“That can’t cover your costs.”
“It doesn’t. I donated a lot.”
Blakelee’s face was still hard. “Well. That was very generous.”
“It was my pleasure.” The memory of seeing Mitchell-Tanner at Logan flashed through her head. Those unkind, harsh words. How easily he mocked her for believing his lies, buying his Mitchell Prescott persona.
The man was a shit. And Blakelee was still with him. Maybe they deserved each other, or maybe…maybe Blakelee didn’t have a lot of options. She didn’t work, Winnie recalled. Times were tough, and divorces cost money (though that diamond pendant had to be worth a few thousand).
“Blakelee,” she said, “I’m truly sorry. I swear I didn’t know about you or the kids. I can’t imagine how awful it must’ve been, finding out about me.”
Blakelee’s eyes flickered away. “Yeah. I thought all that was behind us. Hopefully, you were the last one.” She toyed with the diamond. “I believe you, by the way. Sorry I made that big scene.”
“It’s okay.”
“Mommy?” asked a little voice. “Will you dance with me?” It was Blakelee’s littlest child.
“I would love to, sweetie!” Blakelee said, dropping her hand on her daughter’s head. “Just give me another minute to finish talking to this nice lady, okay?”
“Okay,” the little girl said. “Bye!” She skipped away, and Winnie could see the love on Blakelee’s face shining.
It must be exhausting, being married to a guy like Tanner.
“Did you ever think about divorce?” Winnie blurted. Not that it was her business, but…
“Of course. You’re his last chance. If he cheats again, he’s out.”
Winnie tried very hard not to move her face. That woman at the airport was not proof, after all. But Blakelee must’ve seen something, because her expression softened into sadness. A long moment passed. “Should I call my lawyer?” she asked quietly.
“I…I mean, it couldn’t hurt,” Winnie said. “Just so you know your options.”
“Are you two back together?” Blakelee asked, her eyes suddenly shiny.
“No. Absolutely not.”
Blakelee sighed. “I guess it’s just a matter of time, to be honest. Want to know the irony? I’m his second wife. I was the other woman once upon a time. I thought things would be different with me because I was the love of his life. Stupid, right?”
“Everybody can be stupid. I think it’s part of being alive.”
Blakelee shrugged. “I guess. Again, sorry I ruined your business.”
Winnie almost laughed at her blithe tone. “Yeah, no worries. I guess my heart wasn’t really in it, anyway.” Otherwise, she wouldn’t have delivered that soliloquy at the Ice House.
“Well, you did a great job tonight,” Blakelee said, waving her hand at the party. “Thanks for being so nice to Uncle Tomas and Aunt Grace.” She paused. “If you need help covering the cost, we’d all pitch in.”
“That’s okay. It really was an honor.” She looked at the woman in front of her, the tired eyes, the downturned mouth. “Take care, Blakelee. Good luck.”
“Thanks.” Blakelee walked away. Her little girl came up and tugged her onto the dance floor, and Blakelee scooped her up into her arms and onto the dance floor, smiling. She was a good mom.
When everyone had left, Winnie cleaned up, clearing off tables, scraping plates, and folding tablecloths. She was glad to see there was one flower arrangement left…she could give it to her mom. She was just about to start breaking down the tables when the door opened, and in came her brother. “Hey, Window. Figured you could use some help. Maybe we can grab some food afterward.”
Maybe she would never find a partner. Good thing she had the family she did.
EIGHTEEN
LORENZO
He’d asked Winnie to come to Boston to arrange a party for the surgical residents and other staff he worked with. He was chief of special surgeries, after all, and other department heads did this kind of thing around the holidays. Why, he wasn’t sure. The staff would all surely rather have a raise, or extra time off, than dinner with their work colleagues. He’d requested pay increases in the budget, but those things were decided later. Verline, the best charge nurse on Surgical, had strongly suggested the party, so a party would be thrown. And who better to arrange it than Winnie?
