Chapter 9

Chapter

Nine

Rhonda

Rhonda's suitcase gaped open, awaiting her offering of Anthropologie skirts and Eliza Faulkner tops. Transitioning to fall colours was part of her job description. It was a tough life, but somebody had to do it.

She tossed her hair over one shoulder as she surveyed the piles of clothing strewn across the duvet, then grabbed a seersucker white blouse from the pile. It was tempting fate to wear white to dinner, but if she paired it with a blazer, she could close the button as needed if she spilled or splashed salad dressing.

Rhonda folded the blouse in thirds and packed it. She arranged the slacks, skirts, and tops like seven-layer dip on one side of her suitcase. Then she slid her favourite heels in a shoe protector bag and put them on the other side. After adding workout clothes, flip-flops for the sauna, and most of her toiletries, she was feeling quite accomplished. All she had left were chargers, her yoga mat, and snacks for the road.

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand just as she turned and started walking toward the door. She strode back and picked it up. Rhonda’s stomach clenched at the name flashing on the screen. Derek Paulson, Regional Sales Manager.

Her boss wasn’t a terrible guy. He was annoying, with his bro marketer energy and inability to give bad news without a Mr. Clean smile, but he was mostly reasonable. Unfortunately, that meant he was probably analyzing the crap out of her lack of sales growth in Q3.

Rhonda swiped to answer the call, forcing her voice into a cheery lilt. “Hey, Derek! What’s up?”

“Hey, girl, hey!” Derek’s voice came through warm and smooth. Great. He’d been watching reels again. “Kidding. I thought that would be funny.”

“It was.”

“Ready for Edmonton?”

She dropped to the bed. “Of course. Everything’s lined up. Should be a productive few days.”

“Atta girl!” Derek gave an easy laugh. “I always say you’re one of the sharpest out there. You’ve got a way of making everyone feel like they’re the most important person in the room. Not everyone has that energy, you know?”

“Thanks, Derek. That means a lot,” she braced herself. After being forced to attend an HR seminar on leadership and team motivation, Derek had been converted to the sandwich method of giving feedback, which meant she was about to get a doozy.

“I mean it,” he continued. “Though, I wanted to check in on your strategy. Both in Edmonton and Calgary . . . ”

And there it was. “I’m working on Rocky Ridge and McKnight, if that’s what you’re referring to.”

“Oh, good. Great.” He laughed as if she were bringing it up out of the blue. “It seemed like you were more interested in the smaller clinics from what you’d submitted, so I wanted to see how I could support you in that.”

Rhonda chewed her lower lip. Support. That’s definitely what she felt from him. “I’m hopeful I’ll be able to get into a couple of big centres in the coming weeks.” She started to sweat. How was she going to text Jordan again after what happened? Not optional. She needed to get into Rocky Ridge, or she would have no chance of taking over as regional manager when Derek was promoted.

“Sure, I have all the confidence.”

Obviously, since he was making the call in the first place. “I’ll let you know how it goes. I appreciate you checking in.” Maybe she should have been more open with him. Told him that she was struggling to make any headway with the older, more entrenched medical professionals. But to do that, she would’ve needed to feel safe that admitting weakness wouldn’t come back to bite her. Since she wasn’t going to suddenly go blond or sprout male genitalia, she was much safer holding her tongue. There were plenty of men who suggested she use her mouth to her—and their—advantage, but that was a game she refused to play.

Or did she? That same pang of guilt hit her stomach. That wasn’t why she’d slept with Jordan. Whatever intense energy they had between them had started far before she knew he had connections at Rocky Ridge. Still. It didn’t look good on paper.

“I look forward to the update. You know, I was so impressed with . . . “

And there was the last slice of flattery to close the sandwich. Rhonda nodded and uh-huh’d until Derek finally said he needed to hop on another call. Then she resisted the urge to hurl the phone across the room. Instead, she channeled her frustration into slamming a pair of flats into the suitcase with unnecessary force.

Rhonda snapped the suitcase shut but didn’t zip it. She could toss in her last-minute things when she got back. She grabbed the veggie tray she'd picked up from Co-op and headed to the garage.

