Mary Taffs - Martha's Madness

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1-928670-41-5 Martha's Madness Mary Taffs 1/10/2001 Awe-Struck E-Books Amour

-Martha's Madness-

Book II of the Second Chances Trilogy

By Mary Taffs

Published by Awe-Struck E-Books

ISBN: 1-928670-41-5

PROLOGUE

September

"Martha's Madness?" Tony asked, his gaze never straying from her face.

Brittany smiled. Tony was the nicest guy she'd ever met, and talk about tall, dark, and handsome! "That's

what people call my Aunt Martha's house in Oregon. It's the greatest house, right on the beach and

designed just how she wanted it. But they call it Martha's Madness because she uses it only in the

summer when it's too hot to stay in Texas, and it's way bigger than she and Uncle Harry need. I've spent

every summer there since I was twelve."

"It sounds nice. You like the ocean, then?"

She nodded and set her empty ice cream cup on the low table next to her. "The waves are so great - and

the sunsets!"

"I agree. Would you like a soda or anything else?"

He'd been generous like that all evening, offering popcorn at the movie, then ice cream, and now pop. He

didn't seem to expect anything in return, either, and that was the part Brittany found the hardest to get

used to. "No, thanks. I've been hoping to get a chance to see the Atlantic Ocean, but I haven't been off

campus since I got here."

"Maybe we could go for a drive down Narragansett Bay sometime," he suggested, his deep voice

making her insides itch.

"You have a car?" That was definitely unusual, even for a sophomore. Brown's location in the middle of

the East Side of Providence made for a lack of space for student parking. The lots were expensive and

on-street parking almost impossible to find.

He nodded. "I'm from Newport, and I go home fairly often for family get-togethers. I had to take the bus

last year, but that was for the birds. So I saved money to buy a car this summer."

He must be from a reasonably well off family, then, if he could save his wages for a car instead of tuition.

Well, maybe not. He could be on a full scholarship, like she was. "What kind of job did you have?"

He made a not-too-successful attempt at looking and sounding modest. "We have a marine products

distributorship - Fiore Marine. My grandfather runs it, but I'm going to take over when I graduate."

Great looking, super nice, sexy as the devil - with a company waiting for him, no less! He could

undoubtedly date any girl on campus, and that realization boggled her mind. She'd get her heart broken, if

she didn't watch out. Guys like Tony ended up with sweet innocent girls. Her roommate, Carolyn, for

example. Never girls like Brittany.

Tony stopped in the middle of the block and looked around. How had he gotten this far from campus?

The answer was a peculiar combination of sexual frustration and exhilaration he'd never felt before. And

it was all Brittany's fault - except he wasn't sure fault was the right word.

Sure, she'd turned that goodnight kiss into the single most sensual experience he'd had in his whole life.

And then, just when he'd been about to suggest going for a drive - all the way to the nearest place to

park - she said they were moving way too fast.

But he could have changed her mind without much trouble. She might have said the words, but she was

just as turned on as he was.

The truth of the matter was that he didn't mind waiting. He and Brittany already had a connection he'd

never felt with anyone else, something that went way beyond the physical. Rushing her into sex would be

almost sacrilegious.

And that, his body reminded him, was a damn shame. She could have been created with every one of his

hot buttons in mind. Those long sandy curls that fell almost to her waist. A mouth that was made for

kissing. And lush but firm breasts.

He was in for some torture, but fifty or a hundred years from now, he'd be glad he waited.

CHAPTER ONE

March, Fifteen Years Later

Brittany set the tray on the table next to Michael and picked up half of her grilled cheese sandwich. She'd

eat while she got their clothes ready. When she heard a commercial come on, she asked, "Which tie do

you want to wear today?"

He laughed rudely. "You know the answer. I want to sit here and watch TV, and I don't need a tie for

that." He picked up his sandwich and bit off a big chunk.

She sighed. "But we promised to go to Carolyn's wedding this afternoon . . ." That sounded awfully close

to whining and she knew very well that whining wasn't the way to deal with Michael. Offering a bribe

would be more effective. "And I was thinking - we could stay overnight in Portland. The reception'll be

over early, so we could go to a club or a movie or something fun like that."

