Devotion Read online

  We walk inside as one, minutes away from eating a meal as a family. I realize as Corey shuts the door and engages the lock that I need to forget about the text and give him the benefit of the doubt. I'm reading too much into something that isn't there, allowing my past to compromise my future.

  Corey wouldn't cheat on me. At least I don't think he would.

  19

  Katherine hasn't said a word to me yet. It's been at least three hours. If the message was an issue, she'd have unloaded her anger upon me by now. What in the hell is she waiting for?

  I can only assume one thing has happened in the last few days to cause Katherine to swallow this devastating piece of information and pretend like she never found the text: she's falling in line the way she did with her ex.

  From everything I know about Peter, Katherine once put up with nothing but abuse from the man in almost every form it came in. He was unfaithful and unreliable. She told me how he would take off randomly and not show up home again for three, four, sometimes ten days. He'd smell of beer, cigarettes, and cheap motels. Katherine said she never asked him what he'd been up to. She was happy he showed up at all.

  Katherine's past almost makes me feel sorry for her until I remember the pain. Her screwed-up background does not excuse what she did to me. Not in a million years. Instead, I'm using every little crazy thing Peter did to mess with her now. Before long, she will start to see her ex everywhere she goes.

  Still, it's hard to fathom that Katherine may have already given up and become the same submissive loser she once was in such a short amount of time. Is this what happens when marriage is thrown into the mix? Did a pair of wedding bands have that much impact on a person's life?

  I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised. Katherine is a pushover in almost every situation. I've seen it inside and outside of work. Face to face, she does whatever anyone tells her. Ava is going to walk all over her when she's older.

  I doubt Katherine will find the courage to say anything now. She's not waiting for the right moment to speak. She's decided to keep quiet and has sunk into line, awaiting her next instruction like the obedient wife she's fast become.

  I know what needs to happen now. I must put this new dynamic to the test with Katherine's past at the forefront of my every action. I will find out exactly how far Katherine has fallen into the dark void she has only recently clawed her way out of. And if she finds the courage to climb out again, I'll be there to kick her back down.

  20

  Katherine

  I wake up early on Sunday morning to see a text from Annette. I read it and feel my eyes go wide as I remember that I'm supposed to be meeting her for breakfast to catch up. We'd both decided our quick shop on Friday afternoon wasn't enough time spent together. And my late-night call was too one sided.

  "Crap," I mutter. Corey is still asleep next to me. It's seven and he'll want to sleep in as much as he can before school starts again tomorrow. To make things worse, I forgot to tell him about watching Ava while I went out for breakfast with Annette.

  I send a lengthy message to Annette explaining my stupidity. She replies instantly saying she hasn't left yet.

  "Thank God," I let out as I scramble to get myself ready without waking Corey. While throwing some clothes on, I text Annette again to say I'll rush to meet her at the café by eight at the latest. Only thirty minutes late isn't too bad.

  The only reason we planned on meeting so early was so Annette could head out to Portland straight after to visit her mother. It's a good hour and a half drive each way without traffic, so we had no option but to catch up several hours before we normally would.

  I don't mind helping Annette out, but I realize based on how deep Corey is sleeping that I have no alternative but to bring Ava with me. Given how long it will take me to get myself and Ava ready, eight is going to push our luck.

  After a quick struggle to slap my clothes and makeup on, I handwrite a note and leave it for Corey on my side of the bed. Hopefully, he sees it before freaking out, wondering where we are.

  I close the door to our bedroom in slow motion and cross over to Ava's room. As I open her door, I find her mattress empty, already knowing where she will be: watching TV.

  Corey and I let Ava get herself up and watch TV on the weekends as long as she's quiet. I know it's lazy, but it's the only way we can have a decent sleep in. Otherwise, Ava would have been jumping on our bed as early as six, eager to play.

