I chalked it up to the fact that I was almost forty that I forgot to revisit a very important and unanswered question until two days after our uninvited guests had departed: How did my fiancรฉ know my shrink, a.k.a. Mistress Lydia?
I remembered just as I got to my appointment with Dr. Pritchard that Friday, but I didn't feel comfortable asking her. That and the fact that she wanted to limit our visits to once a month now distracted me. I knew it meant I was recovering. But it also meant I wouldn't have the familiar sounding board I'd grown used to this past month. Then again, I think that's partially why she made that decision: she didn't want me to become dependent on her.
I left with a heavy heart that our time was through for another four weeks. After several hours of working on my book, I'd almost forgotten the question again until Malcolm texted me that he was on his way home from the late meeting at school. He said he hoped I had good session with the head doc, and did I want pizza for dinner?
I placed the order and then paced the kitchen, rehearsing how I would approach the topic. I waffled between a direct approach and letting it slip into our conversation casually. Which would he be more likely to answer?
The sight of his car pulling into the drive made me pause. I switched to wringing my hands. Then I strained to hear the garage door closing. The sound of the car door as he shut it.
"How do you know Dr. Pritchard?" I said before he'd even fully crossed the threshold of the back door. Direct and impatient had apparently won.
He leaned in to give me a quick kiss before he shucked off his coat. "Hello to you, too."
I watched him sift through the mail and then sit down at the lunch counter facing the kitchen. I stayed standing on the kitchen side and took a deep breath. "I want to know how you know Dr. Pritchard."
He chuckled for a moment. "Did you order the pizza?"
"Yes." I glanced at my watch. "It should be here in thirty minutes. Now please, answer my question."
He looked up then. When he noticed I wasn't smiling or laughing, he said, "You're serious."
"Yes."
"Can you tell me why it's so important?"
"Because, it is. Is she one of the strippers you hung out with in France?"
His smile disappeared. "No."
"Is she an ex-girlfriend?"
He shook his head. He abandoned the mail and clasped his hands on the countertop instead. Finally, he realized I wasn't going to drop the subject.
"An ex-partner in the scene?"
"No, Becca."
I felt my hands fisting at my side. Why was he making this so difficult? I restrained myself from stomping my foot, but just barely. "Then howโ"
"I know her from the club in Chicago."
"I figured as much. And you just what? Thought a psychiatrist with a penchant for whipping men was the perfect solution for your abused girlfriendโ"
"Becca!" He sighed and ran his hand over his face. "She isโor rather, she wasโDaphne's shrink."
I scrunched up my nose. "Why couldn't you just say that in the first place?"
He reached out to clasp my hands. "Because it really isn't any of your business. I helped a friend get professional help several years ago. It was extremely successful. So I called on that professional to help me now as a favor."
When I exhaled, it felt like I was releasing all the tension in my body. I knew the truth now. And it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd imagined it would be. Go figure.
"Why she did it wasn't important. The fact that you are comfortable talking to her so you can feel better is. But then she wrote that note. I knew it was inevitable you'd ask questions."
I nodded.
"To be honest, it was a relief that you had forgotten to ask me again that night at the airport. I didn't want to dig up old wounds. You're seeing Lydia because of the pain your brother has caused you. Your brother and his wife, Daphne. I'm sure last summer has come up as well. You've made such progress. I didn't want to hinder your healing, and I thought that knowing the connection was there because of Daphne would do just that."
I lowered my eyes to where his thumb was brushing my knuckles. God, I hated it when he had a point like that. It made me feel so dumb that I hadn't considered all of the implications.
"But you are persistent. I love that about you." When I gave him a soft smile, he added, "Usually."
I wished I had a stool to sit on now. So what, I shared a shrink with my estranged sister-in-law? It actually made sense now why Dr. Pritchard would stop taking notes whenever I mentioned Daphne's name. But now I wondered what the doctor thought of me when I complained about Daphne...a woman who had been just as damagedโif not moreโthan I was. Especially now that I knew the three of us women shared a taste for nonconformity when it came to sex.
"Are you okay?"
When I didn't respond, he squeezed my hands. Then he tipped my chin up and asked me again.
I nodded this time. It was a relief that I didn't have to worry about seeing my doctor again knowing she had some sordid past with my fiancรฉ. But I felt a twinge in my chest when I thought of my long-lost friend now. How she had tried to warn me that night at the club. But then she had played into the charade, as well, by dragging me to Jesse's house as a distraction until we had to get to the ceremony. The ceremony that drove a wedge between all of us.
"Good." He stood and rounded the counter to pull me into his arms. "Promise me you will tell me if you are having any problems with Dr. Pritchard? With anyone at all?"