“Until what?”

  Esther slid her gaze to Melanie, tears in her eyes. “Until he told me I didn’t have a choice.”

  “To be with him?” Melanie wanted clarity. She didn’t want to read into that comment more than what was there, but with other things Esther had said, she couldn’t be certain, and she needed to be.

  Esther swallowed hard, her lip quivering. “I caught him one night, in our bed, when I came home from some mom-group thing he had signed me up for. He had Anthony with him, and was fucking her in the room next door. I walked in to find it, but then he…he told me I didn’t have a choice. He would do who he wanted, when he wanted—including me—and I wouldn’t have a choice because I was his.”

  “So you left then?”

  “No,” Esther whispered as she pulled up at a red light and stopped the car. “No, I waited four more months while I put my life in order so I could leave. It wasn’t easy finding a school that would take me because he always found out about it first and would sabotage my interviews.”

  “Sabotage how?”

  “In various ways. We really don’t have to talk about this, all I was saying is I understand going back. Becky has been with Preston for years at this point. It’s not easy to change the boundaries of a relationship, and we typically always want to see the best in people, especially the ones we love.”

  Esther stepped on the gas again. Melanie stayed quiet as she watched carefully. This was why it would be awful for Skip to have any more power politically, but she could see why Esther wanted to stay out of it. She really did feel as though she had no power in the situation. Melanie wanted to change that, to show her how much of a voice she did have.

  “I wish you could talk to Becky.”

  “You don’t want me talking to Becky about this,” Esther mumbled as she pulled into the parking lot and found a spot to park. “I’m still very bitter about it, and I have no advice to give her when it comes to a cheating spouse.”

  Esther was about to get out of the car, but Melanie tugged her hand to stop her. “For what it’s worth, Esther, I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

  The anger that had been in Esther’s eyes a flash of a second before faded and it was filled with something else, something Melanie wished desperately she could put a name to. She squeezed Esther’s fingers tightly.

  “I mean that. It’s an awful thing you had to go through, and no one deserves to be treated like dirt.”

  Esther’s lips parted in surprise as if she was going to say something, but she didn’t. Instead, she nodded. “Thank you. I’m not sure anyone has said that to me before.”

  Melanie’s heart broke slightly at just the thought. She reached forward and cupped Esther’s cheek, caressing her skin. She wanted to pull Esther in, kiss her, remind her that people in this world did love her and that she was worthy of that love, but she kept her distance. “They should have.”

  “Maybe,” Esther answered, then she looked directly at the clock. “We’re going to be late.”

  “They’ll survive,” Melanie murmured. “This is important.”

  “It’s really not.”

  “It is. You’re important, and what you’ve been through is important.”

  “You don’t understand it.”

  “I don’t, but I want to.” Melanie leaned in slightly. “I really do.”

  Esther didn’t answer, not that Melanie expected her to, but she did nod her agreement before unbuckling her seatbelt. Every bit of information Melanie got from Esther came in small pieces that she had to put together later, and she never got all the pieces at once. Before Esther could open the door to get out, Melanie stopped her again.

  “Are you ready to go inside? Or do you want another minute to put your mind and heart back together?” It was something she had asked her kids so many times over the years when they were growing up, but it felt so natural to ask Esther. Instinctively she knew Esther wouldn’t take the extra time, but she wanted her to know it was there if needed.

  “Let’s go in,” Esther murmured.

  “Okay.” Melanie stepped out of the vehicle and kept her distance as they walked inside. They weren’t a couple yet, and in some ways, she had to keep reminding herself of that, but it would be doubly hard to maintain that distance and boundary in front of her very observant friends, including Chris.

  They had a table in the back, their favorite one, and Melanie led the way in until they got to the rest of the crew. Esther sat on the edge while Melanie scooted over to sit next to Kelsey, Chris and Johanna right across from them. Esther was younger than everyone by ten years easily, and it was another stark reminder of the gap between them.