Her Accord sat waiting—the perfect blend of practicality and a hint of flash. She slid into the driver's seat and pressed the start button. The engine purred to life, and she pressed the garage door opener. She pulled on her puffy coat from the passenger seat. Even in summer, she kept it there just in case, but now the weather required it. She’d need to get her snow tires on when she returned home.

Rhonda pulled out of the driveway and turned onto the street. She hated being late for Sunday Supper, but she had to leave early enough the next day, she didn’t want to stress pack later that night when she got home. That was how she ended up forgetting phone chargers and flushable wipes.

The streets of Calgary blurred past her windows, and as she approached the Thompson's neighbourhood, Rhonda scanned the street for a parking spot. There was already a line of cars along the curb, but she spotted a gap a few houses down. It wasn’t perfect, but she could make it work with a five-point parallel park.

She made it happen, then turned off the engine and grabbed the veggie tray from the passenger seat. The air outside was cold and sharp, the kind of chill that seeped into her bones and made her shiver involuntarily. It was going to snow. Just in time for Halloween, as usual. The number of times she’d dressed up as a sexy angel or devil in her twenties and then had to ruin the effect with a toque and winter coat was maddening.

Rhonda's pulse quickened as she reached the Thompson’s front door. She was being irrational. Just because Darcy had seen her in the hall, it didn’t necessarily mean he knew Jordan was there. She could make up any number of stories about a friend who lived there, especially since she hadn’t left at an indefensible time of night. She had to figure out what story she was going to tell. She hadn’t successfully lied since she took a cat from a friend in high school and claimed she found it on the road.

The door swung open, and Rob Thompson greeted her with a wide smile. "Rhonda! Come on in, it's freezing out there!"

Warm air and the scent of roasting meat wafted over her as she stepped inside. Rhonda slipped off her boots and coat, then made her way to the kitchen to drop off the tray.

"Thank you so much for bringing something." Sharla Thompson’s eyes crinkled at the corners.

It was as if Rhonda had set down twenty pound weights she’d been carrying and slipped into cozy sweatpants. Socializing was so much easier than sitting in her own head. She smiled brightly. "Of course. It’s the least I could do."

She chatted with Sharla for a minute, then squeezed past Boyd, Steve, and André from the team, making her way to the living area. The space was a hive of activity, with people chatting and laughing, everyone holding plates of finger foods or drinks. She spotted Jenna standing with Country, Brett, and Curtis, and made a beeline for them.

"Hey, guys!" Rhonda stopped next to Curtis’s wife, Sasha, and threw an arm over her shoulders. She was just so glad to be there all of a sudden. It was like she turned away from the screen playing Derek’s phone call and her night with Jordan on repeat and was now watching her favourite channel.

"You decided to honour us with your presence." Country grinned, and Jenna rolled her eyes.

“She’s only half an hour late.” Jenna pulled her into a hug. “How are you?”

Rhonda squeezed her hard and pulled back. “Great, I just had to finish packing.”

“Is this your trip to Edmonton?”

Rhonda nodded. “I leave tomorrow morning.”

Sasha sighed. “Do you ever need an assistant? Or a publicist?”

Curtis threw an arm over her shoulders. “I told you I’d take tomorrow off. You can go to the spa or something.”

“Not by myself,” Sasha groaned. “I need a girls’ weekend, but all my mom friends are busy, and you all are working.”

Jenna raised an eyebrow. “I could probably sneak away for an hour or two.”

Rhonda reached over the banister for a sparkling water from the table. Suraj saw her reaching and passed it to her. She thanked him, then opened the cap and took a sip.

“Supper’s ready!” Sharla called, and they all knew the drill. Jenna took Rhonda’s arm, and they moved to line up with Anne.

“I didn’t know if you were going to come tonight.” Anne gave her a hug. “Don’t you have to leave early?”

Rhonda nodded. “Not too early that I can’t eat pot roast and talk to you two.”

“Ah, I notice the pot roast came first.” Jenna raised an eyebrow.

“I mean . . . how can you argue with that?” Anne pointed to the steaming roasting pans Rob was setting out on the island.

Rhonda froze as a head full of blond, shaggy hair turned. Darcy was there. Only two people in front of them. She spun so he couldn’t see her face. “These Sunday suppers are so great. I’ve really missed you two.”

