Newton Neighbors (New England Trilogy) (51 page)

“We’ll have Tibetan bulls?” Ely asked.

“No.” Noreen laughed. “He’ll have a bullzye, get it? A bull’s-eye!”

They all laughed.
 

“Has Cathi forgiven you yet?” Jessie asked, but Noreen raised her hands in the air.
 

“It wasn’t my fault if she let her little shih tzu run wild with Rusty. He’s an old dog and a smooth operator. Those little pups will be landing any day now. It takes about two months for a shih tzu to carry their litter.”

“Lucky bitch,” Ely said, rubbing her growing stomach.

A car horn beeped outside. “That’ll be Hugo.” Noreen sprang to her feet, and the girls followed her out to the hall. She had her suitcases ready to go, along with her purse and jacket. “Right, girls, I’m off. I have my passport and money, tablets and Rusty. Yes, I think that’s everything.” She ticked off her holiday list of essentials, and then she turned to the girls. “Take care of each other. I’ll be back before you both head your separate ways, but just in case I stay down in the Caribbean, give me an extra special hug.”

Jessie and Ely were sad to see Hugo whisk their landlady and Rusty away to sunnier places. They stood on the front porch and waved as the car drove out of sight.
 

“I’ll really miss her,” Ely said.

“Are you crying?” Jessie wrapped her arm around Ely’s shoulders. “You can phone her anytime, and she’ll be back in a few months. She’s already agreed to visit you when you’re settled.”

“I know, it’s just my hormones. Don’t mind me.”

“Who is that?” Jessie was distracted by a taxi pulling up outside the Sanchez house. She hadn’t spoken to Michael or Cathi Grant since they’d moved in.
 

Ely swung around to look at the car. “Hey, it’s the Sanchez family. Look, it’s Rick, Maria, and the kids.” She waved at them as they got out of the car. “That’ll make a nice Valentine’s Day visit.”

Maria was anxious as hell, which she knew was nuts. This was her house, but another family lived there. Maybe Cathi had changed it to her tastes. She felt like a stranger on Crystal Lake Lane, but she had agreed to come. They had to finish up the move and sort things out.

“You okay?” Ricky asked.

She forced a smile. “Yeah, just a little nervous.”

All of the Grants were at the front door of number seven to greet them. Michael bear-hugged Rick. Cody barely acknowledged the girls before tearing off to visit Todd. Katie and Stacy wanted to take Alice up to play in her old room. Then Cathi and Maria were left alone—standing, staring at each other.

“I really have to start with I’m sorry,” Cathi said as soon as the men had moved into the house and out of earshot.

Maria was relieved to hear that. “I let you down, too.”

“Come in. I feel weird saying that to you. This is your house.”

They walked into the living room together.

“Can I get you anything?”

Maria looked at the woman who was once her best friend. The only thing she really wanted was to resolve this damn mess. It was time to talk.
 

“What happened to us, Cathi?”

That was enough to make Cathi sit. She looked close to tears instantly. “I don’t know. I’m sorry. I was so wrapped up in my own troubles I didn’t see how much pain you and Rick were in. I was jealous of you.”

Maria sat on the sofa, creating a little distance from herself and her old friend. “Me? You’re the one with the perfect kids, husband, and life.”

Cathi looked around the room. “It was this damn house, this road. I just wanted what you had, and your life looked so amazing from the outside. You’re still so sexy, Maria, and you don’t even see it.”

“I’m about thirty pounds heavier than you.”

“Yeah, fifteen on each breast.” Cathi crossed her arms over her small chest.

Maria laughed and relaxed a bit more. She looked down at the sofa she was sitting on. It was hers. Funny how that didn’t seem to matter anymore. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you were going through whatever that was at Christmastime.”

“Faking the pregnancy?” Cathi closed her eyes tight for a second. “What the hell was I thinking?”
 

“What happened with the other house anyway?”

“The damage was covered by insurance, but the landlord kicked us out. We—that is,
I
—was a bad tenant. Maria, are you sure you’re good with us—that is, me—living here?”

Maria thought about lying but decided against it. She forced herself to look at Cathi. “I’ll be honest. I was fine with Michael being here, but I freaked when I heard you wanted to move in with the kids. But then Rick pointed out that if you guys rented it, we could get something nice in Puerto Rico. Plus, if you didn’t take it, there was a good chance we’d be stuck with an empty house for months. It made sense, so I cooled down.”

“Thanks, Maria, but I have to tell you, the neighborhood isn’t half as much fun now that you’re gone.”

Maria sat back in the sofa. “Rick told me you had a pretty bad flood in January.”

Cathi mirrored her friend’s action in the armchair, sitting right back, too. “Oh, wow. There was just so much rain, and water began to gather on top of the ice. Then it started to move up the yard toward the house. It wasn’t dangerous, like we didn’t have to evacuate, but I was terrified for everything on the ground level.”

“It didn’t come in?”

“No, but it was close.”

“How many times did I tell you Crystal Lake Lane has terrible flooding? You wouldn’t listen to me.”

Cathi sat forward again. “I know. I’ve been quite the fool. Look, please let me get you a cup of coffee.”

