Honeymoon Hideaway Read online

  “Oh, sweetie. Give it time. Don’t think about all of this,” Celeste implored. “We’ll take care of it.”

  “How do you want to handle Jack?” Riley cupped a hand over hers.

  She stared down at her phone. “I’m gonna call him.”

  “Okay. We’ll take care of this,” Celeste tapped her binder, “while you do that.”

  “Then we’ll order in lunch and watch a comedy. How does that sound?” Lori smiled meekly.

  “’Kay. Thank you all for helping me. I don’t know what I would do without my girls.”

  Celeste hugged her when she stood up. With her phone in hand, Cat went to her bedroom and closed the door.

  With a deep breath, she pushed past the boulder in her gut, wiped her eyes, and made the call.

  “Oh God, you’re alright. I was so worried.” Jack’s voice sounded rough and tired. Serves him right. And if he was so damn worried, why didn’t he come over?

  “Jack—”

  “Wait, before you start. Let me say how sorry I am. It was a moment of weakness, and I promise you, it will never happen again.”

  He sounded sincere, but was he sorry for cheating or sorry for getting caught?

  She willed herself to be calm, even though her insides were torrents of emotion, wreaking havoc on her stomach, her mind, her heart. “I understand. Jack, let me ask you. How many moments of weakness have you had?”

  The air over the phone deadened. She waited. She’d seen enough lawyers at her work question people, getting at the meat of the story. There was always more than what was disclosed.

  “Well, I couldn’t—”

  “Take your best guess. You can be honest with me. With the blonde woman and anyone else as well.”

  Her throat constricted asking the question, fearing the answer, but she had to know. She didn’t bother to wipe her tears since more would fall. She moved the phone away from her mouth and took a fortifying breath. Keep it together, Cat.

  “It was the fourth time with Bonnie.” His voice held a meek and pensive tone.

  Shit! “The blonde from last night. But she’s not the only one. How many have there been? Total?”

  “Cat, you really don’t want to know.”

  She swallowed hard, her eyes crushing closed as if it could stop the acid tears or the images of him with other women. “Yes, I do. I need to know, Jack. How many?”

  “Eight,” he said in barely a whisper.

  Oh God. Oh God. How could he? What did I ever do to him?

  She willed her brain to work, to hang on for a few more minutes. She had to get through this. Then she never had to talk to Jack again. “I see. Let me ask you one more question. If you wanted all of them, why propose to me?”

  He sighed. “Cat, please let me come over. Let’s discuss this in person.”

  She knew that wasn’t a good idea. He would try some kind of manipulation, and she wasn’t strong enough right now to handle it.

  “We can talk over the phone. Why, Jack?” Her voice cracked.

  “I don’t know. They were more adventurous, I guess.”

  “Adventurous?” Her stomach triple-knotted. That hit a little too close to home.

  “I love making love to you, but it always… it always seems so safe. So cautious. Like you were holding back. I guess I wasn’t thinking straight. I wanted this with you, but since we didn’t… God, Cat. I guess I thought I could sow my oats before we got married. Sorta get it out of my system.”

  Get it out of your system? What an asshole!

  “I see.” Tears streamed down like a running faucet. What more could she say? Her brain was locked up. All the emotion, all the hurt, froze her in place. She wanted so badly to crawl out of her body, out of this life, and escape. Escape the pain, escape the embarrassment for being rejected for not being enough.

  “Cat, please let me come over.”

  “Jack, I’ve reached a decision. The wedding is off. You won’t change, this I’m certain of. I will have someone bring your things to you. Please gather up my stuff,” she sobbed out loud, “so my friends… can pick them up.” She croaked the words.

  “Cat, no, wait. I swear it won’t happen again. We have too much love between us to throw it all away.”

  “We had love between us. I trusted you. That trust is broken and won’t ever be repaired. Goodbye, Jack.”

  She hung up the phone and wailed. “Ah.” She cried out, trying to release the misery.