Jenna gave her a look. “What’s wrong?”

Rhonda scoffed. “Wrong? Nothing’s wrong. I just wanted you to know that.”

“You’re standing backward in the line.” Anne cocked her head to look over her shoulder.

“Only so I could talk to you instead of craning my neck.” Rhonda grinned then turned to the side to shuffle forward. “Tell me what you and Country are working on.”

Jenna was hesitant at first, but then happily launched into their recent online creator conference where they digitally met people with some of the biggest online news and broadcasting platforms. Rhonda listened and nodded, all while trying not to accidentally meet Darcy’s eyes as they approached the plates and cutlery.

“I have so many ideas, especially since we’re getting so many calls from agents and players,” Jenna said.

“Mm-hmm.” Rhonda reached for a paper plate, then handed two behind her for her friends.

Jenna exhaled. “Which will be hard since I’ve been doing so many renovations lately.” Rhonda nodded and grabbed a napkin. “And I’ve got so much furniture to buy.”

Rhonda was about to nod a second time then stopped. She blinked and met Jenna’s eyes, and her mouth dropped.

“Are you?—?”

Before Ann could finish, Jenna put a finger to her lips. “Shh. We’re not telling everyone yet. But I couldn’t keep it from you guys a second longer.”

Rhonda pursed her lips, willing herself not to throw her plate on the ground and scream in excitement. Jenna and Country had been trying to adopt since the second they got married that summer. They’d looked into every option, but Jenna hadn’t heard anything since they’d fostered a six-week-old baby for a few weeks at the beginning of September. “You’re serious?” she hissed.

Jenna nodded, her eyes glassy as she motioned for Rhonda to turn and dish up. Holy shit. Jenna and Country were having a baby. She wanted to ditch the supper and drag Jenna outside for all the details. Before she could drop the plate, she looked up. Darcy was staring straight at her. He knew. Damn it, he knew. She hadn’t said two words to Darcy since he came back, and that was a full on look .

“How much do you want?” Rob held two slices of roast beef up between a carving knife and fork. Rhonda nodded, and he dropped them on her plate.

“Thank you.”

“When can we talk about this?” Anne asked, her voice low. Rhonda’s heart jumped into her throat until she realized Anne was looking back at Jenna.

“We can text or phone. Later tonight.” Jenna’s cheeks were flushed. She was positively glowing. They moved through the line as Rhonda continued to fill her plate. Veggies and dip. Mashed potatoes. Gravy. Yorkshire pudding.

Suraj grabbed a Yorkshire. “The Oilers had more holes in their defence last night than these puddings.”

Tyler scooped enough potatoes to feed a small army. “Did you see Matthews try to thread that pass? Might as well’ve been sending it to Narnia.”

Brett guffawed, drowning his own mountain of mashed potatoes in gravy. “And Campbell out there flopping like a fish.”

Suraj snorted. “Juggling pucks like a street busker.”

They devolved into laughter, and it was stupidly contagious. Rhonda was almost smiling normally when she reached the end of the line and retrieved her cutlery. She walked to one of three tables set up in the kitchen and dining room, hoping that any weird facial expressions would be ascribed to her inability to process Jenna’s news. Which was true. Until she knew details, the fact that they were expecting a baby in some shape or form felt no more real than the Snowballs hoping to win the cup at the end of the season.

“Rhonda!” Penny, Brett’s girlfriend, stood from her seat and hugged her around her full plate of food. “How are you?”

“So good!” Her voice was too high. It must’ve hit that pitch everyone talked about, the one that cats and babies exploited with their cries, because everyone at the table turned to look at her.

“Carry on. Nothing to see here.” Rhonda shooed them back to their food, hoping it came off naturally. She sat next to Penny and glanced around the table. “I’m heading to Edmonton in the morning.”

“Soooo, you were being sarcastic?” Penny grinned.

“I’m actually staying at a new Marriott. It’s supposed to be great. The restaurant I’m meeting my doctors at is in the hotel.”

Penny nodded. “Well, good, because it’s going to be freaking freezing up there.”

