On Second Thought
Page 95

“Well, I... There’s a friend of mine. Brooke, you met him. Daniel Breton?”
“Oh, yes. Your sister’s boyfriend.”
“No, he’s not. Um...no, he’s an old friend from Brooklyn. He actually made the swing for you.”
“And we love it,” Eloise said. “It’s simply stunning. Please give me his address so I can write him a note.”
They’d probably want to burn the swing in a few seconds. “Uh, well...” I licked my dry lips. “The thing is, Daniel and I, we...we’ve been friends for a while now. Ten years. And um...this past July, we, um...we slept together. Once.”
Eloise’s smile slowly sagged. Mr. Coburn’s bushy eyebrows drew together. I couldn’t look at Brooke.
“And now I seem to be pregnant,” I whispered.
Their silence was absolute. My hands were clenched so hard they were white.
“Wait,” Brooke said. “You slept with someone three months after my brother died? Are you kidding? Is this a joke? Because it is not funny.”
I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. Didn’t say anything.
“So my brother was barely cold and you fu—”
“Brooke, that’s enough,” Eloise said. She was looking at the coffee table. “Kate, I’m sorry. We’d like you to leave.”
“Okay,” I whispered. “I just want you to know that it wasn’t planned and... I loved Nathan so much, and all I wanted was—”
“Get out,” Mr. Coburn said, his voice shaking with rage. “Get out right now.”
I did. My head screamed with all the months of unshed tears, and the spike made swallowing impossible. I walked to my car like I was walking to the gas chamber, got in and drove the half mile back to my husband’s house.
It was time to go.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Ainsley
I was supposed to go to the Coburns’ anniversary party, but I had to go to the hospital instead.
My father got injured when a rookie first baseman slid into him at home plate. Dad still made the call (out by a mile and a half) but had to go to the ER with a broken tibia and a dislocated kneecap. Luckily, it was at Yankee Stadium, so I met him in the Bronx and drove him home. Texted Kate that I’d be staying with him tonight and maybe for a few days. I also called Candy.
“Well, he’s on his own,” she said merrily. “We’re separated. Besides, he’s your father.”
“And Kate’s and Sean’s. And Sean is a doctor,” I reminded her.
“Right,” she snorted. “Try getting that lunkhead to actually do something for his parents. No, it’ll be you, sweetheart. You can practice your nursing skills. Good luck!”
“Mom doesn’t care,” I told my father, who grunted. It was fine.
And once I’d gotten him into his recliner, gave him a painkiller and made him some soup, I went out to my car and brought in the pictures of my mother that I’d been carrying around. Captive audience and all that.
“What?” he asked. “I want to watch SportsCenter.”
I turned off the TV and tossed the remote control on the couch, out of reach. “Sorry, gimpy. No time like the present.”
“Fine,” he grumbled. “What do you want?”
I handed him the first photo, and he melted a little.
“You sure were a cute little bugger,” he said. He looked at the pictures slowly. “And your mother...she was terrific.”
“Can you tell me anything else about her?” I asked.
“You’re a lot like her.”
“In what ways?”
“I don’t know, Ainsburger,” he said, shifting in the chair. “In the good ways. She was... She was fantastic.”
Men.
But his eyes lingered on every photo, and once in a while, he’d touch one. “Happy times,” he said gruffly. “We were happy.”
I wedged myself into the chair next to him and hugged him tight. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
When he spoke, his voice was thick with tears. “I never thought I’d last this long without her. I’m an old man being taken care of by his spinster daughter, but Michelle will always be young.”
“I’m not a spinster,” I said. “And she did give you me.”
“Yes,” he said, hugging me. “Yes, she did.” There was a pause. “What do you mean, you’re not a spinster? You and Eric back together?”
“No, Dad. But I’m dating my boss. My former boss, I mean. Jonathan Kent, from the magazine.”
“What magazine?”
“You should pay more attention.”
He nodded, his chin scraping against my hair. “It’s always been easier not to.”
“I love you anyway.”
Another squeeze. “Right back at you, sweetie.”
* * *
The next afternoon, I got a call from Kate. “Hey, I’m...I’m moving out. Sorry it’s so sudden.”
“What happened?” I asked.
“They know. The Coburns.”
“Oh, shit.”
“Yeah.”
“Want help?”
“No, but you’ll have to move out, too. Not immediately. But soon.” Her voice was tight.
“Sure, sure. I was planning to anyway. Um, Dad broke his leg, did you get that message?”
“Yeah, sorry. Is he okay?”
“He’s fine. I’m gonna stay with him a few days, I think.” I paused. “You sure you don’t want help?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
I went over anyway, leaving Dad on the couch with a tube of Oreos and the remote control. His broken leg was all over ESPN, and he wanted to enjoy it. Gram-Gram was on her way over to babysit him.
Kate had three suitcases on her bed when I found her, and was tossing things in a little wildly. “Oh, hey.”
“Sit down,” I said, taking a pair of boots from her. “Have you had anything to eat or drink today?” Really, I was going to make an excellent nurse.
“I did. See?” She picked up a glass of water and took a long drink, then told me what happened.
I sighed. “Well, it was gonna happen sooner or later. Sort of ripped the Band-Aid off. You won’t have to skulk around for the next few months, afraid that they’ll find out.”
“They’re really upset.”
“Of course they are.” I sat on the edge of her bed and looked at her. “But, Kate, you loved Nathan. This baby doesn’t change that fact. You took a little comfort with Daniel and now you’re going to have a baby, and you always wanted that.”
“True,” she said. She was quiet for a minute. “I’ll miss you. I loved living with you.”
My heart swelled. “I loved it, too. And I’ll come to Brooklyn and stay with you, I promise. And you can come up here when I get a place of my own.”
“I will,” she said. “I don’t want us to stop being close.” Then she stood up and hugged me, long and hard, petting my hair the way she used to when I was little.
“I don’t know how I could’ve gotten through this without you. And don’t think you’re off the hook now.”
I squeezed her tight. Nothing she could’ve said would have made me any happier.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Kate
It was funny how quickly my presence was erased from Nathan’s house. Ainsley had taken Ollie with her when she left, and I was alone.