  Chris grinned at Esther. “I’m glad you were able to come.”

  Esther nodded. “Melanie is quite convincing.”

  It hadn’t actually been that difficult to convince Esther this time around, so it was odd that she would say something like that, but Melanie kept that thought to herself. After they ordered drinks and some appetizers, Melanie glanced up at Chris. “How’s the organizing coming?”

  Chris frowned. “Not well. There are a few protests that are planned, but I can’t exactly spread the word about them.”

  “That’s where we, your minions, come into play. Give us the details.” Melanie listened intently to the plan of action to stop the new education bill that was being introduced at the Senate in the spring. She’d seen some information around on it, but not much, and since teaching was in her blood, she was sure that information hit her more than the average Joe who didn’t give two cents.

  Esther remained suspiciously quiet for the next hour while they hashed out more detailed plans for protests, ramping them up closer to February when the Senate would meet. They would use the next two weeks to do some major planning.

  “I can talk to some of the moms on the PTA and see if they want to get involved. They are excellent at organizing,” Johanna chimed in.

  “Good idea,” Melanie answered. “Talk to Misty. And you know, Chris, you need to talk to Andry.”

  “No.”

  “You do. She’s always got her ear in on these things, and this affects all of us. We can’t pick and choose who we’re going to work with to combat this.” Melanie stared directly at Chris, trying to get her point across. It took a long second, but Chris did nod her agreement. Leaning back in the chair, feeling as though a good chunk of her work was done, Melanie glanced at Esther, who looked so forlorn as she sipped her iced tea.

  She reached under the table as subtly as possible and touched Esther’s leg to get her attention. She raised an eyebrow in Esther’s direction once they were looking at each other, but Esther shook her head slightly. Giving in this time, Melanie focused on the rest of the group.

  “Who’s ready for Christmas?” They all groaned, and Melanie laughed lightly. “That’s what I thought. But Jeremy is coming home, so I’m happy.”

  Chris smiled. “Is he liking his new job?”

  “Yes, but it’s so far away from home.” Melanie pouted. “I hardly get to see him anymore.”

  “He’s living his own life, Mel.” Chris gave her a pointed look. “Just like you raised him to do.”

  “Yeah. I know, but still, I wish he were closer.”

  “He flew the coop,” Johanna chimed in. “Let him live his life.”

  “I am.” Melanie frowned into her beer.

  Melanie couldn’t help but look at Esther, who was still absolutely silent and definitely not enjoying herself. The few times the others had tried to engage her in conversation, Esther hadn’t talked much. She tapped Esther’s leg and leaned in to whisper into her ear. “Come with me.”

  “What?”

  “Come on.” Melanie sent a look over to Chris and raised an eyebrow in her direction. “Bathroom run.”

  She could see the skepticism in Chris’ gaze but not in the others, so that was a bonus. Melanie led Esther toward the bathrooms, but instead of going in, she took the back way outside. Esther shivered in the cold air, both of them having left their jackets inside. Melanie stopped her just outside the back door and gave her a pointed look.

  “Do you want to leave?”

  Esther shook her head. “You’re enjoying yourself.”

  “But you aren’t. So I ask again, do you want to leave? Because we can leave if you want to. We don’t have to stay here.” Melanie gave Esther space to answer, time to think it through.

  Finally, Esther tilted her chin up. “No, I’m sorry. I’m not… I don’t like crowds, and any time I’ve done this before it’s never gone well.”

  “Done what?”

  “Tried to make friends with other teachers, especially when the principal is involved.”

  “Chris was a teacher before she was admin,” Melanie reminded her. “In here, we’re nothing but friends.”

  “You were talking about protesting.”

  Melanie pursed her lips, then waited until Esther looked her in the eye. “We were because we can’t talk about it anywhere else. But here’s the thing, Esther, you’re not obligated to join in anything. I told you I’d fight for you, and I will do that.”

