Page 40 of Between the Shady Groves
“Sure. You can think about it as long as you want to.”
“No. I mean us. Together. We can think about it. You might not even be able to sell your business.”
“Then I’ll just work out the contracts we have, and I’ll move to Raspberry Ridge anyway and close up shop.”
“Everything you worked for?—”
He lifted his shoulders. “It’s worthless without you.”
Her face softened, and she smiled at him. He felt like that was the exact right thing to say, although he hadn’t been saying it to curry favor. He’d been saying it because that’s what he meant.
“I need to get back so I can finish that security system, but maybe we can do something tomorrow?”
“Sure. I’d love that. I have plans to meet with Grace and Claire this afternoon anyway,” she said, looking across the table at him, and he got the feeling that he was on the right track.
After that, they talked about easy things. Things that weren’t going to bog down the conversation and make one or the other of them feel sad and guilty or bad in any way.
The weather, the school system around this area, since she’d gone to it and he didn’t. The idea of a small town versus a big city. Pros and cons. She told him he needed to see the beach, and he agreed to go, tomorrow.
He had never been a very big beach person. He hated sand. It got everywhere, like everywhere. He hated that. But she assured him that there was a pebble beach that was very nice, and no sand involved. Although, there was sand on part of the shore farther north.
He could endure sand for Lauren.
He realized why he had married her to begin with. He enjoyed being with her. She was fun, she was funny. She was smart, but not one of the smart people that were so smart that they were boring to talk to. Or uncomfortable to talk to.
She kept him humble. She saw things that he didn’t and gave him a wider perspective. He liked what she added to him, and he hoped that he added a little bit to her too.
By the time they were done eating, he was ready to be back tonormal. Whatever that was. He supposed that the reason she was hesitant was because their normal was him working all the time and her taking care of her mom, being sad about the miscarriages, and wishing that he was around, when he was oblivious.
They would have to create a whole new normal.
Plus, he figured that she was probably a little bit in disbelief, wondering if he might fall back into his old habits, once he had her securely attached to him again.
He hoped he didn’t. He wanted to set up his life so that he didn’t.
But he wasn’t sure what that would look like.
Nineteen
Grace and Claire were both waiting for her when she hurried into the grove at the healing garden. The date that she’d had with her husband had taken longer than she thought it would. Mostly because they’d lingered over their food, chatting and… At least for her, she enjoyed his company. Remembering all the reasons she’d married him to begin with. He was sweet and funny and attentive. More attentive than he’d been in years.
The problem was, she was worried that this wouldn’t last. Maybe this was just something that her leaving him had triggered in him, and once he had her back, he’d go back to neglecting her.
Part of her said that she didn’t need to worry about that. Because if he did, obviously he was reasonable. She could talk to him, he could see that he was doing something wrong, and he would fix it. The same way she would if he came to her and said that she was doing something that he would prefer she not do.
Except, she was rebelling about the dog.
That was different though. That wasn’t something that was hurting him, that was something that he would prefer she not do, because he was worried about her safety.
Maybe it wasn’t different. She was classifying it in her mind differently, but maybe he didn’t.
Regardless, she hurried to her friends, who both stood up, and they embraced.
“So nice to be able to meet together. I honestly had been dreading a long, lonely summer all by myself. Especially after Grandma died. But I hadn’t expected my kids to come back, Josiah to marry me, and now friends from my past to meet with on a regular basis.”
“We should set a regular meeting time,” Grace said, looking at Claire.
“Yeah.”
