Marking Time (2 page)

Prominent City Architect Welcomes Double Delivery

NEWPORT—(August 27) It’s not every day that twins interrupt their parents’ wedding, but that’s what happened Tuesday.

Jack Harrington, co-owner of the Newport architectural firm Harrington Booth Associates, and his wife Andi welcomed twin sons, John Joseph Harrington IV and Robert Franklin Harrington. The twins arrived in the midst of their parents’ wedding at the Infinity Newport Hotel where their mother is the general manager. The hotel, which opened in December, was designed and built by Harrington Booth Associates.

“We thought we were just having a wedding, but I guess the babies didn’t want to miss it,” said Jamie Booth, Mr. Harrington’s business partner and brother-in-law. Mr. Booth is married to Mr. Harrington’s sister, Frannie. The Booths are also the parents of twins, one-year-old Owen and Olivia. “Andi and the babies are doing great,” Mr. Booth reported.

The new twins are the grandsons of John and Madeline Harrington of Greenwich, Conn., Betty Franklin of Chicago, Ill., and the late Robert Franklin. They join sisters Jill, Kate, and Maggie, and a brother, Eric.

Clare read it a second time. It was still so hard to believe that Jack was now married to someone else and had twin babies with her—twin sons, no less. And it was splashed all over the news. Anyone who didn’t already know she and Jack had recently gotten divorced did now.

Knowing how much her daughters loved babies, she could imagine their delight with their new brothers. No doubt she would hear all about it when they came to visit. Thinking back to the girls being born brought a smile to Clare’s face. Jill had just turned nineteen and was beginning her sophomore year at Brown University in Providence. Kate would be eighteen in November, and they had agreed to let her go to Nashville for a year after her birthday to pursue a career in country music. And Clare’s “baby,” Maggie, would be thirteen in December.

Clare reached over to the table next to the sofa to pick up the book Frannie had left. She had spent a few days working up the courage to look at it, and now the curiosity was overwhelming. Opening the book, she flipped to the first page, taking comfort in the familiarity of Frannie’s precise penmanship. The first item was dated June 20.

It’s late and the girls are finally in bed. They were wound up today—the last day of school. We now have an 11th grader, a 10th grader, and a 4th grader. I’m thrilled to see them excited and happy for a change. It’s been a while.

July 26

Jack sits by Clare’s bedside hour after hour, day after day. He talks to her until he’s hoarse and weak with fatigue. I look at him and wonder how he’ll ever live without her. But he’s not ready to think about that. I don’t know if he’ll ever be.

Clare brushed a tear from her cheek and read several entries about the girls’ activities that summer. Jill had babysat for a neighborhood family, and Kate had gone to sleepaway camp for the first time. They went to the beach a lot, and Jamie took them out on the sailboat he owned with Jack.

August 19

Jill is sweet sixteen today, and it’s her first birthday without her mom. She was weepy during the day but enjoyed the party we had for her after dinner. The nurses who care for Clare have become part of the family, and Jill invited them to have cake with us.

Enough, Clare thought as she closed the book and wiped her tears. That’s enough for today.

J
ack brought Maggie in for a visit, and she burst into the room, chatting a mile a minute while her father hung back.

Clare hugged Maggie and waved him in as her heart hammered.
How long will it take for that to stop?
Tall with thick dark hair and gray eyes, he looked exhausted but happy. In fact he looked terrific, but then he always did. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” he said. “How are you?”

Before Clare could answer, Maggie picked up the stream of chatter again in an obvious attempt to offset the awkwardness between her parents. She had gotten tall over the summer, and her sleek dark hair—so much like her father’s—hung down her back. “You’re not going to
believe
who showed her face at the beach today.” Maggie rolled her blue eyes as her parents looked on in amusement.

“Who?” Clare asked.

“Hailey Harper. Ugh, we’re all so
over
her. After what she pulled in school last year…” Maggie shook her head with disgust.

“Maggie, be nice,” Jack said.

“Whatever. She’s the one with the problem. Hey, can I get ice cream?” Her eyes lit up, and Hailey was forgotten.

“Sure.” Jack took a ten-dollar bill from his wallet. “Get Mom some, too.”

“Rocky road?” Maggie asked Clare.

