perfectly still, his eyes on her, his face inflamed with angry red bumps.
Amy leaned on the counter, her heart hammering in her chest. Why had Dan made this sudden, silent appearance behind her when he usually makes enough noise for three people? “What are you doing! Why did you sneak up on me like that? What’s the matter with you? And why are you standing there, gaping at me? Jesus!” Angrily, she reached under the sink for a cloth, and then knelt to wipe up the spilled coffee.
Dan didn’t move, nor did he speak. Instead, he watched her mutely, a crazy, disjointed look on his face. Infuriated, Amy’s cloth flew in all directions at once, slapping against chair legs and cupboards. She stood up, tossing the mug into the sink. “What's the matter with you!” she yelled. “It’s like the twilight zone around here—a lookalike that somebody wants dead, a car pushed over a cliff, a warm fuzzy letter telling me about your affair, a Sneaker Wave out of nowhere—” Her voice rose to a breaking crescendo. “and then some thug breaks in here and threatens to hurt Jamie…”
“Rogue wave? Thug? You’re talking crazy.”
“Crazy! You have no idea what’s been going on, but threatening to hurt Jamie is the last straw.” She knew she was screaming, but couldn’t stop herself.
“Who would hurt Jamie? You’re losing it, Amy.”
Amy stood and let fly with the towel. It struck him on the cheek and fell to the floor. She suddenly felt better and used her sleeve to wipe the tears from her face. She had never done anything like that. Maybe Dan was right—she was losing it. Too much going wrong too fast. Get a grip!
They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. Finally Dan broke the silence. “I’m leaving.”
“You just got here.”
“No Amy. I’m leaving permanently.”
Amy gaped at him. “What! Because I threw a towel at you?”
“No. Because it’s time, that’s all.”
“Time! You mean you set an alarm seven years ago, and it just went off?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“You’ve spent the last—how many years—screwing around. Now, you’re tired of playing husband and you’re bailing, is that it?”
“You don’t understand.”
“Really? You’ve got a libido from hell that croaks the minute you come near me, and I don’t understand ?”
Dan backed away from her. “We’ll talk when you calm down.”
“I don’t intend to calm down, Dan. You’ve screwed your patients, compromised your practice, and now you’re destroying our family.”
He stared at her, the red welts standing out on his face.
“Is it that woman you got pregnant? Are you leaving me for her?”
Dan’s mouth fell open. “How did you hear about that?”
“You couldn’t stand me after Jamie was born. What makes you think you’ll feel any different about her ?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Her problem’s been taken care of, so forget it.”
Amy was appalled. “Just like that? Forget it?” Her voice sounded strange. “Are you kidding? You screwed that woman while you were married to me. And she had to get in line! How do you think I feel being dumped for a laundry list of women—”
“Stop!” Dan yelled back. “Those women meant nothing.”
Amy dropped her voice. It was an angry hush. “Just an opportunity to practice lots of safe sex, huh?”
Dan was momentarily speechless. “What’s up with you? Where’s all this coming from?”
Amy ran her hands through her hair angrily. “The unfaithful husband runs off. Is that what this is?” she asked flatly.
He started for the stairs. “It’s not like that. You don’t understand.”
“I’m supposed to understand?”
“It’s complicated.” He put one foot on the bottom step and stopped to look at her. “This has nothing to do with any of–of that . It’s something else altogether.”
Amy stared at him, dumbfounded. “Really? You mean there’s more that I don’t know about?”
Dan continued up
Amy leaned on the counter, her heart hammering in her chest. Why had Dan made this sudden, silent appearance behind her when he usually makes enough noise for three people? “What are you doing! Why did you sneak up on me like that? What’s the matter with you? And why are you standing there, gaping at me? Jesus!” Angrily, she reached under the sink for a cloth, and then knelt to wipe up the spilled coffee.
Dan didn’t move, nor did he speak. Instead, he watched her mutely, a crazy, disjointed look on his face. Infuriated, Amy’s cloth flew in all directions at once, slapping against chair legs and cupboards. She stood up, tossing the mug into the sink. “What's the matter with you!” she yelled. “It’s like the twilight zone around here—a lookalike that somebody wants dead, a car pushed over a cliff, a warm fuzzy letter telling me about your affair, a Sneaker Wave out of nowhere—” Her voice rose to a breaking crescendo. “and then some thug breaks in here and threatens to hurt Jamie…”
“Rogue wave? Thug? You’re talking crazy.”
“Crazy! You have no idea what’s been going on, but threatening to hurt Jamie is the last straw.” She knew she was screaming, but couldn’t stop herself.
“Who would hurt Jamie? You’re losing it, Amy.”
Amy stood and let fly with the towel. It struck him on the cheek and fell to the floor. She suddenly felt better and used her sleeve to wipe the tears from her face. She had never done anything like that. Maybe Dan was right—she was losing it. Too much going wrong too fast. Get a grip!
They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. Finally Dan broke the silence. “I’m leaving.”
“You just got here.”
“No Amy. I’m leaving permanently.”
Amy gaped at him. “What! Because I threw a towel at you?”
“No. Because it’s time, that’s all.”
“Time! You mean you set an alarm seven years ago, and it just went off?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“You’ve spent the last—how many years—screwing around. Now, you’re tired of playing husband and you’re bailing, is that it?”
“You don’t understand.”
“Really? You’ve got a libido from hell that croaks the minute you come near me, and I don’t understand ?”
Dan backed away from her. “We’ll talk when you calm down.”
“I don’t intend to calm down, Dan. You’ve screwed your patients, compromised your practice, and now you’re destroying our family.”
He stared at her, the red welts standing out on his face.
“Is it that woman you got pregnant? Are you leaving me for her?”
Dan’s mouth fell open. “How did you hear about that?”
“You couldn’t stand me after Jamie was born. What makes you think you’ll feel any different about her ?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Her problem’s been taken care of, so forget it.”
Amy was appalled. “Just like that? Forget it?” Her voice sounded strange. “Are you kidding? You screwed that woman while you were married to me. And she had to get in line! How do you think I feel being dumped for a laundry list of women—”
“Stop!” Dan yelled back. “Those women meant nothing.”
Amy dropped her voice. It was an angry hush. “Just an opportunity to practice lots of safe sex, huh?”
Dan was momentarily speechless. “What’s up with you? Where’s all this coming from?”
Amy ran her hands through her hair angrily. “The unfaithful husband runs off. Is that what this is?” she asked flatly.
He started for the stairs. “It’s not like that. You don’t understand.”
“I’m supposed to understand?”
“It’s complicated.” He put one foot on the bottom step and stopped to look at her. “This has nothing to do with any of–of that . It’s something else altogether.”
Amy stared at him, dumbfounded. “Really? You mean there’s more that I don’t know about?”
Dan continued up
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