Irreplaceable
Chapter 23

Being Rafferty Brooks's wife was amazing!

Mia had been playing the part for two weeks, since New Year's Eve. She started the New Year in his arms and had woken up there each and every morning thereafter.

At 4:45 in the morning the alarm would go off, and she would rush back to her apartment, shower, and then go to work. After work, she would just head straight over to his place and make supper for him. He would get home, and they would eat and discuss their day. After they washed the dishes together, they would watch TV in the living room and then go to bed. And going to bed was her favorite part of the day.

The only break in the routine had been when she had Sunday off, and they had just stayed in bed until it was time for her to leave for book club. It had been the first time she had wanted to skip book club since it started nearly a year before. And she loved book club.

When she had left, she had been certain she would tell the girls about Rafferty. Not about the wedding thing of course but the fact that they were sleeping together. But after they had argued through whether Charles Manson should be considered a serial killer, the group quickly disbanded. Way faster than any other time. Mandy took off first, even before Mia could talk to her. Then Hazel and Natalie had left since Hazel's son was sick, and they had ridden together. That left Mia and Ruth, and Mia wasn't ready to tell Ruth alone without everyone else there. And anyway, Mia had wanted to get back to Rafferty, so she made her excuses as well.

Now she was happy she didn't share last weekend. She had gotten another week of them just getting to be together without the outside world intruding. Mia knew the book club wouldn't say anything since what happened at book club stayed at book club, but she decided to just give it two more weeks; until the next meeting. She could do two more glorious weeks of secrets.

So, as far as she knew, nobody knew about her relationship with Rafferty. She was lucky it was freezing out, and nobody was just wandering around the streets to see her walking to his place. Double lucky since she had to bundle up so much to fight off the freezing cold. Nobody could tell it was her, since she had to stop using her pink jacket and was wearing her older black one now.

Not that she was really trying to hide their relationship from people, because it wasn't a relationship. Rafferty Brooks didn't do relationships. He was a playboy who had s*x with a woman until he grew tired of her and then dumped her. Mia was determined that nobody found out she was dumb enough to fall into bed with him and get dumped.

Which is what made their conversation that morning so bizarre. It was Sunday, and not just any Sunday-it was the Sunday of her cousin Math and book club member Tess's baby's baptism. Everybody in the Nordskov and Lawson families would be in attendance. Well, not all her sisters, as they were busy. Or so they told their mother.

As she was leaving to go get ready at her apartment, he had surprised her by asking, "Can I go with?"

Laughing at his question, she asked, "Imagine all the old biddies talking about us if we showed up in church together. Why would you want to do that?"

"Because it's important to you." He frowned.

Rafferty didn't attend church at the same place her family did. In fact, she had no idea where he went. That had been a topic that hadn't come up. But now was not the time to talk about it.

"But how would I explain you to my family?" She zipped up her jacket and looked at him. He was still in pajama pants and a T-shirt, super s*xy as he watched her.

"You could tell them we're seeing each other,"

"Why would I do that?"

He looked at her quizzically. "Because we are."

"No, Rafferty, we're having s*x. That's different." She was running short on time as it was and didn't need him distracting her. Mia gently pushed him away.

His arms dropped as he said, "Oh, is that how you see us?"

"Rafferty, I don't have time to do this now." She turned to the door.

"Are you coming back here after?"

"Yes, but I don't know when that will be." And she left for her short bitter walk to her apartment.

Now Mia was sitting in a pew listening to the pastor talk as she tried to decide if she had been wrong to not let Rafferty come. But what would everyone have thought? That Mia was just his next conquest? Most likely.

When it was time for the actual baptism, she pushed him from her mind and watched Mandy in front of the church. When she had first seen her today, Mandy had looked good and was in a better mood than she had been in months. But now, standing in front of the congregation, she was starting to lose that new good mood. Was it because her ex was right next to her, or something else? Something with her pregnancy?

She would corner her in the back room of the basement during the reception and get her to talk. Not that they hadn't just been in there when the book club had toasted the baby before the service began. Mia hoped the book club would always get together whenever there was a special event in each other's lives, in their little room in the basement. Or wherever since maybe all the events wouldn't take place in this church. Just, so far, they had.

"I thought Mandy wanted to be the godmother?" Ruth leaned over and asked her.

"She does." Whispering back, Mia leaned toward her friend.

"Doesn't really look like it."

"I know," Mia agreed.