  The phone rang in her hand. Jack.

  She just stared at it through clouded vision. When the device went silent, she opened her contacts, and hit “block”. She was done trusting him, he was out of her life, what more was there to say? He could have his adventures; she’d be too busy trying to piece herself back together.

  She staggered to her feet and rummaged through her drawers and closet. He’d mostly had shirts and underwear at her place. A pair of his running shoes sat in her closet. She shoved it all into a canvas bag and went to the bathroom. Toothbrush, deodorant, razor, cologne, and comb. Then, without more than five seconds of thought, she pulled the photographs of them out of her drawer and off her dresser. A year and a half of memories, erased in a heartbeat. But for her sanity, she knew this was what she had to do. She couldn’t be surrounded with the memories of Jack anymore.

  Looking down at the ring on her left hand, she slipped it off and set it in her jewelry box.

  She strolled back to the living room. Her girls were busy on their phones. Cat gathered the photos from around the space of her and Jack, so many great times. Well, maybe someday she would appreciate them because now they all seemed like one big fat lie.

  Eight women. For fuck’s sake!

  She dropped the bag by the front door, causing a thump. Then, she grabbed her key ring and wound Jack’s apartment key off—tossing it on top.

  Celeste finished a call and looked up at her. “How ya doing?”

  “Numb.”

  “That’s to be expected. Want some more coffee?”

  “Yeah. But I can get it.”

  A knock came at the door and she jumped, her heart lodged in her throat. She knew who it was. “I can’t see him, Cel. Not now,” she stage-whispered.

  Celeste held up her hand. “I know. I’ll handle it.”

  Cat peeked through the peep-hole and nodded, confirming it was Jack. Celeste pulled open the door. “What is it, Jack?”

  “I need to see Cat.”

  “She doesn’t want to see you right now. She’ll call you when she’s ready, if she’s ready.”

  Cat heard him sigh.

  “Please, just let me in.”

  “Face it, Jack. She’s done. You took a gamble and lost. You had a fifty-fifty chance that you wouldn’t get caught. Those odds are better than Vegas. But you lost. Time to cash in your remaining chips and go home.”

  Cat heard nothing more from Jack. Celeste just stared straight ahead, letting him know she was not backing down.

  God, she loved her friend so much right then.

  “Oh.” Celeste leaned down to pick up the canvas bag. “She wanted me to give this to you.” Cel swung the bag backward and sent it sailing. It made direct contact with his privates.

  He doubled over. “Ow.”

  Cel grinned as she closed and locked the door.

  Tears filled Cat’s eyes even as her mouth gaped. “Ohmigosh.”

  Celeste took her in a hug. “You’re welcome. Remember—one day at a time.”

  She nodded, secretly glad that Cel had used Jack’s balls as target practice.

  The day proceeded without any further incident. She made a call to her parents, who were incredibly supportive. She promised to phone them later when she was alone. The girls sat around the living room, eating pizza, drinking a little beer—after the previous night, everyone was cautious—and watching some comedy of which Cat could barely recount the storyline. Instead, her mind replayed every date, every conversation, every time she’d made love to Jack, and questions filled her head.
What did she do? What didn’t she do? What could she have done better? Oh yeah, be more adventurous. Well, she already knew that. Shit, he already knew that too. He’d never once complained about her lack of adventure. What a fucker!

  He’d said something once, like wouldn’t it be cool to try this outside sometime? Or that time he’d tried to get her to go out to dinner with a bunch of their friends and not wear panties under her dress.

  Whatever. That was no excuse to sleep with all those women.

  The day stretched as long as it could for Cat and she needed to bring it to an end. After the movie, she rose. “I’m going to bed, guys. I feel exhausted.”

  Celeste stood by her side. “We got everything taken care of, babe. Sleep as long as you need. There’s only one thing we need to talk about, but it can wait.”

  What? Her shoulders slumped. No more. Please let this nightmare end. “Thanks. Goodnight, guys.”

