Page 72 of The Art of Loving Lacy
“Animals are for babies, but I’m big enough to watch Katie.” Charlie stuck his chin out at Sheila and reached for Katie’s hand. “I’ll take her in.”
Sheila scanned the petting area, which was separated into an area for children only and an area for adults and children. “Great idea, Charlie. Why don’t you take her into that one? I trust you, Charlie. You hold her hand and stay with her every second. I’ll stand right here and watch. Katie, give me your bear.”
They watched the kids go through the gate. Charlie held Katie’s hand so tight that his arm looked rigid, and Katie stared up at him adoringly. Lacy leaned against the fence.
Sheila shook her head. “Am I a horrible mother for letting him take her in alone?”
“What? No. You’re a good mother. Anyone can see that,” Lacy assured her. “He needs to feel important, and letting him take her makes him feel that way.”
“Even though I kind of tricked him and had him take her into the children-only area?”
“Look at them,” Lacy said.
They watched the kids petting a baby goat. Katie giggled when the goat touched her with his nose, and Charlie stepped between the goat and Katie, then asked Katie if she was okay.
“They’re happy, and he feels valued and grown-up. I’d say that’s good parenting. Now, if you’d have wandered off to smoke a cigarette and drink a beer while they were in there, then you might qualify as a sucky mom.”
Sheila sighed. “Thanks, Lacy. I’m just sidetracked, I guess.”
“With all the stuff you and Rob have been dealing with, I think you wouldn’t be human if you weren’t knocked a little off-kilter.”
“I guess.” Sheila waved to the kids. “Did Rob tell you and Dane why I needed a break?”
Lacy shook her head, wondering exactly how they’d gotten back together so quickly.
“Because for fourteen years I’ve worried. Every time he leaves for a trip, I wonder what’s going to happen to him. I don’t worry about women or any of the other silliness that people worry about, but life and death, that’s hanging over our heads every time my husband goes to work.” Sheila wiped her eyes and looked at Lacy. “You don’t worry about Dane?”
“Sure I do, but he’s assured me that he’s careful. He says that there’s—”
“A better chance of getting hit by a car than bitten by a shark. I’ve heard it all a million times. For all these years, Rob has done what he loves doing with little regard for what it does to the people who love him,” Sheila said.
“Sheila, Rob cares. Besides, you knew what he did when you married him, right?” Lacy asked.
“Yeah. Before Brave, he worked with another company. That one went under, and sometimes I wish Brave would do the same.” She looked up at Lacy with sad eyes. “I know how awful that sounds. You know what Dane does. You know the risks. Is it stopping you from being with him?”
Lacy shook her head. “I’m not sure anything could keep me from him.”
“That’s the problem,” Sheila said. “I’d do anything to be with Rob. He’s my Superman. I still get butterflies when I see him, but now I worry about the kids needing him around more often. You’re lucky. Dane’s a lot younger than Rob. His reflexes are still fast. He’s virile and focused. Lately, Rob’s slowing down. He’s getting tired. He’s had a long career doing what he loves. I’d just like for him to do something else now. Something safer.”
“He loves you and the kids, Sheila,” Lacy said.
Sheila nodded. “He does. He adores us, and last night he told me he’d decided that I was right. I think we both needed time to clear our heads so we could see things more clearly. We realized that we couldn’t live without each other, and Rob realized that it was time for a change. He’s giving Dane a month’s notice after the dive today.”
“Really? Dane will be devastated,” Lacy said.
“He will, and I feel bad, but it’s time,” Sheila said.
“See, the fact that he made that decision shows you that what you have is true love,” Lacy said.Neither of us is willing to give up anything. Does that mean we don’t have true love?She swallowed the thought. “I’m so glad you guys have worked it out.”
Lacy hugged Sheila, silently pushing her concerns out of her head. Those were Sheila’s worries, but they weren’t Lacy’s. Lacy hadn’t spent nearly a year worried about if Dane was going to live through each day. She’d been too busy lying in wait, wanting to see him, longing to hear his voice—and working her butt off just to keep from worrying about the women it turned out he hadn’t even been with.
Chapter Twenty-Five
DANE AND ROB donned their wet suits like second skins. Dane’s head was clear as he prepared for one of his favorite dives—the free dive. Bubbles from regulators tended to spook sharks, but with free diving, there were no oxygen tanks. There were no bubbles. Dane and Rob had spent years honing their free diving abilities, until each of them could hold their breath for almost five minutes. Dane could hold his breath even longer, pushing five and a half on his best days. Today they were accompanied by three members of a local dive team, one to watch the boat and two for dive assistance.
“Hey, man, I was going to wait and talk to you after the dive, but I gotta tell you something,” Rob said to Dane. His wet suit stretched tight across his thick barrel chest, and when he crossed his arms, the suit looked as if it were painted on his muscular biceps.
“Sure. Shoot.” Dane sat on the deck and rested his arms on his knees.
