Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
AINSLEY
“ S o, I had an idea today…”
We were sitting around the dinner table, bowls of soup steaming in front of us. Peter had been distant since he arrived home from work, but I hadn’t pressed the issue.
Whatever was bothering him, it would have to wait.
“What idea?” Dylan asked with a scowl.
“Well…” I picked up my spoon, then laid it back down nervously. “I was thinking it would be fun for all of us to go to the lake house next weekend.”
Peter’s eyes darted up to meet mine. Maisy munched timidly on a cracker, her stomach still queasy. For a moment, no one said a word.
Then, Riley said, “Why?”
I’d expected resistance. The lake house was more of a small cottage we’d bought several years earlier, splitting the cost with Seth and Glennon. It was small and outdated and in an area with not much cell phone service, but it had been a nice reprieve when we’d needed a break and couldn’t swing enough time off to take a proper vacation.
Now the house sat empty, mostly. We hadn’t been in over a year and Seth and Glennon hadn’t in even longer. Once, we’d talked about selling it, but that had been put off.
Now, I was grateful for that. I longed for the quiet evenings in the lake house, curled up in front of the fire, playing board games and making shadow puppets with the kids. Those days were long gone, I knew, but perhaps we could recreate them in some way.
“Well, I thought it might be nice to go before summer ends. You’ll all start back to school in just a few weeks, and we haven’t done anything during the break. We could grill out, just the five of us. Make s’mores and watch movies. It could be fun.” I watched them closely, trying to get a read on what they were thinking.
It was Maisy who spoke up first. “I’m supposed to be going to the movies with Bailey next weekend.”
“Yeah,” Dylan said, “and I have plans with Julie.”
“Plans?” Peter asked. “What plans?”
“We’re going to hang out,” Dylan said stiffly, picking at the food on his plate.
“I don’t have any plans,” Riley said—my saving grace. “I think it sounds fun, Mom.” He smiled up at me proudly, and I had to wonder what it was he wanted, but I didn’t want to push the issue.
“Yeah?” I grinned at him. “Good! Riley’s in, who else? Maise, can’t you reschedule your movie plans? Go a different day?”
She twisted her mouth in contemplation. “We haven’t bought the tickets yet… Can she come to the lake with us, at least?”
I looked at Peter. “Well, I suppose—”
“Yeah! And can Julie come, too?” Dylan asked.
“No,” Peter and I said at once.
“That’s not fair!” he whined.
“We haven’t said anyone can come,” Peter reasoned. “But you knew we weren’t going to agree to that.”
“She can stay in a different room! Come on, Dad, please?”
“Well, if Maisy and Dylan are having friends over, I want to bring someone, too!” Riley chimed in.
“No,” I said, cutting off the conversation sharply. “No. No one’s coming. No one’s bringing anyone. We’re going for family time. The five of us. That’s it.”
Groans were heard all around, but I took another bite of my soup, ignoring them.
“Come on, guys,” Peter said halfheartedly. “It’ll be fun.”
“Whatever,” Dylan groaned.
“Fine,” Maisy said.
“I guess,” Riley grumbled.
“Sounds good, babe,” Peter added, though he couldn’t hide the worried grin on his face.
I picked up my spoon again, wondering why I’d even bothered. Some part of me still longed for the family we’d once been. Before the secrets and lies. Before the kids grew up.
But we were no longer those people. I was no longer that woman.
The man across from me was no longer that man .
Could I bring them back? Or had too much changed after all?
If I gave up on them, what did that mean for our futures?