She needed to get moving. She had evening plans with Libby and J.J.
Her phone buzzed, and she looked at the caller ID.
It was Julia, her oldest. Finally.
“What the heck is happening? Dad says you’ve lost your mind and essentially run away from home.”
“Hello, Julia.”
“Mom, hello, but what?”
It was one thing sharing the sordid collapse of your marriage with your old friends. It was something else telling your kids that their dad was cheating on their mom.
Hope struggled for the right words. Her girls weren’t girls anymore. They were adults. But still, the instinct to protect them, to shield them from pain, was as strong now as it was when they were toddlers.
“Your dad is in a relationship with someone else, I found out.” She stopped. She let that sink in. She did her best to squelch the desire to want her daughters to take sides.
“Are you sure? I mean, really?”
“Yes, your dad isn’t too clear on how Apple photo clouds work.” That was all she should say. It was too much. She wouldn’t want to have heard it about her own father. But there it was.
The line was quiet.
“Oh, gross. I’m sorry I asked. Ugh, so you’re in Wisconsin or something?”
“Michigan, Irish Hills. I spent summers here growing up. An old friend offered me a place to stay on Lake Manitou. It’s really charming; you should—”
“—Mom, vacation? Your marriage is falling apart, and you’re on vacation?”
“I’m not on vacation. That’s the thing I wanted to tell you. I’m opening a restaurant. Right here. It’s going to be amazing. I mean, there’s so much to do, and I have no idea where I’m going to source everything, but still, it’s my—”
“Mom, I can’t process all this right now. I’m sorry about Dad, I am. But you can’t mean you’re staying there and just letting Dad stay in Covington. That you can’t work something out? I mean, don’t all men Dad’s age have midlife crisis issues? It could pass. This can all work out.”
Hope didn’t want to break Julia’s heart, but it was time she stopped living for her kids or in fear of Archie’s judgment. She wasn’t going to lie to spare her children. They weren’t children.
“The thing is, Julia, I think I want to be here, Dad or not. Things are working out for me.”
“Whoareyou? This isbananas.”
“Listen, I’m going to text you the address. If you get some time and want to do a weekend, or week or whatever, you could come visit.”
“And Dad?”
Hope didn’t tell her daughter about the second betrayal she’d experienced, Archie trying to grab her prize money. It was enough that her daughter understood that Hope was moving on.
“I wish him, uh, I wish him well. But my life is unfolding here, right now, without him.”
“And us, me, and Sara?”
“I love you both. You’re welcome to be here with me whenever you want. That won’t change. I want to build something you’ll be proud of, but more than that, something I’ll be proud of.”
“Have you been readingUntamedagain?” her daughter asked.
“Ha, no, currently Brené Brown.”
“Ugh, Mom, I’m not taking care of Dad.”
“He’s a grown man. He’ll be just fine.”
