The Other Other Woman (26 page)

The email was also from her Gmail account and not her business email. What kind of a real estate agent uses a winky face and a Gmail address to a client? A stupid whore, that’s what kind. Right away, I looked her up on Google. A very nice, professional looking photo came up. She was really quite pretty, a young Brazilian bombshell. Then I looked her up on Facebook. Fast forward ten years and add fake tits, hair extensions, and possibly lip and ass implants too. She and her giant collagen-injected duck lips were posing very suggestively. With her tits pushed up and her ass hanging out, she was definitely selling more than just real estate.

To make matters worse, he seemed to be creating more distance between us. He wouldn’t call all morning, and then he might send me a text saying he was “really busy” but would call me on his way out the door. When I talked to Brooke, things didn’t seem any more busy than usual. When we did talk, he was still very friendly. Almost too friendly, like I had been friend-zoned. He stuck to topics like work or politics but definitely nothing sexual. It was like he suddenly lost his mojo, at least for me. I tried to get him to open up a little during one of our calls.

“Do you remember, back in the day, when we were on the phone, and you would hang up and then go somewhere more private and call me back? I’d pick up the phone and you would say, ‘Listen, when I see you, I’m going to….’ and tell me all the things you wanted to do to me? Can I get that guy’s number again, please?”

“I know. That guy seems to have left the building lately. I have been kind of subdued on all fronts the last month or so. I’m trying to get it back.”

“You know you can talk to me, Matt. I’m an excellent listener in addition to being a sex machine. What’s going on with you?”

“I don’t know, babe, I’m just trying to figure stuff out.”

“With me?”

“No, not you, sweetie. Just in general. At work and at home.”

The next day, he would be fine again; laughing and joking, sending me political surveys, or the latest research on Netflix, a stock that I owned and we often argued about. I really couldn’t make heads or tails of it. I was thinking perhaps he was trying to avoid me because he knew he wasn’t going to make it to Miami, but he just didn’t want to tell me. But I knew that already, he didn’t have to tell me. And by this time, I was actually fine with that. I felt like I needed a vacation from his mind games.

He flew down to Miami for his business trip that Saturday. I didn’t even get so much as my usual
Landed safe in MIA
text. I knew he was also going to be looking at rental properties while he was down there, so naturally I couldn’t help but wonder if he was sleeping with Sofia on the side as well. I didn’t hear from him much at all that weekend, maybe a quick obligatory call or text just to check in.

That Monday wasn’t much better. I knew he had important meetings that day, but this was getting ridiculous. I told both Jules and Brooke that I had to say something. I was so over being ignored. I had to know if there was someone else taking my attention. Looking back, I wish I had just had the balls to ask him. At the same time, I did not want to piss him off and mess up our vacation plans. Brooke assured me there was no way that he would do that to us, even if we ended it. Late that afternoon I got a text:
Lots of problems. Will call you later.
Lots of problems is right, I thought. I fired off yet another of my patented, long-winded, guilt-inducing texts.

You know, I tried it your way, not overanalyzing things for a while. But I’m really not happy here. I must be looking for more of a traditional relationship than you are willing or capable of and it’s making me feel like I’m just another obligation to you. I know you have a lot going on, and I’m not trying to add to your stress. But I’m making myself sick by not saying anything and there is no good time to bring it up, because it’s always something with you. I’ve been pretty clear about how I feel about you. I’ve also given you numerous chances to bail out, and you haven’t. I don’t want to talk anymore unless you think this is something you want to continue. Please don’t keep me hanging on for convenience sake, as I’m pretty sure Raleigh is not ever going to be convenient. I’m not mad, BTW, but I’m tired of it always coming around to this.

He replied right away.

Hi Mal. I guess I feel like I met you at a bad time for me. I just cannot give you the time and attention that you need and deserve right now. I’m being pulled in so many directions, babe, I can’t even tell you. I do care about you a lot but I don’t see anything changing soon. I just can’t focus on you right now. So sorry, let’s talk tomorrow if you don’t mind or tonight after the dinner I have to go to.

That man had an uncanny ability to break up with you and work it out, all in the same breath. Did that mean he wanted to continue our relationship or not? I had no idea. So I responded with this, fully realizing that we were probably going to end it for good later that night.