  While I'm in Ava's room, I gather some clothes and her brush, hoping to get her ready fast. I don't want to miss this catch-up with Annette. These past few days have taken their toll on me with Corey. Our arguments and that worrying text weigh heavy on my mind. The latter more so than the former. I'm not sure what I'll say to Annette about the message I found. I went over the words again and again in my head last night until I fell asleep from exhaustion. Whatever I spill to her, I need to think about my relationship with Corey first and not jump to conclusions.

  I find Ava in the living room, watching a kids' show while playing with the family iPad. I've told her off time and time again, demanding that she either watches the TV or plays with the tablet, not both. Of course, I'm nothing but a hypocrite considering Corey and I both have the same bad habit running our lives when we sit down in front of the TV with our smartphones.

  "Ava, honey. We need to get you ready. We're going to meet up with Auntie Annette for breakfast." Annette isn't Ava's real aunt, but she's family to me.

  "But, Mommy. I want to watch cartoons."

  I put my hands on my hips. "Is that so, because it looks like you're playing that puppy game on the iPad and not really watching the TV."

  "But, Mommy—"

  "But nothing. We have to get ready. Auntie Annette is waiting, so it's time to move your butt."

  Ava rolls her head and huffs at me. "Fine."

  My daughter can be such a cooperative sweetheart when she wants to be. Other times she is like this and argues with every request that comes out of my mouth. She falls in line and helps me with her clothes while I adjust things and brush her hair from a wild mess to something presentable.

  "Thank you," I say, partway through the process. "If you're well behaved, I'll buy you a nice treat at breakfast."

  "Yah!" she shouts.

  I cringe, realizing I didn't tell Ava about Corey still being asleep. My eyes slowly move to the corridor and wait for him to come out with a confused look across his brow, but the door to our room remains closed.

  After some sloppy mothering, I get us both ready. We hop in my car and head into town after eight. We won't be too late. Plus Annette knows what I'm like.

  We reach the Battery Beach café ten minutes later and find a good parking spot for a Sunday morning. The establishment is one of the most popular cafés in the area with its beautiful location a short distance from the water. It's at the opposite end to the cliff stacks, but still has an enticing view of the ocean.

  "Hello, Ava," Annette says the second we walk inside. She's saved us a table in amongst the busy breakfast service. The café is far prettier on the interior than out with burgundy feature walls that run up to a brass-covered ceiling.

  Ava runs up and gives Annette a quick hug before climbing onto one of the wicker-styled chairs the café seems to love. She pulls herself into position at the glass-topped stone table and immediately grabs the menu. We all know she'll order the waffles and a chocolate milkshake.

  "How have you been?" Annette asks. Her eyes fall to Ava. "Was Corey busy?"

  "Sorry. I know you wanted to 'catch up' on the honeymoon, but I didn't want to disturb him. Anyway, I bought Ava's iPad along. So we can still chat, if you understand what I mean." Again I feel like the world's worst mom, but I'm only trying to keep everyone happy.

  Annette chuckles. "That's okay. It'll be fun to speak in code. I'm sure I'll get it all out of you."

  I smile, hoping she doesn't. I don't want to talk about the honeymoon any more than I want to confess to Annette about the text
. Plus, I shouldn't say anything negative about Corey in front of Ava until I know more.

  Annette and I order breakfast and fall headfirst into a conversation about school within minutes. It's hard to avoid the topic given we are best friends who work in the same building. I love the bonus information she gives me from the administration side of things at BBES. I also think she loves getting a teacher's perspective on the impact of our principal Barry's decisions. It's almost like having an inside source to the inner circle of the school.

  As a teacher, it's hard to not believe the system can be against you with the amount of crap we get thrown at us daily. As time goes on, it only becomes harder and harder to do our jobs. Roadblocks in the form of angry parents and red tape only reduce our ability as educators to teach the children.

  I shake the depressing thought and try to concentrate on the positives as Annette finishes telling me a funny story about Barry. I'm glad the focus is not on Corey and my time away at Vegas.

