Congratulations on the new job! YOu will do great and it's a nice opportunity to get out of the house for a bit.
I think you are correct in the fact that your h is paving his exit out of the marriage by telling his mother. I'm sure he didn't tell her he was having an affair. My xh denied his affair w/the twinkle twat for a long time.
The marriage counselor is absolutely correct. I know that once the divorce was finalized, a huge weight lifted off my shoulders because I knew that I didn't have to deal w/his crazymaking ways ever again because he couldn't threaten or try to tell me what to do. It was wonderful to know that I never had to worry about getting nasty letters in the mail, nasty phone calls at work or deal w/his crazy lawyer ever again. I think anyone who has dealt w/what we have, will feel the same way. Quite frankly, I never had a sad moment once the ink was dry on the decree because he had put me through h@ll and back.
Time will tell if he really does go to CA and if the ow is tagging along. The evidence will appear when you least expect it.
Sit quietly, the answers will reveal themselves when you least expect them to. The past is gone, the present is a gift and you need to focus on today, allow the future to reveal itself when it is ready.