accuse her of holding out for him.
“You’re killing me here,” he said to her. “How many rejections can one guy take?”
“From me? The sky’s the limit, dude. What’s your hurry, anyway? Most guys I know run the other way when it comes to marriage talk. You sound like you’re in some kind of race to settle down.”
“It’s not like that,” he said. “It is that.” Especially after what he’d seen over there. “I’m tired of being alone, Nat,” he said. “I want to be someone’s husband. Someone’s dad, eventually.”
“Because you lost your own dad at such a young age,” she said softly.
“You’re probably right, Dr. Sweet. The happiest time of my life was when I was little, with my dad.”
“And now you want to recapture that by becoming a dad yourself.” She fiddled with the radio, stopping on a mellow Ingrid Michaelson song. “Hate to tell you this, but it probably doesn’t work that way. I wish it did, because you deserve it, Ross. You deserve some woman who will light you up for the next fifty years, and a bunch of kids to worry about.”
“Don’t forget the house with a white picket fence,” he said, chuckling. “And the dog. I’ve never had a dog.”
“Okay, now you’re getting greedy.” She fiddled with the radio dial again, this time opting for some rock song he didn’t recognize, with shouted lyrics. “It’s about damn time.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, turning down the volume.
“You’re always looking out for somebody else. It’s about time you wanted something just for you.”
“What I want,” he said, “is to help my grandfather. Tofigure out what’s really going on with him.” He told her what he knew of his grandfather’s condition.
She cried a little, yanking Kleenex out of her purse. “Damn it. That sucks. I can’t even tell you how much it sucks. I’m so sorry, Ross.”
“Thanks.”
“And you say he’s with some kind of private nurse?”
“Apparently.”
“Sounds kinky.”
“For his sake, I kind of hope it is.”
“You’re such a guy. And what about the rest of your family? Why are you the one who gets to go chasing after the old dude?”
Because he’s Granddad. Because I can’t stand to lose him . “Everyone assumes I’m the only one who can make him see reason. I think they’re expecting him to return to the city as soon as I talk some sense into him.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“Then I think the Bellamy population in this little town is likely to swell. I can’t believe Granddad never mentioned his brother, Charles, to me.” As Ross had hastily packed for the drive upstate, his mother had disclosed what little she knew of the situation. Charles Bellamy was younger than Granddad by about four years. They both went to Yale. And then, the year Granddad graduated from college, they parted ways and fell out of touch.
“How did Charles end up in Avalon?”
“My mother said he married a local girl and they ran some kind of camp or resort—her family’s business—on a seasonal basis. In the city, Charles had a career in law. Now they’re retired and live in Avalon. That’s about all I know.”
He grew quiet with anxiety as they crossed into UlsterCounty, heading west toward the Catskills Wilderness. The truth was, he was afraid for his grandfather. If the two brothers hadn’t spoken in such a long time, there had to be a huge reason for it. If that reason still existed, his grandfather could be in for a world of hurt.
Six
G etting started with a new client was, for Claire, a little like dating, only more one-sided. And maybe there wasn’t such a great payoff. But like someone embarking on a date, she found herself preoccupied with George, uncovering who he was, trying to figure out the nuances of his heart. In a weird way, she had a crush on him—not a romantic crush but an emotional one. The liking deepened into familiarity. She started to recognize his signals. She could tell when he
“You’re killing me here,” he said to her. “How many rejections can one guy take?”
“From me? The sky’s the limit, dude. What’s your hurry, anyway? Most guys I know run the other way when it comes to marriage talk. You sound like you’re in some kind of race to settle down.”
“It’s not like that,” he said. “It is that.” Especially after what he’d seen over there. “I’m tired of being alone, Nat,” he said. “I want to be someone’s husband. Someone’s dad, eventually.”
“Because you lost your own dad at such a young age,” she said softly.
“You’re probably right, Dr. Sweet. The happiest time of my life was when I was little, with my dad.”
“And now you want to recapture that by becoming a dad yourself.” She fiddled with the radio, stopping on a mellow Ingrid Michaelson song. “Hate to tell you this, but it probably doesn’t work that way. I wish it did, because you deserve it, Ross. You deserve some woman who will light you up for the next fifty years, and a bunch of kids to worry about.”
“Don’t forget the house with a white picket fence,” he said, chuckling. “And the dog. I’ve never had a dog.”
“Okay, now you’re getting greedy.” She fiddled with the radio dial again, this time opting for some rock song he didn’t recognize, with shouted lyrics. “It’s about damn time.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, turning down the volume.
“You’re always looking out for somebody else. It’s about time you wanted something just for you.”
“What I want,” he said, “is to help my grandfather. Tofigure out what’s really going on with him.” He told her what he knew of his grandfather’s condition.
She cried a little, yanking Kleenex out of her purse. “Damn it. That sucks. I can’t even tell you how much it sucks. I’m so sorry, Ross.”
“Thanks.”
“And you say he’s with some kind of private nurse?”
“Apparently.”
“Sounds kinky.”
“For his sake, I kind of hope it is.”
“You’re such a guy. And what about the rest of your family? Why are you the one who gets to go chasing after the old dude?”
Because he’s Granddad. Because I can’t stand to lose him . “Everyone assumes I’m the only one who can make him see reason. I think they’re expecting him to return to the city as soon as I talk some sense into him.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“Then I think the Bellamy population in this little town is likely to swell. I can’t believe Granddad never mentioned his brother, Charles, to me.” As Ross had hastily packed for the drive upstate, his mother had disclosed what little she knew of the situation. Charles Bellamy was younger than Granddad by about four years. They both went to Yale. And then, the year Granddad graduated from college, they parted ways and fell out of touch.
“How did Charles end up in Avalon?”
“My mother said he married a local girl and they ran some kind of camp or resort—her family’s business—on a seasonal basis. In the city, Charles had a career in law. Now they’re retired and live in Avalon. That’s about all I know.”
He grew quiet with anxiety as they crossed into UlsterCounty, heading west toward the Catskills Wilderness. The truth was, he was afraid for his grandfather. If the two brothers hadn’t spoken in such a long time, there had to be a huge reason for it. If that reason still existed, his grandfather could be in for a world of hurt.
Six
G etting started with a new client was, for Claire, a little like dating, only more one-sided. And maybe there wasn’t such a great payoff. But like someone embarking on a date, she found herself preoccupied with George, uncovering who he was, trying to figure out the nuances of his heart. In a weird way, she had a crush on him—not a romantic crush but an emotional one. The liking deepened into familiarity. She started to recognize his signals. She could tell when he
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