  "So, tell me everything. I want to know how much fun you got up to on your honeymoon." Annette crosses her arms over the table as she leans forward, too keen to hear all about my sex life. I reveal as little as possible, hoping Ava's presence is enough of a deterrent to force a change of the topic. Even if Ava weren't here, I wouldn't feel comfortable getting into the nitty gritty of the trip, even though I normally tell Annette everything.

  After a few hours of breakfast go by, Ava cracks at the seams with boredom. Even though she's playing games on an iPad while sitting in a cozy space consuming her favorite food, she still wants to leave. I swear my daughter does this on purpose.

  "Okay, we better get going," I say as I pack Ava up and clean her face.

  "Where are you off to?" Annette asks.

  "Just home. I thought about heading to the shops, but I can tell I won't make it very far." Ava ignores my words as she waits for us to get up and leave.

  "Good. I might follow you to your place before I head to Portland."

  "How come?" I ask.

  "I need to have a chat to your husband. He hasn't responded to my text."

  21

  Katherine

  I nearly fall out of my chair in front of the busy café. Did Annette say what I think she said? She can't be telling me that Corey hasn't responded to the damning text I found on his cell.

  "What's wrong?" Annette asks, grabbing my elbow lightly.

  "Uh, nothing. What text, sorry?"

  "One I sent around nine last night. I hope it didn't disturb him. Anyway, I was trying to get his opinion on a gift for a certain someone's birthday that's coming up this week."

  "Oh, right," I say, relieved while looking like a stunned idiot at the same time. I don't know why I would think Annette would send Corey a flirtatious text and follow up with me when he didn't respond. She stares at me, waiting for a response. "You know what he's like. He fell asleep early last night. He's probably only waking up now. He loves to sleep in."

  "Lazy, lazy. You should get him up at the crack of dawn to do chores around the house," Annette says with a chuckle. "Anyway, I might have a quick chat with him, if you don't mind."

  "Of course not. I'll call him now in case he's still asleep." I fumble for my cell as I guide Ava up and out of her chair. Annette pays the bill and leaves a generous tip. I squish my phone into my cheek as it calls Corey's while I scramble to find some cash in my purse to cover mine and Ava's meals.

  Annette shakes her palm. "No, no. This is on me. Consider it a bonus wedding gift."

  "You don't have to do that."

  "It's already done. You can pay me back later when we catch up alone at school tomorrow. I'll get those juicy details off you."

  I shake my head with a forced giggle. "You're terrible."

  "Hello." Corey says, sounding half groggy.

  "Good morning, sunshine," I say, mocking his voice. "Just thought I should call you, so you make yourself presentable before Annette drops in."

  "Sorry, what?" he asks, confusion filling his voice.

  I explain that there should be a text from Annette waiting for him on his cell to justify the sudden interruption to his lazy Sunday morning.

  "Oh, right," he says, understanding. "I'll see you all soon."

  When Ava and I get home, we knock on the front door as we walk inside the house to make sure Corey knows of our arrival. Annette pulls up a minute later in her car.

  "Sorry, honey," I say as I kiss him on the cheek.

  "No problem. I was awake. Well, stirring at least."

  I smile at him as Ava runs over to her toys and plays as if she was on the brink of dying from the tedium of breakfast.

  "Knock, knock," Annette says as she lets herself in.

  "Hi, Annette," Corey says. "Sorry I didn't see your text last night. I'm pretty sure I was asleep by eight."

  She shakes her head and tuts at him with a smile. "Eight o'clock? You should have been taking your wife out on a hot date. Don't tell me now you guys are married the romance is gone."

  "No, he's always been an old man in a young teacher's body," I say.

  We all laugh, Corey doing his best not to show his embarrassment. "It was a big week. I couldn't help myself."

  "Sure, sure," Annette says. "Now, if you can keep your eyes open for five minutes, I need to chat with you about an idea I had for your wife's birthday."

  "It's her birthday?" Corey asks, pretending he's forgotten.