"Oh, right. You forget I've been reading the Portland papers for the past three months, looking for some

halfway decent entertainment. About the best thing was some road company of a Broadway show we

saw five years ago, and that was weeks ago."

Why did he have to be so picky? She was sure there were plenty of places in a city the size of Portland

where they could spend an enjoyable evening. "There's a great bookstore downtown. You'd enjoy going

there, wouldn't you?"

He didn't answer because his show came back on. That was all he seemed interested in doing anymore -

sprawling on the loveseat in front of the TV, watching shows that were first broadcast in the '50's or

'60's. They'd been here for almost three months in this wonderful oceanfront house, and Michael hadn't

bothered to walk on the beach yet. Most days he probably didn't even look out the windows to watch

the waves. She brought most of his meals to him here in the master suite, and the rest of the time she was

on her own. Of course, she could happily spend her whole life doing nothing more than enjoying the

sights and sounds of this beach. But still, this wasn't exactly what she'd expected when he told her about

the vacation time he'd taken - to cheer her up, as he'd been careful to mention.

The phone rang and he answered it immediately. He always needed to be the first to know who was

calling and why. After a moment, he said, "That's great! I'll be there in half an hour." He hung up and

clicked off the TV. "The part for my car's in and they're going to put it in this afternoon." He stood up and

stretched.

"That's good. We can drop your car off on the way." She wouldn't question his sudden about- face. Any

reason that got him moving was okay with her.

"Jesus, Britt, forget about the wedding, will you? Now that my car's going to be fixed today, we don't

have time for crap like that. You start packing while I take it down there. I'll help when I get back, and if

we're lucky, we can be out of this hick town by tomorrow."

Her stomach twisted. "I thought we weren't leaving until Monday night." She'd been counting on that -

she needed an extra couple of days. She wasn't ready to go back to California and look for a new job.

Not yet. She needed to let go of her last bit of hope first, the hope that Michael would learn to love living

here and agree to stay and build a business with her. She stared out the window at the surf, wishing she

could let go of her dream as easily as the sand relinquished each wave.

"That was just because of my car, you know that." Michael wrapped his arms around her. "Britt honey, I

know you'd like to stay here longer, but we can't. I've got to be at work on Wednesday. If we drive

back tomorrow instead of Monday night, we'll have a couple of days to play first. You've been missing

all those great ethnic restaurants, too - and you know how hot you make me when we go dancing." He

snuggled up close and started exploring her breasts. "Just thinking about it turns me on. Let's do it right

now."

All he had to do was touch her and everything else became unimportant. It had been that way since they

first met. People always said that relationships built on sex couldn't last, but their marriage had outlasted

those of most of their college friends - including the ones they were supposed to see this afternoon.

Carolyn and Tony had been together all through college, just like Brittany and Michael, and they too had

married within weeks of graduation. Their marriage had lasted less than seven years, although their

friendship was still strong. Five years later, Carolyn was getting married again, and Tony would be there

to watch. Brittany and Michael had to be there to support him!

Brittany exerted all her willpower to pull away from Michael and put several feet of distance between

them. "We need to go to the wedding, Michael. Tony's going to be there, and - "

"Don't give me that crap. The Crown Prince is a grown man and doesn't need his hand held all the time.

If he's got any brains, the only reason he's going is to laugh at the guy the Ice Queen's got her mitts into

now." He took a couple of steps toward her and added, "As for you, don't play games. We're either

going to do it right this minute, or I've got to cruise. Which is it?" He punctuated his question by slipping

his hand inside the loose waistband of her sweatpants and squeezing her bottom.

She was aggravated enough that she could almost ignore the melting feeling inside her body. "Agree to go

to the wedding first. It's really important to me - and we don't have to stay overnight. In fact, we'll leave

the reception real early . . ."

His smile dropped away and the playful squeeze turned much less playful. "You think I don't know why

you want to go? You just want to see your precious Tony, and I'm not putting up with any of that shit.

No, I want out of here tomorrow, and that means you spend today packing, not drooling over some

damn wop."

