The Caterer

Chapter 43

T ABBY GOT BACK FROM taking the twins to school, the apartment quiet and tranquil. Leaving her purse on the bench, she went to cleanse Annie’s room of her aunt’s presence. She thought about moving Annie’s things, a happy surprise for when she got home. But somehow Annie would not see it that way, and Tabby wasn’t sure she could keep from going off on her little girl. Instead, she went to pull the sheets and pick up the clutter her sister left behind. Turning on the light, she found the bed bare, nothing left on the floor. A note on the end of the bed told Tabby everything was in the washer.

The sight of the empty room made her heart ache. She wanted to call Alice and tell her to come back. The twins enjoyed having her close. Who else would cook with Mac and help defuse Annie’s energy? But Alice deceived them, choosing the scoundrel over them, making a name for herself off the man who killed Tabby’s dream. She chose that man over the twins and all Tabby gave her. Crinkling the note, Tabby went to do something else.

Paul called her name when he got home that night. She answered from the bedroom where she worked to fold their laundry. With nothing but the rhythm of folding to distract her, Tabby thought about the now empty bedroom and set her jaw, still unsure how her sister could lie to her for so long. Paul gave her a quick kiss before he went to take off his suit, asking about her day. She told him the generics of what was becoming her new routine that left a bitter taste in her mouth.

“The twins are asking about Alice.” He leaned his knee onto the bed.

“What did you tell them?” Tabby tilted her head. Paul started a couple sentences. “Are you defending her?”

“I’m not defending anyone. I get that you feel betrayed…”

“Don’t say it like that! I was betrayed. My little sister built her business off the man who stole mine and lied to me for months!”

“But how would you have felt if she came to you in August and told you what was going on?”

“I would have expected my sweet little sister never to get involved with that man.”

He paused. “So you expected her to walk away from an investor?”

Tabby reached for a stack of clothes and went to put them in the closet.

“There were plenty of men who wanted to invest in my business that I walked away from. It’s not that hard. There will be others.”

“We’re going to see her this weekend at your parents’ house.”

Her father’s birthday. She forgot. She finished putting the clothes away and went back to the bedroom.

“I don’t want her near my kids.”

“Well, that’s not your choice.” He gave a slight laugh.

“Not my choice?” She took a step toward him, her heart ready to beat out of her chest.

“You are not going to push Alice out of the twins’ lives. I get that you feel betrayed, but she’s too ingrained. ”

She started and stopped several sentences. How could her husband be so cavalier? Surely if someone sabotaged his precious big case, he would not be so forgiving. It was unacceptable that he was defending her sister.

“Maybe I won’t go.” Better than having to stand there and pretend things were okay. Someday, Alice needed to face what a weak and passive woman she was. There had to be some way of getting revenge for what she did.

Paul scoffed and shook his head. “It’s been four months, Tabby. When are you going to let things go?”

“I built that place from nothing with my blood, sweat, and tears! I told you those Stooges were only going to stab me in the back. Maybe if you believed in me more, I’d still have my company and be doing something that mattered.”

He said “wow” to himself and stood. “What about our marriage, Tabby? Or the kids? Don’t they matter?”

“Of course…”

“Because I’ve tried to be patient and understanding. I’ve tried to be there. But you are consumed with this. Aren’t you tired of carrying all this anger and bitterness? I know I’m tired of hearing about it. Look at what this is costing you. Look at who you are now.” He walked out of the bedroom. Her own husband ready to stand with those who stabbed her in the back. He was acting calm about things. Maybe he knew about Alice. What else was he hiding from her?

She reached for his phone on the bed and tried his pin. He changed his passcode. She went through her pin, their birthdays, the twins’. Nothing. If he had nothing to hide from her, why did he change his passcode? He was trying to shift blame like Alice, put her off his trail. Was there no one in her life she could trust?

She held onto Paul’s phone and walked to the kitchen. The twins sat on their stools, Taco eating her dinner. Sounds didn’t register as she laser-focused on Paul. Tabby leaned on the counter close to him and held his phone in her hand .

“What’s the passcode?”

He reached for his phone, but she held on. “Tabs.”

“You changed your passcode. Why?” Her skin felt like it was on fire, every hair on edge. Her heart raced. He pulled it again, meeting her gaze.

“There are things on here about the case you can’t see. I am tired of taking the brunt of your anger because you won’t deal with things.” He slid his phone into his pocket before turning to set dinner in front of the twins. Tabby reached for the bottle of white wine and started back for her room.

“Is Mom okay?” Mac asked.

“I don’t know anymore, bud,” Paul said.

He came in after dinner, Tabby watching TV. He sat further down on the bed and waited for her to look at him. “I would never cheat on you.”

“You really expect me to believe—”

“I get that losing your company hurt. But there are healthy ways to grieve. It’s been four months. You should not be this irate. Either get some help, or I’m leaving. The kids and I don’t deserve to be your punching bags anymore.” He walked out.

Tabby studied where he had been, feeling like she was coming undone. She felt so alone. She wrapped her hands around her wine glass, but didn’t lift it to her lips, unsure who or what to trust.