The Guest Cottage (18 page)

As the vessel slowed to a stop and a launch boat approached them, Sophie replied, “Yes,” but her thoughts were tangled.

T
revor decided he was not going to behave resentfully about Sophie going off with Hristo, even though that was certainly how he felt. He knew he had no right to be jealous. Plus, Sophie had been cooking delicious meals night after night and it was about time he returned the favor. He knew he couldn’t hope to compete with some Nantucket restaurant chef, but he wasn’t planning to compete. Given the amount of cooking she’d had to do, it would be nice for Sophie to come home to any kind of edible meal.

He called Leo into the kitchen. “Let’s make a Big Mixed-Up Rice for tonight.”

Leo clapped his hands. “Yeah!”

Totally by accident a couple of years ago, Trevor had, out of desperation, thrown into a pot of cooked brown rice everything in his refrigerator and freezer—cooked peas, a can of kidney beans, chopped red pepper, chopped onion, steamed broccoli and cherry tomatoes, and about a ton of grated cheddar cheese. Later, he was surprised to find an entree much like this at a vegetarian restaurant. Leo enjoyed grating the cheese. This puzzled Trevor, plus he was afraid his son would slice the tips of his fingers. He tried to prevent this by carefully enfolding each one of his son’s fingers in a Band-Aid. So far, Leo hadn’t cut his fingers. Perhaps it was the rhythmic, repetitive nature of grating that Leo liked. The boy had a system worked out: he carefully brought the block of cheese down against the grater, paused, and moved the cheese back to the top of the grater with a grave and exacting deliberateness that took forever and, frankly,
grated
on Trevor’s nerves. On the other hand, it was something he and his son could do together. While Leo grated, Trevor prepared the brown rice, steamed the broccoli, and chopped the other vegetables. Finally they tossed the mess together and stuck it into the oven to warm. Another good thing about this excellent recipe was that it would last for days, so if Sophie and her kids weren’t hungry, Trevor and Leo could have it tonight and there would be plenty left for tomorrow.

By the time they had washed their hands, Trevor was ready for a beer and Leo was eager to return to his Great Wall of China. It was almost six o’clock in the evening and he assumed his housemates would be home any time. He settled in the living room with a book, rather proud of himself as the welcoming aroma of warm cheddar filled the house. He had acquitted himself like an adult. Go, Trevor.

Suddenly, the front door flew open. Jonah stormed into the house, followed by an angry-looking Sophie, who was trailed by an anxious Lacey.

“Don’t walk away from me, Jonah,” Sophie yelled at her son. “What you did was just plain wrong.”

Jonah turned and aimed a death stare at his mother. “Yeah, and kissing a strange man isn’t wrong?”

“Oh, Jonah, it wasn’t like that.”

“I know what I saw. How do you think Dad would feel if I told him? You’re just lucky I didn’t call him instead of Grandma.”

Trevor’s nerves stood on end like a startled cat’s fur. “Excuse me, I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m here. I mean maybe you don’t want me listening in on this conversation.”

To his surprise, Sophie sagged against the wall. “What am I supposed to do? I mean, really,
what
am I supposed to do?”

With another deadly eye blaze at his mother, Jonah ran from the room, up the stairs, and into his own room.

Sophie leaned down to hug Lacey, who stood watching with a trembling lower lip. “Honey, don’t look so frightened. Everything is going to be okay.”

“But Daddy will be mad if Jonah tells him you were kissing another man,” Lacey said.

“No, I promise you it will be okay. It was just a European kiss. Really. Now please go upstairs and take a shower—no, take a nice warm bubble bath. That will make you feel better. We’re all so tired from so much fresh air and swimming.”

Lacey didn’t look convinced as she trudged away up the stairs.

Sophie rose and smiled grimly at Trevor. “I’ll bet you’re curious.”

Trevor could only dumbly nod.

“While Hristo was driving us home, Jonah got on his cell phone and called his father’s mother and invited her to come stay with us here. He said he hoped she would come soon because I was
cohabiting
with one strange man and I had been kissing another strange man.”

“You kissed Hristo?” As the image popped into his mind, a bolt of nausea hit Trevor’s guts. “In front of your children?”

“I need a drink.” Sophie turned her back on him and went into the kitchen.

Trevor followed. “What
exactly
happened?”

“What
exactly
business is it of yours?” Sophie snapped. Then she sank into a chair and buried her head in her hands. After a moment, she mumbled, “We haven’t told the children. I mean Zack and I haven’t told them that he’s in love with Lila. This time apart is to give him a chance to consider whether or not he really wants a divorce. Zack isn’t the most attentive father, but a divorce will upset and confuse Jonah and Lacey. So we agreed not to tell them, not yet, not until we returned from Nantucket.”

“Okay.” Trevor crossed the room and took a glass from the cupboard. “Let me get you some pinot noir.”

Sophie reached gratefully for the wine. After she had taken a sip, she continued, “Plus, I didn’t kiss Hristo. He kissed me. He just—kissed me. Then Jonah came up on deck.” She flushed a deep scarlet. “Poor Jonah. I was going to explain when we got home, but while I was sitting in the front seat of the car talking with Hristo, Jonah was in the backseat with Lacey, and he called Zack’s mother. By the time I realized what he was doing, he had already invited her to come visit, and before I could stop him, he told her he hoped she would come as soon as possible because of—oh, I could just gag.”

Pulling out a kitchen chair, Trevor dropped into it and studied Sophie’s face. After a moment, he asked, “So tell me about your relationship with Zack’s mother. What’s her name?”