"I'll stay up and pack tonight - " The rising hysteria in her voice wouldn't do her any good. Michael never

agreed to do anything just because she got emotional about it. Forcing herself to sound calm and logical,

she said, "Then I'll go by myself and you can get your car fixed this afternoon. As I said, I'll pack when I

get back, and we'll leave tomorrow."

He glared at her and shook his head. "I said no, Britt. You should have asked me before you accepted

the damn invitation in the first place. The Ice Queen and the Crown Prince can go to hell, for all I care."

He squeezed harder, until she felt like her buttock was clamped in a vise grip. "I'll be back soon, and

you'd damn well better be busy packing when I get here." He released his grip and walked out of the

room.

She heard the front door close, and then the faint sound of his car starting up. She sagged against the

cool glass of the window, not really watching the waves but letting their presence soothe her. He'd never

had any intention of going to the wedding! She'd told him about it last month when Carolyn called - but

now that she thought about it, she'd been surprised at his lack of reaction. He'd grumbled and made a

few sarcastic remarks, but he hadn't refused to go or even made a serious objection to it.

Suddenly she was so mad she felt like smashing something. He was so damn sure of himself - so sure that

she'd do just exactly what he said. It was her fault, too. She always gave in to him, sooner or later. More

often sooner.

Well, she wasn't going to give in this time. She'd go to the wedding, just like she'd planned - and

promised. And she wouldn't sneak out of the reception the minute it started, either. She'd stay a while

and talk to Tony. It had been years since she'd seen him, and talking on the phone just wasn't the same.

She couldn't totally break with her usual habit, though. She'd stay up packing all night when she got back.

They would still be ready to leave tomorrow. Maybe that would satisfy Michael and he wouldn't stay

angry with her for long.

Maybe not. But for once, she'd take the chance.

"Hello. I'm Seth Worthington."

Tony shook his hand and answered, "I'm Tony Fiore." He didn't bother adding "Carolyn's ex- husband,"

because Seth probably already knew that. "You have a lovely home."

The well-dressed man who so fit his surroundings smiled. "Thank you. We like it. The ceremony will be

in the tent right off the patio. It'll be at two o'clock and the ushers will ask everyone to go out there a few

minutes early. In the meantime, we've put a few snacks out, and please make yourself comfortable."

"I'm supposed to meet some friends. Do you happen to know if Brittany and Michael Stone are here

yet?"

Seth frowned slightly. "I haven't seen them. It's still early, though."

He nodded. "They'll probably be along any minute. I guess I'll go watch for them." He moved toward a

small window that looked out on the street, although now he remembered that Brittany was rarely early

for anything. She and Michael would likely arrive just before the ceremony.

He waited until nearly everyone else had gone outside, but still no Brittany and Michael. He took a seat

near the back of the tent and marveled at the size of the crowd. Carolyn had said it would be a "small"

wedding - well, maybe it was in comparison to theirs all those years ago in the Catholic Church in

Newport, but there must be seventy-five or a hundred people here.

Brittany slid into the seat next to him and flashed him a smile in the moment of silence before the wedding

march started. He returned it half-heartedly, shocked at her tense expression and the worry lines it made

so noticeable. To cover his concern, he peered over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of the bride.

Carolyn was beautiful; there was no other word for it. Normally, attractive was a more accurate

description of her, but today her happiness spilled out in such radiance that he found himself smiling. For

her, certainly, because she deserved it. But for himself, too. Maybe he would someday find a love to

transform his life, a love like she'd found. A love that would fill the emptiness she'd left behind, but one

that would do more than that. A love the two of them had never felt for each other.

The ceremony passed quickly. He'd wondered for days how he'd feel. Would it be like losing her all over

again to see her make her vows with Scott? Surprisingly, it didn't hurt. She was his best friend and he

was thrilled for her happiness. But still, he felt numb - and more than a little jealous. He wanted to feel the

way he imagined she felt today, like his life was only beginning and full of infinite possibilities.

The new couple was introduced to the assembled well wishers and he joined wholeheartedly in the burst

of applause that greeted them. Brittany looked over, wearing a troubled frown. He didn't need to wonder

if she'd changed her mind. She was still angry with Carolyn for leaving him, and she still thought he was

denying his true feelings about their divorce.

