The Secret Lives of Housewives (11 page)

“S
o how did your date with Dan go?” Cait asked the following Saturday, only seconds, it seemed, after they settled into what was becoming their regular booth. “I saw you and him chatting it up before class this morning. Is he as gorgeous in real clothes? Or without them?”

“My date with Dan didn't,” Monica said. Part of her regretted that she'd talked about Dan to her friends—yes, she'd started thinking of these three women as her friends in just a few weeks—but she was also glad she had someone to talk to. She'd spent several hours with Bonnie after she got back from her visit to their folks, and more on the phone with Janet. It seemed that the situation between Bonnie and Jake was terminal. “My sister and her husband have split.”

“Oh, Monica, that's tough,” Angie said, reaching over and grasping her hand. “I'm so sorry.”

“Yeah, me too,” Eve said, getting her cell phone from her purse and putting it on the table beside her. “I can imagine what the family's going through. Kids?”

“Three, all school-aged. Lissa is taking it hard. She's eleven and hasn't really talked to either Bonnie or Jake since they told the kids last weekend. At nine, Mark seems to have accepted things pretty easily, but Josh, he's thirteen, spends all his time on the computer, and who ever knows what a teenaged boy is thinking anyway?”

“God, that sucks,” Cait said. “Is there anything you need?”

Cait seemed to be a fixer. Whenever any of them mentioned a problem, Cait was the first to volunteer to help. Nice woman, if a bit “upper crust.” “I'm afraid there's nothing much anyone can do.”

“What happened?” Eve asked.

“Jake's had someone else for a few months and finally got around to telling Bonnie. Some bimbo from his office. He's moved into her apartment in the city.”

“It won't last,” Angie said, sounding knowledgeable. “With twins, I watch a lot of talk shows, and everyone knows that the first partner after a breakup is just a Band-aid and seldom becomes permanent.”

“That's comforting, but it doesn't really matter,” Monica said, taking no solace from what Angie said.

“Maybe he'll reconsider and come back,” Angie continued.

“He's a jerk and she's better off without him.”

“Is he really a jerk,” Cait asked, “or is that your opinion since you found out about the other woman?”

Startled by Cait's perceptiveness, Monica gave that comment a bit of thought. “If I were being honest I would have to admit that I always really liked him. He seemed steady and solid. So much for my opinion, and that's scary. He's a jerk.” She chuckled. “Forget the nice language. He's a shit.”

Cait took Monica's hand, and Eve's. “Grab on, Angie. We'll make a pact.” When all hands were joined, Cait said, “We all hate Jake.”

“And all men are jerks,” Monica added.

Angie broke the circle. “I can't agree to that,” she said. “Tony's not a jerk.”

“Oh?” Monica said, feeling bitchy. “And what about the lovely Jordanna?”

“She's nothing.”

“Really?” Monica said, raising an eyebrow. “You've told us very little about her but every time you mention her name your temperature drops a few degrees.”

Angie squirmed in her seat. “She's okay.”

At that moment the waitress arrived and the four took a few moments to decide on what to order. Eventually the waitress disappeared to get Diet Cokes and order their sandwiches.

Cait leaned forward and rested on her elbows. “Tell us about Jordanna.”

“You're really pushy,” Angie said. “Maybe I don't want to talk about her.”

Cait lowered her head, looking contrite, and said, “Sorry. I do get a bit pushy sometimes but it's just that I care.”

Angie let out a long breath. “I know, Cait. Sorry. Jordanna's a sore subject and I don't think I want to talk about her. Let's just leave it that she's okay.”

“Fair enough. We don't have to hate her but we do hate Jake. Right?”

“Right,” Angie agreed.

“Anyway, not all men are skunks,” Cait said. “Logan's a really nice guy.”

“He's in real estate?”

“His grandfather founded American Properties and his dad still handles individual houses and new developments. Logan's in charge of the corporate side and they're very, very successful. He's a perfect husband and couldn't be more attentive.”

“Oooh. A perfect husband. Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” Monica said, still irritated by the idea of “nice” men.

“Don't be bitchy, Monica,” Eve said. “There really are some good guys around. I'll bet Dan's one of them.”

“Well, I'll never find out. I'm not letting anything get started. It will only end up in the toilet and I'm not ready for that. What about your boyfriend?” Monica asked Eve, aiming her barbs to hurt the way she was hurting. “Is he one of the good guys?”

“Boyfriend?”

Monica indicated the cell phone beside Eve's hand. “The phone. You gaze at it as if waiting for it to ring. Gotta be a boyfriend.”

 

Phew, Monica's in quite a mood today and these women are much too perceptive
, Eve thought as their sandwiches arrived. She wondered whether she wanted to discuss her relationship with Mike. Well, they didn't have to know he was married. That would be all Monica needed to thoroughly validate her opinion of men. Eve blushed, then grinned. “Yeah. He's a good guy. He often calls me on Saturday afternoons just to tell me he loves me.”

“Oh, that's sweet,” Angie said. “Sometimes Tony will call on his cell like that. It's really great when he does.”

“Angie, you seem to have found one of the good ones,” Monica said.

“My folks have been married for thirty-three years and are still happy,” Angie said. “So are Tony's folks and both his brothers.”

“Yeah,” Eve said, glad to get the topic of conversation off of Mike. “My folks, too.”

“So tell us about the boyfriend,” Monica said.

God,
Eve thought,
she's obviously not letting the subject drop.
“Okay,” she said, resigned to having to give them something. “His name's Mike and he lives on the Island. He's actually my boss.”

