The Next Wife by Kaira Rouda (speld decodable readers txt) 📕

again. That will be our rule. Our pact. She doesn’t owe that woman anything. Neither do I. I stand up and head down the hall.

Ashlyn isn’t in her bedroom. The door is open and the room is dark as I walk by. I find my daughter downstairs in the kitchen, drinking a glass of wine. She’s become quite comfortable in her skin this summer. Confident in her young adulthood, in her place in the world even though she’s still a college student. I never would have sat in my parents’ kitchen sipping a glass of wine, not without being offered one first. We were a family of rule followers, we always did the right thing. I really cannot think of a time I didn’t follow the rules, and it never occurred to me to rebel. Not until my husband left me for a woman half my age.

“There you are,” I say.

“Here I am,” Ashlyn says. Her fingers drum the kitchen counter.

I pull out a barstool and sit, resisting the urge to pour myself a glass. “Listen, I want to talk to you about Tish, about what happens from here forward. We can just ignore her. She has no relationship with us anymore.”

Ashlyn smiles. “You’ve never had a relationship with her, so that’s a pretty easy choice for you to make. She was my friend. At least, I thought she was. Now I know it was just an act. I was proud of you today, Mom. For sticking up for us, for Dad. I can’t believe all you’ve been through because of Tish.”

“It’s been a lot. You know, she’s not your friend. Never was. She’s an opportunist, maybe worse. She used you to make it easier for Dad to leave.”

“I’m starting to see that. She lies about everything.” Ashlyn sighs.

“It’s time to move forward, and with Tish out of our lives, it will be easier. Everything will be,” I assure her.

“I hope you’re right.” She looks so sad, my poor girl. “I still think she did something to Dad. In Telluride.”

I pull my daughter into a bear hug. We’re a team now. “You’re going to have to let it go. Dad is gone. We need to focus on the future. EventCo will be all yours one day. Everything I’ve done, I’ve done for you.”

“Thanks, Mom. I know.” I watch as her face crumbles with a wave of grief. “It just sucks. I miss him so much. And at the same time, I’m angry with him for falling for Tish in the first place.” Tears roll down her cheeks.

I must admit this is something I’ve been dreaming of: Ashlyn holding John accountable for the mess he made in our lives. But there’s no time to gloat, not now when Ashlyn is in such pain.

“I know this is all so hard. You and your dad had a very special relationship. I’m here for you, whatever you need. And just try to forget about Tish.” I take a deep breath and exhale. That feels good.

“She’s been my stepmom for three years. I know a lot about her. More than you even.” Ashlyn stands up. She grabs a tissue from the box and wipes her eyes. “For some reason, Tish is convinced Dad was coming back to us, getting back together with you. It was kind of driving her crazy. I saw her unraveling at work. It was funny how she tried to sneak up on you and Dad when he’d be in your office. Or when you guys slipped out to meetings together.”

I smile. My daughter is quite perceptive, I suppose. “Yes, your dad and I were talking again, building a relationship again, that’s true. But getting back together? That wouldn’t be something I would have agreed to, not likely.”

My daughter’s face falls.

“I mean, who knows. Maybe we could have gotten back together? There would have been a lot to overcome. But maybe.” I lie, but it will make her feel better.

“It seemed like you were open to the idea,” Ashlyn says. “As for me, I’m watching her. I don’t think she’s told us the whole story of what happened in Telluride.”

“She’s a liar and a fake. But you don’t need to worry about her anymore. It’s all over. We need to stay away from her. Just leave your dad’s death alone. It was a heart attack.”

“Was it? I’m not so sure.” And with that, she walks out of the room.

My daughter and I are on the same page. She is more like me than I thought.

I slide back onto my barstool and reach for Ashlyn’s unfinished glass of wine. I’m celebrating. It’s such a relief the EventCo office will finally be Tish-free. I didn’t realize how much I’d been holding my breath these past few years. How much I’d actually dreaded going into the office every day, knowing she was in the same space. Even if I didn’t see her, Tish’s presence was like a black cloud, bringing down morale. Employees feeling sorry for the president on a daily basis just doesn’t make for a great atmosphere, or the best way to run a company. I tried to explain that to John, but he was blinded by love. Or lust. Or just blinded by Tish.

“Tish will be here every day, just like before we got engaged,” John had stated, storming into my office after hearing “rumors” that I was hiring a replacement assistant for my ex-husband. “You just stay out of my affairs.” He’d flushed at the word choice and then softened. “Look, I don’t know if it was really you who wanted Sandra to hire a new executive assistant, or if that’s just gossip.”

“It’s gossip,” I’d answered, although I had been behind it. “It is the right thing, John. We cannot all three of us work here. It’s too awkward.”

John had shaken his head. “We’ve all been working here. Nothing has changed.”

Everything, of course, had changed. “You are the CEO of this company, and you’re engaged to be married to your assistant.