A Myrtle Clover Christmas

Chapter Nine

Myrtle's eyebrows shot up. This was news indeed. "Were you? You were engaged?"

"Nash hadn't asked me yet, but it was only a matter of time. We'd been dating for years. He was going to pop the question anytime."

Myrtle wasn't altogether sure that was inevitable. "And you say Glynis stole him from you?"

Belinda's face flushed. "She knew Nash and I were seeing each other and that it was serious. I don't think she was really even interested in Nash, not really. But Glynis was the kind of person who, when faced with a challenge, would try to meet it. So she flirted and flaunted her money and called him up and pretty soon, he fell for it."

"But you say Glynis wasn't all that into Nash?"

Belinda shook her head. "Nope. That's completely obvious from the way she dumped him later."

"Why did she do that?"

"Because the two of them had nothing in common," said Belinda, waving her hands in the air with some agitation.

Elaine and a couple of the moms eyed Belinda's hand-waving with interest, possibly wondering why her conversation with the octogenarian was becoming so animated.

"You must have been furious with Glynis," said Myrtle, trying to make it sound like an innocent statement.

But Belinda immediately realized she was treading into dangerous waters. She carefully said, "I was angrier with Nash than I was with Glynis. He betrayed me and Glynis was simply doing what came naturally to her. I really harbored no ill feelings toward Glynis."

"That was very generous of you."

Belinda shrugged. "I mean, for a while I'd cross to the other side of the street when I spotted Glynis coming. But then I decided that I'd do the adult thing and just try to get over it. Although I'd originally wanted Nash back at any cost, I finally realized that it wasn't really meant to be."

Myrtle nodded. "If he was going to be the kind of man who has a wandering eye, it was better to know before the relationship became a marriage."

"Exactly," said Belinda. But it sounded to Myrtle as if she was trying to convince herself of that fact. "Anyway, I think my anger is now centered more where it should be . . . with Nash. He betrayed me and I'm not the kind of person who takes that lightly. I was betrayed by my first husband, so I'm particularly sensitive to it."

Jack came running up to Myrtle, still in his adorable lamb costume. She beamed at him and said, "See? Your costume isn't so bad, is it? But now it's time to take it off."

She helped him out of the costume and then reached into her purse. "Would you like a candy cane?"

Jack's eyes grew big, and he nodded.

Myrtle unwrapped the candy cane and said, "Now, you'll need to sit on the floor to eat this. We don't want to run around and choke."

Jack obediently plopped to the floor and held out his hand for the candy cane.

Myrtle smiled at Jack and then turned back to Belinda. "Sorry about that. You were talking about Nash, I believe."

Belinda said ruefully, "About my disastrous love life. Yes, my first husband was a rogue, too. He ended up leaving me for someone ten years younger. After that, I guess I have trouble trusting people. Then I ended up with Nash, and he really reinforced that I can't trust people."

"I think there are folks out there that you can trust. You probably just need to think outside the box in terms of whom you date."

Belinda looked as if this was a completely new and revolutionary idea. "I think you might be right. I have this pattern of dating the same kind of guy. It's always the same type."