Was there even a remote possibility that he felt the same way?
He had let her stay rather than waking her and sending her packing, hadn’t he? That was something…
She smiled.
Home from College
Interstate twenty had to be the most boring, desolate stretch of highway on earth.
Jennie yawned as she drove east toward South Carolina, her car packed floor to ceiling, trunk to windshield, with clothes, books, stuffed animals, and whatever else one might find in a college student’s dorm room or apartment. Two weeks had passed since she had seen Thomas, and all four girls were moving home for the summer. She had stopped in Atlanta to collect Alexis and Tasha at Emory. The next morning, the two girls had headed home, but Jennie had turned off in Athens to meet up with Christa and Amy. Packing had taken all morning and after a hurried lunch, they had set out.
Each girl had her own car, and each one was so full the driver barely fit. Thomas was still giving exams, and he was not available to help, so Jennie had taken reservations for space in her vehicle. Tasha and Alexis had split the trunk. One of them had drawn a line, a strip of reflective yellow tape, down the center, and each had guarded her territory vigilantly, an argument ensuing when the handle on Tasha’s duffle bag had poked across the line. At one point, Alexis had telephoned Christa to negotiate for space in her half of the back seat. As a result, a box of Alexis’s books rested on the floor behind Jennie, and Alexis was obligated to take Christa’s turn cooking dinner during the second week of June.
Jennie chuckled. She suspected Thomas had no idea what chaos was rumbling along the highway toward him. All four girls would be at home for at least part of the summer and Louisa’s nanny was going to take a month off to visit family in Maine. Four cars, five counting Thomas’s, would have to fit into a single width driveway. All six bedrooms, counting the nursery, would be in use. She shook her head as she realized the house boasted only three bathrooms, one opening from Thomas’s bedroom and one from the downstairs hall. She was glad they were headed to Charleston and not Whitesburg.
She had asked Alexis how they planned to survive the summer. Alexis had shrugged.
“All of us except Louisa were together for two years after Dad and Emma married. Besides, all of us won’t be there for the entire summer, just for the first three weeks and again for two in August. The brats will be gone for the month of July.”
She wasn’t sure five adults in the same house would be the same as two parents and four girls. If Alexis was already calling the two younger sisters brats, well, it would be an interesting summer.
This weekend she would be at the house too, and her car would be competing for space in the driveway. Thomas had invited her to stay.
Of course, she had overheard Tasha telling Alexis, in a voice just loud enough to be overheard, that Christa and Amy had badgered him to invite her. Coming from Tasha, though, the report was suspect.
“You’re doing all of us a big favor,” he had told her. “I won’t have you spin around and head home as soon as you’ve unloaded your car. Besides, you don’t want to be too tired to drive.”
He’d been teasing her about that part, but he hadn’t said much more. They had not directly discussed his note, Jennie thinking it serious enough to want to address it in person.
She had left the hotel before he’d returned that morning, although she had toyed with the idea of sticking around to discover what might happen if she asked him to tell her what she had said in her sleep. Would he acknowledge the caress on her face, tell her he felt the same?
The fact they had not seen each other since their date was less significant in her mind than the fact that Thomas had called at least three times and had accepted an equal number of calls from her.
Thomas had teased her on one of those calls, too, about falling asleep.
“You really know how to destroy a guy’s ego,” he had said the first time he called. “I take you to, according to you, the most romantic restaurant you’ve been to in over a decade—and then for a spectacular dessert, mind you—then invite you to my hotel room, and what do you do? You fall asleep.”
“Sorry, you knew I was tired,” she had replied. “That’s why I was in your room, remember? To have some coffee to keep me awake for the drive home.”
“That’s your story. I’m saying the yawn you gave as we talked in the parking lot was a simple ploy.”
“To accomplish what?” Jennie had struggled not to laugh, knowing a facade of seriousness was necessary to continue the discussion.
“To get into my room.”