When they returned to the house for the reception, Tony looked around. "Where's Michael? I figured

maybe he'd gone to park the car and was stuck in the back during the ceremony."

"Oh, no. It turns out he couldn't make it today." She quickly changed the subject. "I'm so glad to see you,

Tony! It must have been . . ." She frowned in concentration.

He supplied the answer, "More than four years. I haven't seen either of you since you moved to San

Francisco."

She nodded, still looking more serious than he'd ever seen her. "That's right. I really wish you didn't live

so far away." She looked at all the people surrounding them and asked, "Do you know anyone here

other than Carolyn?"

Perversely, he said, "Well, I've met Scott a couple of times, but I can't say I know him."

She looked shocked, as he'd known she would. "Where did you meet him?"

"Out here. I don't know if I told you, but we bought a distributor up in Olympia last year, so I've spent a

fair amount of time in Washington State recently. Sometimes, when I'm there for a week or so, I drive

down to see Carolyn. Scott's around once in a while, which is only natural."

"But how can you - I mean, he's the reason you're not married any longer. I'd think . . ."

He smiled slightly, realizing that he'd wanted this opportunity to make Britt understand. "I know, Britt.

But Carolyn loves him and he makes her happy. That's what matters most to me." There was more he

wanted to say, but this was no place to get into such an intensely personal discussion. "I know her family,

too, of course, and I'd better go say hello."

"I'll go with you."

The Kelleys were all perfectly pleasant but distant, greeting Brittany with considerably more enthusiasm

than Tony. They gave no sign that he'd ever been part of their family. He knew Carolyn would have

emphasized that he wasn't to blame for their divorce, but he supposed they'd assumed he actually was.

They certainly would never have believed the truth - that Carolyn, the life-long good girl, had fallen in

love with another man. And Tony wasn't about to tell them that their brand-new son-in-law had been

both the cause of the divorce and the one who'd broken Carolyn's heart by abandoning her.

As soon as they could, he and Brittany excused themselves to get a drink. He took an already- poured

glass of champagne from the bar, but Brittany settled for sparkling fruit juice. "I have to drive back

tonight." Her eyebrows drew together, giving her a grim look that seemed totally unlike her.

He couldn't politely ignore her distress any longer. She might say the problem was none of his business,

but he had to ask. He steered her into an alcove between the living room and the sunroom and

commented, "You seem kind of uptight today."

Brittany sighed, and just when he thought she might answer, she suddenly plastered on a fake smile.

"Carolyn!" The two women hugged and Brittany added, "That's a lovely dress."

He added, "Such a good color on you, babe." Mint-green always brought out the turquoise of her eyes.

While she hugged him, she murmured, "Thanks for coming, Tony. It means a lot to me."

It did to him, too, but his throat was too tight to say so.

Scott stood uncertainly behind Carolyn for a moment longer; then Carolyn stepped to one side and

introduced him. "Britt, I'd like you to meet Scott."

They shook hands, but Brittany's smile wasn't very encouraging, so Tony offered a greeting. "Good to

see you again, Scott. And congratulations. I hope you'll be very happy."

Scott said, "Thanks. I'm sure we will," but his voice sounded strained.

Carolyn barreled ahead somewhat desperately, "I'll give you a call sometime, Britt. Now that you and

Michael are nearby, we should get together."

Brittany grimaced. "Well, actually, we're heading back to California tomorrow. We'll still have the house

up here, though, so we'll be back once in a while."

Hadn't she said they were moving to Myrtle Beach, the last time they talked? No, not exactly, he

remembered. She'd said it wasn't definite, that they were looking at all their options. He'd just assumed

they'd do it, based on knowing how much Britt loved the ocean and Martha's Madness, the house she'd

just inherited. No wonder she seemed strange today!

Carolyn looked quizzically at Tony. "I thought you said . . ."

He shrugged. "I guess I misunderstood."

They all seemed frozen in place. Brittany broke the impasse by saying, "I probably gave you the wrong

impression, Tony. I'd hoped that Michael and I would stay and start a small business in Myrtle Beach."

