his own what he wanted to do. I would have stepped aside if he decided to reconcile with you, even though I love him."
"Love? Don't kid. You're just like every other little bitch that latches on to a successful man. He and I would be together right now if it weren't for you, you little homewrecker." And with that, she reached up and slapped Liza across the face, with as much strength as she could muster. Liza staggered back, her hand flying up to her cheek.
"You need to leave, Pauline, right now. Go." The words were not said by Liza, who was still shell shocked, eyes wide, but by Diana, who had walked back out just as Pauline had made contact with Liza. She stepped aside in the doorway, a cold look on her face, gesturing for Pauline to go.
"No, I'm not leaving. This is my house."
"But it's not, is it? Leave now, Pauline, if you know what's good for you." Diana stepped back as Pauline huffed and turned on her heel, stomping past Diana, back into the house and down the stairs.
"Are you alright?" She wrapped her arm around Liza, pulling her towards the door and back into the house. They stepped back inside, onto the second-floor landing. Downstairs a door slammed, and the sound of Pauline's raised voice filled the air.
"Let's get you out of here for a few minutes." Diana pulled Liza down the stairs quietly and out onto the patio, pulling her onto the covered porch where Liza and Charles had sequestered themselves this morning.
"Are you alright?" Diana repeated. Liza still hadn't said anything, and Diana watched as she sunk into a lounge chair and breathed out heavily, like a deflated balloon.
"Yeah, I'm okay, Diana. That just threw me for a loop."
"She's out of control. It's always the quiet ones that surprise you." The double entendre of Diana's statement wasn't lost on Liza, and she let out a small laugh.
"You don't have to wait here with me, Diana. You've had a long day, and you don't need to be caught up in this drama. I'm just going to hide out here for a while."
Diana surveyed her, concerned. "Are you sure?" She felt protective of Liza, and even though she knew she could handle herself, was hesitant to leave.
Liza smiled weakly and nodded. "Absolutely. Go home. I'll see you Monday."
"Well, alright then. See you Monday." She stood to leave, stopping briefly to rest a hand on Liza's shoulder and give her a reassuring squeeze. "Goodnight, Liza."
Charles had just come back inside from paying the caterer, his final work-related task of the day, and was intent on tracking Liza down when he heard his office door slam and saw Pauline stomping down the hallway towards him. He turned, walking into the kitchen to get a glass of water.
"Don't walk away from me, Charles. I need to talk to you." She stood in the doorway, watching him reach for a glass and fill it with water. He turned, taking a sip, and leaning against the counter.
"What now, Pauline? I've had a long day."
"Well, it's not over yet. I know about her. About Liza."
Charles closed his eyes briefly. So, they were going to do this now, he thought. Might as well rip off the band aid.
"You lied to me! All this time, you were lying to me. I asked you yesterday if there was anyone else, and you said no."
"No, I said it was none of your business. And it isn't. My relationship with Liza is exactly that. MY relationship. You and I have been over for a long time. I've moved on."
"With an assistant at your office? That's your plan? To screw some hot young girl at work? You're quite the cliché, Charles." She snarled; her voice laden with disdain. "I never would have taken you for the mid-life crisis sort of man, but here we are."
"Don't speak to me like that. What gives you the right?" He tossed the glass into the sink, the sound of metal on glass echoing through the room. He could feel his temper rising, the blood pumping loudly through his body. "Liza isn't some mid life crisis. I've had feelings, strong feelings, for her for a long time. I'm in love with her, Pauline. Not you, her. You're just going to have to accept that. Liza isn't going anywhere. She is a part of my life, and she is going to be in our children's lives. You made the decision to leave us, and I've made the decision to move on. Deal with it."
Pauline rolled her eyes and shook her head. "If you think I'm going to let some perky 20 something become stepmother to Bianca and Nicole, you've got another thing coming, Charles."
"She's not in her 20s, Pauline. She's 40 years old. She has a daughter in college." At the look on her face, he added, in a quieter voice. "She's not a fling, Pauline."
"She never told me that."
"Well, she doesn't feel the need to air every detail of her personal life out in the open."
She narrowed her eyes at him, shifting from one foot to the other. "This isn't over, Charles. Not by a long shot."
"I don't expect it is. But for tonight, you're finished. Leave. Now. And you should make arrangements to stay somewhere else. You're not coming back to the brownstone."
"You said I could have a week." She protested, crossing her arms and glaring at him like a petulant teenager.
"I will gather your belongings and have them ready for you to pickup Monday afternoon while the girls are at their summer program. But I don't think it's a good idea for you to stay there anymore."
"Fine." She grabbed her purse off of the table near the door, throwing him one last dirty look before exiting the room and slamming the front door behind her. Charles followed her to the door, watching as she climbed into her Mercedes and tore out of the driveway. He shook his head as if to get rid of all thought of her, and his eyes fell on the blue SUV still sitting in the driveway. Liza.
