Page 16 of Falling Again
Frowning, Ginny said, “But you love to talk. You’re always here to talk to people about their problems.”
Natalie pointed and practically sprang from her chair. “Exactly!Other people’sproblems. I like to keep mine locked up tight and buried under thirty-two years of sarcasm and wit.”
“If my new therapist has taught me anything, it’s that that behavior is unhealthy,” CeCe said from the doorway. She wasn’t dressed in her normal diner uniform of jeans and a tunic; instead, she was clad in yoga pants and a T-shirt featuring her favorite 90s action hero. Not waiting to be invited to the conversation, CeCe pulled up another chair. “And since I just left my therapist’s office, I’m chock full of helpful advice.”
Ginny held out her paper bag, offering CeCe something to eat while they chatted. “I already ate the donut, but there’s still some quiche.”
“Thanks,” CeCe said as she pulled out a slice and ate with her fingers.
Natalie grimaced. “We have plates and forks.”
“No distractions from you. What’s going on?” CeCe asked around a mouthful of egg.
Natalie could tell there wouldn’t be any way past the two, so she sighed and made a point to finish her breakfast before talking. Why let good food go to waste, after all?
“Anthony and I—” her voice hitched, not sure how to continue the sentence. Natalie prided herself on keeping her personal life private. There had to be more complicated marriages in Buckeye Falls. Not to mention, the mayor and his wife should present a united front. No one wanted to hear about trouble in paradise.
Well, that wasn’t true. Natalie was the captain of the gossip train in town. She knew everyone savored each morsel of scandal, no matter how small. If people smelled blood in the water, it could affect Anthony’s reelection and ability to network in town.
Ginny put her hands on her lap and said, “You don’t have to talk about anything now if you’re not ready. But you know whatever you say to us doesn’t leave this room.” To highlight that point, Ginny closed the office door. CeCe crossed her fingers over her heart and nodded solemnly.
“Anthony and I cuddled this morning,” Natalie blurted out. Expecting to see expressions of shock and horror, she was greeted to two looks of confusion. “This is where you freak out,” she scoffed, flapping her hands around to punctuate her point.
“And you usually don’t cuddle in the morning?” CeCe asked.
Natalie raised her hands and waved off the question. “No. We haven’t cuddled like that in, well—” Her brain scrambled to remember the last time she and Anthony had held each other. No foreplay, nothing sexual, just shared a quiet moment together. “Well, uh. When did you move back to town?” she asked Ginny, who promptly blanched.
“You haven’t cuddled your husband since the holidays?” The rustling green trees outside Natalie’s office window taunted her, proving it had been seasons since they were intimate.
CeCe shook her head. “But why not?”
Her friend’s question was a reasonable one, and Natalie wished she had a better answer. “Well,” she started, thinking back to Anthony in his boxers this morning. Their schedules hadn’t synced in ages, and she hadn’t so much as caught him getting dressed or undressed in weeks. The memory caused her belly to flip, sending a not-so unpleasant charge up her spine. “We’ve been so busy, that’s all. Now that Otis is older and moving around on his own, we have an extra person to wrangle.”
“It’s worth mentioning you just started your own business,” Ginny helpfully offered. “Let’s not minimize that stress.”
CeCe looked back and forth between her friends. “Granted, I’m the only unmarried one in the room, but I have to ask: have you talked to Anthony about this? Does he think you need tocuddlemore?” CeCe used air quotes on cuddle, striving to lighten the mood.
Natalie rolled her eyes. “I really am talking about cuddling. I’m not ready to discuss our actual sex life.” Or lack thereof if she was being totally honest. Where was another donut when she needed it?
“You didn’t answer my question,” CeCe pushed. “If I remember correctly, you were on my case about communication when Evan and I got together.”
“That’s different,” Natalie said, busying herself with the stack of files on her desk. Frankly it was different because she liked to meddle in her friend’s life. Getting her and Evan together, even though she didn’t deserve all the credit, was one of her favorite accomplishments. Helping your friends to fall in love seemed simple compared to the current state she and Anthony were in.
“Uh-huh,” CeCe replied, not letting Natalie off the hook. “How is communication between two people different? You told me to be honest with Evan, and I chose to be an idiot and nearly blew up our relationship.” She shuddered at the memory, so Natalie decided to be a good friend and not rub her nose in it—for now.
“But the circumstances were different,” Natalie nearly pleaded. “I don’t have any secrets from Anthony.”
Ginny cleared her throat. “Well, it sounds like you might have a couple. Does he know how you feel about the lack of cuddling?” Damn Ginny and her reasonable questions.
Giving up on tidying her desk, Natalie slouched back in her chair. Studying the ceiling tiles didn’t give her any grand epiphanies, and she let out a sigh. “I don’t know how to talk to him anymore.”
There, the ugly truth. The words landed like a lead weight and sucked the air from her tiny office.
“Maybe you two need to get away or something?” CeCe suggested.
Natalie laughed. “Turns out I might have to. My in-laws are trying to sell their lake house on South Bass Island. They want us to go up at the end of the month to pack.”
Ginny clapped. “That’s perfect.”