“But of course,” Clare said with a smile. “Thanks.”

“Whew,” Jack said as Maggie flew from the room, headed for the hospital cafeteria. He came in to sit with Clare. “She’s a whirling dervish these days.”

“She always was.” Clare noticed his new platinum wedding ring and wondered what he’d done with the gold one she’d given him. “Some kind of excitement for you this week. Everyone’s doing well?”

“Yes, but I haven’t slept in four days,” he said with the wry grin that was all Jack. It had never failed to stop her heart. “The one-two punch is something else. It’s nonstop.”

“I can only imagine.” Clare forced herself to be cheerful. “And Andi? She’s well?”

“She’s tired and sore, but she’s doing fine, considering she’s had no sleep and seems to be feeding one baby or the other around the clock.”

“Hell of a honeymoon, huh?” Clare joked.

He smiled and shrugged.

“Please pass along my congratulations to her, too.”

“I will. So how are you doing?”

“Apparently, well enough to go home.”

His eyes lit up with delight. “Really? When?”

“They’re saying early September.”

“Wow. That’s great, Clare.”

“I suppose so.”

“You don’t sound happy about it.”

“I am.” She brushed some imaginary lint off her jeans as she stole a glimpse of him.
God, he’s gorgeous
. He always had been, from the day they met on Block Island twenty-two summers ago.

“We need to get the house ready,” he said. “I’ll send some guys over to adapt the downstairs bathroom and set you up with a bedroom on the first floor until you can manage the stairs.”

“You don’t have to do that. I can take care of it. You’ve got enough going on.”

“Let me handle it. It’s no trouble at all.”

Knowing he had easy access to what she needed done to the house, she nodded. “Okay. Thanks.”

“Remember what I told you—whatever you need. You only have to ask.”

“This is so weird,” she said softly, giving voice to the tension between them. They’d been divorced for only two weeks, and he was already remarried with new twin babies. It boggled the mind.

“It probably will be for a while, but it’s bound to get easier. For both of us.”

“I hope so. We have to stay focused on the girls, especially Maggie.”

“Always.” He reached over to squeeze her hand.

Maggie came in juggling two dripping cones. “Hurry, Mom, it’s running.” She thrust the cone at Clare and handed Jack his change.

He stood up. “I need to get back. When we left, the babies were sleeping, but that never lasts long. Kate will be by to get you in a little while, Maggie.” Hesitantly, he bent to kiss Clare’s cheek. “I’ll be in touch about the house.”

“Thanks, Jack.”

“It’s no problem. See you later, Mags.”

After he had gone, Clare turned to Maggie as they licked their cones. “So tell me about the babies. It’s so exciting, huh?”

Her face lit up. “Oh, God, Mom, they’re
unbelievable
. They have shiny black hair and these tiny scrunched-up faces…” She trailed off and went back to her cone.

“It’s okay to be excited about your new brothers, honey.”

Maggie’s cheeks colored. “I don’t mean to be insensitive.”

Clare was amazed by her youngest daughter’s sudden maturity. She’d left behind a little girl three years ago and had returned to find a young woman. At times like this, the metamorphosis was startling. “You’re not being insensitive. You have two new baby brothers. Of course you’re thrilled.”

Maggie brightened. “They’re awesome.” She bit into her cone. “Actually, I have three little brothers now.”

“I know.” Clare had heard all about Maggie’s close bond with Eric, Andi’s son from her first marriage. Maggie had learned sign language to communicate with the hearing-impaired boy and was now almost fluent.

“Dad’s adopting Eric.”

“That’s a nice thing for him to do.”

“He doesn’t know his own father, so Dad’s like his dad already.”

“He’s just making it official,” Clare said with a smile.
Oh, how this hurt
. Jack’s life was all set, and hers was in shambles. She reminded herself that it had been her decision to let him go. Now she just had to find a way to live with it. “So the doctors are sending me home in about two weeks.”

Maggie’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

Clare nodded. “I’m hoping you’ll want to spend some time with me
.
”
I sound so pathetic
.
How will I ever compete with three new brothers?

“I’ll come to your house to catch up on my sleep,” Maggie teased.

Clare laughed and finished her cone. “Oh, I see. You’ll be using me?”

