Dancing in the Dark by Mary Jane Clark Read Free Book Online Page A

Larry?” Leslie sniffed. “Please, tell me you
believe me.”
    “I believe you have been through a terrible ordeal, Leslie. I also
believe that probably the very best thing you could do for yourself is
get back to work. Get your mind off everything. Take the weekend to
rest. But I want you to know, your job is waiting for you. Please come
back to the office on Monday morning, Leslie. It’s always been my
experience that work is the best therapy.”

CHAPTER 13
     
    What should have taken him just over an hour had taken him two and a
half in the late Friday afternoon traffic on the Garden State Parkway.
When he finally reached Ocean Grove, Jonathan had to spend another half
hour looking for a parking space. By the time he found one, unloaded
his gear, and walked the six hot blocks to their tent, he was
smoldering, physically and mentally.
    When he opened the screen door, there was no one inside the tent. Jonathan wasn’t sure if he was
annoyed or relieved. Was it too much to ask that after he’d sat in that
miserable traffic for so long his family be there to greet him? With
disgust he walked the few feet back into the cabin portion of their
tiny summer home and tossed his duffel bag down on the meticulously
made-up double bed.
    On the other hand, it was nice to have some time to himself, because
for the next week, he knew he would have virtually no privacy at all.
He and Helen and the kids would be tripping all over one another. And
he should probably forget about having any intimate time alone with his
wife. Helen would be worried that the children or the neighbors would
hear any sound they might make. That was another reason Jonathan hated
tent living.
    But Helen loved it, and the girls always seemed so happy and healthy
down here. What kind of a husband and father would he be if he deprived
his family of storybook summers like these?
    Another few steps took him into the minuscule kitchen area. He went
to the junior-size refrigerator, took out a can of Coke, and guzzled it
down. It wasn’t the icy beer he craved, but it would have to do.
Alcoholic beverages were not sold in Ocean Grove. Jonathan knew better
than to bring a case down with him. Helen wouldn’t hear of having it in
the tent. That was just the way it was.
     
    At least he had gotten her to agree to hire a babysitter and get out tonight. Last year they’d found a
dance place that served drinks in Bradley Beach. Their tenth
anniversary was coming up soon, and it would be great for them to get
out alone together for the evening. They needed to reconnect, and he
needed to blow off some steam. There were too many pretty girls with
lean, young bodies working in his office, and he’d been finding himself
admiring them a bit too much this summer.

CHAPTER
14
     
    Table conversation at the Mayfield home was a mix of Diane and
Emily’s trying to paint a bright face on the changed vacation plans,
Anthony’s vociferously expressing his displeasure, and Michelle’s
sitting in sullen silence as she pushed around the spaghetti on her
dinner plate.
    “Look. It’s not like you guys are being asked to go to boot camp or
something,” Diane said. “Do you have any idea how many kids would do
anything to have a vacation at the beach?”
    “Ah, Mom, give it up, will you?” Anthony shook his head. “Going to
the beach is okay, but we’ve gone to Amagansett lots of other summers. Been there, done that. I told my friends I was
going to the Grand Canyon, and now I’ll seem like such a dork. If you
ask me, the Jersey Shore doesn’t even come close to the Grand Canyon.”
    Diane’s patience was wearing thin. “You know what, Anthony? I am
sorry we aren’t going on the trip we were planning on. I really am,
honey. But if I want to keep my job at KEY News, I have to take this
assignment. That’s all there is to it. You just have to understand.”
She paused, concerned that what she was tempted to say next would wound
her son. But she decided to go ahead. Father in