Rosalind stood behind Dale while he worked in the home office, at least that was what he called the spare room that had a desk and very little else.

"I'm going to meet Charlotte in the park," she said nervously picking at the sleeve of her cardigan. "I could do with some fresh air."

"That's good, you need to get out more." He turned to look at her. "I shouldn't tell you this, because of client confidentiality, but since I can't get a hold of Charlotte and she tells you everything anyway." He paused as if deliberating.

"Go on, you can trust me."

"Nick's withdrawn his objection to the divorce. If Charlotte sticks to the mental cruelty line it should all proceed accordingly."

Rosalind's face broke into a smile. "That's wonderful news." She stepped forward to hug him. "I knew you'd come through for her."

"Fingers crossed."

"I can't wait to give her the news." She fell silent, releasing him from her arms, as she braced herself to impart her own news. "Dale, I don't know how to say this so I'm just gonna spit it out. I'm not pregnant. I got my period." She took a deep breath as Dale slowly turned around to face her.

"Are you sure?" He slapped his hand to his head. "Sorry, ignore my pig-ignorant question."

"I hope you're not too disappointed?" She scrutinised his face for any hint of a reaction.

He paused, running his hand through his hair. "A little bit but not really. I mean we've only just started trying, it was probably too good to be true thinking you were pregnant already."

She nodded feeling a little perturbed by his reaction. "I guess my cycle hasn't settled down since coming off the pill, and I so wanted to be pregnant."

He reached her hand and gave it a small squeeze. "And you will be, there's no reason to get upset now."

"I guess not," she said frowning as he turned back to his work. His words were supposed to be reassuring but she found them anything but.

                                               ~~~

Rosalind stood by Charlotte as they watched her son run off to play with another child in the park. Her mouth turned down, she could have been watching her child if she hadn't put it off for so long. Don't be so stupid, you're only twenty-five, it'll happen sooner or later. Still, the thought remained that for the first time in her life she might not get what she wanted.

"You know I sometimes hang out with Louis?" Charlotte said quietly although there was no one within hearing distance.

"Yeah." And that had to be an understatement or a euphemism, or something.

"Well, he suggested we could go away for a few days, on vacation."

"What!"

"We're just friends," Charlotte added looking away. "We'd be going away as friends."

She shook her head, not hiding her incredulity. "Just friends? Come on it's me you're talking to. Of course, you're not just friends. And if you are well you won't be after a trip away together. How can you even consider it?"

Charlotte looked up, her face defiant. "I'm thinking I've been stuck living in Sam's spare room for nearly a year, sharing a bedroom with Jamie. Maybe a break would be nice."

"Yeah but it's a break with Louis Kinsella? You might as well broadcast to the world that you're having an affair with him."

"I'm not," Charlotte said paling.

"Of course you are." She found the coy act more than a little irritating. "You spend every free moment with him."

"We're friends." 

She slowly rolled her eyes. "You've slept with him, and I don't mean years ago."

"He is only a friend," Charlotte insisted but her flushed cheeks said otherwise. "That's all any man will ever be to me."

"Once you're divorced you'll meet someone else," she said feeling guilty for being judgemental.

"I'm not going to repeat why that won't happen."

"I'm sure it will." She hesitated unsure whether she should go on. "Look you could meet a divorcee or a widower, someone who already has kids. Or someone who doesn't want them."

"I guess but it's not likely." Charlotte shrugged feigning nonchalance. "I mean Louis says he doesn't care but in a few years he'd probably think differently and wonder why he's with someone who's barren."

Rosalind winced. "You don't know that for certain but don't you think you're enough for someone without the whole kids' thing?"

"Do you?"

That brought her up short. "Yeah, I'd hope I'm enough for Dale that we'd stick together with or without a family." She looked over a Jamie as he played on the slide with another child. "I'm not saying it wouldn't be painful, I think it would be a void in our lives, but..."

"Ros, has something happened?" Charlotte asked her brows furrowing.

"Yes and no." She bit her lip, not sure if she should go on but wanting to unburden herself all the same. "I thought I was pregnant, I told Dale I was, and then I got my period. I feel like such a fraud."

