Page 118 of That One Heartbreak

Her kids made her heart ache in the best of ways sometimes.

“Mom, I think I’m ready to go home when you are,” Ethan said, walking over to the sunbed where she’d put all their things.

Kate blinked. Ethan never wanted to leave the pool. Neither did Addy, for that matter. “You sure?” She checked her watch. “We can stay another thirty minutes if you want?”

He shook his head. “Nah.” He glanced at her book. “You look bored anyway.”

“I’m not, it’s fine.”

“Seriously, Mom, let’s get you home.” He patted her shoulder and just that unexpected gesture brought tears to her eyes.

Was she so starved of kindness that her son taking note of her mood was enough to make her cry?

“Can you go get Addy?” Kate asked him, blinking the stupid tears away. They weren’t about Ethan and he didn’t need to see them.

“Sure.”

Kate started to pack their things away as Ethan walked over to the little pool to talk to his sister. She watched him call out Addy’s name and held her breath, half expecting the two of them to explode into their usual argument.

But instead Addy nodded and jumped out of the water.

And then took Ethan’s good hand.

Dear God, had her kids been body snatched? Because they were walking around the pool hand in hand, like Ethan’s friends weren’t there, watching him.

“Everything okay?” Kate asked, her chest tight as they reached her.

“Everything’s fine, Mom,” Ethan told her.

Addy nudged him.

“Ask her,” she whispered.

“I’m going to. Just a minute.” Ethan shook his head at his sister.

“Ask me what?” Kate said, a smile playing at her lips. What were they up to now?

“Is Marley angry at us?” Addy said. “Because of what happened over the weekend?”

The shock of their question made her momentarily silent. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

She took a deep breath. “No,” she managed. “He’s not angry at you. Not at all.”

“He looked angry when he took the grill,” Ethan said.

Had this been playing on their minds all week? “He wasn’t angry with you. He was angry with me,” she told him.

“Why?” Ethan asked.

“Can we talk about this at home?” she asked them. “Over a bowl of ice cream?”

“Isn’t it almost dinner time?” Addy asked, looking confused. Because ice cream was never a treat before dinner. “And we had ice cream with Aunt Shana the other day.”

“Yes, but it’s hot and we need to talk, so we can make an exception.”

“What’s an expection?” Addy asked, messing up the word.

Kate tried to find the right way to explain it – and failed. “It’s when you get ice cream,” she finally said.

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