“Now wait, I was not trying to get into your room…”
“No? But you ended up in my bed.”
“Not of my own free will.”
“You laid down and pulled me in behind you.”
“You were not in the bed. You slept on the sofa…”
“So, in the end, I was a gentleman. A minor point…Do you know how difficult it is to get an uncooperative woman into bed?”
“No idea. I’ve never tried it.”
“First time for me too. They…I mean you…you always cooperated.”
“We were married, Thomas.”
“And awake…Again, a minor point.”
Jennie laughed. She had missed arguing with Thomas. That topic would not come up this weekend with all of the girls at home, but Jennie was hoping for at least some time alone with Thomas. She needed to discover—or confirm—what she had said in her sleep and, if she had confessed her love, what was his reaction.
She shivered suddenly, feeling frightened. Not fear, really, but anxiety, she supposed. She had felt it before.
Stupid, she thought, pushing her feeling away. I’m not frightened of Thomas.
Jennie covered her mouth as she yawned again. She recalled that a Starbucks sat beside the highway about ten miles ahead.
***
Alexis and Tasha had not stopped in Athens, and since they had a least a four-hour head start, Jennie hoped they had reached Charleston early in the afternoon, had unpacked, and had moved their cars to the street. It was almost six when she, Christa, and Amy turned onto Church Street, Jennie leading the way. As they rounded the curve, she spotted Tasha outside on the sidewalk, talking to Cecelia Cross.
Terrific. The person I most wanted to see.
As the three of them pulled into the empty driveway, Tasha and Cecelia walked back to greet them. Cecelia hugged Christa. As Cecelia turned away to greet Amy, Christa rolled her eyes, and Jennie covered her mouth to keep from laughing. Finally, the spider lady approached Jennie.
“Ms. Bateman, do you know Ms. Cross?” Tasha asked. “She’s a neighbor.”
Jennie wished Tasha would call her Jennie. Ms. Bateman sounded so impersonal, so forced. After all, they’d known each other for four years.
Tasha turned to Cecelia. “Ms. Cross, Ms. Bateman is Alexis and Christa’s mother.”
“And your father’s first wife. Of course we have met, haven’t we, Ms. Bateman? It’s so nice to see you. Are you staying long?”
“A couple of nights. I’m helping the girls move home.” Jennie managed a smile. What would she do if I were to tell her I’m spending the summer?
“How nice. Your good turn for the day. I’m certain everyone welcomes your visit.”
“I’m only trying to help.”
“Of course.” She smirked. “You know, the house has been so quiet with everyone off at school and only little Louisa at home. I check on them frequently, just to make sure they’re all right.”
“And I’m sure Thomas welcomes your visits.”
“Of course, although not in the way I’m sure you’re expecting. It gives me a good feeling just to help out.” She turned to see Thomas, who had stepped out onto the porch.
“In fact, let me check on Thomas now.” Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away, stopping by the porch to talk with Thomas. Jennie watched as she rubbed his arm and batted her eyes.
“Gag me,�
�� she said, really talking to herself.
Tasha laughed. “Subtle, isn’t she?”
***
Two hours later, everyone gathered for dinner. Thomas passed huge bowls of shrimp and grits and two loaves of french bread, just out of the oven.
“It’s good to have you all at home.” He smiled as he looked around the table. “Jennie, we’re glad you could be here. I know the girls appreciate your help.”
“Definitely.” Christa and Alexis were sitting on either side of Jennie and they took turns giving her big hugs.
“We couldn’t have done it without you,” Amy said.
“No way,” Tasha added.
All four girls clapped.
Jennie smiled. “I was happy to help.” Even Tasha had thanked her.
“So, what is everyone doing this summer?” Thomas asked.
“Dad,” Alexis rolled her eyes. “You know what everyone has planned…”
“But not everyone knows.”
“Okay, but you start. What are you up to for the next three months?”
