Dylan lifted his glass and swirled the wine around before taking a sip. He looked deep in thought and Kate started to feel her stomach tighten. She was counting on him to go to Nantucket for Christmas.
He took a long sip before saying, “I don’t know if I can make that work, Kate. I have a shoot in California a few days before. I might need to stay longer. Plus my mother is in L.A. I can’t go there without visiting her. You know how it is?”
She sighed. “I do. I just want you to meet the rest of my family. They tease me now that you don’t exist.”
He flashed her the smile that used to make her melt. “Why don’t we go after the New Year? It won’t be as busy, and we’ll be able to see your family then?”
“We’ll see. Maybe you’ll finish up early and can visit your mom and still make it to Nantucket.” Kate knew though, as she said it, that it wasn’t going to happen.
“I’ll try. No promises though.” After paying the bill, Dylan smiled. “Did you save room for dessert? We could go to Modern?”
Kate wasn’t the least bit hungry, but needed something to put her into a better mood. “Sure, let’s get a cannoli.”
The light that had been so glorious all day was beginning to fade, and Kristen was too. She stood and stretched to relieve the muscles that had grown stiff from sitting in the same position all afternoon as the sunlight had poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Her studio was a colorful mess, as always. Sketchpads were strewn about the room, canvases in varying stages of completion leaned against the walls, and magazines and books threatened to topple off her coffee table.
But she knew where everything was, and it worked for her. It was her happy place. And she was feeling good about her latest project. She was using a photograph she’d taken as inspiration for a watercolor, and it was almost done. When it was finished, she’d add it to the collection she was building for her next art show.
She glanced at the clock on the wall and began to feel stressed. Sean, her on-again boyfriend of sorts, was coming for dinner, and she still needed to shower and figure out what she was going to cook for him. When she’d invited him a few days ago, it had seemed like a good idea, but all she felt like doing now was taking a long, hot bath, and maybe pouring herself a glass of wine. But, she needed to get moving.
When she reached the kitchen, her phone rang, and the caller ID showed that it was Sean. He was probably running late, as usual. Ordinarily she’d be annoyed, but today, she welcomed the extra time.
“Hi Sean. What’s up?”
“It’s about tonight,” he began.
“Are you running late? If so, no worries.”
“No, it’s not that. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to reschedule. Andrea called to remind me that Julian has a big game tonight. If they win, they make the playoffs. I should be there.”
“Oh, of course you should! We’ll do it another time. Tell Julian I said good luck.”
“I’ll do that. Thanks for understanding. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Kristen hung up the phone feeling both relieved and irritated at the same time. She was happy to have the night to herself, but hated picturing Sean sitting with his wife as they watched their son play basketball. It also annoyed her that they were still separated for over four years now and neither had filed for divorce yet. The few times she’d brought it up, Sean had just said that it was complicated and changed the subject.
Sean owned one of the most successful real estate offices on the island, and Kristen suspected that he wasn’t ready to give up half of his financial holdings and Andrea wasn’t ready to give up everything that went with being Mrs. Sean Prescott. Sean was well connected in town and had a membership at the most exclusive country club and their waterfront estate was massive. Andrea was still living there with Julian while Sean had moved into a smaller place, a condo on the pier, across from where the ferries docked.
Kristen was about to pour herself a glass of chardonnay and go sink into a hot bath when her cell phone rang again. This time it was Abby, her younger sister. Abby rarely called just to chat.
“Hey, Abby.”
“Are you busy? I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” she sounded agitated.
“Of course not. I’m done for the day. Is everything okay?”
There was a long moment of silence before Abby spoke. “Yeah, it’s just been a long day, and I’d love to meet for a drink and catch up unless you have other plans?”
“My plans just got canceled actually, so I’m all yours. Do you want to go out or come here? I have a bottle of wine I was about to open, and I could make us some pasta or something?”
“How about I bring our favorite pizza? I could pick it up and be over in about a half hour or so.”
“Perfect.”
Kristen took a quick shower and relaxed as the hot water soothed her tired muscles. She changed into her favorite yoga pants and a soft, long sleeved t-shirt and had just finished blow-drying her shoulder length, stick-straight brown hair when she heard footsteps outside. Abby had arrived.
She could smell the pizza as she reached the front door and opened it. Abby stepped in and handed her the box.
“Spinach, artichoke and feta?” Kirsten asked. “It smells amazing.”
Abby grinned. “Of course.”
“Great, I’ll pour us some wine if you want to get the paper plates out of the cabinet.”
She poured them two generous glasses of chardonnay and they each loaded two slices of pizza on their plates and went into the sunroom. Kristen’s cottage was small, but cozy, and when she wasn’t in her studio, she loved spending time in the sunroom. In the Summer months she kept the windows wide open, to let the fresh air in. She wasn’t on the water, but even the most inland house on Nantucket still had crisp, ocean breezes.
