Taking Chances by Cosette Hale Read Free Book Online

you need me to.”
    “No, no. I’m fine. You’re not headed home?”
    “I have business nearby. I’m late, but that’s fine. It’s with a buddy of mine.”
    “Oh, no! I’m so sorry I ruined your afternoon,” I said, truly feeling guilty my drunken antics had sidetracked his plans.
    “It’s OK. We’re in this together,” he said, giving me a quick hug goodbye and echoing my thoughts.

Chapter Four
    I worked the later shift that day, sharing only the part about my miscarriage with Tammy— that alone was depressing enough. When I got out late at night, I finally called my mother, though I continued avoiding the subject of the pregnancy. Nor did I share with her my suspicions about Greg. The last thing I wanted was to worry my mom needlessly when she was so concerned about my father’s high blood pressure.
    “And then,” she said as she ranted about my dad, “All he talks about is what we will do when he retires this year. I’ve told him I want to keep working at the school still, but he insists on coming up with one ridiculous idea after another.” My mother has been teaching Spanish in the town high school for longer than I’ve been alive. I would think she’d want a change of pace from bratty teenagers, but she loves them, and they always seem to love her.
    “What does he want to do now? Is it still moving to Costa Rica?” He’d suggested that, Panama, and some Caribbean island or other in the past few months.
    “That’s always on the table, but now he wants to buy an RV and drive around the country. It sounds lovely, but I want to be able to come back to my house after a vacation, not stay in a big car!”
    “Dad is so funny. Why don’t you get him involved in the local country club? What if he takes up golf?” I suggested. I foresaw that’s what Greg would do in his retirement.
    “You know he doesn’t think golf is a real sport. Maybe you need to come down here, and he and Greg can go together. Then Greg can show him how fun it can be,” said my mother. She always found a way to insert a suggestion for me to go to my hometown, Harper Fields, no matter what the conversation.
    “I’d love to mom, but our vacation time is being used for the Virgin Islands,” I said, wondering if this vacation would actually take place. “Remember I leave on Friday.”
    “That will be such a beautiful trip. Tia Ana used to say it was her dream to go back there one day to those crystal clear beaches,” my mother said, referring to her late aunt who had traveled the world extensively on her cheating, rich husband’s dime. They stayed together until his death— him flaunting his women to the world, her flaunting his money in everyone else’s face. It was such a farce, yet I suppose she must have accepted it. She got to experience many exciting and faraway places. I wondered if I could do that— know with certainty that Greg was sleeping with other women (including my best friend) and stay married to him because it was more convenient than being alone and poor.
    “Tia Ana could have gone back if she wanted to,” I said.
    “True. Audrey, I want you to tell me if you think you’ll be able to come home at all this year. I wanted to throw a retirement party for your father in September if you think you can make it.”
    “Sure, mom, that should be fine. Let me know what weekend works best for you, and I’ll tell Greg,” I lied. Greg wouldn’t be coming.
    We hung up, and when I got home, Greg was already in bed asleep. He left me a note on the kitchen counter like he sometimes did. It said, “Going to sleep early. I had a rough day and have to be in early tomorrow. Leftovers in the fridge. I love you.” I wanted to throw up on it. In fact, I wanted to wake him up and yell insults at him. I didn’t need any proof from Gus. All the small things we’d found between Harvey and me were enough. This façade had to end, or I would go out of my mind. I tore the note up and threw it in the trash. Then I