Unhealthy Coping Mechanism

Chapter 6

Frank polished off the last of the cookies after a dinner of homemade chicken potpie. "Man, you're absolutely spoiling me tonight. What's the occasion?"

"Nothing in particular," Harriet said. "Just felt like doing a little baking."

Sam stuffed the last of his dessert into his mouth so quickly he barely had time to chew. "I helped taste test," he mumbled around the mouthful.

"That's awesome! All I get to test are the props we might use in our clients' ads, and they don't even listen to our feedback half the time." Frank rubbed the back of his head with a halfhearted chuckle. "It's always reassuring to know they don't even trust us to pick out the right chair, yet somehow they're perfectly okay with letting me film the stinking commercial."

"No more pet pajamas, I hope. The day they have you test those out yourself is the day you have to find another job, or at least show me pictures."

"Lord, no! We've actually got some pretty cool stuff coming down the pipeline. Which reminds me..." He clasped his hands in front of him and gave her that look, the one that told Harriet whatever he was about to ask her would be as appealing as counting the crumbs speckling her plate. "Would it be alright with you if I head to Pennsylvania for a couple days? Ryan was supposed to go, but he's got Peter that week."

"You're leaving again?" Sam's voice cracked with tears that would no doubt be soaking through his pillow later that night.

"Only if your mom says it's okay, buddy."

Oh, so that was his strategy. "Why are you pinning this decision on me?" she asked as she crossed her arms. "It's your job. If you want to go waltzing off to cover someone else's behind, that's on you."

He put his hands up defensively. "I just don't want you to feel like I'm not thinking about you, babe. You know I'd rather stay here, but this is a really big client. If I nail this, I might even land myself a promotion!"

"Sounds like you already know what you want to do."

"Babe, please. I just want you to be happy. How's about you think it over for a while, okay?"

So on top of not being able to say no to his coworkers, he couldn't say yes without asking for her permission now. "Fine, but only if you do too. It's your job and your decision, period."

Sam quietly excused himself from the table as his parents stared each other down.

###

A week later, Harriet stood in front of the mansion her ex shared with one of the richest women in the state, feeling as powerless and insignificant as the ants marching across the sidewalk.

Vicky ushered Harriet into her perfectly maintained garden with a plateful of cucumber sandwiches and a bottle of wine. "There's plenty more where this came from. Don't be shy!"

Of course she had extras, Harriet thought. Vicky was always ready for anything.

Clusters of perfectly trimmed rose bushes ringed a fountain topped by a dull green statue of some long-forgotten general and his horse. The copper equine pawed the air with its hooves as if it was ready to charge the table where they were sitting. The goldfish circling the lily pads scattered throughout the fountain's base were a recent addition, one Harriet didn't doubt was far from the last.

Yet, despite the constant changes, everything felt as if Vicky had planned it from the start, all the way down to the individual pieces of gravel in the pathways that wound through the vibrant garden. That was one of the many perks of marrying a CEO, Harriet supposed. Nature had become her own personal art studio.