Part 28 (2/2)
Sydney shrugged. ”Because you just weren't worth the ha.s.sle and as long as someone else was servicing you that meant that I no longer had too.”
”I can't believe you just said that,” Meredith said, shaking her head.
”Do you know what the difference between a wh.o.r.e and a prost.i.tute is, Meredith?” When Meredith didn't answer, Sydney said, ”A prost.i.tute is at least smart enough to charge for her p.u.s.s.y. Just think about it, if you charged, you'd be a millionaire by now.”
”You are one heartless b.i.t.c.h,” Meredith said through clenched teeth.
Sydney laughed. ”Maybe I am but I'm not your b.i.t.c.h anymore.” She stopped in the doorway and turned to look at Meredith. ”You have one hour to get your things packed. I want you gone as soon as possible and if you think I'm joking, try me. I won't hesitate to call the police and have you physically removed.”
”I'm surprised you don't have your goons do it for you.”
”That's something you don't need to worry your pretty little head about. What I do or don't do is no longer any of your concern,” Sydney said, slamming the door shut so hard that the chandelier hanging in the foyer rocked back and forth.
Sydney stood outside the door for several few minutes while she gained some semblance of control over her frayed nerves.
She was relieved that it was finally over between her and Meredith and she was grateful to Anne for giving her an excuse to do what she had wanted to do for a long, long time, what she should have done years ago.
Her thoughts turned to Frankie, Maureen, and Caitlyn. They were the only ones who knew she would be coming home a day early. She also knew Frankie well enough to know that the big bear of a woman had intentionally left the snow on the two cars for Sydney to see.
Sydney took the steps two at a time in an almost giddy sort of manner. She practically floated over the family room floor. She went behind the wet bar, grabbed a beer from the fridge, and then retrieved the stack of mail from the foyer table. A glance at her watch told her it was almost 2:30. Jackie wasn't due for another hour and Sydney hoped that Meredith would be gone by the time she arrived. She was eager to see what new information Jackie had for her and whatever it was, it had to be good, otherwise Jackie would have waited until their usual appointment on Friday to come over.
She dropped into an oversized recliner and kicked the footrest up. She tossed the stack of mail on the coffee table, took a long swig from the bottle, and glanced up at the ceiling. The sound of slamming drawers and stomping feet made her smile. Meredith was thoroughly p.i.s.sed and Sydney couldn't be happier.
Meredith glanced at her reflection in the mirror. I'm an attractive woman. I have a fantastic body for a woman in her forties she thought as she tucked several, long strands of red hair behind her ears. Her green eyes flashed with anger.
”Who the h.e.l.l does she think she is?” she asked herself. She grabbed a handful of clothes and slung them into the suitcase sitting on the edge of the bed.
It took everything inside of her to fight back the tears that threatened to spill onto her cheeks. She would not give Sydney the satisfaction by shedding one tear.
”No one dumps me and gets away with it,” she muttered under her breath. She stomped over to the closet and yanked several suits from their hangers. She looked around the room. Sydney was crazy if she thought she could take everything she owned right now. She would have to send someone to fetch the rest of her things and Sydney would just have to deal with it. There was just no way to pack ten years worth of stuff in less than an hour.
I can't believe she's doing this to me, she thought as she flung several pairs of panties and a handful of silk bras into the case. So what if she had a fling or two or three or four over the course of their relations.h.i.+p.
Personally, she thought it helped to keep things fresh, at least on her part and if Sydney had tried to spruce things up a little more, maybe she would not have been so apt to look at anything wearing a skirt. Ah, who the h.e.l.l am I kidding, Meredith laughed at her own thoughts. Of all the relations.h.i.+ps she has been in, not one single woman had been able to keep her eyes and most importantly, her hands from wandering.
Meredith tossed the smaller of two jewelry boxes into the suitcase and zipped the lid shut. She grabbed the luggage handle and turned toward the door. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror and smiled. If Sydney thought she could just kick her to the curb with no repercussions, she had another think coming. No one dumps Meredith Lansing and gets away with it. Not even the great, Sydney Welsh.