Rhonda laughed, then picked up her knife and fork and started cutting her roast into pieces. She scooped one up with her fork, dipped it in mashed potatoes and gravy, then dropped it in her mouth. She closed her eyes and sighed. “Mmm.”

“Kind of makes me want to take up cooking.”

Rhonda gave her a look. “You cook.”

“No, Brett cooks. Unless it’s a family recipe, I microwave.”

Rhonda laughed. Penny was downplaying her skills, but she decided to let her live in her truth for the time being. She took another bite and caught a glimpse of Darcy from the other table. His back was to her. He was far enough away he wouldn’t hear anything.

“So great that Darcy is back this season.”

Penny nodded. “Honestly, I was a little worried.” She glanced up and lowered her voice. “I heard he was a bit of an asshole.”

“How so?” Rhonda ripped off a piece of her Yorkshire.

Penny shrugged. “Just didn’t make an effort to be a part of the team. Caused problems on the ice.”

“Hmm. Hopefully it’s better this time around.” Rhonda chewed and swallowed. “I wonder why he didn’t join up with C-Biscuit. It’s kind of a long haul over to practice, isn’t it?”

Penny frowned. "He lives in Rosemont, doesn’t he?" She leaned over to Brett. “Does Darcy live in Rosemont still?”

Heat flushed to Rhonda’s cheeks. Fantastic. Another witness to her asking about Darcy’s living situation. Rhonda took a sip of her water, trying to look nonchalant. "Oh, I could’ve been wrong. I had a meeting in Mayland Heights, and I could've sworn I saw him at the apartments there."

Brett shook his head. “No, he’s still in Rosemont. We just did some renovations on his house there. He inherited it from his grandma.”

“Or great-aunt?” Penny asked.

Now that they mentioned it, she did remember hearing something about that. How he’d moved back because he had a free place to live. None of this helped her, but at least she knew he didn’t live in that building. Maybe if he was visiting a friend, he wouldn’t know who else lived there.

“I need a great-aunt. Or rich grandma.” Rhonda laughed.

“Just phone Earl Jones.” Brett took a swig from his sparkling water.

Penny rolled her eyes. “A grandparent scam. Excellent idea.”

“Is that the guy from Montreal who stole inheritances in the nineties?” Rhonda asked.

Brett nodded. “Like, millions of dollars worth.”

Rhonda speared a green bean with her fork. “I can think of easier ways to make a million dollars.”

Penny snorted. “Do not say Only Fans.”

“It’s my feet, Pens. If God didn’t want me to use them, he shouldn’t have given me such delicate, slender toes.”

They laughed and chatted until their plates were empty, then Rhonda pushed back from the table. "I'm going to head out. I still have some packing to do." She leaned in to give Penny a hug, then picked up her dinnerware.

Rhonda wove her way through the group still gathered by the table to take her dishes to the kitchen. She thanked the Thompsons, and was about to make an easy getaway, when she heard her name behind her.

She turned to find Jenna rushing up to the door. “We’re going to talk later.”

Rhonda hugged her. “I know, we already established that.”

Jenna pulled back. “Uh, no. Not about me. About whatever is happening here.” She waved her hands over Rhonda’s general person. “When can you meet at Tina’s?”

Rhonda’s heartbeat sounded in her ears. "I get back at the end of the week.”

“So Friday it is?”

Rhonda pulled on her coat and zipped it up. "I'm not sure about one potential meeting Friday morning. I’ll check when I get home and let you know." Jenna opened her mouth to say something else, but Rhonda’s phone was buzzing. She turned the screen to Jenna, proving she wasn’t making it up. “Mom” flashed on the screen.

Jenna waved her out, and Rhonda swiped up to answer. “Hey.”

“Hey there, baby.” Her mother’s voice came through chirpy. Too bright. “I wanted to check in before your big trip. How’s my star sales rep holding up?”

Rhonda’s gut twisted. “Oh, you know me, Mom. Just your typical tornado of packing chaos. The usual.”

Her mother’s laugh was thin. A sound of habit rather than true joy. “Well, I’m sure you’ll nail it. You always do.”