“In a minute, Cathi. It’s great that we’re clearing the air. First tell me about you and Michael. Are you guys getting through it?”

Cathi fiddled with the arm of the chair. “We’re in counseling. I’m seeing a therapist to help me work out what my whole social-climbing thing was about. My shrink says it’s pandemic—who knew?” She wiped the leather as if she’d fixed the problem. “Michael and I have agreed he’s going to take a year off to write his book. We’re going to rent this house from you guys, if that’s okay. Then we’ll see how his book goes. If he’s a success, we can buy something around here, and if it doesn’t succeed, we’ll move. Whatever he wants.”

Maria was surprised. “Hey, you’ve gone from one extreme to the other, Cathi. What you want matters, too.”

She looked unsure. “No, I think I’ll do it his way for a few years and see where that takes us. I think I owe him.”

“Okay, now you’re making me feel bad. I made Ricky give up everything he loves to come live in Puerto Rico.”

Cathi shook her head. “You’re all he loves, Maria. Michael tells me Rick told him it’s the best decision he’s ever made. He loves the pace of life down there. He sees more of you and the kids, I hear, and all that sun.”

Maria sat forward now, too. They were almost done. “I think life is better down there, but I don’t think it would suit you.”

“Oh, you never know. You look better than ever. What’s your secret?”

Maria thought of what her mother always said to her about the magic of Puerto Rico. “Local ingredients,” she said, understanding it now for the first time.

Fifi waddled into the room, her swollen belly almost touching the floor.

Maria gaped at Cathi, mouth open and wide-eyed.
 

“Yes, she’s pregnant, but Orga has been watching over her like an old aunt. I love that dog. We’d be happy to keep her if you wanted. The girls and Michael adore Orga. She has so much more personality than this prima donna.”

Maria stood. “It’s the one issue Cody’s had with the move. He misses that darn dog so much. We have to take her with us.”

Cathi got up, too. “It was Rusty, Noreen’s bulldog, that got to Fifi. Now we think she’s gonna have a litter of bull-shits.”

Both women guffawed, and Maria knew they were heading back to being friends.

“Funny thing is, everyone in Katie’s class wants one. Bull-shits are the new must-have!”

Maria bent down to tickle Fifi’s swollen tummy. “Oh, I still see some of the old irrepressible Cathi in there just begging to get out.”

Cathi winked. “What can I say? You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Anyway, Rusty has gone off with Noreen on a fabulous cruise in the Caribbean and then down to her new boyfriend’s house in Jamaica.”

Maria stood again and opened her arms. “Come here and give me a hug,
chica
. I’m so glad to see you again.”

With peace restored, the women worked their way through the house to figure what was moving to Puerto Rico and what was going to charity. All of Cathi’s belongings were in storage and would be moved into number seven once the Sanchez family had completed their move. Ricky was taking his red sports car, and Maria wanted her fur.

“It’s going to be far too warm where you’re going for a fur.” Ricky sounded surprised.
 

“I have an idea. I gotta go out somewhere, but I’ll be back soon,” Maria said and walked out of the house.

She was nervous all over again, but Maria felt sure she had to do this. It was still so cold in Newton. There was a thick blanket of snow on the yard. The paths were cleared, so she walked up to Noreen Palmer’s front door with the fur draped around her shoulders. When she rang the doorbell, Jessie answered.
 

“Mrs. Sanchez, I mean, Maria! Hi, it’s nice to see you. Won’t you come in?”

Maria entered the hall and followed Jessie to the front room where she had sat with Noreen the day Cathi had tried to talk the old lady out of her house.

“I came come to apologize, Jessie,” Maria said. “The last time I saw you, at Cathi’s party, I accused my husband of fooling around with you. I know now that wasn’t the case.”

Jessie looked uncomfortable. “Don’t mention it. Please, sit down.”

Maria did as she was told but kept talking. “No, I feel I must. You did nothing wrong. You’ve always been an absolute professional with me. You cared for my children and never let me down, but I didn’t afford you the same courtesy. I was very rude and I’m sorry. The truth is I was going through my own stuff, and you just landed in my path around the same time.”

Jessie looked straight at Maria now. She raised her hands in the air.

“Hey, we all make mistakes. Really, it’s no biggie.” She sat in Noreen’s favorite chair. “You’re living in Puerto Rico now? Noreen told me.”

Maria laughed. “It’s where I belong. What about you? Still plan to go back to the UK or have your plans changed?”

Jessie’s smile widened, and she blushed a little. “Um, I’m going home. I’ve met somebody. It’s still early, but we’ve a lot in common.”

“That’s a good place to start.” She rose to her feet again. “So I’m forgiven?”

“Sure.”

Maria took off her coat and handed it to Jessie. “Here, take this. It’s a lot colder in England than it is in Puerto Rico.”

Jessie looked stunned. “I can’t take this.”

“Please do. It would make me feel a lot better. I know that money is tight at home. I don’t need it. To be honest, it represents everything I’m leaving behind, but it’s still a beautiful coat. Sell it, if you like. Or take it and remember your good times in Newton, not the crazy neighbors you had.”

“Oh, come on!” Jessie smiled. “The Newton neighbors are what made the adventure such fun. I’ll really miss you guys.”