AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Thank you for the offer,” she said. “That’s very kind of you.”
Gone was the seductive lilt of her voice. Now she sounded…actually grateful? Weird.
I scurried back to the kitchen and started making plates for the twins. Honor came out a few minutes later with her bag over her shoulder. The rain had finally tapered to a drizzle, but she didn’t appear to have an umbrella or a coat.
“Do you want to borrow an umbrella?” I asked. I knew Honor wouldn’t want to disrupt her coif or get her dress wet.
Honor looked at me and narrowed her eyes. “I’m not afraid to get my hair wet,” she said, her voice harsh. She never would have talked that way if Mark had been in the room. No, she saved that special tone just for me.
“Jesus, I just offered you an umbrella,” I said. “I’m sorry for trying to be nice.”
Honor opened her mouth, probably to snap at me, but then she closed it.
“Thank you.” The words sounded like they were ripped from her tongue. As if they were the last words she wanted to say, but she said them anyway.
“You’re welcome,” I said, making up a plate for Mark.
Honor opened the door and walked into the rain without another word.
If I said I didn’t watch her walk to her car, I would have been lying.
* * *
Thankfully,the rain didn’t last, and I was able to get the girls outside for the rest of the week. They had sleepaway camp the following week, so I was also taking my own little vacation. Joy and Sydney had also planned a few days off, so we were heading to a beachside cabin for a few days for a girl’s trip. We always joked about how boring we were, but the three of us just happened to like to chill out and talk and read together and try new restaurants rather than do other things. We had planned a few activities, including a whale watch, so we were getting some adventure in.
Since they wouldn’t be seeing their mom for her week while they were at camp, I took them over to her house on Friday night so she could have them for the weekend.
“How’s it going?” I asked as the girls threw themselves at their mom and she gave them big hugs.
“Come to the kitchen with me,” she said after she’d had her little reunion with the twins and sent them to their room for a few minutes.
“Another bad date?” I asked.
Sadie sighed as she poured me a glass of iced tea.
“It’s impossible. Impossible!” she threw her hands in the air. “There are no decent men, or at least no decent men that are attracted to me. They’re all creeps and jerks.”
“I’m so sorry. It’s awful out there.”
Sadie sighed and sipped her iced tea. “It’s fine. Maybe I’m just not meant to find love again. I had it and…” she trailed off.
“Do you think you and Mark would ever?” I asked.
Sadie shook her head. “I used to think, maybe? But not now. I tried, you know. After everything blew up. I realized that I missed him, and I was still in love with him. And I didn’t want to break up our marriage, deal with joint custody. But once he said he was done, he was done. Mark doesn’t change his mind. Stubborn man.”
“Well, he hasn’t gotten involved with anyone else,” I pointed out.
“I know. I guess a tiny part of me will always have hope that we could get past everything and come back together.” She shrugged one shoulder and then I heard a noise.
Sadie and I both turned at the same time.
“How long have you been lurking there?” Sadie asked. Her question was met by giggles.
“I’ll let you take that one,” I said, pushing away from the counter.
Sadie made them come out and gave them a lecture about eavesdropping before I gave them hugs and told them I’d see them the following week.
“We’ll text you,” they promised, but I knew they were going to be so busy that they wouldn’t.