“All right. I’ll be in Atlanta for two days each month, teaching and consulting with students who took the seminar in May. I’m teaching Freshman Composition during the first session of summer school—”
“Freshman comp?” Christa exclaimed. “You haven’t taught that in years. Anyway, you’re supposed to be off all summer.”
“Dr. Robinson had surgery, and I volunteered to fill in. Two hours a day. It’ll be fun…From mid-July until mid-August, I’ll be a full-time father…Alexis, your turn.”
“I had thought of spending the summer as a beach bum,” she began.
“Right. Alexis Lindsay taking three months to do nothing. Not in this life.” Tasha’s response was greeted with laughter and nods from her father and the other girls.
“I said I had thought of it.” Alexis was laughing too. “In the end, though, I decided I would need something to occupy some of my time.”
“Sounds like a volunteer babysitter to me.” Thomas gave her an evil smile.
“I had actually considered that too, thank you.” Alexis stuck her tongue out at him. “However, in the end, I applied to the Post and Courrier. I was thinking of a job as a reporter, but they offered me the opportunity to write a weekly column during June and July. It’s to focus on ordinary people in Charleston, not the mayor or anyone well known, but other people…like the old man who fishes on the Battery and…”
“The one who must be ninety years old?” Christa asked.
Alexis nodded. “He’s been there almost every day since I can remember, I think. There is Tommy, the boy who sells the roses made from palm fronds over at the water park, and then Ms. Cross…”
“Ms. Cross?” Amy exclaimed. “Why?”
“She’s a guide at the Calhoun Mansion. I’ll ask her about the mansion, people she has met, things like that. Course they tell me she doesn’t really like to talk very much. The regular columnist tried to interview her and couldn’t get enough for even a short story.”
“Take Dad with you,” Christa laughed. “She’ll perk right up.”
Everyone laughed. Jennie saw Thomas roll his eyes, and she laughed too.
“Also, I’m taking a course at the college about story telling.”
“That’s a course?” Tasha frowned.
“Yes, it’s sort of like writing, but it’s about oral stories, how to structure them, how to make them interesting. It really sounds cool.”
“Actually, I hear it will be quite good,” Thomas said. “The teacher is visiting for the summer. She has won awards for telling stories, and she has a PhD in English. We’re talking about luring her away from Duke.”
Then the other girls shared their plans. Tasha was interning at a law office. Christa and Amy were riding on a ranch in Wyoming during July.
“We’ll be the beach bums, at least during June,” Amy told Alexis. “You could interview us.”
“College girls gone to seed? It might sell.” Again, everyone laughed. Jennie felt warm and happy, just being allowed to observe them. Thomas certainly has a nice family, she thought. What might it be like to be a part of it?
“Jennie, your turn. What are you up to this summer?” Christa’s voice cut into her thoughts.
“I, uh, I…I wasn’t expecting…”
“Too bad,” Thomas cut her off. “Everyone joins in family discussions.”
Jennie noticed that Tasha turned away, but the others seemed eager to hear.
“Nothing nearly as exciting. I’ll be in summer school for five weeks. I’m starting another degree. And…well, growing vegetables, watching the birds…”
“Baking cake, eating apple pie and drowning in gallons of ice cream.” The girls screamed with laughter as Christa listed Jennie’s favorite food vices, as she called them.
She thought she heard Tasha mumble chasing Dad, but the laughter drowned out her words.
***
It was not until the next evening that Jennie found Thomas alone. The entire family had spent the day unloading the five cars. Thomas had leased parking spaces for the girls in a lot about two blocks away, and each car was driven to the house, everyone helping to unload it and move the contents into the house and up the stairs. Thomas’s room and the nursery were on the second floor along with Amy’s room—the four girls had drawn straws for the room when Emma and Thomas had married. The other three bedrooms were on the third floor, so most of the clothes, books, and toys were taken there.