What she didn't tell her friend was that she had an idea of what her cousin's issue was. Biting her lip as she watched her cousin looking at the baby in her ex's arms, Mia realized she hadn't checked on her cousin as much as she should have since she had confided in her two weeks before. No extra calls, no visits, nothing. All her time had been consumed by Rafferty.

After the service, Mia followed Ruth and Anderson into the basement for the small family gathering that was happening there. As she filled a paper plate with food, she watched as pictures were taken of the baby. Mandy was there and looked paler than she had during the service.

Sitting down next to her mom, she watched Ruth and Anderson sit by the other members of book club and their boyfriends. But since it was her family event, she decided she should sit by her parents. As soon as she was done eating, she would go back with them. Taking a bite of her ham bun, she realized she had lost track of Mandy.

Looking around, she didn't see her anywhere. Her eyes were still scanning the church basement when she heard Rafferty's name mentioned. Snapping back to the conversation, she heard her mom tell her sister Darcy, who had come for the event. "... and since then, Rafferty has worked for Anderson at his insurance office. But they're in Rafferty and his dad's old building. Very confusing."

"Who is Rafferty dating now?" Darcy asked. Everyone knew he didn't date any one woman for long.

"I heard a blonde from Campbell, but nobody has confirmed it," her mom, Dotty, said.

"I heard it's been going on for almost a month, but who knows with that boy." her aunt Dolly stated from across the table.

Mia stopped eating and stopped looking for her cousin. Of course, Rafferty was seeing someone. She was just a side piece for him. Why had she even trusted him? What was two weeks when you have a blonde over in Norden eight miles away? Just far enough to where gossip takes a long time to get between the towns.

"Have you heard anything?" Darcy asked her, with her mom and aunt looking on interestedly. Why did everyone think she knew everything?

"I, ah..." she stammered.

She was reprieved when Tess tapped her on the shoulder and asked in a whisper, "Have you seen Mandy?"

Glad to have an excuse to leave, Mia jumped out of her chair leaving her meal behind. "No. I'll look around."

Immediately, she headed upstairs to check the bathrooms and the sanctuary. Both were empty; no Mandy. Then she checked the pastor's office and a few meeting rooms around the church, but still no Mandy. Coming back to the entryway, she poked her head out into the sunny, freezing parking lot. Nothing.

Turning around, she decided to check the room they had met in before the service, though it was right in the middle of the crowd now eating, so maybe she hadn't managed to go in there. But before she could make it too far, she saw Tess and Hazel coming up the stairs.

Shaking her head at them, she bit her lip to stop the tears. Mandy was gone, and Mia was pretty sure what was happening. And she couldn't tell anyone.

"Where could she be?" Hazel asked as Natalie and Ruth came up the stairs toward them.

"It doesn't matter," Tess stated to the group. "I asked her to be there for this one event. She promised she would. I guess I shouldn't have taken her word for it."

With that, Tess turned and stormed back into the basement. Mia knew that the two of them were close, especially now that Tess was dating Mandy's brother. Trying to stop her tears, she hoped Mandy would one day tell Tess the reason for her vanishing act. "I would be just as mad if it were me," Ruth added, watching Tess leave.

"I think I'll go check her apartment. Maybe I can get her to come back if she's there," Mia left the group to get her jacket. Needing to replace her cousin, and try to be the friend she was supposed to be.

All three of the others insisted they should go instead of Mia, who was a relative, but Mia assured them she was the best to talk to her cousin if she happened to be at her apartment, muttering something about them being related. But in truth, she owed it to her cousin to be there for her now. When she hadn't in the past.

With a quick goodbye, she headed out to her Jeep and drove the cold car the four blocks to her apartment. Parking behind Mandy's car, she knew she couldn't have gotten too far. Her Jeep said it was fifteen below, so she couldn't be outside. Quickly, she headed up the stairs to Mandy's apartment, and her heart sank when she got there. The silence in the apartment had Mia more scared than she had been at the church. She had been so sure her cousin would be hiding here. Sinking into Mandy's couch, she tried to come up with another location her cousin would've gone. Maybe the clinic downstairs? But Mia couldn't get in there if Mandy had locked the door.

Pulling out her phone, she sent Mandy a text, asking her to call or text so she knew she was okay. But even as she typed it, she knew her cousin wouldn't reach out until it was all over. And she probably wouldn't then, either. After texting Ruth that Mandy wasn't at her apartment, Mia stayed there. She would wait for her to return. No matter what was happening, Mandy would come home eventually, and Mia was going to be there when she did.