Her three kids looked at her, shocked. This wasn’t the narrative they’d heard via movies and books.
“Love is always enough,” Maddie said firmly.
“No,” Bethany said. “Respect has to be involved. And Johnny has shown that he doesn’t respect you. I’m sorry, honey. But you need to leave him.”
Maddie squeezed her face into a big red ball, then got up and jumped into the water. Bethany stood to watch as Maddie floated, by herself, her arms and legs out like a starfish. Her heart ached for her daughter. But what could she do but be there for her? What could she do but listen?
“I’m not quitting my job,” Tommy said under his breath. “Not because of Johnny. I need the money.”
Bethany didn’t ask Tommy what he needed the money for. “Nobody’s quitting their job,” she said. “Growing up involvesfacing the difficult situations and moving through them. Maddie should be able to work alongside Johnny without issue.”
Tommy looked thoughtful, but also like he didn’t believe her.
A few hours later, Bethany and her kids sailed back to the harbor, tied up the boat, and went into town to grab burgers. It was nearly seven o’clock, and almost every swanky restaurant was fully packed, with gorgeous and well-dressed people sitting on verandas, sipping cocktails, and telling each other stories about their iconic lives.
But Bethany’s kids adored the burger shack on the opposite end of all those fancy restaurants, a place with greasy french fries and a stink that didn’t come out of your clothes very quickly. Bethany was starving, as was her way now that she was pregnant. She let the kids order whatever they wanted, then grabbed a chicken burger and onion rings for herself. They sat at an outdoor table, sipping milkshakes as their food was prepared.
Maddie looked contemplative. When their french fries arrived, she dug one into her chocolate shake, then ate it slowly. “Why do people cheat, Mom?”
Bethany was surprised—and grateful—that Maddie wanted to bring Bethany deeper into the conversation. “I think people cheat for a number of reasons. Every story is different. But it’s never right. I want to be clear on that.”
Maddie let her eyes drop. Bethany searched her mind for an answer, something to calm her. But before she could find something, a man at the table behind theirs interjected.
“I think it’s usually more about the cheater than the relationship itself,” he said.
Bethany and her children turned to look at the man. Immediately, Bethany recognized him as Matteo, the man she’d operated on about a month ago, the man who’d come in with the glass in his foot. He was halfway through a juicy-looking burger, a thoughtful smile on his face.
From the looks of things, he no longer had a bandage on his foot. It had healed fast. Bethany was glad.
“What does that mean?” Maddie asked Matteo.
Matteo tapped his heart. “I think they’re trying to fill a hole they’re carrying here. Instead of doing the work on themselves, they think someone new will complete them.”
“That’s wise,” Maddie said, her finger pointed toward the sky. “I’m going to use that when I finally break up with Johnny tomorrow.”
“Do it now!” Phoebe said. “I’m tired of this idiot.”
Bethany laughed and cast Matteo a nervous look. Was he dining alone tonight?
It was then she remembered the woman who’d brought him to the hospital. Helena, the woman who’d looked so gaunt, who’d collapsed in the waiting room. Helena had declined Bethany’s offer for a free checkup. She’d said something about knowing what to expect.
When Bethany’s kids saw some friends across the road and got up to say hello, Bethany got up the nerve to turn around and talk to Matteo more directly. “I don’t know if you recognize me,” she said.
Matteo raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t at first, but I figured it out. The woman who saved me!”
“Well, not really,” Bethany said. “But I’m curious about her, as well. How is she?”
Matteo’s eyes were shadowed. “I wouldn’t know, I guess. She took me back to her place, then made it pretty clear she wanted me to leave. I mean, I didn’t expect anything from her. I just felt…” He laughed at himself. “I felt like we were two lonely people in the world. I was feeling grateful that we’d found each other. But I know that’s a foolish fantasy.”
But something about this didn’t sit right with Bethany. A woman like Helena didn’t wait up all night in a hospitalemergency room, only to kick the guy out the next day. Something must have happened.
“Do you ever think about calling her?” Bethany asked.
“Every day,” Matteo said. “But again, she made it clear she wants to be alone. I have to respect that.”
“I don’t know,” Bethany said, frowning. “What if respecting her solitude does her more harm than good?”
Matteo frowned. “Do you know more about her situation than you’re letting on?”
