Page 53 of Look on the Bright Side

Camille: I hope you liked the sweater…

Gerald: I LOVE the sweater! My favorite color. You really didn’t have to.

Camille: Oh, please. It was your birthday.

Yes. He’d worn a beautiful green cashmere sweater sometime around Thanksgiving. Ellie had complimented him on it, caressed the fabric, asked him where he got it.

“A wicked good find at Marine Specialties,” he’d said, naming the quirky, iconic shop in Provincetown. She hadn’t disbelieved him for one second. Then, before Christmas…

Gerald: Did you get the clock?

Camille: I was just writing you a note to thank you! I LOVE this clock! It’s so me! Where on earth did you find it?

Gerald: Just saw it when I was out and about and thought of you. It’s elegant and cool, just like you are.

Camille had attached a picture of the clock on her nightstand, her artfully unmade bed in the background. (Subtle, Camille. Subtle.) The clock was from Long Pond Arts. “He bought her a Christmas present from my gallery,” Ellie told Joy, grabbing another tissue.

“Are you serious? What a jerk.” Joy refilled both their glasses, the most Ellie had had to drink in years. The buzz helped, though. Made this feel like a shitty dream. “But did they ever have sex? You don’t have to tell me everything, of course. But…”

Ellie blew her nose. “Well…I don’t think so. She amped things up in January. Told him how hot he was and asked if he wondered what it would’ve been like if they ever hooked up. Made a pretty strong play for an affair. Here. You read it.” She passed the iPad back. The words were already burned into her brain.

Did you ever wonder what would’ve happened if we’d hooked up? I always thought you were incredibly hot.

LOL. Thanks. You’re still so beautiful. You must have men after you like a dog chases beef.

I’m extremely picky. I like them tall, funny and salt-and-pepper. (Hint: look in the mirror).

Thanks. You’re too sweet.

I’m gonna be honest here, Gerry. I love talking to you. I loved seeing you. I want to see you again. Let’s get it right this time and not live in regret. You only live once, right?

I’m flattered.

Life is too short for me not to put it on the line. I want to see you again. I want us to be involved. I’m falling in love with you, Gerry.

“Oh, ouch,” Joy said, grimacing as she continued to read. “ ‘I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a little bit the same.’ What a bastard.” She read a little bit more. “Can I just say I hate this Camille person? What a whore.”

Ellie’s eyes were streaming. Her husband had fallen in love—a little bit, if there was such a thing—with another woman. He put it in writing.

“Okay, but then he just stops,” Joy said. “She keeps asking him if he’s there, he ghosts her for two weeks, and then he puts an end to it. “ ‘I do miss you, but I have to stop. I love my wife and I don’t want to make a huge mistake. I’m sorry.’ Good! He didn’t want to make a huge mistake. Not ‘I made a huge mistake.’ I’m taking that as they never hooked up. That’s the end of it, right? Nothing more?”

“I guess,” Ellie said. “Unless he sent her a letter. I looked at his email, but he didn’t send her anything.”

“He could’ve sent her something, then deleted it,” Joy said.

“True. I don’t think he’s that tech savvy, though.”

“Do you think that was the end of it? Did he act different after…what was it…January?”

Ellie sighed. “I…I mean, the holidays were over, we’d gotten used to being empty nesters, and we were back to being more like we were. We had a little…adjustment period last fall. No kids in the house, our oldest grandson living in town for a little while, so we were going to soccer games and that kind of thing. But we didn’t fight, Joy. We didn’t—” She hesitated, then figured what the hell. “We didn’t stop having sex. Ever. We’ve always been pretty constant in that area. And yeah, I guess I felt like we just settled back into place. Nothing was ever wrong, really. Just a couple months of…”

“Being off,” Joy supplied.

“Right. Meanwhile, he was dipping his toe in the infidelity pool. Maybe an entire foot. He drove to Boston to meet her. It doesn’t sound like they had sex, but it was cheating just the same.”

“My second fiancé?” Joy said. “He was married. Had another entire family the whole time we were together. I mean, he did tell me. But only after we were engaged.” She shook her head, then popped a mozzarella ball in her mouth. “What do you think, Ellie? Did he sleep with her or not?”

“I don’t…I don’t think so. Gerald has always been so…good. Decent, I mean. He has integrity. Well, he used to. I can’t really picture him crossing that line. And I think it would be in the messages, don’t you? I think Camille would say so. She wants to sleep with him. She doesn’t say anything like ‘Last night was so magical.’ So no, I don’t think he did anything physical.”

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