Page 5 of The Art Of Starting Over

“I have no idea, bud. It’s just a saying.”

“It’s stupid.”

“Yep.” There wasn’t anything fresh about having to start over. But here they were, living back in Hayden’s hometown because he wanted his parents around to help raise Conor. In hindsight, if it hadn’t been for Sofia, Hayden never would’ve left Oyster Bay.

“Can we get a dog?”

Hayden liked the idea. “After the house is finished?”

“Why do we have to wait?”

“Well, because you’re living here and I’m going to live in the camper.”

Conor turned onto his side and draped his arm over Hayden’s midsection. “Why can’t you stay here?”

Hayden rested his hand on top of Conor’s. The only reason he planned to stay in the camper was for space. He hated the idea of livingat home, especially at almost forty. He felt like a failure, even though he couldn’t do anything to change what had happened.

“Grandpa said baseball tryouts are coming up. We can drive to the city to get some new cleats. I think last year’s are too small. Your glove is with mine, in the back of the truck. Wanna toss the ball around tomorrow?”

Hayden felt Conor shrug. “What if I don’t want to play?”

“Well,” Hayden said with a sigh. “I’d be sad because I really like watching you play. I think you’re really good. But, ultimately, it’s up to you.”

“You played for the team here?”

Hayden nodded. “Yep, from the time I was five until I graduated high school.”

“Then you met Mom?”

“Yeah, I did. But she’s not why I stopped playing,” he told his son. Hayden had gone to college to play, but his heart wasn’t in it.

“Was it because of me?”

“Of course not,” he said. “When I got to college, things changed. I met your mom and realized I wanted a different life.”

“Do you think she can see us?”

Hayden’s throat tightened. “Sure do. She’s watching us. Definitely you, Conor. Your mom loved you more than anything.”

“I love her too.”

“Yeah, bud. Me too. Close your eyes,” he told Conor. “We have a big day tomorrow.”

Instead of leaving, Hayden stayed next to his son and closed his own eyes. When he opened them again, rays of sunshine came through the window, and he was alone.

Three

Devorah

From inside the home she had loved for as long as she could remember, Devy watched her daughter load the last of their bags into the SUV parked in the driveway and wondered how in the hell they were going to survive.

It was one thing to find out your husband was having an affair, but to find out the other woman was someone you considered your best friend since college added salt to the gaping wound. Ester knew everything about Devy and Chad’s marriage, from how he made Devorah feel in the bedroom, as a wife, and how she’d struggled to find her footing in their marriage. Ester knew Dev strove to be as perfect as possible for Chad, to give him everything he wanted and more, and how she never felt it was enough. Years of Ester telling Dev to dump Chad, to find a better man, now all seemed like a ploy from Ester to get Chad for herself.

Despite knowing better, Devy opened the video and went right to the comments section. This was a place where Dev’s feelings were validated. Numerous women had lambasted Ester for what she’d done, calling her a “home-wrecker” while also blaming Chad. But the comments that stood out the most were the ones asking Ester why she would post on social media, in a place where Devy and her daughtercould find the video. It was simple, at least in Devorah’s mind—Ester didn’t know Dev followed her. It was the app-generated username that Ester likely didn’t pay attention to. They hadn’t posted any videos. To anyone looking, the account probably looked like spam.

Would Ester have posted the video if she’d known Devy followed her?

Yes,Devy thought. Ester wanted the attention, and she wanted Chad.

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