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“Is everything okay? Really?”
Jensen exhales loudly. “I have some things I need to tell you, but not tonight. I need to get Max home and in the bathtub. He has school tomorrow and it’s Ashley’s turn to pick him up. Can I come by after work tomorrow night?” he asks, sitting his chin to rest on my shoulder.
“Sure. I can make dinner,” I offer, trying to mask my nervousness.
“No, I’ll bring something. I don’t want you to have to worry about cooking,” he suggests, making me worry a little more.
“Okay,” I reply, cautiously.
After Max shows his dad the painting, they gather up his few belongs and get ready to head out. I don’t want them to but don’t invite them to stay. If Ashley is giving them a hard time about me, finding out they both spent the night would probably cause even more problems. Instead, I walk them to his truck and tell them goodbye.
“Bye, Just Max,” I say as the little boy wraps his still-sticky hands around my waist and hugs me tightly.
“Bye, Kate! I’ll see you soon,” he says. His happy-go-lucky demeanor brings unshed tears to my eyes and a fond smile to my face.
When Jensen has him buckled into the seat, he pulls me into his arms and kisses me soundly. “I can tell there are a lot of things going through your head right now. Yes, I have some things to tell you, but it doesn’t change us. It doesn’t change who I am or who you are, and it definitely doesn’t impact what we are together.”
“Okay,” I whisper, gripping the back of his T-shirt as he pulls me tightly against his taut chest.
“See you tomorrow,” he assures me, placing his lips on my forehead and turning and heading to get in his truck. I feel the loss of his body heat immediately.
I wave goodbye as they head down the long driveway, until I can no longer see the truck. A deep sadness sweeps in, a longing to spend more time in their presence. I love Jensen, and I love Max. The thought of being separated from them, even for the night causes my chest to tighten with sorrow.
Back inside, I make a sandwich, enjoying a quick peanut butter and jelly, just like I had as a child. There’s a smile on my face the entire time. After the dishes are cleaned up, I head back to the library. The piles of paperwork are gone, except for the box that will need to be shredded. Emma and Orval both pop in for a second, but they’re on their way to enjoy their last evening with Mary Ann.
That’s another thing I’ll miss. The sounds of having guests with me.
I decide to paint. While I spent a little time yesterday cleaning the canvas and adding a few simple touches, I have this deep-rooted desire to finish Jensen’s painting. It’s more than twelve years overdue. So I pull out a handful of shades of blue and green and set out to work on the ocean landscape.
For the next hour, I watch the reflection of the sun setting off the ocean and the waves crash on the beach. I pull in the darker, more mysterious waters toward the edges of the painting, opting to see a moonlight reflection like I’m witnessing tonight. I’m just completing the waterscape when the doorbell rings. Realizing I must have locked the front door, I hop off my stool and make a mad dash for the entryway. When I reach the door, I turn the lock and pull it open, presuming to find Emma and Orval. Instead, I find the one woman I never expect.
My mother.
“Well, I see your manners haven’t improved any,” she says, sweeping her perfectly styled hair off her forehead. “Are you going to invite me in?”
With a quick shake of my head, I step back, pulling the door open farther to allow her to enter. “Of course, my apologies.”
Mom strolls past me, a cloud of expensive perfume trailing in her wake as she glances around the freshly painted and decorated foyer. “Well, this is…different.”
I shake out of my surprised stupor and shut the door. “It is different, yes. What are you doing here, Mother?” I ask trying to head her off before she continues on to the rest of the house.
She stops and gives me a look. It’s one I’m very familiar with. Part disappointment, part exasperation. “What I’m doing here, Kathryn, is saving you from making a mistake.”
“Excuse me?”
She places her hands on her hips and just stares at me. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”
Her question startles me, mostly because I have no clue what she’s talking about. I’ve been here for a while now, happily cocooned in my Jensen-filled bubble. There’s no way she could have known we’ve rekindled our relationship if she just arrived in Rockland Falls.
Mother sighs dramatically and reaches into her bag. She pulls out an envelope and hands it to me. The word confidential is written across the top, but it’s the other name that draws my attention. My attorney. “Did you think you could just divorce Charles and I wouldn’t find out about it?”
Slipping the papers out of the envelope, I flip through the familiar papers until I get to the end. My entire body relaxes when I see Charles’s scrawl across the line. “Well, Mother, considering I was the one married to him and not you, I figured the divorce didn’t require your approval.”
She throws her hands in the air. “Of course it requires my approval. You can’t divorce a man like Charles Dunnington III. What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking I’m happier without him,” I answer honestly.
“Oh, you don’t know what you’re feeling. It’s probably because of this place. It’s toxic. Too many ghosts and bad memories,” she argues, glancing around as if one of those ghosts may jump out and get her.