“Definitely.” Maggie giggled. “So Dad bought a house on Ocean Drive.”

Kate and Maggie had been staying with Jack and Andi at the hotel since the babies were born. He had moved out of what was now Clare’s house just before their divorce became final. “Did he?”

“Yeah, some gray place, gray house or something,” Maggie said with a shrug.

“Oh, Gray Hall.” Clare had been a Realtor before her accident and was well aware of the estate. “That’s a great old house, right on the water.”

Maggie rolled her eyes. “Of course it is. You know how weird he is about that.”

“Yes, I do,” Clare said, smiling at Jack’s need to live on the water.

“Anyway, I guess we’re moving in at the end of next week. Living at the hotel is getting kind of old, and they want to get settled with the babies and all.”

“I can imagine they do. When I get home, we’ll work something out so you can spend time with both of us, okay?”

“Sure. I’m glad you’re getting to come home.”

“Me, too. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

The door opened, and Kate came in. Clare was always amazed at how much her middle daughter resembled her, with the same unruly blonde hair and bright blue eyes. It was like seeing herself at eighteen except Kate had Jack’s height, which gave her a coltish stride as she crossed the room to plant a kiss on her mother’s forehead.

“What’ve you been eating, brat?” Kate asked her sister. “It’s all over your face.”

“Don’t call her that, Kate,” Clare admonished, sending an empathetic smile to Maggie.

“That’s okay, Mom. I’d fall over and die of shock if she called me Maggie.”

Kate’s eyes twinkled. “Really? Maggie, Maggie, Maggie. Damn, it didn’t work.”

“Ha-ha,” Maggie said, using a wet paper towel to wipe the ice cream off her face.

“I see some things never change,” Clare said, delighted by her girls.

“Mom’s coming home the week after next,” Maggie told her sister.

“That’s great! I’m glad you’ll be home for a while before I leave.”

Clare nodded. “Me, too.” She didn’t like to think about Kate’s impending departure for Nashville. Jack had made that decision before her recovery, and he had convinced Clare to give it a try for a year. He had promised her he would see to all the details, including making sure Kate had a safe place to live. Clare was glad she had a couple of months yet before she had to deal with that.

“Sorry, Mom, but we’ve got to go,” Kate said with a kiss to her mother’s cheek. “I’m working tomorrow, so I need to hit the sack.” She had been playing the guitar and singing at the Infinity Newport Hotel’s outdoor bars all summer.

“That’s okay. I’m glad to see you, even just for a minute.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Maggie promised, kissing her mother good night.

“I’ll look forward to it.” Clare waved as the door closed behind them. Watching them go, she was hit by a sense of panic, wondering if they felt closer now to their stepmother than they did to her, wondering if she’d ever get back the close bond she’d shared with each of her daughters.

November 22

Today is Thanksgiving, and my goal is to help the girls remember all the many blessings of their lives, despite their loss. Mother, Dad, Jamie, and his parents are coming for dinner, and I hope having them here will help Jack. I feel Clare’s absence so acutely today. The holidays were her favorite time of the year, and she always made them special for the rest of us. Just getting out of bed to face this day took effort for me. I can’t imagine how Jack and the girls must feel.

January 1

I don’t know when I’ve ever been so glad to say good-bye to a year! Jill and Kate were invited to a slumber party for New Year’s Eve, and I encouraged them to go. It’s good for them to spend time with their friends. After Maggie went to bed, Jack and I tied one on and watched the ball drop at Times Square. When I looked over at him at midnight, there were tears running down his face. His pain is so intense. Christmas was a horror show around here. They didn’t want a tree or decorations. I tried to cajole them, but Jack told me to let it go. No one was in the mood.

The phone rang, startling her. Clare set aside the journal and took a deep breath to calm her emotions before she answered.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Clare. It’s Janice Hayes.”

“Hi, Janice. It’s so nice to hear from you.”

“How are you?”

“I’m actually getting ready to go home. One more week.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful news! Cooper and I have been keeping tabs on you.”

Cooper Hayes had been Jack’s attorney for years. The four of them had socialized on many occasions, and he’d handled their divorce. It was nice to know she hadn’t been forgotten by her old friend. “Thank you, it’s good to hear your voice.”