we can talk? I can swing by the vending machine first.”
“No. I need to call my father back. I’ll see you in the lobby in a little while.”
W ALT GLANCED LONGINGLY at the array of foods at the breakfast buffet. Omelettes, Mexican entrées, waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, sausages, bacon, biscuits and gravy, cheese blintzes and more. It smelled like heaven. But he passed up all those fat- and cholesterol-laden foods and followed Claire to the fruit island, where he loaded up on watermelon, cantaloupe and grapes, adding only a poached egg to the fruit.
She found them a small table in the corner, and he joined her a moment later.
“You’re not having any of the Mexican food? Or an omelette?” she said, eyeing his plate as he sat down.
He glanced at the short line in front of the omelette station but refused to weaken. “No.”
“Why not? You love omelettes.”
He loved sausage, too. But knowing he had open-heart surgery in a couple of weeks had a way of taking the fun out of a poor diet. “I’m trying to lose a few pounds,” he said, because he didn’t wantto broach the subject of the triple bypass just yet. They had several more days in Cabo and plenty of other things to work through first.
“You look good to me.” She smiled meaningfully, and he couldn’t help grinning in return because he knew she was referring to last night. He hadn’t been that excited in a long time. But it was more than the sexual high that had made the night unique. Being with Claire was somehow richer and more meaningful for the familiarity, trust and trials of the past thirty-three years.
“I’m glad you came to Cabo,” he said, knowing he might never have realized the truth if she hadn’t.
She accepted some freshly squeezed orange juice from the waitress, but her smile disappeared as she set her glass on the table. “I’m glad, too, Walt,” she said. “Last night was…extraordinary. Something I really wanted. But we should probably talk now, instead of pretending we can simply step back into our old lives. A lot has changed.”
Did they have to talk? Walt didn’t want to face what might have changed a lot any more than he wanted to face that he could no longer risk clogging up his arteries.
“I owe you an apology, Claire,” he said. “I know that.”
“We’ve both been acting like fools.”
“But it’s mostly my fault. I took you for granted over the years, got too caught up in the business.”
“I’ve always been patient about the business.” She took a sip of her orange juice. “I want to hear what you have to say about Regina.”
Walt couldn’t help wincing. How could he have betrayed Claire, when she’d been faithful to him for so long, when he owed her more than he did anyone else? “I won’t see her again, of course.”
“That’s not enough, Walt.” Claire’s eyes remained steady. “I need some sort of explanation. What went wrong between us? Not knowing the answer to that question has been the toughest part of the past few months. You came home, told me you were in love with someone else, and moved out. You never even told me what I was doing wrong.”
“Because you weren’t doing anything wrong.” Forced to deal with the issues he’d worked so hard to avoid, he sighed and shoved his plate away, although he hadn’t started eating. “Regina was…a diversion. Something different. Something to keep me from realizing—” he hesitated, embarrassed to admit the truth, even to Claire “—that I’m not as handsome as I used to be, that I’m not as strong as I used to be—”
“You’re not the only one who’s getting old,”she broke in. “We’ve been together for thirty-three years. I’m in the same boat.”
“I know.” He shook his head. “You want this to make sense, Claire, but it doesn’t. Even to me. I can’t explain what was going on in my head. I guess I just didn’t appreciate what I already had. And Regina was there, flattering me,
“No. I need to call my father back. I’ll see you in the lobby in a little while.”
W ALT GLANCED LONGINGLY at the array of foods at the breakfast buffet. Omelettes, Mexican entrées, waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, sausages, bacon, biscuits and gravy, cheese blintzes and more. It smelled like heaven. But he passed up all those fat- and cholesterol-laden foods and followed Claire to the fruit island, where he loaded up on watermelon, cantaloupe and grapes, adding only a poached egg to the fruit.
She found them a small table in the corner, and he joined her a moment later.
“You’re not having any of the Mexican food? Or an omelette?” she said, eyeing his plate as he sat down.
He glanced at the short line in front of the omelette station but refused to weaken. “No.”
“Why not? You love omelettes.”
He loved sausage, too. But knowing he had open-heart surgery in a couple of weeks had a way of taking the fun out of a poor diet. “I’m trying to lose a few pounds,” he said, because he didn’t wantto broach the subject of the triple bypass just yet. They had several more days in Cabo and plenty of other things to work through first.
“You look good to me.” She smiled meaningfully, and he couldn’t help grinning in return because he knew she was referring to last night. He hadn’t been that excited in a long time. But it was more than the sexual high that had made the night unique. Being with Claire was somehow richer and more meaningful for the familiarity, trust and trials of the past thirty-three years.
“I’m glad you came to Cabo,” he said, knowing he might never have realized the truth if she hadn’t.
She accepted some freshly squeezed orange juice from the waitress, but her smile disappeared as she set her glass on the table. “I’m glad, too, Walt,” she said. “Last night was…extraordinary. Something I really wanted. But we should probably talk now, instead of pretending we can simply step back into our old lives. A lot has changed.”
Did they have to talk? Walt didn’t want to face what might have changed a lot any more than he wanted to face that he could no longer risk clogging up his arteries.
“I owe you an apology, Claire,” he said. “I know that.”
“We’ve both been acting like fools.”
“But it’s mostly my fault. I took you for granted over the years, got too caught up in the business.”
“I’ve always been patient about the business.” She took a sip of her orange juice. “I want to hear what you have to say about Regina.”
Walt couldn’t help wincing. How could he have betrayed Claire, when she’d been faithful to him for so long, when he owed her more than he did anyone else? “I won’t see her again, of course.”
“That’s not enough, Walt.” Claire’s eyes remained steady. “I need some sort of explanation. What went wrong between us? Not knowing the answer to that question has been the toughest part of the past few months. You came home, told me you were in love with someone else, and moved out. You never even told me what I was doing wrong.”
“Because you weren’t doing anything wrong.” Forced to deal with the issues he’d worked so hard to avoid, he sighed and shoved his plate away, although he hadn’t started eating. “Regina was…a diversion. Something different. Something to keep me from realizing—” he hesitated, embarrassed to admit the truth, even to Claire “—that I’m not as handsome as I used to be, that I’m not as strong as I used to be—”
“You’re not the only one who’s getting old,”she broke in. “We’ve been together for thirty-three years. I’m in the same boat.”
“I know.” He shook his head. “You want this to make sense, Claire, but it doesn’t. Even to me. I can’t explain what was going on in my head. I guess I just didn’t appreciate what I already had. And Regina was there, flattering me,
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