Mending Fences by Sherryl Woods Read Free Book Online

himself demanded. She and Derek had discussed their mutual dislike of the man, but agreed to put it aside in the interest of neighborly harmony. Still, more and more they were keeping the contact to a minimum. She had her friendship with Marcie and the kids had their bonds, but recently the families maintained a more careful distance.
    Sometimes she worried that Marcie was aware of howshe and Derek felt, but it was the one subject they’d never discussed. She figured if Marcie had found some way to tolerate her husband’s demeaning behavior then it wasn’t Emily’s place to criticize him, any more than it was her place to question Marcie’s decision to build her entire life around her family, rather than building a separate identity of her own.
    “If you’re so tired, are you sure you’re up to dealing with Ken tonight?” she asked Derek point-blank. He usually had little patience with him when he was in a great mood.
    “I’ll just let him talk and tune him out,” Derek said. “Ken gives speeches. He doesn’t have conversations. That pretty much takes the pressure off me.”
    She grinned at him. “Sometimes I wonder how Marcie can stand the man, but she seems blind to his faults.”
    “Or maybe she’s learned to tune him out, too,” Derek suggested, a twinkle in his eye.
    Emily chuckled. “You are so bad.”
    “But you love me, anyway, right?” he said, turning to meet her gaze.
    “Yeah, I do,” she said. Lost in the depths of his eyes, for a moment she remembered all the reasons why…his wicked sense of humor, the way he could make her feel with just a glance, the solidity of his devotion. “I really do. That’s why I wanted to spend the evening out with you.”
    “Another time, I promise. When I get back from this next trip, things should slow down.”
    She accepted the promise, because she had no choice. “I’ll hold you to that.”
    “Go call the Carters, then, but tell them we’ll need to make it an early evening, okay?”
    “Sure,” she agreed, feigning enthusiasm. “I’ll see if they can come at six. Do you want time for a shower or should I just let you know when they get here?”
    “I’ll run up in a little while and grab a shower and be down in time to start the grill,” he promised. “Then you can sit back and relax.”
    Emily thought of the trip to the market she needed to make to pull off this impromptu gathering, the preparations required to stock the patio bar and have everything ready for the grill. She wasn’t Marcie, who could entertain at the drop of a hat. In her case, relaxation didn’t enter into it.
    At least, though, she could look forward to some adult conversation, even if it wouldn’t necessarily be with her husband.
     
    Marcie was on edge, though she couldn’t have said why. She was as comfortable at Emily’s as she was in her own house. Tonight, though, there was some kind of tension in the air that seemed worse than usual. Ken was trying too hard, as always, and Derek seemed to have less patience with him than ever. She’d even caught Emily rolling her eyes once behind Ken’s back. She’d almost called her on it, but she hadn’t wanted to start a discussion that might cause a real rift in their friendship.
    There were times when she felt almost as competitive with Emily as Ken obviously did with Derek, and she felt petty for feeling that way. Despite everything Marcie did to create the perfect home, it was evident that her own kids preferred being over here. They didn’t seem to notice the clutter or care that the meals were more often takeout than homemade.
    Right now they were all in the pool, shrieking at thetop of their lungs as they played some silly game they’d devised, mainly to torture the girls as near as she could tell. Ken had told them to pipe down twice now, but Derek and Emily seemed oblivious to the noise. She figured the shouts would last another two minutes before Ken blew a gasket and ordered Evan and Caitlyn out of the water