The Man She Married by Ann DeFee Page B

exit,” Liza suggested. “You have raccoon eyes and your face is all red and puffy. If anyone sees you like this, you’ll be the talk of the town.”
    “Okay, let’s go. I’m sure Clay will be home when I get there.”
    But not only was Clay gone when they arrived, so was his car, his golf clubs and most of his clothes. Where was he?
    Liza gave Maizie a pitying look as they went back to the kitchen following a full house inspection.
    “What?”
    “Honey, I hate to tell you this, but he’s not coming back. At least not tonight. Do you want me to stay here with you?”
    “What would Zack say?”
    Liza pulled out her cell phone. “Let me see.”
    “Please don’t. I’ll be okay.” Not really, but at her age did she want a baby-sitter?
    “Zack, honey,” Liza said into her phone, “I’m going to spend the night with Maizie.”
    There was a lengthy silence on Liza’s end of the line. “I’ll tell you all about it when I get home. I love you.”
    After she disconnected she went to the refrigerator. “Where’s the wine? We’re going to have a slumber party. Then we’ll come up with a solution for this fiasco.”
    The twins worked their way through two bottles of wine, a bowl of popcorn, a plate of nachos and a pan of brownies before Liza had an epiphany.
    “You’re going to court him! He’s jealous. That’sgood. It means he loves you. So make him feel like the most special man in the world. Take him out to dinner, then to the movies and end up at the old necking spot. Approach this as if you were seventeen again.”
    “How am I going to do that when I don’t even know where he is?” This time Maizie’s hiccup was courtesy of too much wine.
    “You leave that to me. I have connections with the local cops.” Liza giggled. “Did you know I have an intimate relationship with the sheriff?”
    “Yep, I got that.” Maizie yawned. “I think I’d better hit the sheets. I’m already going to have the mother of all headaches in the morning.”
     
    I T WAS AFTER TEN BEFORE Maizie finally managed to open her eyes. Her head was pounding and her mouth was as dry as the Mojave Desert. If there was a God in the heavens, Liza wouldn’t be faring any better.
    Maizie slowly put one foot in front of the other until she finally stumbled into the kitchen in search of a Coke and some saltines. She was rubbing the icy can on her throbbing forehead when Liza wandered in. Little Miss Sunshine was talking on her cell.
    “Who told you?” Liza pointed at the can and then the refrigerator.
    Maizie knew exactly what she wanted—salvation in the form of sugar and caffeine.
    “Do you know how long he plans to be there?” Liza popped the top on the Coke and slugged back a huge drink.
    “I’ll be home shortly. Okay, see you soon.” She disconnected and immediately grabbed a cracker.
    “You’re not going to believe this.”
    “What?” Maizie was expecting to hear that her husband was camped out at the extended stay motel on the highway.
    “Clay’s moved into Mama and Daddy’s garage apartment.”
    “He’s done what?” That was the last place she would’ve expected him to go.
    “He saw Daddy as he was leaving the country club last night and our father invited him to move in.” Liza was apparently having a hard time believing it, too.
    “So where do I go from here? My husband has left me and my father is in collusion with the jerk.”
    “I still think we have a solid plan.”
    “Why don’t you give me the details again?” Maizie was a wee bit fuzzy about last night.
    “You’re going to court him, remember?”
    “Oh, yeah.” Maizie wasn’t quite sure she had agreed, but she had a vague memory of the discussion.
     
    T WO DAYS LATER M AIZIE still hadn’t heard from her errant sweetie. She could call him, of course, but he was the one who had moved out. Shouldn’t he make the first move?
    Damn it! Maizie was sipping her third cup of coffee and working up a big mad. If Clay thought she would be sitting