Between Sisters - Kristin Hannah [111]
“The point is, I was dying in my marriage. All the lies I'd been telling myself for years had worn thin. Everything poked through and hurt me.”
“But it worked out. You and Jacko are like newlyweds again. It's frankly disgusting.”
“Do you know how I fell back in love with him?”
“Medication?”
“I did the thing that scared me the most.”
“You left him.”
“I had never lived alone, Meg. Never. I was so scared of not having Jack, I couldn't breathe at first. But I did it—and you were there for me. That night you came down to the beach house, you literally saved my life.”
“You were always stronger than you thought.”
Elizabeth gave her a so-are-you look. “You have to quit being afraid of love. Maybe this Joe is the place to start.”
“He's all wrong for me. I never sleep with men who have something to offer.”
“You don't ‘sleep' with men at all.”
“The bitch returns.”
“Why is he so wrong?”
“He's a mechanic in a small town. He lives in the run-down cabin that comes with the job. He cuts his hair with a pocket knife. Take your choice. Oh, and though he's not much on decoration, he has managed to fill his place with photos of the wife who divorced him.”
Elizabeth looked at her, saying nothing.
“Okay, so I don't really care about that stuff. I mean the photos are creepy, but I don't care about his job. And I sort of like Hayden. It's a nice town, but . . .”
“But?”
In Elizabeth's gaze, Meghann saw a sad understanding; it comforted her. “I left town without a word. Not even a good-bye. You can't turn that around easily.”
“You've never been one to go for the easy route.”
“Except for sex.”
“I never thought sex with strangers would be easy.”
“It isn't,” Meg said quietly.
“So, call him. Pretend you had business that called you away.”
“I don't know his number.”
“What about the garage?”
“Call him at work? I don't know. That seems kind of personal.”
“I'm going to assume you gave this guy a blow job, but a phone call is too personal?”
Meghann laughed at that. She had to admit how weird it was. “I sound like a psycho.”
“Yes. Okay, Meghann. Here's what we're going to do. And I mean it. You and I are going to drive up to the Salish Lodge tomorrow, where I've scheduled some spa treatments for us. We will talk and drink and laugh and plan a strategy. Before you complain, let me tell you that I've already called Julie and told her you'd be out of the office. When I leave, you're going to drop me off at the airport and then head north. You will not stop until you reach Joe's front door. Am I understood?”
“I don't know if I have the guts.”
“Do you want me to come with you? So help me, I will.”
“This is why they call you women steel magnolias.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Honey, you better believe it. You don't evah want to tell a Southern girl that you won't go after a good-looking man.”
“I love you, you know.”
Elizabeth reached for the pizza. “You just remember that phrase, Meg. Sooner or later, it's going to come in handy again. Now, tell me about Claire's wedding. I can't believe she let you plan it.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR
“THIS IS THE CLUB WHERE GARTH BROOKS WAS DISCOVERED.”
Claire smiled at Kent Ames, the grand Pooh-Bah of Down Home Records in Nashville, and his assistant, Ryan Turner. Each one of them had imparted this pearl of information to her three times in the past hour. She wasn't sure if they had the memory of gnats or if they thought she was too stupid to understand their words the first time.
She and Bobby had been in Nashville for two days now. It ought to have been perfect. Their room at the Loews Hotel was breathtakingly beautiful. They'd splurged on romantic dinners in the restaurant and eaten breakfast in bed. They'd toured Opryland and seen the Country Music Hall of Fame. Most important, Bobby had aced his auditions. All four of them. His first had been in a dank, windowless office, with a low-level executive listening. Bobby had come home depressed, complaining that his big shot had