Page 132 of The Husband Hour
“You’ve never looked better,” she said, and it was true. She thought of the day she’d spotted him down the beach, how it was like looking at him thirty years earlier. With the success of the evening, she herself felt decades younger. And she’d never wanted him more.
As if sensing what she was thinking, he leaned over, kissed her, and whispered, “I can’t wait to celebrate later, just the two of us.”
Ethan tugged on her hand. “Can we go sit with Mom?”
“Yes,” Howard said. “Good idea. Beth, you’ve been on your feet all day. Everyone’s over there waiting.”
Everyone?
Sure enough, at a table tucked away in the corner, she found Stephanie and Lauren sitting side by side. And the filmmaker. And Nora and her friend Henny. And was that…Rory’s brother? Incredulous, she looked at Howard. He shrugged.
“Life happens when you’re making doughnuts.”
When only close friends and family were left, Nora pushed all the tables aside and the dining room became a dance floor. Lauren’s parents hadn’t sat down in half a dozen songs and showed no signs of stopping.
Matt said he had to drive back to New York, and Lauren walked him to the door.
“Don’t come outside. I won’t be able to leave,” he said.
“So don’t,” she said, surprising herself. “Stay.”
“I have a meeting first thing in the morning.”
She nodded. Maybe it was for the best. She didn’t want him to go but she wasn’t ready for him to stay.
He hugged her and she clung to him. “Good-bye,” she whispered.
“For now,” he said. “Only good-bye for now.”
But when the door closed behind him, she wasn’t so sure. The warm, crowded room suddenly felt empty.
Stephanie appeared, handbag over her shoulder, trailed by Ethan.
“Are you leaving?” Lauren asked.
“He’s tired.”
“I’m not!” Ethan said, stifling a yawn.
“I’ll take him home,” Lauren offered.
“No, stay. It’s fine.”
“Matt left and I was about to get going anyway. Really. I’d be happy for the company.”
Outside, the air was heavy with moisture. Lauren inhaled, taking Ethan’s hand, then led him to the boardwalk. The feel of the wood planks under her feet reminded her she hadn’t gone running in the past few days. She looked out at the ocean, glowing silver-black under the bright moon and stars. A clear night, a transparent sky.
Ethan hummed quietly to himself.
“Did you have fun at the party?” she asked.
“It was a great party!” he pronounced.
“What was your favorite doughnut?” she asked.
“S’mores,” he said.
“Somehow I knew you were going to say that.” She squeezed his hand.
