“What about your mistress? What about the money you stole from me, from us?”

  “She doesn’t matter Megan. And the money is all there. It’s in an account in the Cayman Islands. Come back to me, baby. I’m nothing without you.”

  Megan didn’t feel anything except disgust. “So, you’re just going to walk away from this woman and child, just like you walked away from our life? You were ready to leave me high and dry, basically out on the streets. So, what? So, you could feel like you were twenty-five again? To go and start a new life with a new family? Have you any idea how much you hurt me?” Megan kept her tone even, but the volume of her voice was growing as the anger churned inside her belly.

  “This is hardly ‘on the streets.’” Alex gestured to Charlotte’s house.

  Classic Alex, Megan thought to herself. Always trying to diffuse the situation with humor, only this time she wasn’t falling for it. “You’re telling me that you want to show up, months later, with some lousy fucking roses, and expect me to jump back into your arms. To what, Alex? To be a step-mom to your love child? To help you run your business so that you can pay that woman alimony?”

  Alex took a deep breath as though steeling himself, “That’s not going to happen. There won’t be any alimony.”

  “Oh, that’s rich,” Megan laughed. “You figured out some way to screw her out of money too?”

  “Megan, that baby wasn’t mine.”

  This caught Megan off guard. “What do you mean that baby wasn’t yours?”

  “I’ve left Roberta, the baby wasn’t mine. Meg. Just give me another chance.” He reached out and handed her the flowers. She automatically accepted them, her mind whirling with everything that he had just told her.

  “Alex. I don’t love you anymore. You know it and I know it. Our relationship was over years ago. I think that it’s time for you to go.” Megan moved to shut the heavy door.

  “Wait,” Alex shouted.

  Megan paused and stood in the one-foot wide opening, shivering against the cold that was billowing in around Alex.

  “You’re right, Meg. I don’t know who I was these past few months. I can’t believe I did those things to you. I once loved you. And I know that you once loved me. The pressure of trying to start a family and run the business, it just all became too much for me.”

  His tone had changed and when he looked Megan in the eyes, she saw a glimmer of the man she once knew.

  “We had a lot of pressure, Alex, but everyone does. We could’ve talked about it. I don’t know if I can ever forgive you for what you did to me, but I can thank you.”

  “Thank me?”

  “I’m free. I’m living a life that I never thought possible. You hurt me, but you also set me free to become who I really am. So, thank you, Alex.” Megan was surprised by the words that were flowing from her mouth, at the kindness she was showing her ex-husband.

  Alex looked up and his eyes were brimming with tears. “You were, are, a good woman, Meg. I didn’t deserve you. I was a piece of shit.”

  “Yeah. You were.”

  “Meg. I’ll give you half. You deserve it. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” The tears were flowing freely down Alex’s face.

  Megan had spent the past few months fantasizing about how she would take revenge on Alex, what she would do when Margot Meyer found all his money, how she would ruin him, how she would ruin his new perfect life. But now she could see that he had done all of that himself. He had taken what she thought that she needed to be happy, and given her the greatest gift, he had given her herself back.

  She stepped out and wrapped her arms around Alex, embracing him as he wept. She was so wrapped up in the drama unfolding on Charlotte’s front porch that she didn’t notice the truck approach and then speed away from the driveway.

  She pulled back from Alex. “Thank you for the money, Alex. I really do hope that you find happiness, but I think that you need to go now.”

  “Meg. There’s one more thing.”

  Something in the tone of his voice held a darkness. “You may not be so forgiving when you hear this,” his voice shook, “but you deserve the truth.”

  Megan didn’t believe him. What could be more damning than what he had already done?

  Not only was his voice quivering, but Megan noticed that his hands were shaking. “I never thought it was me.”

  “What? What do you mean?”

  “All those years, all those tests that you went through, the fact that we couldn’t conceive. I never thought that it was me. I thought that the tests were wrong. I thought that it was you.”

