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I reach for the empty glass and grab the paper, where Susanna scribbled a note.
I went to dinner with my mother and Aunt Patty. Call me when you’re up.
Relieved to have a moment to myself, I go in search of ibuprofen and find my phone on the kitchen island. Picking it up to call Susanna, I notice several texts from Langford. I click on his message and start to type a response when the back door flies open and Susanna breezes in.
“Oh good. You’re awake,” she says.
She joins me in the kitchen and plops a to-go box on the counter before giving me a quick kiss.
I flip the box open to find a lukewarm dish from the Italian Garden. I grab a fork from the drawer beside the sink and dig in.
Susanna leans a hip against the island and watches me. “So, I was talking to Mom and Aunt Patty, and they agree that I should go ahead and do the Caribbean thing.”
I freeze with a forkful of pasta an inch from my lips and look at her. “What?” I ask.
“You know the resort I showed you this morning? I told them about it over dinner, and they think it’s a great idea. So, Aunt Patty called my cousin Sherry, and I think she and I are gonna go.”
“When?” I ask.
She looks down at her feet. “Tomorrow. For two weeks.”
I place the fork back in the container and face her. “I thought we agreed to go together in November?”
She huffs. “I don’t want to wait until November, Corbin. I wanna go now. I need a vacation!”
“A vacation from what?” I ask.
Her head snaps up, and her eyes narrow.
“You have the mountains, the lake, the river, great shopping, and restaurants. The weather is perfect. You can do whatever you want, whenever you want,” I state.
She folds her arms across her chest, and I know she is gearing up for a fight.
“Because I don’t have a job, right?” she snaps.
“That’s not what I said.”
“But it’s what you meant.”
“No. I meant, people come here to vacation, Sus. We live in the middle of paradise. What could have you so stressed that you need to go right now instead of waiting until I can go too?”
“I’m bored, Corbin. I want to travel. I want the ocean. I want to lie in a cabana and have the staff bring me cocktails. We can afford it, and you’re just too stubborn to take the time off and go with me.”
I bring my hands to the sides of my head and rub my temples. “I can’t keep having this same argument,” I mutter.
She sighs as she walks over to me and wraps her arms around my waist. Then, she smiles up at me and softens her voice as she says, “That makes two of us. We need a break from each other. A breather. This will be good for us. You’ll see. I’m going to go pack.”
She lets go of me and walks off toward the bedroom.
Something inside me snaps. I don’t know if it’s the headache or the exhaustion, but I follow her.
I grab the doorframe and watch as she pulls her suitcase from the closet and sets it on the bed.
“You’re right; maybe we do need a breather. One that lasts longer than two weeks,” I say.
She doesn’t stop, and she doesn’t look at me.
“Fine, I’ll pack for four. Who doesn’t want four weeks at the beach?” she chirps.
