Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
M andy was grateful for the leisurely brunch with her sisters and Billy.
She’d been looking forward to it, and the time went by too fast. When she got home, it was early afternoon, and she still had a few more hours before Cory would be bringing the kids back.
She puttered around in the kitchen, making a batch of stuffed shells for their supper.
It was one of the kids’ favorite meals, and she felt like pampering them a little.
She hoped their second weekend in the new place had gone okay.
She knew it had to be strange for them to get used to.
Once the casserole was in the oven, she made herself a cup of chamomile tea, settled on the sofa with Grams’s diary, and flipped it open. The next entry was two years later.
Dearest Diary, I know it has been a long time.
It has for me too. I never thought I would get over Jay.
I was just so sad for so long. But something lovely has happened.
I wasn’t expecting it at all, but I went to Nantucket with some friends a few months ago.
We went for the long Memorial Day weekend, and it was so much fun.
But the best part is I met someone special.
His name is Charlie, and he’s from there.
His family runs a boating business, deep-sea fishing and charters.
It’s a different kind of love than what I had with Jay. That was unique and special. But Charlie is so sweet, and I really enjoy his company. I think we could have a wonderful life together. He’s asked me to marry him and to move to Nantucket, and I said yes!
Mandy smiled, thinking of her grandfather.
He really had been a sweetheart, and he’d adored Grams. She read further on about her grandmother’s wedding and the big move to Nantucket.
And then the birth of her first child, Mandy’s mother.
When the baby was two, Grams had a visit that turned her world upside down.
Dear Diary, the most wonderful, shocking thing has happened.
Jay didn’t die. He was held as a prisoner of war, and as soon as he was released, he came to find me.
He’s so thin now, and he’s grown up so much.
I met him for coffee, and we both cried buckets.
It’s so unfair what happened to him, to us.
And of course, I feel horribly guilty for moving on.
But I truly thought he was gone. He doesn’t blame me.
He said he understands, but the pain in his eyes brought tears to mine.
He’s such a good man, and I loved him so much.
I still do. But Charlie is also a good man, and I love him too. We’ve built a life together.
Jay and I agreed to keep in touch. There’s no reason not to. He’s a dear friend, and we both care deeply about each other. I need to tell Charlie, but I don’t want to hurt him, so I need to be careful about this. He has nothing to worry about. I’ll never leave him.
Mandy found herself reaching for a tissue as the front door opened.
She closed the diary and smiled as the kids came rushing through the door.
She got up to meet them and looked outside.
Cory sat in his car, watching to make sure they made it inside.
He waved when he saw her, but he wasn’t smiling.
She guessed that her attorney had reached out to his and that he was surprised she was moving so quickly.
She gave a quick wave back and shut the door firmly behind her.
“Are you hungry? I made stuffed shells. Your favorite.”
“I’m starving,” Blake cried as he ran to hug her.
Brooke hung behind and gave her mother a quick hug when she finished with Blake. “Thanks for making the shells. We haven’t had those in a long time.”
“Put your stuff away, then come to the kitchen, and we’ll eat.”
Later that night, once the kids were in their pajamas and they were all relaxing on the living room sofa watching TV, Mandy asked about Cory’s rental to see how they felt about staying there. She hadn’t asked too many questions the first weekend, just if they’d had a good visit.
“How are you liking your dad’s new place?”
Brooke shrugged. “It’s okay. Dad took us shopping.
We went off-island to Target and got some stuff for our bedrooms. We picked out new comforters.
I got a pink one, and Blake picked out a purple one.
We got some new books too. It’s nice, but it’s weird sleeping there.
It doesn’t feel like my bedroom. You know what I mean? ”
Mandy nodded. “I do. I’m glad you got some new things though. That must have been fun. Did you go anywhere else off-island?”
“We went to McDonald’s. It was so good. I wish we had one here.”
Mandy smiled. The kids loved to go there when they went off-island, and Mandy didn’t think McDonald’s or any fast food restaurant would likely be approved on Nantucket. Every few years, companies tried and were always voted down.
“Mom, does Dad have a girlfriend?” Brooke asked.
The question shocked Mandy. She couldn’t imagine that Cory would be foolish enough to bring anyone around the kids so soon.
“What makes you ask that, honey?” Mandy tried to keep her voice calm.
“I heard him on the phone a few times talking to someone, and he was talking real soft and smiling a lot. It just seemed weird. I asked him, and he said of course not.”
“Well, there you go then. I’m sure it was just a friend.”
Brooke nodded. “That’s what he said.”
Brooke turned her attention to the new show that was starting, and Mandy wondered who Cory was talking to. He’d told her he’d just had a few flings, but could it be something more serious? Did her husband have a girlfriend?
Mandy felt a wave of emotion, a mix of anger and sadness and a steely resolve to move forward with the divorce, as soon as possible.