  "Ha ha," I say as they leave the room. I'm not into birthdays and never expect people to buy me anything. Annette, however, is into them to a point of obsession. She loves to find the perfect gift, so I know it will upset her if I don't let her get me something.

  I sit down on the sofa near Ava and stroke her soft hair while she plays, oblivious to the world. Some days I wish I could zone out the way she does.

  Annette and Corey come back into the room, each giving me a coy look as if they can't hide their sneaky behavior from me. I instantly feel guilty for thinking the other text was from Annette. She would never do that to me. I still don't understand who sent that weird message to Corey's cell and can only hope it was an innocent mistake. It has to be.

  "I hope that helps you," Corey says loudly to Annette, making sure I hear.

  "Oh, it has. Big time."

  I stare at them both with squinted eyes as I cross my arms, playing my part. "What are you two up to?"

  "None of your business," Annette says. "You'll have to wait to find out. Besides, I really need to get going if I want to make it to my mom's place by lunchtime."

  "Okay then. I suppose we'll see you at work. Have a nice rest of your weekend. Thanks again for breakfast."

  We wave Annette off and fall into the sofa to relax.

  "That's all the excitement I can handle for one day," Corey says with a chuckle.

  "Is that so? I guess those boxes you agreed to unpack in the garage will sort themselves out."

  He sighs and allows his shoulders to drop. "I promised you that, didn't I?"

  "Yep. No escaping it either. We've put off unpacking for too long."

  "Yes, I know," Corey says, leaning back with his hands behind his head.

  "Come on," I say as I pat his legs. "I'll help you. Make the job go twice as fast. Ava's occupied so we should do something productive for a change." I stand and offer Corey a hand to motivate him up from his comfortable position. He climbs out of the sofa onto his feet like it's a big deal to do so.

  "I'll get changed and meet you out there, okay?"

  "Sounds wonderful," he says, not hiding his sarcasm one bit.

  Corey is normally eager to help around the house. He does, however, fall into these lazy moods over the weekend. I understand the importance of taking a break, but sometimes there's work that needs doing.

  I head into our bedroom and change into some sweatpants from my nice outfit, ready to do some dirty work. Corey already has some old jeans and his college sweatshirt on so there is no need for him to dress down any further.

  As
I walk through the living room, heading for the front door, I tell Ava to keep playing and that we'll be out in the garage if she needs us. It's detached from the house and is serving as storage for all of our junk. I was hoping to move into this new place and have things organized from day one but our sudden wedding and trip to Vegas messed up any chance of that happening.

  Ava barely registers my words as she continues coloring in a book full of princesses at her small kids' table while her giraffe sits in the opposite chair. I smile at the cute scene before me, unable to help myself as I walk out the door.

  Outside, the morning sunbeams filter in through the surrounding trees, filling me with the energy I'll need to work through this task. It's such a perfect day. As I reach the open side entry to the garage, I find Corey already getting into some boxes. He appears to be keen to get this job over with so he can rush back to the sofa. I don't care. Whatever gets the work done.

  I stop in the doorway when I spot something flash in his hand. I almost need to look twice as I discover a decent wad of cash clutched in his left fist. Not seeing me, he claws open a box and stuffs the money deep inside. Ducking away, I make sure he doesn't see me. I feel my heart thud through my body and pound against the wall of the garage I'm pressed against.

  Why is he hiding money from me?

  22

  Katherine spotted the money quicker than I expected. Its discovery will no doubt generate an instant trust issue considering the huge gambling problem her ex had.

  The careless hiding of cash around the house will spawn all kinds of thoughts in Katherine's head. She won't know what to think and will send herself spiraling down into a chaotic void of confusion.

  I wonder if she'll say anything. Will she demand an explanation to her findings, or will she keep her knowledge under wraps the way she did with the text? It still boggles my mind to consider that she hasn't said a thing about that message. What does it take to push her trust to breaking point?