Page 62 of His Loving Wife

“I hope you don’t mind me crashing your family vacation,” he added.

“The more the merrier.” I force a smile. “Have you seen Andrew?”

“He’s outside. I’m grabbing some snacks. We thought we might hang around the pool before we load up the boat.”

“You’re going fishing again?”

“Yeah. Andrew texted me early this morning. He said he wanted to get one more trip out of the boat before he has to take it back tomorrow.”

“I see.” I wander closer to the living room screen door, squinting to get a better view of the dock. I see the boat, but no Andrew in sight.

“Maybe you could join us this time?”

“I don’t think so,” I say, staring at the water. The waves look rougher than they did earlier in the week. “It’s not really my thing.”

Finally, I see Andrew emerge from the pool. Noah is swimming in the water behind him.

“Mom, have you seen my boots?” asks Willow, joining us from the hallway.

“Are you heading out on the boat, too?”

“It’s the last chance,” she says, quite obviously. “Might as well, right?”

“See, the whole family is coming,” Vincent says, stuffing a bag of chips beneath his arm. “You should join us.”

“I’m fine here. There’s plenty to keep me busy.”

“I found them,” Willow says, crouching to reach her boots from under the table in the corner.

It’s funny what activities she chooses to partake in. What’s deemed cool or lame is ever-changing in her eyes. Behind me, Vincent walks through the sliding glass doors to the outside. I watch him. He walks confidently, and yet there is an air of aggression surrounding him I can’t quite put my finger on. Perhaps it’s the retired cop thing. How well do we really know him, I wonder? How well does Andrew know him? I look back to Willow. I shouldn’t think these things, but I’m her mother and I can’t help it.

“Say, why don’t you stay back with me today? Let the boys have their fun fishing.”

“They went without me yesterday.”

“Yeah, but that’s because you were sick. You stayed in your room all day. If you stay back, maybe we can do something together.”

“Mom, we have plenty of time to hang out back home. My summer is pretty much over anyway thanks to the other night. This is my last chance to go out on the open ocean. If you’re that worried, you should come.”

“I promised Noah I’d take his fish to the market so we can have it for dinner tonight.”

“I think everyone wants to hang around the pool for a little while. You know Dad will wait on you if you want to go.”

Andrew walks inside rubbing a towel against the back of his head. “I guess you heard about the fishing trip this afternoon.”

“Willow is already trying to persuade me.”

“Your turn.” She taps Andrew on the shoulder before walking toward her bedroom. “I’m going to put on my swimsuit.”

“Are you thinking about it?” he asks.

“The close call with Noah is still on my mind. And the waves look even rougher today.”

“We won’t stay out long. Just enough to feel like we got our money’s worth with the boat. Once you’re out there and see how happy the kids are, you’ll be glad you came.”

“I have to get Noah’s fish prepared for dinner.”

“We’ll wait on you. It’s not a problem.”

---