want to leave them behind. I hadn’t seen them in over ten years, and it had been at least two since I’d spoken to them. I was always aware that I was the black sheep of the family but it took me a full decade to realize just how low I ranked on their give-a-shit scale.
Even still, I was tempted to answer with some elaborate scenario that would make sense of their absence: They’re skiing in Aspen or Sunning on the Riviera . But instead, I simply went with an honest, if still evasive, “They don’t live here anymore.”
Beau draped an arm around the back of my chair. “They’re in Vancouver. They moved there while Brenda and I were in high school, remember? Thankfully, they let her stay here and went on without her.”
Mrs. Brummel gushed, “Ah yes. I remember Beau worrying about the possibility of ‘the love of his life’ moving away.”
Mr. Brummel grinned. “You know, young lady, this boy was ready to marry you just to keep you here.” He shook his head, snickering down at the table. “Crazy kids. Married at eighteen. Could you imagine?”
I plastered a strained smile on my face while Beau shared a chuckle with his parents. “Well, she was my high school sweetheart. You know how serious everything seems when you’re a teenager.” He gave me a squeeze against his side. “But what do a couple of kids know about something as serious as marriage?”
Was that a dig on Eddie and me?
“Well, I don’t know, son,” Mr. Brummel chortled. “You two were pretty serious back then. And look at you now! You obviously knew enough.”
Beau beamed down at me with pride. “ Some bonds are meant to stand the test of time.”
I clenched my teeth, so annoyed that I almost screamed, Stop it! Stop bringing up the past as if we have some sort of storybook history. We dated for a few months, that was it. Eddie was my high school sweetheart. Not you.
But instead of screaming, I took a deep breath. It settled my nerves and my heart, allowing my brain to take over.
The truth was, Beau was a great guy and he deserved more than the shut-off version of me. I’d hardly given anything of myself over these past weeks. I smiled when I was supposed to and was polite and accommodating whenever we were together but I was seldom more gracious than that. He had to know I was holding back, and I gave him a ton of credit for waiting it out.
Just look at all he’d done for me! He allowed me to quit my dead-end job. He’d taken me to nice restaurants and hit shows. He endured my gloomy attitude and my half-smiles with the patience of a saint. Basically, he rescued me from a heartbroken funk, and for that, I was truly grateful. We’d been having fun these past weeks together.
If I was ever going to get through this divorce in one piece, it was time to start focusing on the positive.
I placed a hand over his and met his eyes with the first genuine smile I’d bestowed upon him in years. He grinned so wide at the change in my disposition that I thought his face was going to split open. Because of that, an unexpected giggle actually escaped from my throat as I said, “Thankfully, everything seems to be working out as it should.”
CHAPTER 16
Tomorrow is Today
EDDIE
Wednesday, February 18
1981
I was still half asleep and rubbing the crust from my eyes as I reached over for the glass of water on my nightstand. My mouth was so dry, and I gulped back a huge swallow… before realizing it was vodka. I wretched as I ran for the bathroom—my throat burning, my eyes watering—and spit out what I could into the sink.
A stranger greeted me in the vanity mirror. My eyes were bloodshot; my hair was looking scraggly; the stubble at my jaw had gone unattended for much, much too long. I coughed up a lung before splashing some water on my face and rinsing out my mouth.
I staggered back into the bedroom of my suite, the place I’d called home for
Even still, I was tempted to answer with some elaborate scenario that would make sense of their absence: They’re skiing in Aspen or Sunning on the Riviera . But instead, I simply went with an honest, if still evasive, “They don’t live here anymore.”
Beau draped an arm around the back of my chair. “They’re in Vancouver. They moved there while Brenda and I were in high school, remember? Thankfully, they let her stay here and went on without her.”
Mrs. Brummel gushed, “Ah yes. I remember Beau worrying about the possibility of ‘the love of his life’ moving away.”
Mr. Brummel grinned. “You know, young lady, this boy was ready to marry you just to keep you here.” He shook his head, snickering down at the table. “Crazy kids. Married at eighteen. Could you imagine?”
I plastered a strained smile on my face while Beau shared a chuckle with his parents. “Well, she was my high school sweetheart. You know how serious everything seems when you’re a teenager.” He gave me a squeeze against his side. “But what do a couple of kids know about something as serious as marriage?”
Was that a dig on Eddie and me?
“Well, I don’t know, son,” Mr. Brummel chortled. “You two were pretty serious back then. And look at you now! You obviously knew enough.”
Beau beamed down at me with pride. “ Some bonds are meant to stand the test of time.”
I clenched my teeth, so annoyed that I almost screamed, Stop it! Stop bringing up the past as if we have some sort of storybook history. We dated for a few months, that was it. Eddie was my high school sweetheart. Not you.
But instead of screaming, I took a deep breath. It settled my nerves and my heart, allowing my brain to take over.
The truth was, Beau was a great guy and he deserved more than the shut-off version of me. I’d hardly given anything of myself over these past weeks. I smiled when I was supposed to and was polite and accommodating whenever we were together but I was seldom more gracious than that. He had to know I was holding back, and I gave him a ton of credit for waiting it out.
Just look at all he’d done for me! He allowed me to quit my dead-end job. He’d taken me to nice restaurants and hit shows. He endured my gloomy attitude and my half-smiles with the patience of a saint. Basically, he rescued me from a heartbroken funk, and for that, I was truly grateful. We’d been having fun these past weeks together.
If I was ever going to get through this divorce in one piece, it was time to start focusing on the positive.
I placed a hand over his and met his eyes with the first genuine smile I’d bestowed upon him in years. He grinned so wide at the change in my disposition that I thought his face was going to split open. Because of that, an unexpected giggle actually escaped from my throat as I said, “Thankfully, everything seems to be working out as it should.”
CHAPTER 16
Tomorrow is Today
EDDIE
Wednesday, February 18
1981
I was still half asleep and rubbing the crust from my eyes as I reached over for the glass of water on my nightstand. My mouth was so dry, and I gulped back a huge swallow… before realizing it was vodka. I wretched as I ran for the bathroom—my throat burning, my eyes watering—and spit out what I could into the sink.
A stranger greeted me in the vanity mirror. My eyes were bloodshot; my hair was looking scraggly; the stubble at my jaw had gone unattended for much, much too long. I coughed up a lung before splashing some water on my face and rinsing out my mouth.
I staggered back into the bedroom of my suite, the place I’d called home for
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