reunion?”
“No. Most people just show up to brag about their great marriages, jobs and kids. Meanwhile, many of them are living lives of quiet desperation. I was sick of everything phony after Follywood. Did you go?”
“No. At the time I was still sorting out the details after my mother’s suicide.”
Brigit gasped. “Oh, Ethan! I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
“There’s no reason you would, since you were in California. Everybody in Portsmouth knew though. I may have felt like there was a neon sign on my forehead for a while, but I’ve gotten over that. We all have our ‘stuff’ to live with. Maybe I’ll go to the twentieth.”
“I wish I had known. I’m sorry. I thought you said they’d retired to Arizona.”
“My dad and step-mother did.”
“I see. So he remarried. That’s a good thing, right?”
“I don’t know. They were having an affair, which is what drove my mother to do what she did. I found her.”
“Oh, Goddess. That must have been horrible.”
“It was no picnic.” He took her hand. “And I have to tell you that as crazy as you make me, I admire the heck out of you. If my mother had half your strength and independence, she’d still be alive.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. She was totally dependent on my father. When she discovered the affair and confronted him, he made his choice and left.” His minded drifted back to that painful time. His father had been a bastard about it. Ethan didn’t know exactly what was said, but he gathered his dad had blamed her for being frigid. Ethan caught himself clenching his fists and forced himself to relax.
“I’d call to check on her, and she always said she was fine. Clearly, she wasn’t. Sometimes I think I should have moved back home and taken care of her, but I had no idea how bad she was. I figured she’d pull through.”
“Oh, Ethan. You couldn’t have known.”
“My dad should have. I think he felt guilty, which might be another reason they sold me the house and moved to Arizona soon after.”
Brigit cupped his arm and held on tight, transferring her warmth to him. She really was a nurturing, caring soul. She’d make a great mother. Sensitive, but grounded.
His own mother was plenty sensitive, but grounded wasn’t her specialty. She had trouble holding a regular job. She tried to establish business after business, always attempting to create something that didn’t fill a need. Always feeling worse and worse after every failure. Her failed marriage was the hardest blow of all. For the hundredth time, he thought, I really should have checked on her more.
He inhaled deeply and pulled himself out of his funk. He had a lot to be grateful for. Thank goodness his job was something not everyone could do and it filled a vital role in harbor life. He would be secure as long as ships and barges had cargo to unload and tricky waters to navigate.
Brigit seemed content with her job, in fact he saw how much she loved it, and there would probably always be animals to rescue. Perhaps he was worried over the welfare of their child for no reason. Brigit wouldn’t bring a child into the world unless she was sure its future was secure.
Then he realized what had been bothering him. This would be their child. Like it or not. He’d be a father, but she’d never tell him if his child was hungry, lonely or sick. He’d get no news and wouldn’t be allowed to ask for any. That sucked.
“Bridge, would you mind if I asked a hypothetical, yet personal question?”
She chuckled. “Considering how personal you’ll get if you do the deed, sure. Ask me anything.”
“What if we hit it off?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“What if we fall in love? Are you going to be so stubborn that you blindly follow the contract and won’t reconsider the other option?”
“What other option? Marriage?”
“Or just living together.”
She stared at him as if she were a deer caught in the headlights.
“Brigit?”
“I...I don’t think
“No. Most people just show up to brag about their great marriages, jobs and kids. Meanwhile, many of them are living lives of quiet desperation. I was sick of everything phony after Follywood. Did you go?”
“No. At the time I was still sorting out the details after my mother’s suicide.”
Brigit gasped. “Oh, Ethan! I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
“There’s no reason you would, since you were in California. Everybody in Portsmouth knew though. I may have felt like there was a neon sign on my forehead for a while, but I’ve gotten over that. We all have our ‘stuff’ to live with. Maybe I’ll go to the twentieth.”
“I wish I had known. I’m sorry. I thought you said they’d retired to Arizona.”
“My dad and step-mother did.”
“I see. So he remarried. That’s a good thing, right?”
“I don’t know. They were having an affair, which is what drove my mother to do what she did. I found her.”
“Oh, Goddess. That must have been horrible.”
“It was no picnic.” He took her hand. “And I have to tell you that as crazy as you make me, I admire the heck out of you. If my mother had half your strength and independence, she’d still be alive.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. She was totally dependent on my father. When she discovered the affair and confronted him, he made his choice and left.” His minded drifted back to that painful time. His father had been a bastard about it. Ethan didn’t know exactly what was said, but he gathered his dad had blamed her for being frigid. Ethan caught himself clenching his fists and forced himself to relax.
“I’d call to check on her, and she always said she was fine. Clearly, she wasn’t. Sometimes I think I should have moved back home and taken care of her, but I had no idea how bad she was. I figured she’d pull through.”
“Oh, Ethan. You couldn’t have known.”
“My dad should have. I think he felt guilty, which might be another reason they sold me the house and moved to Arizona soon after.”
Brigit cupped his arm and held on tight, transferring her warmth to him. She really was a nurturing, caring soul. She’d make a great mother. Sensitive, but grounded.
His own mother was plenty sensitive, but grounded wasn’t her specialty. She had trouble holding a regular job. She tried to establish business after business, always attempting to create something that didn’t fill a need. Always feeling worse and worse after every failure. Her failed marriage was the hardest blow of all. For the hundredth time, he thought, I really should have checked on her more.
He inhaled deeply and pulled himself out of his funk. He had a lot to be grateful for. Thank goodness his job was something not everyone could do and it filled a vital role in harbor life. He would be secure as long as ships and barges had cargo to unload and tricky waters to navigate.
Brigit seemed content with her job, in fact he saw how much she loved it, and there would probably always be animals to rescue. Perhaps he was worried over the welfare of their child for no reason. Brigit wouldn’t bring a child into the world unless she was sure its future was secure.
Then he realized what had been bothering him. This would be their child. Like it or not. He’d be a father, but she’d never tell him if his child was hungry, lonely or sick. He’d get no news and wouldn’t be allowed to ask for any. That sucked.
“Bridge, would you mind if I asked a hypothetical, yet personal question?”
She chuckled. “Considering how personal you’ll get if you do the deed, sure. Ask me anything.”
“What if we hit it off?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“What if we fall in love? Are you going to be so stubborn that you blindly follow the contract and won’t reconsider the other option?”
“What other option? Marriage?”
“Or just living together.”
She stared at him as if she were a deer caught in the headlights.
“Brigit?”
“I...I don’t think
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