Between Friends by Kristy Kiernan Read Free Book Online Page A

gently.
    “I was thinking that maybe I’d get involved with the Explorers program again. Talk to the kids at schools, make an effort with them right at the age that I could really make a difference.”
    “Benny, I think that sounds great. Kids love you, they’ve always responded to you. You should definitely do that,” I encouraged. As frustrated as I’d been with him, now I was delighted to hear that he was interested in becoming more involved with kids.
    He shook his head and went back to cleaning the pool, pulling the skimmer back up and finding minuscule contaminants only he could see. “I’m going to look into it soon. Not just yet. I want to get back to some kind of schedule with what I’m doing now, you know? Be a presence out there. Get to know people again. Even things out. But it’s what I’m thinking about for the future.”
    I smiled at him. This was more the Benny I’d known, more the way our marriage had always been. The past two months were in no way representative of the bulk of our relationship. We were sweet to each other, and we’d talked about the future. I took a deep breath, relief working its way through me.
    “But you know, Al, what you said last night?” he continued.
    My hand halted midway to my wineglass. I hadn’t expected him to bring it up. I’d assumed I would. I’d assumed that I would be very understanding about this whole job thing, would move forward, embrace this change and be supportive. And then I would bring up the baby thing and he would be very understanding, embracing, and supportive back.
    “Yeah?”
    “I am not up for that. Not now.”
    “Hmm,” I said, swallowing a sip of wine, turning this over, figuring the best way to deal with it. I wasn’t ready to breach the tentative truce we’d seemed to be working on.
    “Ali,” he said sharply, and with that the stranger was back in the house.
    I looked up at him across the pool, this man I didn’t recognize.
    “I’m serious. I mean, that was a total shock. I had no idea you were even considering going through it all again. I don’t want another kid now. I don’t want another kid, period. Hell, Letty’s already fifteen in a couple weeks. What possesses you to want a baby now? Ten years ago there wasn’t anything I wanted more. I practically begged you, and you wouldn’t do it.”
    “So that means the subject is just closed?” I asked. “You get to make decisions, big, life-changing decisions, without my input at all, but I’m not allowed to even talk about this?”
    “I don’t need to talk about it to know that I don’t want to do it. How long have you been thinking about this, anyway?”
    I stood up. I wouldn’t get any further with him in this mood.
    “A hell of a lot longer than you thought about Todd Jasper,” I said. As I expected, he didn’t answer, and as I slammed the sliding glass door closed I could see him staring after me, the skimmer pole held before him like a shield.

LETTY

    The Thai was killer. The pad see eu was hot enough to make her sweat under her eyes, but it was hard to enjoy it. Something was obviously going on. Her parents weren’t really talking to each other, and her mom wasn’t talking to her at all. Her dad was, though. He was asking all kinds of questions.
    At least he wasn’t acting all angry like he had been lately. It didn’t really feel like he was interrogating her, like he knew they’d been in their room, but he was definitely getting at something.
    “So, big birthday coming up,” he said.
    “Um-hmm,” she said, taking a big gulp of cold milk.
    “Fifteen,” he said. “Wow. Time to get your permit, I guess.”
    “Yeah,” she said cautiously.
    “You sure are growing up,” he said, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe it, and looking pointedly at her mom, who totally ignored him.
    You have no idea, she thought, stifling a laugh.
    When the phone rang at eight like she and Seth planned, she jumped to get it.
    “Oh, hey, Em,” she said, then