Shattered Hearts

Chapter 33

Darlene paced up and down outside the courthouse while she waited for Charlotte's case to conclude. It couldn't be much longer now, she thought, glancing at her watch, unless Nick had pulled some sort of stunt. The letter to the school had his paw prints all over it so she wouldn't be surprised. The knot of anxiety in her stomach tightened, god only knows how Lottie must be feeling.

"Hey watch it," a voice snapped. "You nearly knocked me over."

She turned to see a woman glaring at her. "I never even touched you," she said pulling a face.

"You're blocking the doorway."

She stepped to one side. "I think the words you were looking for was 'excuse me.'"

The woman gaped at her. "You're the one blocking the door with your fat ass."

Darlene opened her mouth to snap back but Charlotte came through the door, Dale following behind her. Her breath caught in her mouth and she forgot about the woman who'd just insulted her. Of course, Dale was going to be here as well, he was Lottie's lawyer for christ's sake.

"Hello Darlene," he said not letting on if he was perturbed by her appearance. "It's good to see you."

"You too, you're looking well." What an understatement, with the sun shining off his hair he looked like he should be in Hollywood. Ros was a fool.

"Ahem, ahem," Charlotte fake coughed.

"Gee, sorry, I almost forgot you there," Darlene said slapping her hand to her forehead. "How did it go?"

"I'm officially a free woman," Charlotte said with a small smile.

Breathing a huge sigh of relief Darlene pulled her into a hug. "That's great, we should celebrate."

"Where's Daniel?"

"With my mom, she said she'd babysit him so I could come and support you." Charlotte had insisted she'd be fine, and she hadn't planned to come, but then it had crossed her mind that the case might not go to plan so she'd better be there for the aftermath. "Look, why don't we all go for lunch?" she said. "It's not often I get a break from the kids."

"I should get back to the office," Dale said quickly, probably thinking he should excuse himself.

Darlene looked up at him, "Don't be silly, this is your victory as well right?"

"She's got a point," Charlotte said linking her arm through his. "I won't go to lunch if you don't join us."

"Oh, okay then," he said brushing his hair out of his eyes. "I guess I'd be a fool to turn down two beautiful ladies anyhow."

Darlene giggled. If Rosalind could see them now...

                                                          ~~~

"I'm just going to the restroom if you guys will excuse me," Charlotte said standing up abruptly, the meal in front of her barely touched.

"Sure," Darlene said holding her fork aloft. "Are you okay, you've gone awfully pale."

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said picking up her purse and leaving.

"She doesn't look fine," Darlene said to Dale in a hushed voice. "I thought she'd be over the moon but she seems pretty downbeat."

"It's probably all a bit anti-climatic," Dale said, his voice also low even though the restaurant was quiet. "She's been waiting for this day for so long, she probably built it up in her mind to be more than what it was, which was just a formality."

"And I suppose she has been through a lot the past month, with Louis and everything." She clamped her mouth shut, not sure how much Dale even knew about the debacle with Louis.

Dale gave her a tight smile. "I can't say I was surprised it turned out badly, it had trainwreck written all over it."

She nodded but she couldn't help feeling disappointed despite her earlier reservations. "I had hoped it would work out, for Lottie's sake."

"Maybe she needs a complete break with the past," Dale said his brows knotting together. "I mean Louis, then Nick, then Louis again. I don't think it's healthy going back."

Darlene looked at him, it was now or never, Charlotte would return any second. "But that's kinda what we've both done, we've gone back."

Dale paused and then shook his head. "We didn't leave in the first place, it's our other halves that can't make up their mind if they want us or each other."

She inhaled sharply. "Ouch, don't sugarcoat it, Dale. But yeah, you're right. I didn't leave Johnny when I found out, I never do. I thought you might have left Rosalind though?"

He picked up his knife slowly cutting into his steak. "I never seriously contemplated it, I don't think I even threatened to," he admitted. "That's how much of a loser I am."

"You and me both," she said with a small laugh, almost regretting bringing it up.

"No, not you. You and John have a family, it's different." He lowered his knife meeting her eyes. "Rosalind and I have nothing to keep us together."

"But you love her the way I love Johnny."

"It sucks, doesn't it?" he said with a half-smile, half grimace.

"It does but you've gotta make the best of it."

"And how do you?" he asked, his eyes intense. "I want to forgive her, in fact, I'm pretty sure I have, but I can't forget. It's always there, tainting everything."

"That's exactly what it does," she said with a heavy heart. "Like when Daniel first came home from the hospital, we were all together, along with our parents, and it was a picture-perfect scene. And then I looked at John and I was instantly reminded that our life is not perfect." She let out a deep sigh. "But that feeling is mostly fleeting, I try to push it to one side. It's not fair though, he messed up but I'm the one in pain."

Dale touched her hand and squeezed it. "It must be hard not to be resentful. That's what I worry about. That I'll always hold this over Ros."

"To be honest, I am resentful." She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I owe you a big apology. That day I told you about Ros and Johnny - when you caught me arguing with Ros - I didn't have to. I was being spiteful, I wanted you to hurt like I was hurting, I wanted to wreck your marriage. I was so bitter-"

"Darlene, stop," he said holding up his hand. "I don't blame you, I'm glad you told me. I needed the blinkers removing from my eyes."

"But I didn't tell you for the right reasons," she said red-faced. "I was being a bitch."

"You were hurt."

"I was." She picked up her drink and swallowed down the lump in her throat but she was glad she'd apologised. "Finally, the wanderer returns," she said as Charlotte sat down. What had taken her so long?

"So what have I missed," Charlotte said cheerily, picking up her fork. "God I'm starving, I haven't eaten all day. I was sick with nerves this morning."

"That's hardly surprising," Darlene said watching her eat for a moment, surprised at the resurgence of her appetite. "Dale and I have been clearing the air."

"Now that sounds like quite a conversation!"

"It was," she said catching Dale's eye and winking. "But it's been good to clear the air."

"And she's certainly given me something to think about," Dale added.

Charlotte swallowed a mouthful of food before giving Darlene a suspicious look. "I hope you haven't said something you shouldn't have?"

"Of course not." Darlene gave a light laugh. "I've just been giving Dale the benefit of my experience."

But God knows I was tempted to put the knife into Rosalind, she doesn't know how lucky she is.

~~~