Viv appeared. “Ready to grab some lunch?”
“Yes.” Kalista was hungry, and soon they were on their way to a restaurant Viv had picked out.
“You’re going to like this,” Viv said as they entered the eatery. “It will remind you of home.”
She was right. There were plenty of low-carb, organic choices, and she landed on a turkey sandwich with goat cheese and sprouts. After Viv ordered a ham and Swiss cheese pita, they got their sweet teas, took their trays, and sat down.
Kalista glanced around the restaurant and saw a skinny guy with olive skin, cargo shorts, and an oversize T-shirt. His black hair was worn in the same style as Tyler’s. Her heart skipped a beat, but then he turned around. No glasses. No Tyler.
“Kalista?” Viv’s voice grabbed her attention. “Everything okay? You’ve been pretty quiet today.”
Tears welled in her eyes again. She blinked them away. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in her alfalfa. She planned to tell Viv she was fine. What came out was, “Is there something wrong with me?”
“Of course not. Did someone say that to you?”
Suddenly everything spilled out. Her conversations with Abbie and Ryan, along with telling Viv how she treated Tyler in the kitchen on Saturday and that he could barely be around her now. “Am I really that bad? Am I”—she sniffed—“immature? That’s what Dad thinks. Ryan too.”
Viv folded her hands on the table, her food barely touched. “I think you’re a product of your upbringing,” she said as if she were weighing each word.
“I don’t understand.”
“Remember how I told you that I needed to get out of the modeling world? That I couldn’t take the life anymore?”
Kalista nodded.
“That’s what I mean. That entire lifestyle where everything is fleeting, competitive, and...”
“Shallow?”
“That’s a good word for it. I’m not criticizing people who like that kind of life. Your father always has. When he asked me if you could stay here for the summer, I was happy. To get you away from LA, even for a little while, was worth it.” She smiled.
“That’s why you agreed?”
“You’re the closest thing I’ve ever had to my own child. That was due to the decisions I made about my career. Being a model and having a baby—those things don’t sync up very well. By the time I got out of the business, I had already divorced your father. He wasn’t interested in having more kids anyway. I was kind of lost for a while. The one stable thing I had during those years was my relationship with you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, and I’m glad your father never interfered with that. In fact, when he called me, he thanked me for being in your life.”
Kalista fell back in her chair. “I didn’t know any of this. I always wondered why you and dad divorced.” Because she couldn’t help it, she added, “Was it because he cheated on you? I’m sure he’s cheated on all his wives.”
“No, Kalista,” she said softly. “I cheated on him.” She paused, letting the words sink in. “I never loved your father. Looking back on it now, I think there might have been some affection there for him, but I didn’t love him like he needed or deserved. Maybe if I hadn’t been so immature back then, we could have made it. I could have learned to love him. He does have a lot of great qualities, but the truth is, I married him because he was rich.”
Kalista was so shocked, she couldn’t say anything.
“I don’t want you to blame your father for the divorce. I want to make that clear. I think part of my infidelity was that I felt lonely. He was very busy making the money I thought I wanted so badly. But ultimately I wasn’t the wife I should have been.” She hung her head. “I’m ashamed to say all that, but it’s true. I’m sure you think I’m a terrible person.”
“Viv, I could never think of you that way. You’re the only one of my dad’s wives that ever stuck around or ever did anything with me. Paid attention to me. I don’t remember my own mother, and I love you for being the mom I never had.” Tears slipped from her eyes. She’d never been this emotional before. Maybe when her real mom died, but she’d been so little back then.
Viv took her hand. “I’m glad I could be, Kalista.” She gave her hand a squeeze before letting it go. “Raymond did ask for one other thing.”
“What’s that?”
“To be nicer to Bettany.”
Kalista rolled her eyes. Leave it to her wicked stepmonster toruin the moment. “No. Way. Do you know she’s barely older than I am? Ick.”
A tiny smirk appeared on Viv’s lips. “He does have a type. I’m not asking you to be... best friends, but you could give her a chance. It’s not easy becoming a stepmom.”
