Suddenly Psychic (Glimmer Lake #1)(35)

“It’s not… Don’t overreact, okay? I’m not saying he will.”

“Do you want him to leave?”

“No.” Robin shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s messy.”

“He’s messy?”

“Yes. He leaves socks everywhere. It’s annoying.”

“You’re willing to let go of a twenty-three-year marriage because he leaves socks lying around the house?”

Robin took a deep breath. “Maybe the question is, is it inevitable? Why am I holding on to it if it’s not working? Can anyone stay together for that long and still like each other?”

“It happens! Look at your parents. Or Val’s mom and dad. And what about me and Gil?”

She glanced at Monica. “I’m not talking about you and Gil. You guys were special.”

“No, we weren’t.”

“Yeah, you were.”

Monica turned on her rock to face Robin. “No. We were not. We got sick of each other too. You think having four kids that fast and that young is easy? We just went through our shitty stuff when the kids were young.”

“So what’s the secret?”

“The secret?” Monica huffed out a breath. “I don’t know that there’s a secret or anything.”

“Not helpful.” Robin took a deep breath. “Maybe—”

“Are you still interested in him?”

“Who, Mark?” Robin frowned. “He’s my husband. Of course I’m—”

“No, I mean… Imagine if you weren’t married to him. Would you still consider him an interesting person? If you were introduced at a party, would you be curious about him? About what he does and who he is?”

Robin opened her mouth. Shut it. “I think so. He does interesting work. He helps companies expand their platforms internationally, so he works with people all over the world and he travels quite a bit. And he really likes outdoor stuff. Camping. Hiking.” She shrugged. “Yeah, I think he’s an interesting person.”

“Good to know. Now, do you think you’re an interesting person?”

No.

The answer came to her so quickly she felt her heart sink. “I don’t…. I mean, how do you judge that for yourself? It’s impossible.”

“No, it’s not.”

“I don’t know, Monica.”

“Liar.”

“Fine.” Robin swallowed hard. “No. I’m not interesting. I’m practical. I’m always on time. I’m boring. I’m a boring, middle-aged mother of two with an antique shop and two kids who barely acknowledge me and a husband who can’t be bothered to look at my face when he walks through the kitchen in the morning.” She coughed to clear the lump from her throat and fought back tears. “Happy?”

“No. Because you don’t see yourself at all.” Monica slid her arm around Robin’s waist. “You’re a passionate, talented artist who runs a thriving business and doesn’t make enough time for herself. You’re generous to a fault, will do anything for your friends, and have raised two amazing children.”

Robin stared at the water. The sun was starting to sink, and the bugs were coming out, but the water was like a mirror, reflecting the forest and mountains that surrounded her.

“But I don’t think I’m interesting,” Robin said. “And you’re right. Why would Mark like me if even I don’t think I’m interesting?”

“You are not understanding me at all. I think he sees the same things I do. But you need to make it clear to him that you’re not fine.” She raised a hand quickly. “And don’t tell me you have because I know you haven’t. You are terrible at telling people when you need help. I have many theories about this, mostly revolving around your mother, but the fact is, Mark loves you.”

Robin raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Don’t give me that look. He does. I’ve seen him watch you when you’re not paying attention—which you do a lot, by the way. You get wrapped up in details, and you don’t pay attention. So pay attention to this: you need to make time for yourself, and you need to recognize how great you are.”

“But Mark and I—”

“Just shut up, because you’re alive.” She blinked back tears. “Both of you. You love each other and you’re alive. So fix things while you can, so you don’t lose something precious.”

Robin put her arm around Monica’s shoulders. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I shouldn’t waste time because I think my life is blah.”

“Your life is not blah! If you don’t recognize that, you’re going to end up pushing everyone away.”

Robin took a deep breath. “My life is not blah.”

“It’s not. On top of all the cool things I mentioned before, you see ghosts now. And that’s like the opposite of blah.”

“Do I though?” Robin looked around. “I’m not having much luck calling Billy.”

“Are you really calling him though?” Monica looked around.

“No. I mean, I don’t know how I’d call a ghost. Do you? The other times he just kind of showed up.”

“How to call a ghost…?” Monica pulled out her phone and tapped. “Okay, no, that’s about a weird malware thing in mobile phones.”