With a tight smile, she added, "But hopes and reality aren't the same thing. So unfortunately, I'm going to

have to hit the road real soon. Michael's back there packing, and I need to help him so we can leave

tomorrow."

He couldn't let her leave before they talked. He knew Brittany well enough to know that more was

involved than she was saying. He turned to Carolyn. "I'm sorry, but I need to leave, too, babe. I flew out

this morning, so it's already been a long day for me."

If he didn't know Carolyn so well, he wouldn't have noticed the way she blinked quickly, like she'd been

slapped. Her cheeks reddened, and after a moment, she said, "That's okay. The important thing is that

you came." Tony promised himself that he'd explain his abrupt departure the next time they talked.

"Be sure to sign the guest book before you leave," Scott added, slipping his arm around Carolyn's waist

and giving her a squeeze.

After he was sure they were out of earshot, Tony said, "I've got a suite over by I-5 and 217. Do you

have time to stop off and talk for a few minutes?"

Brittany studied his face for a moment, then nodded. "I can spare about that long."

She followed his rental car to the hotel and was silent as they walked through the lobby and rode the

elevator up to his floor. She sank into a chair in the living room of the two-room suite and sighed, but still

said nothing.

"Britt, what's the matter?"

She glanced up at him with a rueful smile. "I'm being pretty obvious, I guess. The thing is I'm just not

ready to leave Myrtle Beach - and I can't face looking for a job, either. But Michael's due back at work

on the first of April . . ."

"The idea of starting a business there didn't work?"

She shook her head. "Not really. See, one of the main reasons we came up here is because I was so

down. Aunt Martha died late in October and, while I was still dealing with that, I got downsized. They

had outplacement counselors and all, but - well, I guess I got caught in the grief phase and couldn't do

anything productive about anything."

"The grief phase?"

"You haven't heard about that?" She smiled a little more naturally and continued, "I guess you don't need

to, working for the family company. But basically, somebody decided a while back that losing your job is

a lot like having somebody close to you die. You go through a bunch of phases, like disbelief and grief

and anger, and eventually you get to acceptance. Except that I didn't. I'd just sit in our apartment and

stare at the walls, and even buying groceries or fixing dinner was too complicated."

"That sounds awful." He remembered feeling a little like that, right after Carolyn left. He'd had Brittany

and Michael to help, though.

She nodded. "It was. So Michael's Christmas present to me was this vacation. He's been working at the

same place for four years now, so he'd managed to save up a lot of time off, and they're not very busy

right after New Year's, so his boss let him take it all off at once." She paused, blinking and gulping in air.

"That was so sweet of him! It's helped a lot, too . . ."

Her voice sounded wistful and vulnerable, very unlike the usual Brittany. He wanted to help somehow,

even if all he could do was hold her and assure her that everything would be all right. But holding her was

impossible, too. Words would have to do. "Maybe when you get back home, you'll feel better about

being there."

She blinked one last time and sat up straighter, something that only emphasized the way the chair

overwhelmed her petite size. "I'm sure you're right, and I apologize for dumping on you. Now, what's

going on with you? We haven't talked for a couple of months."

He shrugged. "Nothing new. The subsidiary in Olympia is our tenth one, and I'm in charge of all of them.

My brother Robbie works with me, but he's got a couple of kids, so I do most of the site visits. That's

what I'm doing next week, actually. I'm going to drive around the Olympic Peninsula tomorrow and

Sunday, spend Monday and Tuesday at the site in Olympia, fly cross-country Wednesday, and spend

Thursday and Friday in North Carolina."

"How's your social life? Or do I even need to ask?"

She always got around to asking that eventually. As did Carolyn and at least half of his family. They all

figured that if he wasn't dating, he wasn't over Carolyn yet. But that wasn't true. "I'm on the road so much

. . ."

She punched his arm lightly. "Don't give me that. You could make time, if you wanted to." She seemed

about to say more, but then she shook her head reluctantly. "Damn. I really have to go, Tony, but this has

been way too short." With a sudden grin, she asked, "Look, how about if you come out to Martha's

Madness with me? I'd love to have you see the place, and we could talk lots more."