  Megan gripped the handle on the door and could feel the redness rising on her neck, the stress from all of those years creeping back into her body. “But you went through those tests too Alex.”

  “No. I didn’t.”

  “What do you mean you didn’t?” Megan was trying to stay calm.

  “I just didn’t think that it could be me.”

  “Yeah, you keep saying that Alex. All of those years I thought that there was something wrong with me. That there was some reason why I couldn’t conceive, that the universe was playing some god-awful trick on us. And you didn’t even go get the tests done?”

  Alex stood a little taller. “Meg, I never really wanted to have a family, but I knew how badly you wanted it. When it wasn’t happening, I was relieved. I didn’t want to get poked and prodded.”

  Megan steeled her eyes on the man in front of her. The man she thought that she knew. “So how do you know now?” She knew what he was going to tell her but wanted him to say it out loud. To her face.

  “I was starting to get the feeling that Roberta’s baby wasn’t mine. I went and got tested and found out that I’m sterile. It was me, Meg. Not you. There was never anything wrong with you.”

  Megan prided herself in being calm and collected in all situations, but within her, she held some pent-up rage in a vault deep inside. She must have held it there for years, and it brewed like a volcano, churning and bubbling, waiting for enough pressure to make it explode. She took a deep breath and then as calmly as her voice would allow it seethed at Alex. “You make me sick. I thought that I knew you, but it looks like I never knew you at all. You’re a vile, disgusting man, and deserve everything that’s happening to you.

  That’s when he smirked.

  “You think that this is funny?”

  “You know what Meg? That money is so well hidden, not even the best lawyer in the country could find it. I tried to do you a favor and tell you the truth, but it looks like you’re just an angry, sad old woman.”

  Megan stepped out onto the snow-covered pathway in her sock feet, reared back and brought the bouquet of flowers down hard over Alex’s head, the roses exploding in a cloud of petals, spilling down on the white snow, and Megan kept hitting him with the stems and screaming at him, raw, guttural, primal screams that she didn’t know she was capable of making.

  Alex scurried down the pathway as Megan kept pummeling him with the thorny stems until he jumped into his car and sped away down the road. She tossed the fractured stems into the snow, and stood at the end of the driveway, breathing clouds of heavy anger, like a bull, drops of blood from the thorns dripping from her fingertips, punctuating the white snow with the story of her fury.

  * * *

  “Meg. Are you okay?” Charlotte’s voice echoed through the hallway as she burst into her house.

  Megan heard her friend bounding up the staircase.

  “I’m okay,” she yelled from behind the closed door of the guest room.

  Charlotte threw open the door anyway.

  “Come in,” Megan said, putting on a fake smile for her friend.

  “You’re smiling?” Charlotte asked and then sat down on the bed. “I thought that I saw some blood out there. I guess it belonged to Alex?”

  “Actually, it was me, my hands feel like a pincushion,” she said, holding up her swollen hands.

  “What happened?” Charlotte’s eyes were wide as she held up Megan’s hand, inspecting the damage. “Are these from the thorns? Did you beat Alex over the head with those corner store roses?”

  “I did. Oh, Char. It felt so good, but it was so bad.”

  “Tell me everything,” Charlotte said, holding Megan’s hands gingerly in her own.

  Megan told her the whole story, Alex’s weak attempt to get her back, his confession about his infertility, how he seemed genuine and then turned around and was a complete asshole. How he told her she deserved the money one minute, and the next, how he told her she’d never see a red cent.

  “What an asshole,” Charlotte gasped when Megan finished the story.

  “And then I beat him over the head with the roses.”

  “As one should.” Charlotte squeezed her shoulders.

  Megan sighed and then smiled at Charlotte. “You know what? A couple of months ago this would’ve ruined me.”

  “I know.”

  “But I know that I’m going to be okay. And I owe that to you. Thank you for helping me.”