In the cooler months, the room stayed warm because it faced the sun and she loved to curl up on the soft white sofa at the end of the day and read or watch a little TV. They settled on the sofa and put their wine and plates on the coffee table. The conversation was light and easy as they ate and sipped their wine. Abby hadn’t mentioned anything out of the ordinary, but Kristen knew something was bothering her. After they finished eating, Kristen topped off her glass with a splash more wine, and noticed that Abby had barely touched hers, which was unusual. “So, why was today such a long day?”
Abby sighed. “I’m probably making too much of it. Jeff’s really a great guy. I know that.” Abby had married her high school sweetheart. She and Jeff had been dating since their sophomore year and got married a year after they both graduated from college. They were almost thirty now and as far as Kristen knew, they were happily married. Their only frustration was that they hadn’t been able to get pregnant. Even after several attempts with IVF. And the process was much more difficult both physically and emotionally than Abby had expected. They’d all been surprised by that.
“What is it?”
“Well, it’s just that he’s never home. He works so much. More than ever before. He says it’s because he needs to put in the time to grow the business, but it’s almost like an addiction with him. He thinks about work, morning noon and night. And weekends too. I don’t remember the last time we went away or even just went out to dinner. By the time Jeff gets home at night, he’s so tired that he falls asleep on the sofa around seven.”
“Have you talked to him about it? Asked him to cut back on his hours?”
Abby nodded. “Dozens of times. He always apologizes, cuts back for a week or two, then slips back into his usual habits. I’ve had it. And it’s been a long time coming, but I finally decided that I can’t live this way.”
Kristen was shocked, as Abby and Jeff had always seemed like the most rock solid of couples. But, she also understood. If Abby wasn’t happy she should do something about it.
“Are you considering divorce?”
“Yes, I have been thinking a lot about it recently. It’s hard, but I finally made the decision to do it.” She looked so deva
stated though that Kristen wrapped her younger sister in a hug and squeezed her tight for a moment. “I’m so sorry, honey.” She tried to think of something positive that didn’t sound like a cliche. But the best she could come up with was, “Well, maybe it’s a blessing in a way that you had a hard time getting pregnant.”
Abby looked as though she was on the verge of tears but laughed a little instead before saying, “Well, that’s part of the reason why I wanted to come over here. I’d just made this decision, this big decision and then promptly threw up. At first, I thought it was nerves, or something I’d eaten, but then the thought occurred to me that it might be something else.”
“You think you might be pregnant? But I thought the last round of IVF didn’t work?”
“It didn’t. And since we did two rounds back to back that failed, we were going to take the holidays off before trying again. I’ve been so stressed, and didn’t think it was even a possibility without help, so I didn’t realize that I was late.”
“So, you are pregnant?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t checked it. I brought a pregnancy test with me. It’s just so huge, if I am. Normally I’d check it with Jeff, but given what I’ve been considering…”
“Of course. I’m glad you waited to do it here. I’ll support you, no matter what it says.”
“Thank you.” She took a deep breath. “I’m going to go check now.” Abby grabbed her purse and went off to the bathroom while Kristen cleared their paper plates and put the leftover pizza in the refrigerator. When she was done, she went back to her sofa, took a sip of her wine and waited.
Finally, she heard the bathroom door open and Abby walked toward her, holding the pregnancy stick. Tears were streaming down her face and her eyes were red. She’d clearly spent several minutes crying after she read the results. Kristen got up and pulled her sister into a hug.
“I’m so sorry. It will happen for you, eventually. I know it will.”
Abby hiccuped and sort of laughed a little as they sat back down on the sofa. She handed Kristen the pregnancy stick. It had two clear lines on it. She looked at her sister in confusion.
“You’re pregnant?”
Abby smiled. “I am.”
“But, that’s great news! Jeff will be so excited. Maybe this is just what the two of you need.”
But Abby shook her head sadly. “My baby doesn’t need a father who is never there. I still want a divorce.” Her voice broke a bit as she added, “or at least a separation.”
Chapter 2
Abby left her sister’s house and drove home, her emotions churning. She was excited to be pregnant, finally. It was just ironic that when they’d been trying so hard to make it happen, including with IVF and that didn’t work, suddenly finding herself pregnant was a shock. She’d googled it though and learned that it wasn’t all that unusual. Many couples failed to get pregnant and turned to adoption only to welcome a surprise baby of their own at some point. Doctors said it was because they were more relaxed and not anxiously trying so hard.
As excited as she was, Abby was still dreading the conversation that she knew she needed to have with Jeff. She hoped that they could get past this, and work it out, but they’d been down this road before several times. Each time, Jeff had promised to cut his hours back, and he had, but it never lasted for more than a week or two. And then he’d start going in earlier or staying later and either way, he’d inhale dinner and then fall asleep on the sofa around seven. Seven! She appreciated that he was a hard worker and knew that his family’s business had more than doubled since he’d taken over, but at what cost?
And she didn’t want him to agree just because of the baby. She didn’t trust that it would last if he did. She needed him to see that he was killing their relationship even as his business thrived. He needed to find a way to delegate more and to get his life, their life back. But, she dreaded the conversation, and she knew she was feeling more emotional than usual because of the pregnancy hormones.