Sydney looked up at the sound of the door opening. She watched Meredith come down the stairs.
Meredith sat the suitcase on the floor next to the couch. ”Are you sure about this, Sydney?” Meredith she asked. ”Once I walk out of here, I'm not coming back.”
”Yes, Meredith, I'm sure. You and I have known for awhile that this was coming.”
”How can you just end it like this? Do all the years we spent together mean nothing to you?”
”You have got to be kidding me. I just caught you in bed with one of my executives and you have the nerve to turn this around on me,” Sidney said calmly.
”Well, I'm not giving up that easily. If you think you can just toss me out like yesterday's garbage I've got news for you and-”
”That's why I'm giving you this,” Sydney interrupted. She reached down and picked her checkbook up off the coffee table. ”I want you out of my life for good, Meredith. No more games.” She ripped off the check and shoved it in Meredith's hand.
Meredith looked at the check and frowned. ”$500,000.00? What the h.e.l.l am I supposed to do with this? How can you expect me to live on such a measly amount?” she asked sarcastically.
”If you don't want it, I'll take it back,” Sydney said, reaching for the check.
Meredith crammed the check in her pocket. ”I guess I'll just have to make do. I wouldn't want to put you out or anything.”
Sydney resisted the urge to shoot another dinger at Meredith regarding who's doing all the putting out. She felt her temper flare again. ”You're lucky I'm giving you that much. If you remember correctly, the good citizens of Ohio voted down the gay marriage proposal, so by law, I don't have to give you a penny and-” Sydney stopped in mid-sentence and stood up from the chair. She threw her hands up in the air. ”You know what Meredith? I am so over this. I just want you gone.”
”Come on, Sydney. Please don't do this,” Meredith practically begged as she followed Sydney into the foyer.
Sydney jerked the front door open and stood off to the side.
Meredith, dragging her luggage behind her, stomped unceremoniously through the doorway. She turned to look at Sydney, her eyes full of contempt. ”I meant what I said. If you think I'm just going to go away quietly without a fight, you're sadly mistaken, Sydney.”
”Goodbye Meredith.”
”I'll send someone over tomorrow to collect the rest of my things,” Meredith yelled over her shoulder just before Sydney slammed the door shut in her face.
Sydney closed her eyes and fell back against the door. Feeling the coolness of the wood permeate through her blouse, she took a deep breath, and forced herself to relax. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes. She glanced at her watch. Jackie would be- The doorbell rang before she had a chance to finish her thought. ”d.a.m.n it Meredith,” she swore under her breath and jerked the door open.
Jackie Christopher, a behemoth of a woman with short sandy brown hair, smiled sheepishly. ”Sorry, Syd, it's just me.”
”I'm sorry, Jackie, please come in,” Sydney said, stepping back to allow her through the doorway.
Jackie walked into the family room and took a seat on the couch. She took off her sungla.s.ses and laid them on the coffee table next to the file folder she had brought with her. She was silent as she watched Sydney go over to the wet bar and grab each of them a bottle of beer from the fridge. She took the beer Sydney offered and twisted off the cap. She took a long swig from the bottle. ”So, you wanna tell me what's going on or do you want me to guess?” she asked.
”Meredith and I broke up,” Sydney sighed.
”There's a real shocker.”
”You aren't the least bit surprised,” Sydney asked, her eyebrows rising.
”As far as I'm concerned the two of you should have split a long time ago.”
”You aren't the first person in my life to point that out.”
Jackie looked down at the bottle of beer in her hands. She tore a piece of the label off the bottle. She studied Sydney for several seconds. ”Are you okay, Syd?” she asked thoughtfully.
”Yeah, actually I am,” Sydney said, answering honestly.
”If you don't mind my asking, what happened?”
”I just caught her in bed with Anne.”
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