"But you're leaving tomorrow, and you have to pack." He didn't mention Michael, not knowing a polite

way to say that Michael so often seemed jealous of their friendship.

She frowned intently for a few seconds, apparently thinking some idea through. "Packing won't really

take all that long, and I'm going to do it right when I get back. Michael likes to make the drive at night, so

we'd have all day tomorrow to talk and walk on the beach and all. He'll probably be glued to the TV, so

he wouldn't mind."

He felt sure that she was making overly optimistic assumptions about packing and Michael's reaction, but

all that really mattered was that she was reaching out to him for support and friendship. He said, "If

you're sure . . ."

She nodded and bounced out of her seat. "I am. Oh, Tony, this'll be great! I'll just draw you a map in

case we get separated on the drive - " She pulled open the drawer on the small desk and grabbed a

piece of hotel stationary and a pen, then started sketching.

"If you're going to the trouble of doing that, I think I'd like to drive out first thing in the morning. My

body's still on East Coast time, you know. I can probably leave here about seven, so we'll still have

plenty of time. And if something comes up, you can give me a call not to come." Something like Michael

throwing a fit, for example, something he'd been known to do.

Her mood shifted back to somber. "That's a good idea."

CHAPTER TWO

Brittany took the curves in the road through the mountains faster than was wise. Now that she was on the

road, she was desperate to get back to Martha's Madness. She had so much to do before they could

leave! She'd better use this time to make a mental list of everything and plan how she'd accomplish it.

As she'd told Tony, packing wouldn't be too bad. They'd only brought clothes and books with them, and

she could leave the books she'd read behind. Michael undoubtedly thought it would take a considerable

number of hours to pack their clothes, but she'd done a ton of packing over the years and knew

differently.

The more difficult part was closing up the house. She'd never been there when Aunt Martha closed up

the house for the winter, but she knew it was fairly complicated. In addition, she needed to clear out the

refrigerator and freezer, clean the rooms they'd been using, and wash their sheets and towels.

Wait a minute. Maybe she didn't. Aunt Martha always had a local man, Fred Pool, watch the house

while she was away. He also handled any needed repairs. His daughter Angela, who'd become a good

friend over the last few months, had often cleaned for Aunt Martha. She'd see about hiring them to clean

and close up the house. Michael would be annoyed at her spending money for something she could do

herself, but she didn't have time to learn what to do and how to do it in the next twenty-four hours. The

house belonged to her, anyway, so it wasn't really any of Michael's business.

She laughed, a bit hysterically. What a ludicrous idea - that Michael might accept that something she did

wasn't his business! Especially since he must be furious with her already, and would be even more ticked

off when she told him Tony was coming . . .

Well, damn it, she was ticked off that he'd moved their departure two days earlier. Besides which, it had

been rude to refuse to go to Carolyn's wedding at the last minute like that. Since he obviously assumed

he could get away with crap like that, she wasn't going to back away from her perfectly reasonable

plans.

A nagging cynical voice in the back of her head asked, "Oh, yeah? You're really going to stick to your

guns this time, as opposed to the last three thousand times? Even when Michael slices you up in that

vicious way of his and makes you remember how much worse your life was before you met him?"

To silence the voice, she turned the radio on loud and sang along with the bouncy inoffensive songs on

the local station. From time to time, the announcer gave the weather report or read an ad about one of

the local stores. He sounded completely sincere, and she had the sense that he was a regular customer of

each store he advertised.

Maybe that was part of why she loved the Oregon Coast so much. People seemed real and honest and

willing to accept each other, so unlike the self-obsessed people she'd known while growing up in LA and

in the cities she'd lived in since. Unfortunately, that difference was at the heart of why Michael didn't feel

comfortable here.

The house was dark when she got there. Since Michael often watched TV in the dark, she wasn't too

surprised. Still, she crept silently into the bedroom, not wanting to wake him if he happened to be asleep

already.

He wasn't asleep. Nor was he watching TV. He wasn't even in the room. She looked in the attached

bathroom, and that was empty, too. Had he gone out somewhere? But where, in a town he hated?

