“She didn’t go into detail,” I said, “but the bottom line is she’s not getting married.”
Coop said, “So… is that bad news? Or good?”
“Bad for me, good for her,” I said. In my mind, I allowed one of my spinning plates to crash.
After her divorce from Donovan Creed three years ago, Janet and Kimberly moved to the sleepy town of Darnell, West Virginia, where Janet’s best friend, Amy, had made a comfortable, happy home after marrying one of Darnell’s native sons.
Amy made it her mission in life to find Janet a husband. Janet gave it a shot, but after two years of dreadful setups, she was about to swear off men completely. Then, suddenly, Amy introduced her to a nice guy from Charleston.
Janet was caught completely off guard by the casually sophisticated Ken Chapman-so much so that a mere eight months of heavy dating led to a wedding announcement.
Kimberly thought her mom was rushing things, but she had to admit, Janet was happy for the first time in years. To her father, Kimberly played down the courtship, saying, “I think what’s happening is Mom is talking herself into being in love, but it doesn’t feel right.”
One sunny morning while Janet was straightening up the living room, she opened the front door to find a thin, pretty girl in a sunhat wearing large, round sunglasses. The lady introduced herself as Kathleen Gray and said, “I don’t want to cause you any problems; I just want to talk to you about Ken Chapman.”
Janet stiffened. “Look Miss… whatever your name is…”
“Gray.”
“Miss Gray. I don’t know who you are or what you’re talking about, but I’m rather busy right now, so if you don’t mind…”
“But I do mind. I need to ease my conscience. If you’ll allow me the courtesy of three minutes, I promise to never bother you again.”
Janet looked at the manila folder Kathleen was holding. “Whatever you’ve brought,” she said, “I’m not interested.”
Kathleen held out her hand. “Janet,” she said, “Gray is my maiden name. My married name was Chapman. Mrs. Kenneth Chapman.”
Janet’s face flushed crimson. “Miss Gray, I have no interest in anything you have to say about my fiance. I have an ex-husband of my own, but I don’t go around saying disparaging things about him to everyone he dates.”
Kathleen shook her head. “Really, Janet, you don’t need to be upset. I’m not in Ken’s life, and there are no children involved, so you and I don’t have to be friends. I’m just trying to ease my mind, the same way you might do for the next one who comes along. My story’s short and simple. May I come in?”