She stopped at the market on the way home and picked up a chicken, carrots and potatoes. She knew that Jeff would be sound asleep when she got home but she figured it wouldn’t hurt to make his favorite dinner tomorrow.
So, the next evening, when Jeff walked through the door at a quarter to seven, the house smelled amazing from the chicken and vegetables that had been roasting in the oven. He stopped short and took a deep sniff.
“That smells fantastic!”
Abby smiled. “The chickens looked good at the market. Everything’s ready if you are.”
“Sure, you feel like a glass of wine? I’m pouring.” He got two glasses out of a cupboard before Abby could speak.
“I’m just going to have water. My stomach is a little off.” She already had a full glass of water that she’d been sipping on.
“Oh, okay.” He put one of the glasses back and poured himself some merlot.
Abby made plates for both of them, and they ate at the kitchen table. Jeff talked excitedly about a new client he’d landed. She watched him as he spoke. He was so animated and earnest. She’d always loved how passionate he was about his work, before it took over everything. She loved how his eyes lit up as he spoke and how small laugh lines danced around the edges of his mouth. How his sandy brown hair fell over his forehead. It was thick and a little too long. He needed a cut, but she’d always liked it this way, on the long side. She sighed. She loved him dearly, but she just couldn’t live like this anymore.
She knew she had a short window of time, maybe thirty minutes before she’d lose Jeff’s attention. Before his eyes would grow heavy and he’d start to snore softly as he lay on the living room sofa. After he had a second helping of chicken, she cleared their plates and when he stood to go into the living room, she told him to sit back down.
“There’s something I need to talk to you about.” She knew that a certain tone had crept into her voice. It made him raise his eyebrows as he settled back into his seat.
“Is something wrong?” he asked as he took his last sip of wine.
She sat down too and folded her hands in front of her. “We need to talk. We’ve had this conversation before, and I can’t do this anymore.”
“What are you saying? Is it my hours? You want me to cut back again?”
Abby sighed. ‘Not again. Not temporarily. I need a permanent change, Jeff. You leave before five most mornings, get home after six and you’re dead to the world by seven. It’s not fun for me or fair.”
Jeff ran a hand through his hair and looked frustrated. “It won’t be forever. But I need to be there.”
“Why? You’ve got the company running better than ever. What time does Jason come in? When does he leave? What about your father and your uncles? None of them are putting in the hours you are. Are they?”
He was quiet for a moment and finally said, “Jason comes in when I do on most days.”
“He doesn’t stay as late though, does he?” Abby knew that he didn’t.
“No, not usually.”
“You’re the one that’s in charge. You should be able to find a way to delegate more so that you don’t have to spend as much time there.”
“I’ll try. I’ll see what I can do.” He sounded frustrated and defensive, and Abby knew nothing was going to change.
“Jeff, seriously. I’m done, totally cooked. I can’t go on like this. I think we need some time apart. To see if you can find a way to work out a new schedule and stick to it. A week or two isn’t what I have in mind. I need a permanent change or we can just end this.”
Jeff’s jaw dropped. “You’re serious?”
“Yes. I can move out, or you can.” Abby knew she could stay with Kristen if she needed to.
Jeff was wide awake now and alternated between angry and panicked at what was happening. “You don’t have to leave. We can work this out.”
“I really think one of us has to leave for a while. We need a break. I’m hoping it will be a temporary one. If you really change your schedule and keep
to it for longer than a month, we can revisit moving back in. I can go to Kristen’s if you want me to leave.”
“I can’t believe you’re doing this.” He stood up and paced, and she could tell his mind was racing, processing what she’d said. He stopped finally. A decision reached. “I don’t want you to leave. I’ll go to Jason’s.” His voice broke a little and her heart did too when he asked, “Can I still see you?”
“Of course.” She tried to smiled. “Maybe we’ll go on a real date night.”
Jeff didn’t look at all happy about the situation. “All right. I’ll pack a bag and head to Jason’s. I guess I’ll call you in a day or two?”
“So, what’s this mysterious project that you want my help with? Are you serious about making your walk-in closet bigger? You’ve been talking about doing that for years.” Chase teased Lisa as he leaned against the kitchen island. She’d invited him over for dinner and to ask his advice. She’d always thought of Chase as her golden child, her beautiful boy. His hair was the color of sunshine, and his eyes were a bright green with specks of gold. He was tall and lanky. He’d always been thin and able to eat everything without putting on weight. His eyes fell on the tray of stuffed shells that had just come out of the oven and were resting on a wire rack.
“And you made my favorite meal. I haven’t had the shells in ages.”
Lisa smiled. “I did. I like them too and as you said, I haven’t made them in a while. Let’s sit down and eat, and I’ll tell you what I’m thinking about. It’s not a bigger closet.” She set a bowl of salad in the middle of the kitchen table next to a loaf of crusty Italian bread and then dished out plates of pasta for both of them.
“Beer for you? Or wine?” she asked.
The Nantucket Inn Page 2
