14
Natalie
Natalie was in the McCreedys’ kitchen, stripping leaves off the stems of yellow roses when the doorbell rang.
She stuck the roses in a cut glass vase and yelled, “Coming!” in a cartoonishly chipper voice.
She’d prepared for today by standing in front of the mirror and smiling as she said things like “Thanks for coming” and “Itisthe best school district in the area” and “It’ssoclose to the beach.”
She knew she looked the part of a successful Realtor. She’d bought a white skirt suit for the open house, which she paired with a silky black sleeveless top and the gold necklace Jimmy had bought her in Mexico. She’d folded her Gold Coast scarf into a flower shape and pinned it to her breast pocket, right above her nametag. A kiss of pink blush and Revlon’s Million Dollar Red lipstick made her look pretty and confident.
She practiced her professional smile as she opened the door. Beth stood on the welcome mat, holding a cookie sheet covered in plastic wrap. The cookie sheet was resting on top of a Tupperware container filled with balls of dough.
“You look amazing!”
Natalie was unable to return the compliment. Beth looked like she’d spent the night partying. She wore a Barbie-pink dress with a stain on the right breast. Her greasy hair was gathered into a messy ponytail and her pancake makeup failed to conceal the puffy skin under her eyes. Her lip liner was three shades darker than her lipstick, her nail polish was chipped, and she smelled faintly of sweat.
“Thanks for bringing the cookies,” Natalie said. “Come on in.”
Beth followed her into the kitchen and gazed around. “Ilove seeing the inside of other people’s houses, especially the kitchen. It’s my favorite room in the house. This one is... well... you can tell that many meals were cooked here.” She put the cookie sheet on the counter and opened the oven. “You cleaned this, right?”
Natalie nodded. “You should’ve seen this place before I cleaned. It was nasty. I really wish they’d replaced their carpet. It’s hard to disguise the smell of old dog.”
“Don’t worry about that. In about twelve minutes, the whole house will smell like heaven.”
“I hope so.” Natalie put the Tupperware in the fridge for later. “If the brokers respond well to your cookies, I can bake them again at the next open house. And if people ask where they came from, I can give them your business card. Who knows? Maybe we can launch your career, too.”
Natalie expected more enthusiasm from Beth over the idea of getting her home baking business off the ground, but her friend just mumbled, “That’d be great.”
“How’s Don?”
“He was still asleep when I left for church. I tried to wake him up, but he told me...” Tears sprang to her eyes. “He told me to fuck off. I don’t understand what’s happening to him.”
Natalie was shocked. Don had a dirty mouth. He cursedlike a marine and told crude jokes. But in all the years Natalie had known him, Don had never been rude to Beth. He spoke to her in a soft voice and never forgot his manners. He opened her car door, pulled out her chair, and generally treated her like she walked on water. Natalie had always been jealous of how openly affectionate Don was with Beth.
How many cocktail parties or backyard cookouts had the women worked as a unit to set the tables or arrange the food while the men gathered around the stereo or the grill, drinking and smoking? How many times had she seen Don search for Beth with his eyes? He always knew exactly where she was—always sent a smile across the room or gave her a saucy wink when she passed by carrying a stack of dirty dishes or martini glasses.
Whenever Beth moved within arm’s reach, Don would grab her ass and call herfoxy ladyorhot stufforbaby doll. He never wiped off the lipstick tattoos she left on his cheeks, and he loved to sneak up behind her and squeeze her tiny waist. She’d squeal every time. He’d laugh and lean in to cover her neck in kisses.
Natalie, who’d seen them replay this routine a hundred times, couldn’t imagine Jimmy nuzzling her neck or tickling her in front of their friends. Sure, he’d put his arm around her or give her a peck on the cheek. And sometimes, if they’d had a few drinks, they’d kiss during a slow dance, but Jimmy didn’t search for Natalie in a crowded room. They both tended to seek out friends who could entertain them with jokes or juicy gossip. They wanted to flirt a little and remember who they were before they got married, moved to the suburbs, and had three kids.
But Don and Beth didn’t have kids. They only had each other. They were two planets orbiting each other, so it was jarring to hear that Don had forgotten how much Beth meant to him.
Because of Mrs. Smith.
Natalie stiffened her spine and raised her chin. Her open house was about to start. She had to keep her mind in the game.
“It’s going to work out, honey,” she told Beth in the syrupy sweet voice she used to placate Justin when he wanted to stay up late or have an extra dessert. “Once Mrs. Smith realizes that she has to fall in line or the whole neighborhood will be against her, Don will snap out of it. Whatever power she has over him will be broken. In the meantime, you need to keep it together. Go home, take a shower, and start baking. You and I are going to go door-to-door tomorrow with treats for the neighbors. We’ll give everyone a few of your cookies and a menu. Make a list of your items and the prices and take it to the copy shop. Tell them to print it on the prettiest paper they’ve got. We’re going to be success stories.Bothof us.”
Hope sparked in Beth’s eyes, and Natalie congratulated herself on her problem-solving abilities. She ushered her friend outside and promised to call her later.
The cookies were barely out of the oven when the doorbell rang.
Here we go, Natalie thought.
“Something smells great!” boomed a man’s voice from the hall.
Natalie yanked off Mrs. McCreedy’s stained oven mitts seconds before a barrel-chested man in a pin-striped blazer strutted into the kitchen. He put his hands on his hips and surveyed the room. Then he shook his head, as if what he saw was best forgotten, and thrust a hand toward Natalie.