To anyone else, those words may have sounded like a vote of confidence, but from her mother? They were a faithful plea. Rhonda opened her car door and slipped in, turning on the engine and hitting the button for her seat warmer.

“Listen, Rhonnie,” her mom began, and Rhonda closed her eyes, already knowing what was coming. “I hate to do this, but I could really use your help. The electric bill this month was up twenty percent. They charged me for prime time usage, can you believe that? I don’t remember when they told us they were switching to time blocks. And the car, it’s making this noise. Awful grinding.”

Rhonda’s grip on the phone tightened. Her jaw clenched and a flicker of anger rose up. “Mom.” Her voice was gentle but firm. “We’ve talked about this. I can’t keep?—”

“I know, I know,” her mother cut in, the forced cheer stripped. “I don’t mean to burden you.”

“You’re not a burden. You know that. But you need to take him to court. Until you do?—”

“I can’t. You know that.”

Rhonda exhaled as she turned off the Thompsons’ street. She did know that. It had been almost five years since her mother had saved up enough to leave her father for good, and not once had she been willing to talk with a lawyer.

Memories of her father swarmed to the surface. The day he cleaned out her mother’s account. Zero warning. Just cancelled her cards and siphoned out all of their shared equity. Or even earlier, the time he’d refused to co-sign on a loan for her mother to go back to school. He’d sneered, saying it was a waste of money because she’d only fail anyway. That conversation had happened during Rhonda’s last year of high school.

Her stomach churned when she thought about walking out that door. Leaving her sister alone with them. But what could she have done differently?

Now, her career ambitions weren’t only about herself. They were about securing a future for her mother. But sometimes it felt like patching holes in a sinking ship.

“I’ll see what I can do.” Rhonda cleared her throat. “Hang in there, okay? I’ll phone you after the trip.”

Her mother’s voice brightened. “Thank you, baby. I’m so proud of you.”

The call ended, and Rhonda let the phone fall into her lap. She stared at the lights ahead of her, driving on autopilot. And then, she passed an apartment building. Grey. Out of nowhere, her thoughts drifted to Jordan.

Had that happened? Neither of them had texted or called since that night, and she was beginning to question herself. Maybe she’d forgotten her promise to her twenty-two year old self and had taken a blue pill from a stranger. Maybe she’d been so desperate to find someone who worked at Rocky Ridge, she’d fabricated an entire human being—an entire restaurant—to complete her midlife crisis fantasy world.

But then she felt the ghost of his hands on her, the rough timbre of his voice in her ear. It made her ache, and she pressed her palm to her cheek as she waited at a red light. The streets were surprisingly dead that early in the evening. Normally that only happened right before a storm, and she’d checked that morning. The drive up to Edmonton was supposed to be clear.

Rhonda turned onto her street. She parked outside her townhouse, the engine ticking as it cooled. She grabbed her purse and walked up to her front door.

Inside, her house was exactly as she’d left it, and a cocktail of comfort and disappointment washed over her.

So quiet.

Rhonda hung up her keys and purse, then walked to the kitchen. She couldn't have pets since she was gone so much, but she'd found solace in her plants. They were low maintenance, and after killing half of the Happy Valley Nursery, she’d figured out an efficient system for keeping them alive. A little water in the saucers at the base every few days, a misting bottle for her ferns.

She grabbed her copper can and watered them, then moved through her bedtime routine. While she waited for her light peeling mask to tingle, she scrolled and checked her meeting schedule. Nothing on Friday morning. It looked like they were going to do Thursday brunch instead. So that would be a yes on hot tubbing.

Rhonda typed Anne’s name into her text message search bar, but couldn’t find the chat with just her, Tina, and Jenna. Had it been that long since they’d set up a therapy night? She scrolled for a minute, then gave up and typed in their names one by one. She dropped onto the bed and tapped out a message with her thumbs.

Hey! Friday at Tina and Anne’s is a go. I should be back before supper.

Anne

Yep, Friday is perfect. I have to be out and showered by ten-thirty, though.

Tina

Because you’re almost forty?

Anne

Ha. Ha. No, because my niece has that soccer game.

Got it. Get Anne drunk so she forgets about her bedtime

Anne

I’m great with boundaries now. New skill in 2024.