  Charlotte’s eyes welled up with tears and her voice was shaking. “You’re practically family Megan. I would do anything for you. But you know what? You did this yourself. You picked yourself up and built a powerful and independent Megan. I’ve seen a huge change in you. It was all you – and I think you may have had a little help from certain blue-eyed local.”

  “Oh that. Well, I royally f-ed that up.”

  “Do you want to tell me what happened there? We were just getting into it when that no-good ex of yours showed up.”

  Megan sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest. “I told Josh the truth about who I am, that I don’t own the café, or this house.”

  “Yeah, we got that far in the story.”

  “I didn’t tell him who you were, are... He pushed; he didn’t understand why I had lied to him. I couldn’t betray your secret, Char. I couldn’t tell him the whole truth, and when I refused, he was pissed. And rightfully so. I get it. I know what it’s like to be lied to.”

  “Oh, I see.” Charlotte’s voice was uncharacteristically quiet. “You were protecting me.”

  “I guess I was. I should never have said anything. Actually, I should never have agreed to the façade in the first place.”

  “And I should never have asked you.” Charlotte stood up.

  “Where are you going?” Meg slid to the edge of the bed and put her feet on the floor.

  “Come with me Meg. There’s something I need to show you.”

  Meg stood and followed Charlotte down the hallway and into her office. Meg had never been in the office and was surprised at how hard and modern the space was, like a mission control centre. It was in stark contrast to the feminine and rustic style of the rest of the house. Two big screens sat on her desk, there were huge maps lining the walls with pins pushed onto addresses, which Megan assumed were locations of where Charlotte had sold homes. The walls were filled with white boards covered with numbers and goals.

  “This is quite the man cave,” Megan said.

  “I know. The designer almost had a heart attack when she saw it. This is the one room I wouldn’t let her touch.” Charlotte tapped the touch pad on her keyboard and one of the screens sprang to life. Charlotte pulled up a high definition image and then turned up the sound on the computer.

  “Is that your front door?” Megan stared at the screen.

  “It is,” Charlotte smiled. She trailed her finger across the touch screen and the camera panned across the driveway and returned to capture the big wooden front door. “Ready for the best part?”

  Megan nodded.

  Charlotte typed in a few things and then the other screen sprang to life, the time stamp running across the top. She saw Alex’s baseball hat, Charlotte answer the door. She saw the flowers, the way he was nervously kicking his feet at the ice on the welcome mat. Charlotte punched at the keyboard and Megan heard Alex’s voice on the video asking to speak to Megan.

  She turned to her friend in awe. You’ve got the whole thing on tape.

  “Yep. We’ve got him in high def admitting to hiding the money. He’s done.”

  Megan stared at the screen and watched herself come to the door. “I don’t need to see it again, I was there.”

  Charlotte stopped the feed and then opened up her email. “I’m sending you and Margot this file. You’re going to get everything you deserve.” She stood up and walked determinedly out of the office. Megan followed her downstairs. Charlotte pulled her coat from the closet and grabbed her keys.

  “Where are you going?”

  “There’s something else that I have to do.” Charlotte said and then before Megan could ask any more questions Charlotte was out the door.

  Twenty-Six

  Josh watched as his friends and fellow carpenters helped to unload the pieces of the benches and tables into the café. The light fixtures were being installed and as soon as Freddie was finished, Josh was going to be able to assemble his pieces. The café looked amazing, and as much as he hated to admit it, Megan had done a good job, whether it was her property or not.

  Freddie was up on a ladder installing a pendant light above the glass display cabinet. He hopped down off the ladder, his boots landing on the hardwood flooring with a thud. “How was your date?” he grinned and elbowed Josh in the ribs.

  “Are those Edison light bulbs?” Josh asked, sidestepping the question.

  “Yep. Twenty bucks a pop. And they don’t last all that long – but they look cool.” Freddie gazed up at his handiwork. “When is the boss coming in?” Freddie asked.

  “How should I know?”

  “Weren’t you out with her last night?”

