Chasing Sunsets (28 page)

When I looked up, her hand was extended toward me. “Shake and start over?” she asked. Her usually steady voice quivered.

I took her hand. It was warm and soft. “Shake and start over.”

It wouldn’t necessarily be easy, I thought as we ran toward our cars in the sprinkle of large raindrops. But it was, at least, doable.

I couldn’t wait to tell Steven about my time with Rosa. On the way home, driving through the downpour, I wondered if he’d been out on the boat when the storm hit or if he’d been cautious and not gone out.

I also couldn’t wait to tell Patsy.

But when I arrived home, I had a very wet dog to contend with. Even from the road, I could see Max’s golden fur, slick and plastered to his body. I didn’t know whether to laugh or grieve.

I pulled my umbrella from the side pocket of my car door, opened it as I stepped outside, and called out, “Oh, Maxie!”

Max ran in circles under the overhang at the door.

I slipped inside the door, forcing Max to stay outside for a little while longer. “Let me get some towels,” I said to him.

He barked in reply.

I pulled old towels from the back of the linen closet just as my cell phone rang. I ignored it long enough to get Max dried off and then to let him come inside, smelling just rotten. “You, sir, get a bath today.”

He looked at me as if to say, “I just had a shower.” Either that or, “Feed me, woman.”

I poured a large bowl of food for him, freshened the water in his bowl, and went in search of my purse to retrieve my phone. I found it in one of the living room chairs.

I missed a call from Charlie.

My heart fell. Why would Charlie call me when the boys were with him, unless there’d been an accident? I pressed my thumb pad against the send button. Charlie answered with his usual, “Hey, Kim.”

“What’s wrong?”

He sighed. “Is that the way you’re going to begin every conversation we have from now until the boys are grown?”

I wasn’t in the mood to quibble. “Why would you be calling me, Charlie, if something wasn’t wrong?”

A light chuckle, followed by, “I got a phone call from your dad. He said that he and Anise are going to Atlanta this weekend for Ami’s opening night and wanted to know if they could take the boys. It’s fine with me, but I wanted to clear it with you.”

I sat on the arm of the chair and closed my eyes. “Say that again.”

Another chuckle. “You heard me.”

“I heard you, yes, but I can’t imagine you wanting to give up . . .” My words faltered. Of course. A weekend without the boys meant a weekend with the girl of his choice.

“I know what you’re thinking. And, no, that has nothing to do with it. Not that I won’t make the most of my time with them away—as I’m sure you are—but I’m just trying to be a nice guy here. After all, I divorced you, not your family.”

My body slid into the chair. I hit my head against the buoy lamp on the nearby end table. I felt it rock behind me. I turned just in time to watch it crash to the floor.

“What was that?” he asked.

I sighed. “Nothing a hundred dollars won’t replace.”

“Oh. So . . . okay with you, then?”

I righted myself in the chair. “What’s this going to cost me, Charlie? Another week away from my sons? Three days?”

“Kim, I’m not in this for anything other than that the boys can spend time with their grandparents and their Aunt Ami. I know ballet isn’t their thing, but they love going to Atlanta, and your dad has promised a lot of fun things while they’re there.”

“Well, okay then. If it’s okay with you, it’s certainly fine by me.”

A final chuckle came through the line before he said, “See? We
can
get along when we want to.”

“Good-bye, Charlie.”

“Good-bye, Miss Boo.”

I frowned as I ended the call, stood, and surveyed the damage behind me. The lamp was made from an authentic Maine lobster buoy hand-painted in blue, yellow, and white. Fortunately I’d been with Anise when she’d ordered it online and could remember the name of the website. After I’d picked up the pieces and dropped them into a garbage bag, I called Patsy to see how she was weathering the storm and to tell her about my two interesting encounters that day.

“Do you see,” she said, “how when we begin our day at God’s feet, he takes care of the rest?”

“I’ve begun a lot of days at God’s feet, Patsy, but I’ve never experienced anything quite like this.”

“Then his name be praised.”

“Amen to that.” I looked toward the front door where the trash bag of broken pieces waited for the weather to clear. “Patsy, when the rain stops, do you mind if I come over? I need to order a lamp like I broke today.”

“Of course you may,” she said. “And while you are here, we’ll have some hot tea to warm our bones.”

“Sounds good, Patsy. Sounds real good.”

Steven was as surprised as I over my conversations with Rosa and Charlie.

“Makes me wonder when the sky will fall,” I said.

We stood just inside the front door of the house, his arms around my waist and mine around his shoulders. He laughed; the scent of his Doublemint gum reached my face, and I inhaled deeply. “I’ll tell you when,” he said. “It was about 1:00 this afternoon.”

“Ohhh, did you get caught in it?”