Late in the afternoon, as the last box was carried inside, there was a collective sigh of relief and a communal collapse to the floor of the porch. Jennie lay flat on her back, unwilling to risk moving, even when offered a spot in the swing. Later, after sending out for pizza, they all sat talking, drifting away, one by one, for showers and bed.
Now it was Jennie’s turn. She stood in the shower, allowing the hot water to run down her body and she felt herself begin to relax. It had been a good trip. All of the girls, even Tasha, had appeared to appreciate her help, and for the first time, Thomas had treated her as a member of the family. Except for Tasha’s comment at dinner the first night—Jennie still was not sure what she had said—everyone had seemed to accept her presence.
As she stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, she was struck by the silence. No one seemed to be awake, certainly not on the third floor, where Jennie was sleeping in Alexis’s bed while Alexis was in a sleeping bag on Christa’s floor. As she passed the stairs, though, she could see that lights were still shining on the landing below.
She hurried back to her room and dressed for bed, sleep shorts and a tank top. She paused before leaving the room and pulled a thin sweatshirt over her head. Nights could be cool, even in late May. Then she crept down the stairs.
The second floor was as silent as the third, but she could see a light burning at the very bottom of the steps. She hoped Thomas was still awake and he was alone.
Reaching the first floor, she searched the kitchen and the family room, finding no one in either place. She turned to go back upstairs. Out of habit she checked to see if the front door was locked, but when she turned the knob and pulled gently, it opened. She glanced out onto the porch and found Thomas sitting in the swing, rocking slowly back and forth. Stepping onto the porch, she felt a cool breeze blowing from across the harbor and she took a deep breath of salt air.
“Sit with me.” Thomas patted the swing.
“You seem to be lost in thought. I won’t bother you.” She started back inside, planning to return to her room and fall into bed.
“Don’t go. Please sit down. I was thinking about you.”
Jennie settled herself on the swing. Thomas seemed to be staring up at the sky and Jennie’s eyes followed his. The moon had set and the stars twinkled, shining like a bright light streaming through pin holes in a sheet of black paper. She smiled as a meteor flashed across the sky. It had been a long time since she had seen a shooting star.
“So, I talk in my slee
p.”
“You do.” She could see his smile in the semi-darkness. “You might remember that, when we were first married, I always knew what you were thinking because you would tell me as you slept.”
“What did I say?”
“You said, ‘I love you…’ Not sure who you were talking about.”
“You know I meant you.”
Thomas nodded. “I know,” he whispered.
When he did not continue, Jennie could tell he was struggling with a response, perhaps trying to find a way to let her down without hurting her feelings.
Finally, he cleared his throat and began to talk. “I’ve loved two women in my life…I lost them both.” He looked away. “People often compare love to a fire. I feel like my marriage with Emma was drenched with water. I feel ours died from lack of fuel.”
“Thomas, I…”
“I loved you, Jennie. You left me, and our marriage ended against my will. I waited for you, Jennie. I waited for two years. Then I knew you were gone, I gave you up, and I started over.”
He paused and seemed to be struggling for words.
“I loved Emma…more…more than you can imagine. I would not have missed knowing her and loving her and marrying her….She was taken from me.” He swallowed hard. “I was thinking tonight of how all five of my girls lost their mothers. Louisa will never know hers. I’d not planned to be a single parent again.” He wiped his eyes. “I’m not sure that I can start over this time,” he whispered.
Jennie wrapped her arms around him and they sat in silence for several minutes. She could see people strolling along the street, just a few feet away, heading home from a walk on the Battery, perhaps. She heard them laughing as one tripped on the uneven brick pavement. A cool breeze rustled leaves on the shrubs near the porch. Crickets chirped. A deep TWEET came from a ship in the harbor, a signal, perhaps, to the harbormaster that it was entering the channel. From somewhere, there was the sharp creak of metal on metal, like a rusty hinge.
Once and Future Wife Page 9