  “Goodnight, Cat.” They hugged her, and she went to her bedroom.

  To her surprise, Cat fell asleep quickly. Unfortunately, she didn’t stay asleep. No, she wasn’t that lucky.

  Feeling sad and depressed, she did what the experts would probably advise against—she opened her phone. The one place she hadn’t gotten rid of the photos, and there were so many. Countless shots of selfies, some of just him, others where someone else had taken their picture.

  Tears streamed from her swollen eyes, landing on her pillow.

  How could she have been so blind? Jack was her everything. She’d thought of traveling together, buying a house, having kids, growing old. And he’d pissed it all away because she wasn’t adventurous enough.

  A sob escaped. She couldn’t help if that was her nature. Her mother wouldn’t exactly be described as adventurous, and her parents were happily married for over thirty years—even through the rough patches.

  Cat threw back the covers and meandered to the kitchen to make a cup of tea. The apartment was dark except for moonlight coming through the sliding glass door in the living room.

  When her water was hot, she poured it over the tea bag in her cup and brought it out to her small patio. There was space for two chairs, a little table, and two potted plants. She sat and stared at the nighttime landscape from her sixth-floor apartment. Mostly dark houses, illuminated street lights, and the Austin skyline in the distance. The summer air was still and quiet.

  She sighed over her cup. How could a person be more adventurous if that wasn’t in their nature? Could a person change just like that? Could she?

  She was obsessing, playing and replaying times when maybe she could have taken a risk, but didn’t. The mental hamster wheel she was on exhausted her.

  She heard a noise and turned around. Celeste stood at the doorway in the living room.

  “Hey. Couldn’t sleep?”

  “Nope.”

  Celeste sat beside her. “Whatcha thinking about?”

  “Everything.” She looked at her friend. “Eight women, Cel! Who does that? He said he was sowing his oats with adventurous women. What a bunch of crap. I would have been more understanding if he was drunk, macking down with someone.” She huffed. “Possibly.”

  Celeste’s eyes softened. “I don’t understand it either. Did he mention wanting to be more adventurous with you before?”

  She shrugged a shoulder. “A few times.”

  “And that scares you.”

  She nodded. Honestly, it terrified her, but she also saw how exciting trying something new could be too.

  “I don’t know, Cel. I just feel fooled. I was a fool.”

  Celeste leaned in, her hand resting on hers. “Now don’t say that. No one saw that coming. I thought you two were perfect for each other.”

  “Yeah.” Well, whatever Celeste thought, she felt like an idiot. She didn’t know how long it would be before she could trust a man again.

  “Listen, there was only one thing we couldn’t take care of.”

  Cat faced Celeste. “What is it?”

  “The honeymoon.”

  “Shit,” she said under her breath.

  “Everything is paid for, and I can’t get you any refunds. I didn’t see anything about insurance. Did you happen to buy any?”

  “No.” She sighed. “I was expecting to go without any issues.”

  “I know. Well, I want you to think about something.”

  She stared at her friend.

  “Go.”

  “What?” Her nose crinkled.

  “I want you to go. You already have off work. It’s paid for. And it will do you so much good.”

  She turned back to her skyline view. “I don’t know about that. Come with me.”

  Celeste gave a small smile. “I can’t take off right now. You can do this. Saint Lucia is beautiful. You’ve always wanted to go. You’ll be at an all-inclusive or have guided tours, so you’ll be safe going by yourself. And…” Celeste waited for her to look her way, “you can take your charcoals and have a little ‘me’ time. You know how drawing always helps soothe you.”

  Her charcoals. She’d been so busy with wedding stuff, she hadn’t created any art in months. “I don’t know, Cel. It sounds so cliché.”

  “Not cliché. Practical. Just think about it. Think about stepping out of your comfort zone. Your flight isn’t until Sunday at two.” With that, Celeste rose, kissed her on the top of her head, and went back inside.

  Go by myself? On a trip that was supposed to be with my husband?

