Couple's Therapy

CHAPTER FOUR

It had been a week or so since Reba's therapy session with Dr. Baker. Initially, she'd been bitter, but she did as he said and let herself feel that, or whatever. Eventually, she came to terms with what he'd said about that stupid door and it being there whether Barbra Jean was or not. Deep down, she'd known that all along. That's why she could never move on with anybody else, because how were you supposed to move on from that?

Logically she knew better, but a small part of her still believed that maybe, just maybe, she'd wake up from all of this, and life would be good again. But this wasn't just some bad dream; this was her life, and she was ready to accept that now. She had too many other things to worry about than moping around and thinking about Brock. She'd been doing that for the last four years, and it hadn't gotten her anywhere yet.

So, when Barbra Jean came over with her "two-girl theory" after Brock had moved back into the condo, Reba had only hesitated a moment before going along with it. Of course, she'd played up that hesitation for Barbra Jean's sake because she didn't want her to think she liked hanging out with her or anything, even though she kind of did.

As it turned out, barhopping had been good for both of them. Barbra Jean got out of the house for a while and had some genuine adult fun with her "friend," which let Kyra off the hook and free to be a teenager. Reba, on the other hand, got to experience a little bit of the person she'd become since the divorce, and she liked her. Of course, slutty wasn't exactly a word she would have used to describe that person, but hey, it had been worth the look on Brock's face when she finally spilled the beans.

She felt powerful. Acceptance had turned into confidence, and it looked good on her.

Good enough, in fact, that Van's new sports agent, Sadie, had genuinely been attracted to her. Now, though Reba didn't swing that way, she still ended up with a pretty good deal of her own out of it. She'd made a new friend—one she liked, that hadn't slept with her husband. Although, with Van being traded to Denver, she wasn't sure how well their newfound friendship was going to work. Sadie had assured her that she'd be around, though. Van wasn't her only client, and Houston was where she called home.

So, as upsetting as it had been, having to confront all her suppressed feelings about Brock, the last couple of weeks had taken a pretty good turn for the better. Until Brock decided it'd be a fantastic idea to quit dentistry and sell the practice. Then everything started to spiral, and Barbra Jean panicked and dragged Reba back into their drama. Again.

She didn't care about Brock's decision anymore, but she would run that full-page Fu Man-Chops in the newspaper just to spite him.

Reba sighed and got up from the couch, "Manipulating me into bein' her puppet," she muttered as she headed toward the door. "All she had to do was tell me she wanted Brock to pick the practice. If she'd just said that in the first place, I'd'a went with that from the start!" she huffed. "I ain't nobody's puppet!" She slammed the door, "'Specially Barbra' Jean's."

She approached Barbra Jean's kitchen door and saw her at the sink with Kyra at her side. She watched for a moment as her sixteen-year-old daughter comforted her stepmother, and all of her current annoyance for the woman vanished. Barbra Jean was upset, so upset, in fact, that she cracked a plate clean in half as she scrubbed the dishes.

Reba sighed.

This wasn't Barbra Jean's fault; none of this was Barbra Jean's fault.

Reba finally opened the kitchen door. "Hey, Barbra Jean," she said. "Kyra, can you give us a minute, please?"

"Sure," she said and left the kitchen to find Henry.

"I'm not takin' back anything I said, Reba," Barbra Jean said from the sink.