The Vacation by Chelle Cordero

The Vacation

by Chelle Cordero

Darlene had been hurt and she was tired. Fourteen years of marriage and three kids meant nothing to her husband when he walked out on her for younger flesh and less commitments. So while Neil was learning to surf the waves in Hawaii, Darlene was trying to put dinner on the table for her kids and keep them clothed. And the two boys made it clear they resented her for “making Daddy leave”.

At Neil’s insistence she quit her promising career as clothing buyer for a major retail home goods store when their oldest, a son, had come along. Suddenly now she found herself struggling to make ends meet after finding a new job, at the bottom of the food chain – all her years of experience dried up after a decade of playing stay at home mom.

She had been happier being a stay at home mom than she ever thought she would be. Darlene had no intentions of going back to work, at least not full-time, until her youngest, six years old, was at least in high school. Neil had a lawyer though that was an expert at hiding a client’s assets and the settlement of child support barely paid for the kids’ meals. The one thing her lawyer did manage to do was convince the judge that the children had to be kept on Neil’s health insurance plan – unfortunately the kids would have to be sick and hospitalized to be guaranteed three nutritious meals a day.

She was tired. Bob saw that and he wanted to make things better. Bob had watched her walk into the office the first day at her new job and he made up his mind that he wanted to get to know her better. They had dated a few times, dinner, a movie, a family picnic, and he even paid for the babysitter and pizza when he took her away for an evening. There was a private couples’ hotel with private cabins and indoor hot tubs. He didn’t hide the fact that he wanted to make love with her, if she was ready, and he wanted to pamper her, he told her that.

Damn it, she told herself that she was entitled to a break and someone else taking care of her even if it was just for a weekend. And her sister said the kids could stay with them for the few days. Darlene hadn’t slept with Bob yet, she hadn’t been with anyone since her divorce and Neil had been her first. She was nervous, but Bob was kind of sexy, she mused. She said yes. It didn’t even take a lot of convincing.

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Chelle Cordero is the author of eight romantic suspense novels and one murder mystery all published with Vanilla Heart Publishing, and short stories in four anthologies (including Passionate Hearts). She also writes for several national newspapers, magazines and regional publications; her articles have appeared in Gannett Newspapers, SPOTLIGHT Magazine, Hudson Valley Magazine, and EMSResponder.

Ms. Cordero has conducted several writing workshops and authors the Amazon Kindle blog Living, Breathing, Writing (available by subscription). She also does book and project editing in her “spare” time.

Along with her husband Mark, Chelle is a partner in By-Lines, an editorial and photography company catering to the business community. They live in the scenic Hudson Valley of New York with their son; her daughter and son-in-law live nearby. She is also a NYS EMT and the entire family volunteers with their local ambulance corps.