“Taking care of our daughter and visiting with my sisters.”
“What are they like?”
“Nothing like Mercedes or Osha.” She loved being able to throw that back in his face. He’d been so convinced she’d be disappointed and regret the trip to Tahoe.
“You probably wouldn’t know it yet, even if they were,” he pointed out.
In his mind, he was always right. So of course he wouldn’t concede the point that easily. “I’d have some inkling,” she said stubbornly. “Serenity is a successful writer, and Reagan is a successful advertising executive. I admire them both.”
She purposely didn’t mention that Reagan had just quit her job—or the reason behind it.
“So you love them? Instantly?”
He sounded catty, jealous. “I’m growing to respect them as I come to know them. Is that a problem? Are you disappointed that it’s working out for me despite your dire predictions?”
She was never snippy with him. If anything, she was usually the one trying to cajole him out of a bad mood. But she couldn’t seem to help herself today. The anger and hurt kept welling up and as hard as she tried to hold them back, they came oozing out in everything she said.
“No,” he finally replied. “I’m just afraid I’m going to lose you.”
Tears welled up, causing her to blink quickly. “Maybe you deserve that.”
“Wow. If this is how you act around your new sisters, I can’t believe they’re good influences.”
“Well, they aren’t very big fans of yours, either.”
“Damn it, Lorelei! Is that what’s going on?” he asked, getting angry himself. “You’re clear across the country, telling two total strangers what a terrible husband I am?”
She spotted Lucy through the window, laughing and talking as she stood on a chair to reach the counter. “I haven’t said anything that isn’t true,” she told Mark.
He seemed at a loss. “I don’t even know how to react. I’ve never seen you like this.”
“I’ve never been like this.” She rubbed her left temple.
“I’m sorry. How many more times do I need to say it?”
“I don’t know. I can’t seem to stop myself from...from wanting to strike out at you. Maybe it’d be better if we talked later.”
“I’d rather not have the conversation end on such a sour note, especially because, with the way you’re acting, I have no idea if you’ll call me back.”
“Neither do I.”
She heard him haul in a heavy breath. “Since you’re in such a dark place anyway, we might as well talk about Francine. This isn’t all my fault, you know. She had a hand in it.”
“I’m sure she did.”
“Have you heard from her yet?”
“I haven’t talked to her. I don’t know if she tried to call because I haven’t looked through my call record since I got here.”
“You’re just going to write her off? Never speak to her again?”
Lorelei wished she could—possibly with both of them. “I’m considering it.”
“Lorelei, please. Come home. This trip is obviously making things worse instead of better.”
She peeled off a piece of tree bark. “Do you honestly think it’s the trip?”
“Look.” His voice dropped lower. “I’ve admitted that I’m to blame. And I’ve said I’m sorry at least a dozen times. What more can I do? Tell me, and I’ll do it. If I could go back and change the past, I would. I’m not happy about the baby. I wish Francine would... I wish she’d get an abortion. There, I’ve said it.”
“Have you told her that?”
“You want me to be that cruel?”
“To her? Yes. I hate knowing that she’s happy about what she’s done to me.”
“She’s not happy. Francine is just as upset as you are. She loves you, hopes to salvage your relationship.”
“That will never happen,” she said vehemently. “At this point, I’m not even sure we can salvage our relationship.”
“Don’t say that, babe. We can get through this.”
She gripped the phone tighter, remembering Reagan sending in her resignation despite how badly it hurt. “Maybe, maybe not. I’ll decide in September.”
“Why September?”
She could hear the fresh alarm in his reaction. “Because I’m staying here for the rest of the summer.”
“What? The summer hasn’t even started yet!”
“I know, but June is close, and I like it here. I need some time to think, to find myself. And this place...you should see it. Being here is almost like a religious experience.”
“Lorelei, please. You can find yourself here at home, where you belong.”
“No, I can’t,” she stated firmly. “Not when I’m around you. I’ve tried to be everything you could want for so long it’s a habit now. And I’m even wondering if it’s the fact that I’ve always tried so hard that’s making you stray. You don’t respect me enough to treat me fairly in return.”
“You did nothing that made me stray. I was an idiot, that’s all. But I was a good husband before that, wasn’t I? Does none of that matter? It was...it was a one-time thing—a simple mistake!”
His words sounded desperate, but they lacked conviction. “Are you really going to stick by that story?”
“What do you mean? We’ve talked about this!”
“Yes, and I’ve tried to believe it. But I can’t. You’re lying about your...affair being a one-time thing, aren’t you?”
Silence.
Lorelei’s chest grew ever tighter, so tight she could barely breathe. “Right. I knew it. I just didn’t want to face it.”
“It was a short, whirlwind kind of affair, which is almost the same thing,” he explained. “I just got...swept away for a while. But the pregnancy has woken me up, Lorelei. I mean it. Nothing like that will ever happen again. I swear it.”
“The way you swore to be faithful to me in our wedding vows?”
Silence.
“We’ll talk about it in September,” she went on. “When I return.”
“What about Lucy?” he asked.