  “I don’t want you to fight for me.” Esther spoke so softly. “I want to fight with you.”

  Melanie’s stomach somersaulted. “What do you mean?”

  “It is so hard to still live under his thumb, Mel. I mean it. I hate it, but I can’t… I don’t see any other way. He’s already ruined so much about my life, and I need to have a job. I can’t afford any more lawyer fees to fight him.”

  “Esther, slow down. What are you talking about?”

  Esther raised her gaze, making eye contact with Melanie. “I’m so tired of it all. Talking to you about Becky, I just… I never stopped it, did I?”

  “Stopped what?”

  “He still holds all the cards, and I don’t know how to stop it.”

  “Esther.” Melanie cupped Esther’s cheeks with both her hands, dragging their gazes to meet. “Stop. What are you talking about?”

  “Skip. What else would I be talking about? For years I’ve lived in fear of what he would do next, but I never stopped him from having control over me.”

  “You did in some ways.”

  “Not in the ones that matter. You know, I have been so afraid.” Esther swallowed. “I really have, and I’m so tired of it. Coming here tonight, talking to you… Why am I here, Melanie? I’m not one of your old friends who has been around for years. I’m not someone who’s going to organize a protest against the school board and risk my job. Why am I here?”

  “Because I want you here.”

  “Why?” Esther pushed.

  Melanie’s heart thumped wildly. Esther didn’t ask her again, and Melanie hoped it was because she knew the answer. But just to make it clear, Melanie closed her eyes and dropped her forehead down to Esther’s. “Because I want you here.”

  “I’m not worth it,” Esther whispered.

  “You are more worth it than you know.”

  “Melanie,” Esther started, hands on Melanie’s hips, fingers tightening into a firm grasp. “I’m not worth it.”

  “You’re worth everything and more.” Melanie wanted to kiss her, show Esther how much this meant to her, but she resisted the urge. This wasn’t the time or the place to initiate anything, and Esther needed to figure this out for herself. “You’re strong and capable. Chris saw that when she hired you. It’s why you were hired. You are competent and compassionate.”

  “She took a huge risk hiring me.”

  “She did, and she wasn’t stupid about it.” Melanie moved away slightly to look in Esther’s gaze. “Chris deeply understands the complications that come with these kinds of relationships and what can happen when people break up.”

  “Andry?”

  Melanie nodded. “Andry Murphey.”

  Esther frowned. “She’s my former principal.”

  “My point exactly. This is something Chris understands, and my bet is when she figured out who Anthony’s father was, she decided to take a very calculated risk. She’s not stupid. Give her more credit than that.”

  “They were married?”

  “For close to twenty years, and last year, out of the blue, Andry filed for divorce. Well, out of the blue for Chris. I think the rest of us weren’t as oblivious to it as she wanted to be. They have a daughter, Katie, and she’s stuck in the middle. So trust me when I say that Chris understands this.”

  Esther lowered her gaze. “Okay.”

  “Okay? That’s it?”

  Shrugging, Esther stayed right where she was. “I guess. I mean, what do you want me to say?”

  Melanie sighed. “I want you to trust yourself, and then maybe you can trust me.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “Good. Now, when we go back in there, can you be a little more yourself?”

  “I have been myself.” Esther pouted.

  Melanie smiled slightly. “Be more of who you are with just me around.”

  The little pout on her lips was probably the cutest thing Melanie had seen. “Fine. I’ll try.”

  “Good.” Melanie stopped resisting and kissed Esther’s forehead and then her cheek. She lingered, hovering slightly over Esther’s lips, but instead of kissing her, she backed away. Now wasn’t the time, not after the evening they’d had, the emotional hoops Esther had jumped through in so many different aspects of her life. “Let’s go back inside before they start gossiping about what we’re doing in the bathroom.”

  Esther snorted. “Those rumors are always around for me. Skip starts them.”

