Page 55 of Little Empty Promises

“We are.Wish things could be different between us.She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.Can’t imagine life without her.”Seth shook his head and sighed.“Sorry.I’ve said too much.”

“It’s fine to speak your mind.Kayla had a lot of nice things to say about you when we talked.I can tell she still cares for you.I’ll ask you the same thing I asked her.Do you think there’s any way you could work things out instead of getting a divorce?”

His eyes darted around—to me, to Giovanni, to Nico—then back to me.“She’s given me so many chances, more than I deserve.I want to step up, to be the man she needs.Every time I try to be that person, I fail.I can’t imagine her moving on and being with anyone else, but I think she’d be a lot happier.”

“Are you saying you’re okay to let go of what you have together because you think someone else could make her happier than you do?”

“When you say it like that, it doesn’t sound good, does it?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“I don’t know.I don’t think I’m capable of ever being the man she needs.”

“I know we’ve just met, but Kayla seems like a wonderful woman, and a reasonable one,” I said.

“Oh, yes.She is the best person I know.”

“Then why not at least consider fighting for her and for your marriage?”

He hung his head, muttering, “This isn’t what I came here to talk about.I’m uncomfortable talking about it.”

“I understand, but maybe it’s something youshouldbe talking about with someone.Sometimes it’s good to be uncomfortable.Discomfort has a way of bringing change at times, helping us see things within ourselves we wouldn’t have seen any other way.”

“Huh, I suppose you have a point.”

“On the exterior, Kayla seems happy and outgoing.But I sensed something else while I was talking to her, something beneath it all.”

“Like what?”

“There’s a sadness within her, and I think it has to do with the divorce.I’m not convinced she wants it.I think she’s confused.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

It looked like he was overwhelmed, so I left it there.“Anyway, I’ve said my peace.I hope you at least think about things.”

He offered me a weak smile and then turned, heading for his car.When he reached it, he opened the door and glanced back at me.“There’s one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“I know something.”

“Youknowsomething?”

“What I mean to say is, Cordelia shared something with me.”

“What’s that?”

“One afternoon after I got home from work, I stopped in to return a book she’d loaned me.She gave me another, and we had a brief chat.Before I left, she said she wanted to ask me a question.”

“What was the question?”

“She said it was hypothetical, but I’ll admit, I’ve given it a lot of thought in the last two weeks.”

I leaned in a little closer, waiting for the juicy nugget I hoped was to come.

“She asked me what I would do if someone I knew was in trouble,” he said.

“What did you say?”

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