  “That doesn’t mean I know her schedule, Freddie. She’ll be in when she comes in, that’s all I know.” Josh was telling the truth. He had no idea when Megan was going to show up, but he hoped it would be after his job was done. Once the tables and benches were assembled, he was going to be done with the Sugar Peaks café, and Megan Brittle.

  “Easy now,” Freddie replied, holding his gloved hands out in front of him. Josh saw his eyes glance over his shoulder with interest. “Now who do we have here?” Freddie muttered under his breath.

  Josh turned to face the front door and it took him a minute to realize who was standing in the doorway.

  Charlotte.

  She strode into the room and headed directly towards Josh. “Can we have a word?” she asked.

  “Sure.” Josh undid his tool belt and set it down on the floor. “Let’s go in the back; we should be able to have some privacy there.”

  They walked past Freddie and the rest of the crew, their eyes following the duo as they passed through the swinging door into the rear of the café.

  “I owe you an apology.” Charlotte turned and faced Josh. He leaned against the stainless-steel dishwashing station, his arms crossed across his thick chest.

  “Is that so.”

  “It is.” Charlotte met Josh’s gaze with her deep brown eyes. “I’m going to tell you the truth. It’s something that I should have done years ago. Long before I dragged Megan into anything.”

  Josh remained silent, watching the confident woman as she waited for a response from him. He wasn’t giving it to her. He let the silence get awkward and then she conceded their silent standoff and proceeded. “You moved to Chance Rapids after I left here, so you don’t know my history. My name isn’t Charlotte, it’s Billie Jo Bunkman.”

  Freddie was right. He cleared his throat, “Go on.”

  “It’s a long story, Josh, and I’m not going to stand here and tell you every detail, but I will tell you that I had a terrible childhood here. I couldn’t wait to get out of Chance Rapids and never come back again.”

  “But you did.”

  “I did.” Charlotte sighed. “I wanted to show everyone. I wanted to come back to town and show just how successful I had become. How the girl that they had teased about wearing the same clothes day after day now had expensive designer clothes and a fleet of cars worth more than their houses. I wanted them to see just how far I had come. It was my revenge. But then I came back here and realized that I had left that girl behind in Chance Rapids, and I never wanted to see her again.”

  “So, you hired Megan to play you.”

  “In a sense.” Charlotte pulled off her deerskin gloves and shoved them into the pocket of her jacket. “I didn’t think it through. She never wanted to lie to anyone. I asked her to manage the project and if people assumed that she owned the café and the Sugar Peaks house, just to let them. Did she ever tell you that she owned either of them?”

  Josh thought back through all the conversations that he’d had with Megan, “No. She never said that, but she let me assume it.”

  “Megan has been through the wringer and she’s really found herself here in Chance Rapids. Her face lights up when she talks about you, Josh. You made her smile again. She wanted to tell you, but I was the one that stopped her. If you’re upset with anyone, it should be me.”

  “She wanted to tell me?”

  “Of course, she did. Can’t you tell that the woman is in love with you?”

  Josh flashed back to the roses and the hug that he had witnessed, “What about her husband?”

  “Ex. Her ex-husband,” Charlotte replied. “He signed uncontested divorce papers almost two months ago.” “What about him?” she narrowed her eyes at Josh. He could see how sitting across a boardroom table from this woman could be an unnerving experience.

  “I saw him. At your house. They were hugging. It was all I needed to see.”

  “Ohhhh, if you would’ve stayed you could’ve seen Megan beating that piece of sh--, work, over the head with flowers.”

  Josh felt his hands start to shake. “What? Is Megan okay?”

  “Megan is more than okay,” Charlotte laughed. “You helped her realize that there are still good honest men out there. She would never ever in a million years go back to that jerk.”

  “Shit,” Josh muttered to himself. “I wasn’t a man this morning. I should’ve listened to her. I should’ve believed that there was a good reason that she couldn’t tell me the whole story. I mean, I’ve gotten to know Megan. I know that there isn’t a deceptive bone in that woman’s body--”