Waters Fall by Becky Doughty

Not having a fourth person determined which games they could play, and she thought there might be a problem when Felix really wanted to play one that required equal teams. But they compromised and played Sorry, a family favorite.
    “I don't think it's fair that a guy has to go back home if another one lands on the same square,” Felix muttered, having had his game piece sent home for the third time.
    “That's the reason it's called 'Sorry' Felix.” Leslie had no qualms whatsoever about booting someone else's piece.
    “Well, I don't get it. In Candy Land, we share the spot. In this adult game, we fight over it. Doesn't that say something about being an adult?”              
    “ Hm,” Nora murmured, nodding her head. “You know, I think you might have a point there.”
    “Yes. Yes, you do. In fact, I think I see it!” Leslie jabbed at the top of Felix's head. “Right there! It's poking through your hair! Disgusting!”
    “Cut it out! Mom, make her stop poking my head.”
    They read together on the sofa before bed every night, except when Nora didn’t get home in time. The latest book, a story about a stow-away on board a pirate ship, was full of adventure and mystery. Even though Leslie claimed she was too old to need a bedtime story, she enjoyed the tradition just as much as Felix did. So did Nora.
    She and Jake often read together in the first year of their marriage. He was an avid Tolkien fan, and she was happy to oblige, as Tolkien was a favorite of hers, too. She began reading out loud to her children when they were still in utero, and hadn't stopped since.
    Leslie and Felix poked their heads in the bedroom door and blew kisses at their father. He told them he loved them, and assured them he was feeling better already. “I'll be fine by morning, I promise. I just needed to rest today.”
    Nora said their prayers with them, tucked them in, and headed back to the living room to straighten things up for the night. She eyed the couch dubiously, realizing that she, not Jake, would be crashing there tonight.
    She was not sleepy at all, though, so she filled the kettle with water, and while she waited for the water to boil, she hurried out to her car to pull her case from the back seat; she would try to get some work done. By the time she got back inside, the kettle began to whistle, and Jake was at the stove turning the burner off.
    “Thanks,” she muttered. She didn't want to talk to him. She didn't want to look at him. She wanted this time for herself, for her work. She didn't want him around distracting her.
    Or making her feel guilty about this afternoon.
    Jake, in flannel pajama pants and a white tank top, reached up to pull out two ceramic mugs from the cupboard. Nora stared at the muscles in his shoulders gliding beneath his skin. When he set the cups down on the counter, the clinking sound jarred her out of her reverie, and she experienced a momentary twisted sense of deja vu. Any minute now, she almost expected a mug to go flying past her head and shatter on the floor.
    “What kind of tea are you having?” If he’d caught her staring, he didn’t acknowledge it.
    “I'll get it.” She didn't want him being nice to her, especially when he was wearing that shirt. He knew she liked it on him, and she thought perhaps he’d put it on for that very reason.
    “Don’t be silly. I'm right here,” he said, indicating the basket of tea bags on the counter beside him. “Which one do you want?”
    “Earl Grey, then. Real sugar.” She opened her portfolio and began spreading paperwork and prints out on the table top.
    “Are you going to stay up for a while?” he asked, pouring steaming water over the teabags.
    “Yes. I didn't get much work done today, and I can't afford to take any time off.”
    She could hear the tinkling sound of Jake stirring their drinks as she organized piles on the table. He brought her tea and set it at a safe distance from her papers, then pulled out a chair for