Sophie closed her eyes a moment before she spoke. “Jeanette. Her name is Jeanette. She’s head of human resources at Hubcorp. Her husband’s an orthodontist. They have two daughters who are older than Zack, Gayle and Sherrie. They all adore Zack. They’re wonderful with Jonah and Lacey. Gayle owns a medical supply company and hasn’t married, and showers the kids with presents. Sherrie’s married to a geologist who teaches in Arizona, so we don’t get to see her and her family often, but when we do, everyone has a great time.” Sophie put her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand as she reflected. “To be honest, I’ve always felt closer to Jeanette than to my own mother. My mother is demanding and critical. Jeanette is nurturing and consoling. When my babies were born, my mother sent me books on how to raise good children. Jeanette brought us casseroles and fresh vegetables for weeks. The few times Zack and I have gone off to a conference, we’ve left the kids with Jeanette and Don. She takes them to movies and lets them eat too much ice cream. They adore her.”

Trevor tried to think his way through all this. Finally, he concluded, “So you have a good relationship with your mother-in-law. She likes you.”

“Yes, and I like her. I’d even go so far as to say we love each other. But Zack is her son. He is their golden child.” Again, Sophie closed her eyes, this time frowning as if to block out a vision of the future. “Of course Zack and I didn’t tell Jeanette and Don about our separation. We didn’t want to upset them. And I guess it is possible we won’t get a divorce.” Sophie opened her eyes and shook her head, smiling gently at herself. “Listen to me. My husband hasn’t called once in all the days I’ve been here and I still think we might get back together. I’m pathetic.”

“Hey, give yourself a break. You’re in a tough situation.” Trevor wanted to be—what was it Sophie had said?—
nurturing and consoling,
but more than that he wanted to know exactly what had gone on with Hristo. “So what happened with Hristo on the boat? Did Jonah catch you in the bedroom?”

“Heavens, no! Trevor, don’t be ridiculous! It was all very innocent and sort of, well, continental. We were coming into the harbor and we were standing at the stern and Hristo kissed my hand in that European way and then we kissed—but lightly, not in any passionate way.”

Trevor wasn’t certain he believed Sophie. She didn’t meet his eyes as she spoke, plus a blush rose up her cheeks. “That’s all Jonah saw?” To hide his intense curiosity, he bent to open the oven. He brought out his casserole and set it on the counter.

“Yes.” Sophie wasn’t paying attention to Trevor but caught up in her own thoughts. She stood up, and carrying her wineglass with her, walked around the kitchen. “Jeanette is coming here tomorrow. I’ve got to talk to Zack. I don’t want to be the one to call him, but I need to know what he’s told his mother. I certainly don’t want her to think I’m the villain here.” She stopped, tossed back a slug of wine, and murmured, “I suppose there is a chance Zack won’t want a divorce. But since he hasn’t phoned, I’ll bet that chance is slim.” She set her glass on the table. Speaking as much to herself as to Trevor, she said, “I’m going to do it. I’m going to call him now.” She left the room.

Trevor wanted to slam out of the house and run. When Leo was in preschool, Trevor took the opportunity to run or bike nearly every day for at least thirty minutes, fast and hard, pushing himself and letting the back of his mind deal with any problems while the front of his mind kept a lookout for cars, bikers, and other runners on the path. He wanted to run now, but it was time for dinner. Too bad about this problem of Sophie’s, he thought selfishly, grinning at his own egocentrism. Here he had fixed his marvelous Big Mixed-Up Rice and she hadn’t even noticed.

He walked upstairs. Standing in the middle of the long hall, he checked the doors on Sophie’s side of the house. Sophie’s bedroom door was closed and he could hear her murmuring. So she had probably gotten through to Zack. Jonah’s door was closed—he was probably playing a video game. Just then, Lacey opened the bathroom door and walked out, wearing her pink plaid pajamas, a cloud of steam surrounding her.

“Hey, Lacey,” said Trevor, “I’ve got a good casserole for you kids waiting in the kitchen. Would you get Jonah and I’ll get Leo and we can eat?”

Lacey glanced at her mother’s door and back at Trevor.

“I think your mother’s going to be on the phone for a while,” Trevor told her.

“I’m not stupid,” Lacey said defensively.

“Honey, that’s the last thing I’d say about you.”

“Jonah’s not stupid, either. We know something’s going on,” Lacey insisted.

Trevor looked stern. “Lacey, believe me, nothing is going on between your mother and me.”

Almost before the words were out of his mouth, Lacey grinned. “Well, duh, I know that. I mean something’s not right with Mom and Dad. It’s not just Mom kissing Hristo. It’s why we’re on this vacation. It’s why Dad hasn’t even called us to see if we’re having fun. I just wish they would tell us the truth.”

“I know, it sucks to be a kid. Parents think they’re protecting you but they’re really driving you crazy,” said Trevor.

Lacey looked surprised at his understanding. “That’s right.”

“Get Jonah and come on downstairs. Things will look better after you’ve eaten.”

Her satisfaction with his depth of comprehension faded. “That’s what parents always say.”

In the privacy of her bedroom, Sophie picked up her cell phone and tapped Zack’s mobile number. Then she pressed “End.” She didn’t want to be all emotional and pathetic about the situation. She wanted to comport herself with some dignity. She had a pretty good sense, anyway, of what was going on with Zack. If he hadn’t called in all these weeks, he probably wasn’t desperately missing her.

She performed a few calming actions: used the bathroom, washed her hands, and combed her hair. Her reflection in the bathroom mirror showed a young woman with a glowing tan, and tousled, sexy blond hair. Those pale pink lips? They had just been kissed by a wealthy European. She smooched her reflection in the mirror, and feeling more confident, returned to the bedroom.

When she heard her husband’s voice, she lifted her chin bravely and announced, “Zack? It’s Sophie.”

“I gathered as much from my caller ID,” Zack responded dryly. “What’s up?”