The High Season(49)

It wasn’t just that the house was something they created together, sacrificed for. It was that it was indeed everything, need and want and desire and safety, all the connective tissue that held her together.





27


AFTER THICK SLICES of toast and honey and a cup of coffee, Ruthie felt able to face the world. She took her second cup outside and sat by the pool, sipping carefully and watching the ruffling of the waves out on the bay. The heat felt like a blanket she wouldn’t throw off until October.

There were so few days in life that changed everything. It was always a surprise, the blow at the back of the knees that could come so fast you don’t even hear the whistle of the bat through the air.

She knew she’d made a fool of herself. She knew she’d been hard on Joe. She knew it was unfair to hate Mike, that he hadn’t cheated, but she couldn’t stop the wide, wild anger beating through her like the wings of a raptor.

Mike’s pickup jounced up the driveway. He got out and slammed the door. He saw her and stopped. He was wearing a new shirt, soft cotton that matched that perfect sky. She clutched her warm cup to her chest and kept her face turned away as he approached her.

“Is Jem ready?”

    “She’s getting dressed.”

“Good, it will give us a chance to talk.”

“I really don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“It’s better to just air it out, don’t you think?”

If she were hoping that Mike would look ravaged, or even unhappy, she was disappointed. He looked nervous, sure, but also…she could smell it if she leaned over, if she got away from the coffee steam, she could sniff it out…he was satisfied. She had had moments of hating Mike over the past years, moments of temptation when she wanted to kick him, or stab him with a fork. But not this. This was a whole other level of temptation. Murder. Mayhem. Truck torching. She ran over the possibilities in her mind. After all she was a woman with an ax.

“So, there’s a hole where the lilac tree was.”

“Wow. That’s terrible.”

“There was broken glass on the porch. Roberta got some in her foot.”

“So sorry to spoil the party.”

“Look. We’ve stayed friends. Really, truly friends. I want us to stay friends through this. I think we can do it. We’ve done it.”

“You’re not my friend anymore. You’re fired.” Ruthie placed her cup carefully on the side table. “Speaking of which, so was I.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I quit. But I had to. It was clear that I was being set up by Mindy and Gloria. Even Helen. That’s why I was looking for you.” She didn’t know why she was telling him. It wasn’t just because she wanted him to feel bad. It was that she needed so desperately to tell someone who understood. Mike had been through years of Belfry Museum politics.

Mike slowly sank onto the chair next to her. “Helen, too? That’s crazy. You should go to the full board.”

“That never works. Boards hate fights like this. The director always loses.”

“You could sue.”

    “Nobody sues. She’s going to tie me up with a nondisclosure and dangle the severance to make me sign it. That’s how it works.”

“Wow, I’m so sorry. There has to be something we can do.”

“Not your problem.”

“Of course it is—”

“If you say We’re family, this conversation is over.”

“Ruthie.” His voice was gentle. “I didn’t know. This is awful.”

“How could you know? That would imply that you’d answer my texts, or see me once in a while, instead of being so busy fucking our tenant.”

“Okay. Okay. We need to talk about it. But can we just…”

She shot forward so fast he reared back. “No, we can’t just!” she spit out. “There will be no qualifiers in this conversation. For once, we’re going to say it plain, without your Connecticut WASP evasions.”

He held up his hands, as if she were attacking him. “Can I remind you that we’re not married?”

“But we’re family, remember?”

“I didn’t tell you because it was so new, and it happened so fast. Why upset you if I didn’t have to?”

“Because it’s lying!”

Mike shook his head. “I’m sorry my moral compass isn’t as finely tuned as yours. It never was.”

“Compasses aren’t tuned, genius,” she said, and saw him flinch. “Does Jem know?”

“No.” Mike ran a hand through his hair. “Something is going on with her this summer. She’s become so secretive…Adeline thinks—”

“Excuse me, do I care what Adeline thinks?”

“—that we should expose Jem to new things, open up her world a bit, get her away from Meret that way. That’s why she invited her to Roberta’s. She’s a good person, Ruthie. She wants us all to be friends.”

“Really? What a swell idea.”

    An exaggerated sigh.

“We’re not telling Jem about you two,” she said. “This could all dissolve after Labor Day.”