A Summer in Sonoma by Robyn Carr Page A

glass of wine, order some takeout while she sipped it and see if she could cool down.
    She sat at the far side of the bar in a dark corner, sipping her wine, staring at a menu, though not reading it.
    She’d been prepared for things to change after marriage; she knew he wasn’t the neat freak she was. She’d given the relationship two years before marrying him, just to be sure she knew him, knew his habits, his values. She hadn’t expected him to go into such a complete decline; she never thought he’d relax all his standards, dump all the household responsibility on her. In the past, he had occasional kick-back days of not shaving, but now it was whenever he wasn’t working. He let himself get so disgusting. What kind of a guy refuses to shower and shave when his woman asks him to?
    And the thing she really never saw coming—that she’d stop loving him.
    It was hard to love an insensitive slob. Of course, not many people saw him that way. He was a real man’s man—a scruffy, masculine Italian with some old-world views, like the woman is there to bear the children and take care of the house and kids while the man does the mechanical stuff, the physical stuff, the yard and all that. The men at F.D. thought he was a kick; in a way they sympathized with her, telling her she was a saint for putting up with him. They didn’t know the half—he wouldn’t dare go to work stinky, with his face unshaved and his thick, black hair greasy and sticking up in spikes everywhere—so all they were really aware of was his inability to pick up dishes, wash and dry. He was a hell of an Italian cook—his spaghetti and sausage and lasagna were legendary in the department—but they joked atF.D. that while they loved his food, he destroyed the kitchen. She would always say, Welcome to my world.
    At work, he went the extra mile in other ways—ways the guys could appreciate. He kept the equipment spotless and organized; he was powerfully strong and the first one up the ladder, to the rescue.
    The sexy man she’d fallen in love with was gone, replaced by this Neanderthal who couldn’t care less about her feelings. He’d been so great when he was trying to get her into bed, then trying to get her to stay in bed, then trying to get her to the altar—because he was an Italian Catholic and needed a wife to take care of his household, to have his kids. When they were engaged, they talked about having two or three kids, but she quit after Jason. She just didn’t have the energy to work, keep the house civilized and take care of a bunch of kids, Joe being one of them.
    She didn’t think she loved him anymore…and she was beginning to wonder how she could stay with him….
    â€œMarty!”
    She lifted her head to see Ryan Chambers grinning at her. He picked up his beer and wandered over to her. Oh, God, she thought. This is the last thing I need right now.
    â€œHow you doing, baby?”
    â€œFine, Ryan. How are you?”
    â€œGreat. You meeting someone? Having dinner here?”
    â€œNo, I’m just going to pick up some takeout. I’ve had a long day, so I thought I’d have a glass of wine. How about you?”
    â€œI thought about a pizza, but I don’t know. I’ll just have a beer, then decide.”
    â€œHow’s Jill?”
    â€œJill?” he laughed. “Marty, Jill and I are over….”
    â€œOh, I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know.”
    â€œYeah, that’s okay—you’re not expected to keep up with the love life of an old boyfriend. It happened about a year ago.”
    â€œA year, huh? So, who is it now?”
    â€œNo one, as a matter of fact,” he said, sitting on the stool next to hers. “I thought I could use a breather.”
    â€œ You’re not dating anyone?” she asked, stunned. He usually dated several women at a time.
    â€œOh, I’ve been out