After dinner would be nice so I could have more than five minutes. It’s not a matter of needing constant attention. You know that. I have my own life too. It’s about feeling like I matter to you. I totally get being busy, but even a two second text saying “can’t talk, lots going on” would go a long way. If you can’t even give me that, then we don’t need to see each other anymore. I don’t know, Matt, I felt much more connected to you the last time we were together and then it’s right back to this again. I guess I just imagined it.

I’ll call you later, okay?
he replied.

To my surprise, when he called that night, he didn’t want to end it at all.

“Hello?”

“Hey, sweetie…”

“Hey.”

“Are the girls in bed?”

“Yeah, so far. I’ll let you know if I need to go.”

“Mal…”

“Matt…”

“Go ahead,” I said.

“Okay, first, I’m sorry. I know I fucked up Miami. I never should have suggested that I should go. I know it was supposed to be a girl’s trip and I should have stayed out of it. I really did intend to come, originally, but I had a feeling those clients were going to need me down there earlier.”

“I knew you weren’t going to come, I just don’t understand why you couldn’t just be straight up with me about it.”

“Because, sweetie, I feel like I’m always disappointing you. But the more I thought about it, there was no way I could make two Miami trips back to back. Sandra would never go for that. Plus, I forgot Molly is going to be out of the office at a cram course that entire week that you two are gone, so I’d have to be in the office until Friday. And everyone knows y’all are down there in my condo, so how fishy would that look if I was down there too?”

“Well, I wondered about that, but why not just say so?”

“Because I was really going to try up until the end.”

“Don’t you get how much worse that is for me? I had my hopes up for a MONTH. For nothing. You don’t need to make me promises you know you can’t keep. It’s just not necessary. I’d rather have the ugly truth over a beautiful lie any day.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.”

“You know, you say that a lot…”

“That’s because I screw up a lot!”

At least he could admit it.

“Here’s what I want to do,” he added, “I want to come see you the Friday after you get back. I’ll come up in the morning, we’ll be able to see each other all Friday afternoon and spend the night together in a hotel.”

“But I could have had that for several nights in Miami. Plus, going out to awesome dinners, maybe some dancing, some frolicking on the beach, rubbing sunscreen all over each other. Come on, Matt. You and me, in Miami? There’s no contest there.”

“Yeah, I know, but this will be better because we will be 100% alone,” he insisted. “You know it would be really awkward if we were all in that condo together, it’s not that big. I know she doesn’t think so, but I guarantee Brooke would feel like a third wheel, even if I stayed somewhere else some of the time.”

“How are you going to come up to Raleigh on a Friday?”

“You remember my friend, Tess? The one I rode with?”

“Yeah. I remember the name, she’s gay, right?”

“Yeah. She’s been wanting me to come visit ever since she moved to Durham. No one else from our racing group has come to see her new place since she moved like five months ago. She’s pretty depressed about it.”

“But when would you see her?”

“Sometime Saturday afternoon,” he replied.

“Oh, okay. But I’ll have to make sure my mom can take my kids again, too. I mean, she’s got them the whole time I’m in Miami. She’s not going to be too jazzed about that,” I said, sounding doubtful. Although I had to admit, the idea of getting to sleep next to him overnight made me so excited I was practically jumping out of my skin.

“Well, she’s got a few weeks to get used to the idea.”

“Okay, so does this mean we’re not breaking up?” I said.

“Not a chance.”

“I don’t know, Matt, I need more. I really miss you. I miss the way you used to flirt with me. I need that. You are so far away and I never get to see you, and that’s all I have. If you don’t feel that way about me anymore, that’s a problem.”

“Of course I feel that way. I just told you I’m coming to see you!”

“Yeah, because I complained about it. But it’s not like you ever tell me you want me anymore.”

“Oh, Mal, of course I still want you. I’m just under so much stress lately that sex isn’t always in the forefront of my mind. Lately, I just want time to be alone and to decompress. Oh, and speaking of stress, let me tell you the latest on Ivan…”

“Uh oh.”

“So, he hasn’t talked to me in weeks, right? But calls me in a panic because he never bothered to show up for his court date for getting arrested back in June.”