Tina

Does that mean you’re dumping Gary?

Anne

Okay, if you guys don’t like him, just say it. Don’t be all passive aggressive.

We’re not being passive aggressive. That was full aggressive

Tina

I’m just jealous. He’s taking all of your time, and Rhonda is too cool for school.

Rhonda laughed, but before she could finish typing out a response, Anne’s message came through.

Anne

Speaking of which, Rhonda, you ready to come clean?

Her heart stuttered. Come clean about what? A spike of adrenaline at the thought of her friends knowing anything about Jordan made her hands jittery. But that couldn’t be what she was talking about.

Tina

Oooh what did I miss at Sunday Supper?

Nothing. I have no idea what she’s talking about

Anne

She was smiling weird

What? I wasn’t smiling weird

Tina

That means she slept with someone

Anne

Exactly

Rhonda dropped the phone on the bed and stalked into the washroom. Smiling weird? She would’ve been mad had she not been worried the entire Sunday Supper about that exact possibility. But she’d been laughing and joking around. She hadn’t even been around Anne for long since she sat next to Penny.

She peed and washed her hands, then walked back out to the bedroom and snatched up her phone.

Tina

She’s not answering. I’m guessing it was someone she met when she went to get her oil changed.

Anne

My guess is that guy she always flirts with at the Tim’s on 9th.

She’s ghosting us. It means we’re right.

Okay, wow. I went to the washroom.

Tina

And you didn’t craft a rebuttal on the toilet?

She thought long and hard about what to text next. She could deny it. She couldn’t completely gaslight them. They’d known her long enough that they’d never believe her if she said nothing was off. But she could come up with some other plausible explanation. A guy at work sexted her? Or she’s thinking of getting into energy work? That was always a quick way to shut down questions.

Is there a point?

Anne

YES!! Okay, who was it?

You don’t know him.

Tina

Pictures?

No!!

Anne

No pictures!? This is how our relationship works. We give you emotional support. You give us pictures.

I forgot! Sorry!

Tina

You never forget. Weird smiles and no pictures? You’re going to be with him again, aren’t you?

No! Stop.

Anne

She has a point. It’s the same thing that happened at that hockey tournament. Remember? In Medicine Hat? You showed up in the room at some ungodly hour. No pictures. And then you DID see him again.

By accident!

Tina

Parking Lot Guy??

Anne

Parking Lot Guy

Tina

I still live vicariously through you and Parking Lot Guy. Like, more often than I’d be willing to admit

So do I

She lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Now he wasn’t just Parking Lot Guy. He was Urgent Care Guy. Rocky Ridge Guy. Apartment Guy. Ugh, how had she gotten into this?

All weekend she’d found herself wondering if she could accidentally run into him. If she drove a different route or stopped for coffee a little closer to the hospital. It wasn’t healthy.

She would text Jordan mid-week to see if he’d thought more about Reviact and if he thought it was possible to get an appointment with Dr. Mallory. That was it. Professional. Succinct. If he couldn’t, she’d delete his number and move on with a new strategy.

Rhonda rolled over and swiped up on her screen to tell the girls how whatever weirdness they’d seen on her face was going to be gone by the time she got back from Edmonton, then frowned.

A text sat at the bottom of her text chain.

J

Any more details and I might get pregnant

Her heart pounded her ribs like a gavel as she stared at the message, uncomprehending. Her body grasped the full scope of the situation before her brain caught up, but when it did, she could no longer feel her hands or feet.

J. She’d saved Jordan’s number as “J” because she didn’t want her friends to see it pop up on her screen accidentally. But this didn't make sense. He couldn't be part of the group chat. She'd created it minutes ago by adding Anne, Tina, and?—

Ohhhhhh.

Realization slammed into her like a freight train. There were no prior messages. Why hadn’t she stopped to question why there weren’t other texts showing up in her history? In her haste, she must have accidentally selected “J” instead of “Jenna,” and now?—

She scrolled up, scanning the string of texts like one of those guys on the speed-reading infomercials.

Shit.

Shiiiit.

He’d seen all of it. The smiling weird, the hook up accusations, Parking Lot Guy!?!? Rhonda let out a groan and buried her face in the pillows.