Charles spent the next few minutes wandering through the house, calling for Liza. He checked all the bedrooms and the second-floor library. Every empty room he met felt like a stone in his stomach, twisting him up into knots. What if she had left with someone else? What had Pauline said to her? He could curse Pauline for causing all of this unnecessary drama. He just wanted to be with Liza, and it felt like every obstacle was being shoved in their way. He was just so sick of it all. He returned downstairs, checking all of the rooms and resolving, no, praying, that she was outside somewhere. He walked out to the porch where he had pulled her in for kiss earlier this morning. A lamp was on, but she was nowhere to be seen. Sighing, he walked back out onto the lawn. It was a gorgeous night. The sun had gone down while he was inside, and the trampled lawn was now a sea of darkness.
A glimmer of light out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he turned towards it. Towards the pool house, where he saw, with great relief, the shadow of a slim figure sitting on the edge of the pool. Relief washed over him, and his mind began to clear as he walked across the lawn. The knots in his stomach dissipated, and it was as if his entire world had righted itself.
He opened the gate to the patio surrounding the pool and stepped inside. He slipped off his shoes and socks, setting them on a nearby table and walked over to where Liza sat, completely absorbed in thought. Sitting down next to her, he dipped his feet into the cool water, letting the sensation settle in before he spoke.
"I thought you might have left. I couldn't find you."
"Just needed to take a little walk. I'm guessing she talked to you?"
"More like yelled, but yes. She accused me of using you as a midlife crisis. I set her straight. Told her that she needed to get used to us, that you weren't going anywhere. Hey," he murmured, turning and pulling her hair away from her face and tipping her face up to his. "It's going to be okay. What happened to your face?" He had caught sight of the red welt on her cheek."
"That would be the work of your wife."
Charles felt his blood run cold. "She did that to you?"
"It's not big of a deal."
"Yes, it is, Liza. We're all adults here, for god's sake. She's acting like a teenager."
Liza turned, swallowing, pulling her feet out of the water and folding them underneath her. She reached over to take one of Charles's hands in both of hers.
"I really, really, don't want to talk about her anymore, Charles. I just want to be here, with you."
He ran his free hand up her arm and cradled her head, his thumb running gently over the welt on her face. "I've wanted nothing more than this all day. Being here, alone, with you, it's all I could think about Liza. You're all I can ever think about. I love you so much." Charles leaned in, kissing her gently on the lips and moving slowly to kiss her neck and that sweet spot just by her ear that sent shivers through her whole body. She sighed out slowly as he rose, his hand outstretched. Without hesitation, or a word spoken between them, she accepted, her hand fitting perfectly into his as he led her into the pool house.
He didn't turn on any lights as he led her through the living room and kitchen and down a narrow hallway. He pushed open a door at the end of the hallway into a bedroom that was lit only by the moonlight and the light from the patio shining through the windows.
He closed the door behind them and took Liza in his arms, wrapping his around her waist as she slid her around his neck. He leaned in to kiss her, repeating the words he had spoken moments ago. "I love you so much, Liza. I've missed you so much."
Liza's eyes misted over, and she swallowed, slowly, overcome with emotion. With love for this amazing man in front of her. "I love you too." She could feel her insides liquefy as his eyes glinted at her words before darkening with desire. She gasped as he reached down and lifted her, bride style, and carried her over to the bed.
He laid her down gently, but stood back up, his eyes never leaving hers. Slowly he reached down and unbuckled her sandals, tossing them onto the floor. He pulled off his shirt and unbuckled his shorts, letting the clothes land in a pile on the floor. Liza felt that familiar sensation of intense desire fill her body as he stood at the end of the bed only in his briefs. He ran his hands slowly from her ankles to her thighs, reaching up to flick open her jeans and tug them off. She arched her hips up to help him and saw that intoxicating flash of desire cross his eyes. She reached down and pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it in the direction of the floor.
Charles climbed back up onto the bed and propped himself up on one elbow, hovering over her. He leaned and kissed her on her neck, moving up to her ear and back towards her lips, leaving a burning trail of fire on her skin. She bit her lip and moaned into his mouth as he met hers. She felt his hand reach under her and unhook her bra, expertly unhooking it and extracting it from between their bodies. He moved his head lower, taking one of her breasts in his mouth and the other in his hand, leaving Liza's writhing underneath him, her hands gripping the sheets as she arched up against him. She felt like every nerve in her body was on fire and her body tingled everywhere he touched her.
Charles reached down and hooked a finger over the edge of her panties, pulling them down and off of her feet, and then doing the same with his briefs. He needed them to be bare to each other, skin to skin, no barriers between them. Liza moaned again as he ground his hips into her as he covered her mouth with his once again, feeling how ready he was for her. She parted her legs, wrapping one around his hip to pull him close to her as she arched her back, silently begging him to give her what she so desperately needed. She heard him growl deep in his throat and he lifted his mouth from hers for a moment to whisper. "I need you, Liza."
"I'm yours." She whispered back, her lips millimeters from his. He searched her eyes for a moment, seeing nothing but love and desire reflected back into his. He covered her mouth with his and slowly slid into her, taking his time. Because, now, finally, they had all the time in the world.