  Melanie’s stomach dropped, but she didn’t say anything in response. If that was true, then there were far more issues with Skip and Esther than she’d originally thought, and the level of abuse ran deep. She would have to keep that one in the front of her mind.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Melanie had barely been able to stop thinking about Esther since they’d been at The Office. Even when Becky had arrived with the girls and Preston for Christmas Eve celebrations and Jeremy had flown in, she still couldn’t stop thinking about Esther. The cracks in her facade were shattering faster than Esther could keep up with them, which Melanie knew was a good thing, but she also knew it was one of the scariest things Esther would ever go through.

  As she sat at the kitchen table the day after Christmas, drinking her first cup of coffee in the morning, she let her mind spin with thoughts of Esther, who would be absolutely alone for the next week.

  “Hey, Mom.” Jeremy’s low voice warmed her. It had been far too long since she’d seen him.

  He poured his own coffee and slid into the chair next to her.

  “Girls all still sleeping?” Melanie asked.

  He raised his chin. “It’s six in the morning. What do you think?”

  “I think it’s eight in the morning for you still.” She smiled at him. “I also think you and I haven’t really had a moment together.”

  He smiled at her, the dark curls on his forehead dying for her to brush them away like she used to when he was little, but Melanie kept her hands firmly around her coffee mug.

  “How is life going out there? Honestly,” Melanie asked. “Don’t sugarcoat it for me.”

  Jeremy sighed, but when he looked up at her, he grinned, and she knew without a doubt he was at the very least happy. “I love it. I promise you.”

  “Good. And you’re doing well in school?”

  “Yes, Mom.” He rolled his eyes at her. “I’m getting straight A’s.”

  “Really?”

  “No.” He snorted. “But close, I promise.”

  “Good.” Melanie took another sip of her coffee. “And no girlfriends?”

  He shook his head, and Melanie caught sight of Avery sliding into the kitchen. “Jeremy, did Mom tell you she has a girlfriend?”

  Jeremy’s dark eyes widened, and Melanie shook her head. “I don’t.”

  “She wants one, though.” Avery poured herself her own cup of coffee and joined them at the table. “Esther.”

  “Who’s Esther?” he asked Avery, not Melanie.

  Cursing her luck, Melanie kept her mouth shut while Avery filled him in.

  “Esther is the new fifth grade teacher at school, and Mom here has got a massive crush on her.”

  “Didn’t know you swung that way,” Jeremy stated simply. “But if Ave likes her—”

  “I do,” Avery supplied.

  “Then I don’t see why you shouldn’t go out with her.”

  “It’s a lot more complicated than that,” Melanie murmured into her cup, eyeing them over the rim. “We both teach at the same school.”

  “Isn’t that how Chris met Andry?”

  Melanie frowned. It hadn’t been, but it had been why Chris had taken a job at a new school and moved into admin so quickly instead of lingering in teaching like Andry did. Though Melanie wasn’t going to share that with her kids. She really didn’t want to think about potentially moving schools or accidentally forcing Esther to do it. If either of them was going to move, it would be Melanie in the long run.

  “They met while in school,” Melanie answered.

  “So what’s the holdup then?” Jeremy asked.

  “She’s got a kid,” Avery added.

  Oh good Lord. This was going to be Avery dropping crumbs for hours because she knew the most about what was going on, but she didn’t know everything, and it wasn’t Melanie’s story to share.

  “Does she?” Jeremy perked up as if this was the most interesting piece of information he was going to get.

  “Anthony. He’s adorable and so sweet, and he’s in Mom’s class.”

  Jeremy raised a curious eyebrow at her. “So what’s the problem with her then?”

  “Baby daddy is an ass.”

  “Avery!” Melanie chided.

  “What? It’s true from what I’ve seen, heard, and talked to Anthony about.”

  Melanie pointed a finger at her. “You don’t talk to Anthony about anything with his dad, do you understand me? He needs to know that we support that relationship, even if it isn’t the greatest. It’s not our job to intervene.”