Lindsey grew increasingly agitated the more she dwelled on the matter, enough that she refilled and drained her wine glass twice within a very short period of time. Sensing her discomfort, Casey quickly changed the subject and practically wolfed down the rest of his food, excusing himself shortly thereafter.
Hayley, meanwhile, was preoccupied as usual with texting one or more of her friends and barely spared her mother a glance, even as Lindsey began pacing back and forth through the kitchen, her high heels tapping out an almost frantic rhythm.
"He's getting more and more serious about her then."
Hayley heaved a sigh worthy of the grandest diva, and impatiently set her phone down on the kitchen table. "Yeah, seems like it. So what? It's not like you didn't hook up with someone on your vacation."
Lindsey waggled a warning finger at her smart-mouthed daughter. "Watch it there, young lady. You don't get to judge me. And don't forget our deal. You're supposed to be thinking of ways to break those two up, and help me get your father back. I haven't exactly heard any great ideas lately."
Hayley shrugged. "You really need to give this up, Mom. Dad seems happy, and even if he wasn't all gaga over Sasha - which I personally don't get, I mean she's got a good body and a pretty face and all but she's just sort of quiet and boring - I don't think he has any intention of ever coming back to you."
Lindsey was so angry she felt like picking up the takeout containers of Chinese food and hurling them at the closest wall. It would be oddly satisfying, she thought furiously, to watch the chow mein noodles slither down the wall, or the sweet and sour sauce cling to one of the kitchen cabinets.
"You're wrong," she bit out, her cheeks flushed from a combination of anger and too much booze. "I know I can get him back. We just haven't thought of the right approach yet. And since you don't seem interested in helping me, I'll have to call in the big guns. In fact, I'm going to go call her right now."
Lindsey flounced off a bit unsteadily on her stiletto heels, way past tipsy at this point, and fumbling with the speed dial on her phone at the same time, until she reached her home office. Whenever she needed a sounding board, or someone to take her part, or simply go out and party with, the first person she called was her closest friend Nicole Prince. Lindsey had first met the thrice-divorced Nicole almost ten years ago, when she'd been dropping off her then-stepdaughter at the same school Hayley was attending at the time. The two women had bonded instantly, and been BFF's ever since. Nicole, in fact, had been one of the three friends who'd just accompanied her on this recent vacation to the Caribbean, and she was well aware of Lindsey's dilemma.
"You're not going to believe this one," Lindsey burst out as Nicole picked up the call. "Now he's actually introduced the bitch to his parents. That sounds serious, doesn't it? Oh, God, Nikki, he's going to find a way to divorce me and then marry that - that yoga teacher. What am I going to do?"
On the other end of the line, Nicole's voice was calming, sympathetic, and coldly calculating. "Here's what we're going to do. First thing tomorrow - well, after Pilates and our mani-pedis, of course - we're going to figure this out. We'll come up with a plan to lure Matt back to you. Or at least to get him back in the house. And be prepared, Linz - you might have to prepare yourself to fight dirty."
Even as she poured herself a tumbler of vodka from the well stocked liquor cabinet in her office, a slow, satisfied smile crossed Lindsey's face. "Honey, I learned how to fight dirty from the time I was four years old. If it means getting Matt to call off this stupid divorce and have him move back in here where he belongs, I say the dirtier the better."
Chapter Fourteen
April – Kauai
"Mmm. If this is an example of what the lifestyle of the rich and famous is like, then maybe I could get used to the idea over time."
Matthew laughed at Sasha's lazily uttered statement. "Yeah, there's really not much to complain about here, is there?"
"Here" was the posh Gregson resort on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, where he had brought her for a week's vacation. Ian had been more than happy to arrange for them to stay in the owner's suite, a privilege usually only reserved for members of the Gregson family, top executives of the hotel firm, and special guests like politicians, celebrities, or very close friends of the family. Matthew and Sasha counted themselves fortunate enough to fall into the latter category.
Sasha took a long drink of iced tea, then lifted her face skywards as a cooling trade wind provided momentary relief from the hot Hawaiian sun. "Tessa told me all about this place when she learned we'd be visiting. But her descriptions didn't do it justice. I think I could be awfully happy taking up residence here permanently. Oh, not necessarily in this suite, but on the island itself. From everything I've seen so far, Kauai is definitely my idea of paradise."