Page 23 of Falling Again
Less than thirty seconds later his father replied.Of course not. Why would Alice tell us anything?
Immediately after, his mother added,Where is she staying? You don’t have a guest room anymore.
On the sofa, but only for a couple days. Nat and I can’t have her in the house if she isn’t going to help.
While he got changed into comfortable clothing and the kids ran around getting their pajamas, another text came in from his father.Perhaps Alice should take care of the lake house for us after all.
Anthony started at the text, willing his heart rate to slow down. No. This couldn’t be happening. While he wasn’t originally thrilled with the idea of packing up the lake house, Anthony had quickly realized it was the perfect opportunity to reconnect with Natalie. Not to mention, there was his petty side; the thought of Alice freeloading a summer away at the lake house ticked him off.
His fingers flew across the screen in response.No. Nat and I want to do it. We could use the break.
Anthony knew his parents had the ultimate say on what happened in their own house, but he hoped they could read between the lines. Ever since his lunch with Max, Anthony hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the lake house and getting Natalie alone. This morning’s cuddling was merely a taste of what he was missing, and he’d be damned if his sister breezed into Buckeye Falls and took their vacation.
Just as the kids ran back downstairs for dinner, Alice appeared in the master bedroom doorway.
“Tony,” she whined, leaning against the doorframe with her hands shoved in her pockets. “What is up with your wife today? You think she’d be a little happy to see me.”
Anthony ran a hand down his face and stifled a groan. “What were you expecting? A hero’s welcome?”
With a quick raise of her shoulders, Alice nodded. “It would be a pleasant change of pace.”
Anthony stepped closer to his sister and rested his hands on her shoulders. “You realize you showed up unannounced in the middle of a work week, right? Natalie has N&G now, and I’m swamped at town hall. It would have been thoughtful to at least give us a heads up.”
“God! When did you become an adult?” Alice scoffed, pulling free from his grip and plowing into the bedroom. With a dramatic flop, she fell back onto the bed. “I need a place to stay for a while.”
“You can stay here a couple days. No one said you have to leave now.”
“But I need, like, a place,” Alice urged, her focus fixed on the ceiling. “I broke up with this guy I was seeing, and he kind of kicked me out.”
Now Anthony didn’t bother to hide his disappointment. “Alice, are you kidding me? Who was it this time? Another professor?”
Alice rested back on her elbows and shot her big brother a glare. “No. Damn. No one in this family allows me to make mistakes. Since when are you all perfect?”
No one in their family was perfect, least of all Anthony, but he wasn’t about to have that conversation. Not now when there were too many things going on.
“Mistakes are fine if you learn from them. Who is the guy?”
“Wasthe guy,” Alice sighed dramatically. Anthony wondered if maybe her strengths weren’t in German history, but in acting. This current performance was Oscar-worthy.
“He was my landlord. He was kind of giving me a free place to stay, but when I told him I didn’t want to see him anymore he kicked me out.”
“He can’t just kick you out. There are resident’s rights and laws to protect you. Did you sign a lease? You likely have the law on your side.”
Alice looked incredulous. “A lease?”
If Anthony’s blood pressure went any higher he thought he would explode. “Come on, Alice. You’re thirty. When will you grow up?”
“Oh, because that clearly made you very happy,” she snapped back, neatly hitting her target.
Anthony stood there staring at his sister in disbelief. While she had made her point, it was a point Anthony wouldn’t discuss with her. He didn’t mind being an adult. He loved it, especially being out from under his father’s thumb. He also loved having a home with Natalie and a family of his own. What he didn’t like was the drama that came with adulthood. And one of the biggest drama cases was flopped on his bed with a chip on her shoulder.
“I’m going downstairs for dinner. It would be nice if you joined us. Natalie is working hard down there.” He stepped out into the hallway, not waiting to see if his sister would follow.
When he made it downstairs, he saw Natalie plating their meal and laughing with the kids. Otis plucked a snow pea from his plate and poked Madeline in the cheek with it, causing both children to erupt in giggles. Natalie joined the party, tucking two pods under her lips and roaring like a dinosaur. The sight boosted him more than he expected. The scene in front of him was what he loved: his wife laughing, his children healthy and happy—this was what Anthony needed to focus on. And he would. He would win back the affection of his wife, because he couldn’t imagine a future without Natalie in it.
