A Very Crimson Christmas. Michelle Major

money, and Brad assured me things were good. Honestly, I should have paid closer attention, but Austin was colicky. I was on my own so much. I just wanted to believe him.”

      Olivia nodded. “I know how that goes.” Natalie remembered that Olivia’s ex-husband had cheated on her before leaving her for his mistress.

      “We’ve all made bad choices in men,” Millie echoed.

      Natalie glanced at Katie, who gave a slight smile. “Or no choices in men because we’re too scared of making a mistake. It’s no better, Nat. Trust me.”

      “I’m not sure you’ll think that once you’ve heard the whole story.” She sipped her margarita, surprised to find there was nothing but ice left in the glass. The waitress slipped another one in front of her. “You’re driving me home, right?” she asked Katie.

      “Always,” her friend answered.

      Suddenly, Natalie wanted to share her embarrassing past with her friends, hoping it would help her feel not so alone. “Things were okay with us for almost a year, or so I thought. Brad traveled a lot, which made it tough for us to reconnect when he was back. I figured things would even out once Austin was a little older. I was picking up a package at the post office one day and Myrna, the old postmistress, asked me if I wanted the mail from Brad’s PO box, as well. She said he hadn’t collected it in months and it was taking up too much space.”

      She stirred the straw around in her drink. “She gave me a whole box of stuff, mainly delinquent notices and demands for payment. I can still see the pity in her eyes as she registered my shock. She must have thought I was the most gullible fool on the planet.”

      “I doubt that,” Olivia said, her tone reassuring.

      “I was pretty darn close. I took the box home, put Austin down for a nap and opened every envelope. We were months behind on the house and car payments, utilities, credit card bills, the works. At first I thought it must have been a mistake.” She thumped the palm of her hand against her forehead. “Still such an idiot. We’d gotten a late notice call here or there, but Brad always explained it away. That box opened the floodgates. He’d been using his cell phone as a contact number, but I discovered things were worse than I could have imagined.”

      “And was he able to explain it away?” Millie asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

      “Actually, I think he was relieved to finally be caught,” Natalie admitted. “As soon as I knew, all the debts became my responsibility. He was off the hook once more.”

      “Was it drugs?” Katie asked.

      “Not really.” Natalie shook her head. “Maybe some dabbling but nothing hard-core. I lost count of his vices. Gambling was his main addiction. Most of the work he did was in Arizona and Nevada. He got sucked into the Vegas culture and couldn’t find a way out.”

      Millie narrowed her eyes. “Tell me you aren’t making excuses for him.”

      “Not at all. He cost us everything. My car was repossessed, the house was almost foreclosed on and our credit destroyed. It’s only in the past couple of years that I’ve felt comfortable answering the phone to an unknown number. I had creditors hounding me for so long.”

      “Why you? It was Brad’s gambling.”

      “Everything was in both our names. I could either pay off the debts or file for bankruptcy.”

      “Oh, sweetie.” Katie got up and came around the table to wrap her arms around Natalie’s shoulders. “Why didn’t you tell anyone? We could have helped.”

      “I was too embarrassed. It feels silly to say that now, but it’s the truth.”

      “So that’s when you left him?” Olivia asked.

      Natalie nodded. “I gave him an ultimatum. Go to rehab for his addiction or I was leaving. He told me he’d change but was unwilling to get professional help. I filed for divorce within a month of discovering what he’d done.”

      Katie sat down again. “I don’t understand why you think Ruth would pay him off now. You’ve been divorced for almost eight years.”

      “At the time, I wanted him out of our lives until he could get control of things again. I was angry, hurt and scared. Jason Crenshaw was my attorney for the divorce. He begged me to go after Brad for full custody, to reveal everything Brad had done to wreck our finances, but I didn’t want to air my dirty laundry in front of the whole town. Being a single mother seemed to hold enough stigma.”

      “Because of how your mom was treated when she returned to Crimson?”

      “I guess,” Natalie said with a shrug. “She’s definitely had a chip on her shoulders for a lot of years. You know she still has a tendency to go off the rails. I couldn’t handle everyone thinking I was like her in any way. The bottom line was I didn’t listen to Jase. I told him to make the conditions of the divorce fair to both of us, to give Brad the option of visitation when and if he straightened out his life.”

      She leaned forward and took a long drink from her straw. “As a result, whenever Brad runs out of money, he comes to me making veiled threats about getting back into Austin’s life. If I thought he really meant it, I’d welcome him. No boy should have to grow up without a dad around. But it’s all about the money every single time. As soon as I offer it to him, he takes off again.”

      “Scumbag,” Katie mumbled. Olivia and Millie nodded in agreement.

      “Things have gotten worse in the past year. He’s racked up a lot of debt again. He’s telling the guys holding most of his loans that he helps me out financially, letting them think that’s why he can’t pay. I’ve given him as much as I can spare, but it isn’t enough.”

      Olivia’s mouth dropped. “Natalie, this is serious.”

      “I know it’s serious.”

      “You have to go to the police.”

      “And Jase,” Katie added. “Take legal action against Brad. File a restraining order. Whatever you need to do.”

      “What happens when he wants to see Austin again? I can’t legally keep him from that.”

      Katie shook her head. “Have you talked to Jase? He’s a good attorney and now that he’s on town council, he has a lot of pull around here. He could help you.”

      “I’d planned to, but I didn’t think it would get this far. I gave Brad everything I’d saved almost seven months ago and told him that was the end. Then he started calling again. That’s when I told Ruth what was going on. I’m afraid she’s taken matters into her own hands. She’s got strangely good connections for someone her age.”

      “Did you ask her?”

      As her stomach pitched, Natalie gripped the stem of her margarita glass. “I only realized it when Liam accused me of taking the money. She kept Austin at her side most of the day yesterday. She’s definitely avoiding me. Once I know for sure I’m going to have to tell Liam. How humiliating is it to admit to the guy who left me behind that I’ve royally messed up my life?”

      “You didn’t mess it up. The scumbag ex-husband messed it up,” Millie offered sympathetically.

      “I married him.”

      Millie lifted her glass in a mock toast. “Good point.”

      “I have money from the inheritance I got when my grandma died,” Katie offered. “I can help you pay back Ruth if she did indeed give money to Brad.”

      Natalie shook her head. “As much as I appreciate the offer, I need to take care of this mess myself. I know I have to stand up to Brad so this stops. It’s no way to live.” She took a bite of the chicken quesadilla wedge Olivia put on her plate. “It’s not fair to Austin. I’m always struggling to get ahead and I should be putting money away for his college. He deserves so much more than I’m giving him right now.”

      “You