“On the Island? How often can you see him?”

Every Tuesday afternoon,
Eve thought, but she said, “Oh, we get together during the week sometimes.”

“No weekends? Is he that far away?”

“He's in Huntington, about an hour and a half by car.”

“So why no dates on the weekend,” Monica said. “Is he married?”

Eve couldn't control her blush. “Well…” She bit into her egg salad sandwich and hoped someone would change the subject. She wasn't that lucky.

“Gotcha,” Monica said. “Has he been giving you that ‘we stay together for the sake of the kids' routine?”

“That
is
why he and his wife are staying together.”

“That's crap. I told you. All men are shits.”

“All men aren't shits,” Angie said, “and Eve doesn't have to talk about all this unless she wants to. Just because you're in a funk, Monica, that's no reason to pick on her. I don't like the idea of this becoming the Spanish inquisition. I like our lunches and I don't want bad feelings to louse it up. If Eve doesn't want to talk, that's her business.”

“The woman has claws. I'm really sorry,” Monica said, looking at Eve. “I'm in a lousy mood and I'm taking it out on you.” She raised her gaze. “All of you, and I'm sorry.” She reached over and squeezed Eve's hand. “Really. No hard feelings?”

“Of course not.” Eve made a decision. She had almost no friends and these three women were quickly becoming important to her. She'd been longing for someone to talk to about Mike. She'd once mentioned him to her mother, only to get the third degree about his looks, his net worth, and his marital status—about which she'd lied. None of these women had any chance of ever revealing her secret to anyone who mattered, so maybe she could finally have someone to talk to. “It's all right. I haven't got many friends, except my cats, of course, and I'd really like to talk about him.” She stalled a minute as she cleaned her glasses and settled them back on the bridge of her nose. “Monica's right. He's married.”

“Ah,” Cait said. “Tricky.”

“Yeah, that's a good word for it.”

“How did it start?” Cait asked.

Eve looked for censure in Cait's eyes and saw nothing but curiosity. She told her friends—yes, friends—about the business trip that had ended in bed. “That was almost a year ago.”

“So how do you manage it? Do you take trips together often?”

“There were a few early on, but recently not as often as we'd like. It just hasn't come up. So mostly now it's lunchtime quickies.” She felt herself blushing. “And the occasional phone call.”

“Phone call?” Angie said.

“Phone sex?” Cait asked, and Eve nodded.

“Oh. Any future in the relationship? Is he separated, or like that?” Angie asked, reaching out and grasping Eve's hands and gazing into her eyes, a deeply concerned look on her face. “It might work out.”

“He keeps saying that he and his wife stay together for the kids and he swears that when the children get old enough…He's been saying the same thing for almost a year.”

“How old are his kids?”

“They're young but he doesn't talk about them much.”

“Where did you say he lives?” Eve could see an angry edge in Monica's eyes. It didn't seem to be directed at her. Rather at Mike. Eve smiled when the picture of Monica appeared in her mind. Lance in hand, she'd walk up to his front door and skewer him. “No, you can't take him on. As I said, he's out on Long Island.”

“I'm sorry, Eve,” Angie said. “It must be tough. I guess you love him a lot.”

Love him a lot? Did she? Talking to these three wonderful women about him, she wondered how much was love and how much was habit and loneliness. She nodded slightly and felt Monica pat her hand. “Well,” Eve said, “that certainly put a crimp in my appetite. I always knew Mike would be good for something.”

“Listen, sweetie,” Monica said. “I'm really sorry for my attitude before and no one's going to judge you here. If he makes you happy, go for it.”

Make her happy? Did he? “I don't know whether he makes me happy or not. It just is.”

“So be it,” Cait said. “So many things in life ‘just are.'”

They talked for almost half an hour, then Cait said, “I've got to get going.” She got out her wallet. “Monica, be sure to let us all know whether you make the big move with Dan, will you? Those of us who are married need a few vicarious thrills.”

“Not happening.”

“You know, Monica,” Eve said, adjusting her glasses, “sometimes it's worth a little risk. Nothing good in this life comes cheaply. I'm not totally blind and I know Mike might hurt me, but the fun of ‘now' is worth the risk.”

“I know, but I remember what it was like when my folks split. I was just about Lissa's age and it sucked. I don't want that for my kids.”

Cait laughed. “Kids? Dan asked you for a date, not a long-term commitment. You need some good sex to clean out your pipes, you know. Otherwise you start to rust. Eve's getting hers.” She winked.

“Don't knock it until you've tried it, Monica,” Angie said, “although for me good sex is a fond memory.”

“Oh, I get mine,” Monica blurted out.

Three heads snapped toward her. “You've got someone you haven't told us about?” Cait said. “So you're playing the single, working, too-pissed-off-at-men-to-bother woman and all the time you've got something going.”

“Nothing regular, just the occasional date in town.”

“No one special, just casual fucking?”

Monica grinned. “Lots of casual fucking, and that's much simpler than”—she made quoting motions in the air with her fingers—“a relationship.”

“For you, maybe,” Angie said. “I'll keep my relationship with Tony, thank you.”

Cait glanced at her watch. “I've got a meeting that I'm already late for so I've really got to go. Don't tell them anything about your casual sex, Monica,” she said, indicating the other two. “Next week you'll tell us all about it together. Okay?”

“She doesn't have to tell us anything,” Eve said.

“I know that,” Monica said. “But it's really sort of a lark. Anyway, I've got to run, too. I'll tell you everything next week, same time, same diner.”