  Cat would definitely need to sleep on that. Having a reminder that the trip was supposed to be her honeymoon thrown in her face didn’t sound like her idea of a good time.

  Cat finished her tea and went back to bed. Blessed sleep came as she reminded herself to take it one day at a time.

  Saturday morning, Cat yanked off the covers and walked to the bathroom, stripping along the way. She had an energy, a determination, pulsing through her veins she hadn’t felt before. Like some outside force was propelling her forward.

  Frankly, she wanted to harness it, embrace it. This day was supposed to have been her wedding day, but if she dwelled on that, she’d be sick over Jack again. She was already tired of crying. Thinking about what could have been.

  She dressed and headed out to the kitchen.

  “Hey. How ya feeling?” Celeste looked up from her tablet and smiled.

  “Strangely energized.”

  “Really?” Her friend’s eyebrows rose.

  Prepping a cup of coffee with cream and sugar, she said, “I need to get my gown and all that put away. I don’t exactly know what I’ll do with it, but I don’t want to toss it out. Then I need to unpack what I packed to move into Jack’s.”

  “Okay, I like that plan.”

  Cat sat at the table across from Celeste. “Then, I’ll go through my suitcase and make sure I have everything I need for tomorrow.”

  Celeste gasped. “You’re going to Saint Lucia.” It wasn’t a question.

  A small smile appeared, the first since she’d caught Jack cheating on her. “That’s right.”

  “What made you change your mind?”

  Cat sipped her coffee. “Well, you.”

  Celeste sat straighter. “Me?”

  “You encouraged me to spread my wings. Plus I decided some time alone would help me reassess and reevaluate. I think some sun would be good too.”

  Celeste bit her lip. “And I like the idea that it’s the last thing Jack could do for you—a free two-week vacation. I think he owes you that.”

  She grinned from ear to ear. “I one-hundred percent agree.”

  Cat spent the day getting organized, packing for her trip, and trying not to think about Jack. She’d cried a few times, but searched deep down for the strength to get through the day. She welcomed the determination that pulsed through her, because if she let it, the sadness and depression of this whole fiasco would swallow her whole.

  She stopped for lunch Celeste had made, turning on her phone to call her parents and tell them where she�
�d be for the next two weeks.

  “Honey, I’m happy for you. I think a trip is a great idea,” her mom said.

  “Thanks. Did Jack call you?”

  Her mom’s voice dropped. “Yes, he did. He asked if I would talk to you. Of course, I told him if and when you were ready to talk, he would likely be the first to know.”

  Cat loved that her mom was in her corner, and not trying to somehow convince her that “men slip up” or some other line of crap. “Great. Thanks.”

  They wrapped up the conversation, and Cat turned off her phone. She had no interest in hearing from anyone about this whole incident. She needed time alone to process.

  Celeste pulled her out of her wandering thoughts. “Hey, care to go through your bachelorette gifts? You might even want to pack some of the gifts for Saint Lucia.”

  A distraction sounded like a banner idea. “Okay.”

  Celeste set the gifts on the table and grabbed a note pad to mark everything down.

  The first gift was from Lori—a lavender bath and spa set. Cat knew she could relax with something like this. Next, Bethany had given her a purple satin robe with the word “Bride” in gold lettering printed on the back.

  “Oops.” Cel quickly folded it back into the bag.

  The gifts continued—wine and chocolate, a jewelry box, a luxurious sheet set. Then, she opened Celeste’s gift—lingerie. She held up a bra that had a hole in each cup and matching panties.

  “I love these cutouts, don’t you?” Celeste said with a twinkle in her eye.

  Cat wasn’t much into fancy underwear, although the pink color was gorgeous.

  Celeste cupped Cat’s upper arm, and spoke softly, “This is a new chapter in your life, Cat. I know you feel like crap now, but it won’t stay that way. Break out of the practical cotton bras and panties—because some day you will meet someone who will love to see you in this.”