Charlotte was quiet for a moment. "You might have had a miscarriage. I had at least one when I was with Nick, it wasn't wholly dissimilar to a period."

She shook her head. "No, it's a bog-standard period. Much as I'd like Dale's sympathy I'm not gonna pretend this was anything other than me getting over-excited."

"I'm sorry, I know how disappointed you must be."

She nodded looking away. "Yeah I am but more by Dale's reaction. He didn't seem upset, I think he might even have been relieved."

"Maybe it's too soon for him," Charlotte said tentatively. "The affair with John, he might still be processing that, and then he thinks you're pregnant, which is obviously good news, but maybe it's too much-"

"But it's what he wanted!"

"The timing though." She looked over at her son. "On the one hand, his world has fallen apart and then on the other, there's a whole new future to think about."

"You might be right." She reapplied her lipstick as she wallowed in her thoughts. "I've messed up big style."

Charlotte met her eyes, her gaze penetrating. "Look at it from his point of view. He thought he had the perfect marriage, the girl of his dreams. You only agreed to have a baby after you'd cheated on him. I bet he's pretty disillusioned."

She inhaled sharply. "Jeez, don't spare my feelings."

"No I'm not," Charlotte said softly. "I'm giving you my opinion as a friend. I'm one of the few you have left."

"Yeah you are," Rosalind said feeling grateful despite the harsh words. "But how come you still are? Judy won't give me the time of day."

"It's your marriage," Charlotte said shifting uncomfortably. "I don't agree with what you did but the same goes for John. I don't understand how Judy can stay friends with him and not you. If she felt she had to take a stand it should have been against you both."

Rosalind let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, I do feel like Judy is signalling me out as being solely responsible."

"Well, she's only got Darlene's version of events which will be whatever John told her."

"She could at least hear me out," she said, bitterness seeping into her voice.

Charlotte tilted her head to the side frowning. "Remember Judy's been cheated on too, she might not want to hear your side. We've all heard the cliches."

"Yeah it was a cliche," she admitted with a sigh. "I was bored. I convinced myself Dale was neglecting me, he didn't understand me." She ignored the disbelieving look on Charlotte's face. "I know, it's a dumb excuse."

"But why go for John? It's not like he was a new man who turned your head."

Rosalind pondered her words for a moment. "I've asked myself that a million times and I don't know. John was there and he was interested. I guess it was exciting because it was wrong but I also thought there was no real risk. He knew it could never go anywhere so our marriages were safe. God, how stupid was that?" She still couldn't believe he'd gone and confessed it all to Darlene, especially naming her as the other woman.

"You never thought about Darlene?" Charlotte asked her disapproval clear.

Her face heated up with shame. "No, I sorta thought she knew John was a cheat and I was no different to one of his other women. If it hadn't have been me it would have been someone else."

"He's always had a soft spot for you though. When Nick cheated he kept it away from home. If it wasn't for that woman turning up on my doorstep I'd never have known for certain."

"I'd never have done that to Darlene." She shuddered, she'd never have intentionally blown up her world. "I didn't mean to hurt her. I don't know why John confessed and dragged me into it."

"Darlene was suspicious. You might have thought you were being discreet but John would have been acting differently. I bet he was being the most perfect husband ever."

She frowned. "That doesn't make sense."

"Guilt makes people overcompensate." Charlotte looked out into the distance, her face expressionless. "After a bust-up with Nick I'd get showered with attention, he couldn't have been nicer. Seriously I must have the largest jewellery collection in the whole of California."

Rosalind nodded remembering how she used to be jealous before she knew the truth. "What are you going to do with all the stuff he bought you?" 

"I'll keep it."

"Dale said you'd have got the house if you'd stayed in it."

"I couldn't after everything that had happened. And I'd rather live in Glendale, it's easier for work and my family are here."

"And Louis?" she asked arching her eyebrows.

"No, he doesn't factor in my decision making at all." Charlotte shook her head vigorously. "The past is the past and there's no going back."

"If you say so," Rosalind said letting her off the hook.

She'd find out soon enough that the past had a habit of biting you in the ass.

                                                                    ~~~~

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