“Are you serious?"

“And now the courts want him to pay over $2500 in fees or he has to serve 30 days in Coweta county jail.”

“Oh my God.”

“Yeah, I was livid; obviously he doesn’t have that kind of money.”

“Um, no he pretty much has negative net worth, doesn’t he?”

“Oh, yeah. He owes money to people all over town already, including me and his siblings. Really, it would serve him right to let him go to prison.”

“Yeah, but… well… yeah, you can’t let him do that…”

“No, I don’t think I can. I can’t willingly send my son there.”

“No question, I don’t think you have any choice but to bail him out yet again, babe.”

“Story of my life,” he said, yawning.

“Sounds like you need to get to bed, dear.”

“I know. I do, actually. Got an eight a.m. meeting,” he replied. “I really like being able to talk to you like this, Mal.”

“Yeah, me too,” I agreed.

“I just need you to bear with me, sweetheart, okay? But I’ll try to make more of an effort, too.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll call you in the morning. Sleep well.”

“You too. Night, baby.”

Chapter Ten

Tuesday, he seemed to keep his promise. He called after his first meeting and texted throughout the day in between others, letting me know how each one went. He told me he was given tickets to a baseball game that night, so he was psyched about that. He called me after dinner and went around the condo snapping pictures of the ocean from each of his balconies. The water was incredibly blue that evening and he wanted me to see it. I told him to have fun at the game and that I would talk with him tomorrow, but he surprised me by sending me a picture from the game as well.

The next two weeks were hectic. He was catching up from being out of town and had his long bike race over that weekend, and I was trying to clean up anything pending at work so I wouldn’t come home to a mess. Plus, I was getting myself packed for my trip and the girls packed up for my mom’s house. I wasn’t about to ask their dad if he could take them, knowing I was going to be staying in my married lover’s condo. He would have found a way to sabotage that trip in a heartbeat. He already wanted to know where I was staying and how I could afford it. I told him the truth. Matt had agreed to let Brooke use it, of course.

Matt was being more attentive though, and had me laughing when he told me he was going to call me to check on the status of my packing on Tuesday afternoon. As soon as I picked up the phone, he started in on me.

“Good Afternoon, Mr. Wynne,” I said.

“I need to know exactly how many shirts, shoes, dresses, pants, etc. you have packed for five days.”

“Well, hello to you, too,” I laughed. “Let’s see… I have the two dresses, my jeans, a couple of skirts, I think maybe five pairs of shoes and about fifteen shirts, but most of them are tank tops so they don’t take up a lot of space. Oh! Plus, I have a couple that I am giving to Brooke now that they are too big for me.”

“Okay, you need to put half of that back.”

“You are out of your mind.”

“Mallory, there is a washer and dryer IN the condo.”

“I know that, why do you think I’m only bringing fifteen shirts!?”

“Oh my God. You are out of control.”

“But Matt, I only have one big suitcase and one small carry-on which is unheard of for a five day trip. Don’t you want me to look good?”

“I worry about you, Mal. Seriously.”

I could not stop laughing. Brooke apparently walked into his office at that exact moment and saw the expression on his face as he looked up at her from behind his reading glasses.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered.

“SHE OVERPACKED,” I heard him say with an exasperated sigh.

When I talked to her later, she said he had spent a good 45 minutes going over the location of his parking space in the building and how to access it. He was very serious about making sure we understood where every single thing was in the building. Parking, the gym, the pool, he left no stone unturned. Brooke was ready to club him over the head by the time she left work on Tuesday. I just thought it was so sweet that he was trying to take care of us again, and I reminded her that was one of the many reasons I loved him.

Our flights were mid-morning Wednesday. I talked to him briefly from the airport before my flight. He wanted me to let him know once we got there and, of course, what we thought of the place. He also mentioned that there may be a condo coming up for purchase while we were there and asked me if we would mind taking a preview look at it for him if Sofia could get us an appointment. I almost fell out of my chair; surely he would not set us up with his realtor if he had anything going on with her, right? Especially with us being two very friendly gals, we might try to pump her for information or invite her out clubbing with us. That one really made me wonder just how off base I had been about him lately.