She hadn't been looking forward to dealing with his anger tonight, but at least being yelled at was

something she understood. Now, she didn't know whether to feel relieved or scared - or angry.

Well, she guessed it didn't matter at the moment. He wasn't here this minute, so she'd start packing. She

could accomplish lots more without his constant interruptions. As she reached for the overhead light, she

noticed the answering machine light flashing and pressed the "Play" button.

"Bitch!" Michael's voice snarled out of the machine at her. "You've got a hell of a nerve prancing off to

that damn wedding the minute my back was turned. You knew damn well I wouldn't have let you go,

and don't you try and claim different. I'm sure as hell not going to sit around waiting for you, either. I

grabbed a few clothes and I'll be home by morning. Who knows? Maybe the trip'll mellow me out a little

- you'd better hope so, 'cause I'm more pissed at you than ever, and that's saying a lot. You've obviously

forgotten that I'm your husband and you promised to 'love, honor, and obey' me. You owe me a hell of a

lot of all three, and don't you forget it!"

She knew just what he'd looked like when he recorded that message - his face so tight with anger that his

eyes bulged, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, and his whole body puffed up, making his slight

5'6" build seem immense. She found that she'd backed away from the machine, as if it was Michael

himself. She blinked a couple of times and groped her way to the loveseat.

Why had she gone? It couldn't have been worth upsetting Michael so incredibly much. Sure, she'd

accepted Carolyn's wedding invitation, but her college roommate would have gotten along just fine today

without her. And Tony had been happy to see her, but he hadn't seemed to need her support like she'd

expected. Maybe she'd gone as a way of rebelling against Michael's decision to leave for California

tomorrow.

Yes, that was it. She'd been angry with him, yet not willing to talk the issue through. The mature thing

would have been to wait until he got back and explain how she felt. Instead, she seized on the wedding

as a symbol - a stupid one, too. Going to the wedding against Michael's wishes meant that she was

putting her friends above her marriage, when Michael was the only person other than Aunt Martha who'd

ever really loved her.

She was an idiot! No wonder Michael was angry. She desperately wished she hadn't argued against him

getting a cell phone last fall. At the time, she'd been worried about the money - he wanted a fancy digital

one that cost a couple of hundred dollars, plus a not-insignificant monthly fee in addition to airtime. But if

she hadn't been such a penny-pincher, she could have called him right now to apologize. He wouldn't

forgive her right away - and he shouldn't, given the outrageousness of her behavior - but she could

explain why she'd done it, how sorry she was, and how she'd make it up to him.

She'd call the apartment and leave a message there, instead. It wouldn't be as good as talking to him

directly, and after driving all night, he might be even angrier by the time he arrived, but it was the best she

could do. And when she got a new job, she'd buy him the best cell phone in the universe, just to remind

him how much she loved him.

"Hi, Michael. Please call when you get in, even if it's the middle of the night. I'm really sorry about today.

I know you're mad, and you deserve to be. I really do love you, honey, and I promise I'll make it up to

you. I hope your trip went well, and again, please call me right away. I hate for us to be at odds like this."

She made a face as she hung up. That wasn't a very good message. She'd call back and leave another

one - if she could figure out what to say. He wouldn't be there for hours, so she had plenty of time to

think of something better.

She'd pack while she thought. It was more urgent than ever to leave tomorrow. Talking to Michael on the

phone was all well and good, but he'd never truly forgive her until she was there with him. If she didn't

need to talk to Fred and Angela about cleaning and closing up the house, she'd leave tonight.

Oh. Tony was due in the morning. Maybe she should call him and tell him not to come - it wasn't too late

to do that tonight. Yes, it was. He'd flown in from Rhode Island today, so he might have gone to bed

early. She'd get up early in the morning and call, instead.

By the time she finished packing, she was exhausted, but also encouraged at the progress she'd made.

She'd have to wait until at least nine o'clock to contact Fred and Angela, being that it was a Saturday

morning. She could get a lot of cleaning done after calling Tony, and that would save money. It would

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Mary Taffs - Martha's Madness

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