Page 43 of Just Past Two

“Do you sell them?”

“No. I thought about making it a business, but then it wouldn’t be an escape. It would just be more work.” She shrugged.

“Abby started college as an art major, actually,” Sam chimed in.

“It’s such a hard industry, these days.” Jo nodded sympathetically. “Jobs are hard to come by.”

“Actually, it wasn’t the job. I had an internship that offered me full-time work after graduation, but it was sucking the joy out of art for me.” She brushed her hair behind her ear. “I switched to something technical. For me, I wanted art to stay a hobby.”

“Sometimes you have to divide it up like that.” Stephan stroked his chin. “Your job, your passion, they don’t have to be the same thing. One career doesn’t have to be everything to you.”

“Like people,” Jo added. “It’s why Stephan and I have an open marriage.”

Abby fumbled her water glass, ice clinking against the sides as liquid spilled out over her fingers. “What?”

“An open marriage.” Jo looked to Stephan, then across the table at Abby and Sam, her expression calm and pleasant as if she’d just told them the weather. “One person not having to be all things to all people.”

“I…don’t know why you just told us that.” Abby tried to laugh, but it sounded strangled.

“Well, we’re getting to know one another. That seems like something you’re going to figure out sooner or later.” Jo looked over at Stephan. “Right?”

Stephan was laughing as well, but his sounded genuine. “You really put it right out there, Jo.”

“Subtlety is usually a waste of time, in my opinion.” Jo sipped her water. “What about you, Sam?”

“What?” His eyes widened, and he glanced between Abby and Jo. “What about me, what?”

“What are your passions?” Jo smiled cheekily. “I’m not asking if you have an open marriage.”

“We don’t,” Abby said quickly, too quickly, her words hard on the heels of Jo’s. The attention shifted to her, and her face burned with a sudden blush. “We…are just with each other.”

Sam’s gaze bore into the side of her face, and she finally looked over at him. He was staring at her with his eyebrows raised. He was waiting for her to correct herself, or give more info. She looked down at the plain tablecloth. Couldn’t the food show up and save her from this?

“Well, we’re only with each other romantically,” she added. “The rest is probably not the stuff for just getting to know each other.” She laughed again. She had to stop doing that; it sounded terrible.

“I like a lot of things,” Sam said, answering the question that had actually been asked. “I’m really into CrossFit. I play video games. I dabble in the guitar, but I’m not really good at it.”

“You’re good at it.” Abby hated when he was down on himself. “Better than me, anyway. But I guess that’s not saying much. Music is not my thing. I’m a visual arts kinda girl. What about you, Jo?”

“Climbing,” Jo said.

Sam furrowed his brow. “Stairs?”

“Rocks, probably,” Abby laughed. “Right?”

“Yeah. There’s a rock gym here in town I go to this time of year, and when the weather’s nicer, I climb outside. It’s how I met my girlfriend, actually.” She beamed.

Jo had a girlfriend. Stephan didn’t even seem bothered by this. Abby was having trouble wrapping her mind around it.

“I’ve never tried that. Climbing, I mean.” Abby could kind of picture herself giving it a go, though. “It seems kind of cool. I used to climb trees when I was younger. And smaller.”

“I could take you some time. I’m always looking for new people to climb with.”

“Sure, maybe.”

Next to her, Sam shook his head. “And you still won’t come to CrossFit with me.”

“Do not start with me.” She looked sideways at her husband, giving him her best stink eye.