“I’d say. There wasn’t anything in the weather reports about it. It got pretty scary out there.”

I drew closer to him, squeezing him as tightly as I dared. “I’m glad you’re safe now,” I said.

He nuzzled my neck. “It’s nice to have someone who cares.”

I drew back. “Where are you taking me this evening?” I asked.

“It’s a surprise,” he said.

I stepped back. “Am I dressed all right?” I wore linen sailor wide-leg slacks with anchor-shaped buttons and a ribbed red and white striped sleeveless top. “You’re perfect,” he said. “As always.”

The rest of the week was uneventful. I spent my days relaxing at home or at Patsy’s and with occasional shopping on the island. Patsy set up a Facebook page for me; I “friended” my sons, Heather’s kids, and Monica, my ex-sister-in-law.

On Friday midmorning I received a text from Chase telling me that his grandfather had asked them how they felt about my new “friend,” meaning Steven.

I was folding clothes, fresh and warm from the dryer, when the message came. I dropped the towel I’d been folding into a heap on the dining room table to read the incoming message. I texted back.

WHAT DID CODY SAY?

A few seconds later:

HE’S UPSET. I GUESS POP DDNT KNOW U HVNT TOLD HM YET.

No, he didn’t. And no, I hadn’t. Of my two children, Cody would take the notion of his mother in another man’s arms much harder.

TELL HM I’LL CALL L8R

I was practically nauseous by the time a call came from Dad. I cancelled my date with Steven, telling him I had a headache—and I did—and that I needed to rest. When Dad’s call came, I was lying on my bed, Max at my side, snoring. At the ring, his head jerked up; he looked around and promptly went back to sleep.

My father’s first words were those of apology; I told him not to worry about it. “He had to find out sooner or later.”

He put Cody on the phone, who sniffled a lot and said, “Does this mean we’re gonna move?”

“I don’t know what it means, son,” I told him as honestly and as calmly as I knew how. “I only know that I have feelings for someone who has feelings for me too.”

“You mean love,” he spat. “Ugh!”

I rolled over onto my side. “Cody? Don’t you want me to be happy?”

“I want you and Dad to be happy. Together. Like you used to be.”

“I know. I know you do. And if it were possible, I’d fight for it. You know that, right?”

“Then why don’t you? All you have to do is go to the beach with him and spend some time alone together.”

I rolled to my back and laid my arm over my forehead, which was throbbing. “Cody, don’t you think if that would work, he and I would have tried it?”

“You never did. You never tried.”

I heard Chase’s voice from near his brother. “Shut up, Cody. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I do too know! I’ve been talking to Dad and I know stuff.”

Then my dad’s soothing voice said, “Cody, give your mother some credit.”

“Oh, Code,” I said. “Listen, sweetheart. After the 4th of July, you and Pop and Nana and Chase will join me here at the beach house. You’ll meet Steven, and I hope you’ll give him at least half a chance.” When he said nothing, I added, “I think you’ll like him. He’s got a boat and . . .” I swallowed. “He’s buying a big house that has a dock and a place for cleaning fish. You’d like to go out fishing, right?”

“Not with him.”

I hadn’t expected this. Not to this degree, at least. Just what
had
Charlie been talking to him about? I took a deep breath. “Okay, Cody.”

“Does that mean you’ll stop seeing this guy?” The brightness in his voice never sounded so dark.

“No,” I said. “I don’t know what you and Dad have been talking about, and now is not the time to discuss it. But, what I’m saying to you now is that I’m going to let you work your way through this. Without trying to convince you this early in the game. Deal?”

“I won’t leave Orlando. I’ll live with Dad!”

My heart
. . . The air went out from me; I was grateful to be lying down. I pressed my lips together. “No, you won’t,” I said, trying not to grit my teeth. “You don’t get that option, Cody.”

“You wait and see. I will.”

“Cody, I’m going to end this call now. I want you to have a good time this weekend and try not to think about all this, okay? It’ll work itself out. I promise.” When he didn’t answer, I said, “Code?”

“I’m here. And I’ll have a good time, but I won’t enjoy it.”

I almost laughed out loud. “You do that, son, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Give Aunt Ami my love.”

“Whatever,” he said, and disconnected the call.

I should have called him back and scolded him. I should have laid out his punishment when he got home, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. My heartache was too great at that moment. For a few days I’d managed to live carefree and like a woman in love. But now, I stared into a glass darkly. For now, my dreams were on hold.

Saturday morning with Patsy was spent in lament over my phone call the night before. Patsy said exactly what I expected her to say. “Pray about it,” she said, “and God will take care of it in his time and in his way.”

“Patsy, didn’t you ever worry about anything in life?” I asked.

She laughed. “Oh, dear. If you only knew my life story.”