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I only stare in response.
“I am,” she continues. “I know it’s hard for you to believe right now, but I really was in love with you and I really do love you. I’m sorry that things are ending this way.”
“Me too,” I say.
I don’t offer any other words of encouragement and she turns and heads upstairs to the room.
I finish my scotch and head upstairs myself but not to the bed. I take a shower and as I shower, the last vestiges of hurt and anger I feel fade away, replaced only with excitement.
I sleep on the couch and as soon as I wake in the morning, I dress and head to Klarice’s house. I stop two steps out of the door. One of the kids has a birthday. I can’t remember which.
CHAPTER FIVE
Klarice
“Kids! Time for breakfast! The bus is here in ten minutes! Whatever you don’t eat now is going in the trash!”
“That’s wasting food!” Kaitlyn calls from the table.
She is the only one of the children who actually listened to my first instruction to come downstairs. I look at her and say, “Then finishyourfood, munchkin, or I’ll tell Miss Ella no cookies today.”
Her mouth drops open in shock and she begins feverishly shoveling the cereal into her mouth. I chuckle a little and call again, “Kids! Now!”
I hear the usual crashing and banging and hope that this time there won’t be any casualties. I prepare a tray for Annie, who has gotten over her initial disappointment at injuring herself to revel in the day of relaxation. I will talk to her later about last night, but I don’t have time to do that right now with all of the chaos of the morning.
Out of nowhere, I wonder if I can convince Valentine to talk to her for me. Maybe he can convince her more easily than I that getting into cars with older boys rarely ends well.
That thought leads to other thoughts I’m unprepared for.
He kissed me back last night.
He kissed me back, then said, he needs to wait six months before he does anything about it.
Why? What’s going to change in six months? And why am I so disappointed? I mean, I’ve been his neighbor for years. I’ve spoken with his wife—
His wife. Oh my God, how could I have forgotten he was married? No wonder he didn’t want to kiss me!
Then again, he said he’d be ready in six months. What does that mean? Are they splitting up? Am I a bad person for hoping they are?
My thoughts are interrupted when the twins barrel through the kitchen and sit at the table—by which I mean they spend a good thirty seconds jostling stuff before they kind of half-lean against their chairs.
I’ll take it.
I serve their food as Michael sits down across from them.
“Why does Annie get to stay home from school?” Aaron says.
“Because she broke her ankle, stupid!” Michael says.
“Don’t say stupid,” I correct, “but yes, she has to stay home and rest.”
“If I break my ankle, can I stay home?” Andy asks eagerly.
“No,” I say. “If you break your ankle, I’ll drag you to school by your broken foot and make you crawl up the stairs.”
“No fair,” he pouts.
The doorbell chimes.
