Housewife Gone Wild

Chapter 19

My morning dance class left me drenched and pleasantly loose–limbed.

Come noon, I called Sally about whether Yvonne was coming home.

“Yvonne’s at the amusement park with Tracy,” Sally informed me. “You should give Tracy a call.”

Tracy had become like a second mother to Yvonne–genuinely devoted and always making time for her.

Not that I hadn’t been that mother once. There was a time when my world revolved around parent–teacher conferences and bedtime stories too.

I didn’t call Tracy. If my daughter smiled more with her, who was I to interfere?

I was about to eat alone when my phone buzzed with an unknown number.

“Hello. Is that Victoria Murphy?” The male voice on the line was warm and unfamiliar.

“Speaking,” I answered automatically before catching myself. “May I ask who’s calling?”

“I’m the student you sponsored years ago.” The earnestness in his voice prickled my skin. “I was hoping we might have lunch today.”

The pause stretched too long. I’d never wanted gratitude, and now wasn’t the time to revisit the past–not when I had my own reasons to keep my distance.

In my previous life, I’d seen enough online stories about scholarship recipients turning on their benefactors to last a lifetime.

“It’s just lunch,” he said, lowering his voice when he caught my hesitation. “No strings attached.”

“I’m married,” I said quickly. “Meeting men alone… it wouldn’t look right.”

“Bring a friend then,” he offered.

in his voice, I calmly refused. “Meeting isn’t necessary. The best repayment is you

“Yvonne fell. Her leg’s

“How?” My stomach dropped.

As soon as he finished,

Yvonne’s mother, I knew she needed

hospital, Yvonne was curled against Jared, quietly crying with her leg bandaged. Tracy

reached for me, her

the edge of the hospital bed and cradled

1/3

said, her voice thick with remorse. “I should have been watching her more closely when she

up to comfort her. “We all know how Yvonne is, always climbing where she shouldn’t.

grew red as silent tears

cried herself to exhaustion. She fell asleep in my arms

quickly, “Tracy was just trying to help with Yvonne. Don’t be hard on

he really

Holcomb.” Tracy’s voice

waiting for my reaction. In my previous life, when Yvonne was my entire world, I would have torn Tracy apart for letting Yvonne

and then turned to Tracy. “Thank you for watching

silence was

looked almost disappointed when I didn’t give her the dramatic

fragile victim while needling me into outbursts that only made

said with theatrical remorse,

snapped her head

don’t you take Tracy home now?

tone and unexpected kindness toward Tracy clearly

should go now,” Jared said. Whether out of guilt

but to leave, though not without one last resentful

closed my eyes, our daughter secure in my

take her,” Jared offered suddenly.