Kitty’s gaze softened. “I know that’s got to hurt, and I’m sorry. I just didn’t want you to hear it from Dean.”
“They were going to make Dean tell me?”
“Next week, yeah. He’s working on finding you something. Sarah McLachlan is starting up some big traveling festival—all female acts. He might be able to get you a back-up gig. It sounds like an amazing opportunity. Plus, no shitty men to break your heart.”
Claudia, who wished she were sitting down, resisted the urge to slide to the floor and rest her legs against the cool tile.
“You should also know that Mike has decided he’s not capable of doing the long-term thing. Not right now. Not when he’s going to need some space to recover.” Kitty’s tone was one you’d use when sharing news about the next day’s weather. It’ll start off cloudy and cool. A light rain is expected in the afternoon, with clear skies in the evening. “He wants to make sure you’re taken care of though, so he’s got his real estate agent looking for a house for you. It’ll be a gift. No strings attached. Apparently, she already started bidding on a gorgeous bungalow in Eagle Rock. Very safe neighborhood. It overlooks a park. Three bedrooms, two and a half baths. You should take it.”
“Right, yeah,” Claudia answered, her own words sounding distant to her as her brain struggled to make sense of what was happening. “I should do that.”
“I mean, maybe things will work out with you two down the road. But for now, he needs to be on his own. He’s in a delicate state. Having to manage a relationship would be too much for him,” Kitty told her. “The last thing anyone wants is for him to relapse.”
“Definitely,” Claudia answered. “I’d never want that. That’s why I’ve been working on getting myself healthy too. So I can be there to support him, and we can move forward together.”
Kitty pursed her lips, her expression skeptical. “As nice as that is, it’s not… realistic.”
Nodding slowly, Claudia glanced down at the floor, the wordrealistichammering away at her insides. It was insulting. It assumed she was too stupid to understand what hadhappened. A wall went up between herself and Kitty. “Right. Is there anything else?”
“It’ll be best if you’re moved out when he gets back,” Kitty answered. “Dean found a rental for you until the possession date of your new house. If you accept it, that is.”
Her nose twitched and tingled, and her throat felt tight. “I see,” she whispered.
“He’s arranged for movers to come this weekend and help you out. The rental is furnished so you don’t have to worry about any of that. Just your clothes and personal effects.”
“Okay,” Claudia answered, her tone expressionless.
“I know this is hard.”
Scoffing, Claudia glared at the woman—a woman of privilege and security and power. “Do you?”
“Well, I can imagine.”
“Awesome.”
“Look, if that thing hadn’t happened at the party… if you hadn’t… we’d be in a completely different situation right now. Everyone would be.” Kitty narrowed her eyes and delivered the message she’d come to give. “I mean, think of how hard that was for Mike to hear. And now, the trust between them is, well, it’s being rebuilt. It sounds like Mike believes him that nothing happened, butcome on, we all can see with our own eyes the way you look at him. And theRolling Stonearticle, and that song?” Kitty was the one to scoff now. “It’s about you. Obviously, it’s about you. Everyone in the entire world knows that.”
Tears slid down Claudia’s cheeks and she wiped them away with rough, quick motions. She didn’t bother to answer. Instead she stood rooted to the spot, telling herself to stop crying in front of this woman.
“I’m not trying to be a bitch here. I do care about you,Claud. I want you to go on and have a good life. It just can’t be with us, you know? It’s too complicated, and too much has happened,” Kitty said. “Rusty and Steven and Dean… all their futures are at stake, and none of them did anything to cause this disaster. You can’t expect them to risk everything they’ve worked their entire lives for on something that will never work out.”
Claudia stared at the floor, Kitty’s voice scratching at her soul.
“Poor Russell has been a mess. He barely sleeps. He sits around eating ice cream and potato chips. And he’s gotten into model trains. It’s awful—the dining room is one big model now, complete with a huge track and tiny trees and little toy engines. They’re very loud, Claudia. I can’t take it anymore. I need my dining room back.”
Claudia looked at Kitty from under her eyebrows with a deadpan expression.
Kitty shook her head, then said. “I don’t expect you to care about that. The real reason I came is so you can benefit from the wisdom of an older woman. I don’t want you to make the same mistake again. If I were you, I’d take the house, I’d see about that women’s tour and forget about men altogether. They’re not worth the trouble. I promise you, they’re not. There’s a better future waiting for you.”
Sniffling, Claudia narrowed her eyes. “Is Sienna behind this?”
Kitty shook her head. “No. She’s got nothing to do with it. Mike’s the one calling the shots when it comes to you, but the guys all agreed that it’s for the best. Including Zane. I’m sorry. I’m sure that pains you to hear.”
“I’m sure she’s thrilled.”
“Try to imagine it from her point of view. You’re a threat to her marriage. You’re in love with her husband, and youhumiliated her on the world stage. Should Zane have recorded that awful song with you? No, he shouldn’t have. But Zane sometimes has trouble choosing between his art and his family. So he can’t be around people who will take advantage of that.”
Claudia’s head snapped back. She opened her mouth to protest. To convince. To defend herself. But then she stopped herself. There was no point in fighting this woman. Not when she’d already lost.
