praying it’s not too late to fix it, but as he hears those ominous words the cloud that lifted earlier comes back with a vengeance, bigger and blacker than ever before.
Sarah takes a deep breath. “I got a job.”
And Eddie wants to cry with relief. “Is that it?” he says. “You got a job? There’s nothing else you want to tell me?”
“Like what?” Sarah is flummoxed. This was not the reaction she expected.
“I don’t know,” Eddie lies.
“No, that’s it. But that’s pretty big for me.”
“So what’s the job? No, let me guess. You’re working on the local paper? You’re starting a new magazine? Editing a book?”
“Well, no, actually. I mean, I know I’m a journalist by trade, but I just wanted to start small, just to ease myself back into the workplace, to give me something to do while the kids are in school, and Jennifer Lucas needed some help at the spa, so I’m just helping out at the front desk there.”
“That’s great!” Eddie says. “Honestly, I think that’s great. How’s it going? Are you enjoying it?”
“Actually I love it. I’d kind of forgotten how nice it is to be out of the house and to be surrounded by people. And you know what, if I ever did want to write a book there’s some great material—I’ve already heard some amazing stories.”
“Like what?”
“Okay, I shouldn’t gossip but seeing as you’re in Chicago, you know that uptight Lynn Gorson?”
“The realtor? The one who always pretends she doesn’t know who we are?”
“Exactly! Can you believe that she was caught having sex with the massage therapist in the sauna?!”
“No!”
“I know!” Sarah giggles. “Isn’t that awful?”
“Sounds hot and steamy to me,” Eddie says, “and I don’t mean in a good way. Ugh. Sex in a sauna. Not a good idea. Speaking of good ideas, though, maybe you could offer to help Jennifer with some of her PR. I think the job is great, but it would be even better if you could utilize some of your skills, and I’ll bet she could do with some PR.”
“That’s a great idea!” Sarah says, particularly as it is something that occurred to her as well. “I probably shouldn’t say this,” she says, “but I was really scared about telling you I had a job. I thought you’d belittle it.”
Eddie is bewildered. “But why would I do that? I’ve thought for years that you’d be happier doing something that gets you out of the house. I knew how isolated you were, how difficult it’s been for you sometimes.”
“You did? So why didn’t you say something?”
Eddie shrugs. “I’m saying it now.”
And as he says it he prays it’s not too late.
Sarah sits in silence, flustered. This is not the conversation she expected to have. Eddie is not reacting in the way she expected him to react.
“I have to go now,” she says eventually, to Eddie’s disappointment, but her voice is gentle, and after Eddie puts down the phone he finds himself smiling. The light at the end of the tunnel now seems just a little bit brighter than it did before.
As for Sarah, Sarah is confused. Her world suddenly feels far less stable now than it did when Eddie first left. Sarah doesn’t like not knowing where she stands; doesn’t like her life not being cut-and-dried. First she was married; then she was separated. Soon she had planned on being divorced. So why aren’t she and Eddie screaming at one another the way they had been for months? Years. Why did she enjoy their conversation? Why did her heart thump ever so slightly harder as Eddie picked up the phone?
Sarah takes a deep breath and goes down to the kitchen. When all else fails, she can always rely on Ben & Jerry to make everything feel just fine.
Chapter Eight
“I love this!” Jennifer stands by the front desk, waving a press release that Sarah had drafted the other day and placed in Jennifer’s cubby with a note saying that it was just an idea, but if Jennifer wanted some help with PR Sarah would be happy to do
Sarah takes a deep breath. “I got a job.”
And Eddie wants to cry with relief. “Is that it?” he says. “You got a job? There’s nothing else you want to tell me?”
“Like what?” Sarah is flummoxed. This was not the reaction she expected.
“I don’t know,” Eddie lies.
“No, that’s it. But that’s pretty big for me.”
“So what’s the job? No, let me guess. You’re working on the local paper? You’re starting a new magazine? Editing a book?”
“Well, no, actually. I mean, I know I’m a journalist by trade, but I just wanted to start small, just to ease myself back into the workplace, to give me something to do while the kids are in school, and Jennifer Lucas needed some help at the spa, so I’m just helping out at the front desk there.”
“That’s great!” Eddie says. “Honestly, I think that’s great. How’s it going? Are you enjoying it?”
“Actually I love it. I’d kind of forgotten how nice it is to be out of the house and to be surrounded by people. And you know what, if I ever did want to write a book there’s some great material—I’ve already heard some amazing stories.”
“Like what?”
“Okay, I shouldn’t gossip but seeing as you’re in Chicago, you know that uptight Lynn Gorson?”
“The realtor? The one who always pretends she doesn’t know who we are?”
“Exactly! Can you believe that she was caught having sex with the massage therapist in the sauna?!”
“No!”
“I know!” Sarah giggles. “Isn’t that awful?”
“Sounds hot and steamy to me,” Eddie says, “and I don’t mean in a good way. Ugh. Sex in a sauna. Not a good idea. Speaking of good ideas, though, maybe you could offer to help Jennifer with some of her PR. I think the job is great, but it would be even better if you could utilize some of your skills, and I’ll bet she could do with some PR.”
“That’s a great idea!” Sarah says, particularly as it is something that occurred to her as well. “I probably shouldn’t say this,” she says, “but I was really scared about telling you I had a job. I thought you’d belittle it.”
Eddie is bewildered. “But why would I do that? I’ve thought for years that you’d be happier doing something that gets you out of the house. I knew how isolated you were, how difficult it’s been for you sometimes.”
“You did? So why didn’t you say something?”
Eddie shrugs. “I’m saying it now.”
And as he says it he prays it’s not too late.
Sarah sits in silence, flustered. This is not the conversation she expected to have. Eddie is not reacting in the way she expected him to react.
“I have to go now,” she says eventually, to Eddie’s disappointment, but her voice is gentle, and after Eddie puts down the phone he finds himself smiling. The light at the end of the tunnel now seems just a little bit brighter than it did before.
As for Sarah, Sarah is confused. Her world suddenly feels far less stable now than it did when Eddie first left. Sarah doesn’t like not knowing where she stands; doesn’t like her life not being cut-and-dried. First she was married; then she was separated. Soon she had planned on being divorced. So why aren’t she and Eddie screaming at one another the way they had been for months? Years. Why did she enjoy their conversation? Why did her heart thump ever so slightly harder as Eddie picked up the phone?
Sarah takes a deep breath and goes down to the kitchen. When all else fails, she can always rely on Ben & Jerry to make everything feel just fine.
Chapter Eight
“I love this!” Jennifer stands by the front desk, waving a press release that Sarah had drafted the other day and placed in Jennifer’s cubby with a note saying that it was just an idea, but if Jennifer wanted some help with PR Sarah would be happy to do
Similar Books
