The New Husband(31)

Nina did not finish her sentence because, with the speed of a sprinter responding to a starting gun, Simon bolted from the bed and dashed into the bathroom, where more retching and splashing took place. He emerged minutes later looking utterly bloodless, wobbly as a top about to tumble. Nina gently led him back to bed, guiding him with a hand on his wrist, helping him onto the mattress, where he collapsed with a groan.

“That’s it. I’m canceling,” she said.

“No, don’t,” Simon protested without much conviction. Nina guessed he probably did not want to be home alone with Maggie, just as Maggie didn’t want to be alone with him.

There was some back-and-forth debating, but in the end Nina got her phone and made the call, disappointing her friends, who had not seen her since their last workout together.

“We’ll reschedule,” Nina said.

“I’ve heard that before,” Ginny said.

Nina had forgotten that it was the second time she had canceled plans with them recently. The other occasion was last week, when Simon’s car had broken down on the highway as he was coming home from grocery shopping. She and her girls were going to meet up for a movie night, maybe dinner after, but Simon needed rescuing twenty minutes in the opposite direction, with two hundred dollars’ worth of groceries in a hot car.

“Lately, it seems like there’s always something coming up with you,” Ginny said, sounding a bit sour. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

Nina held her tongue. She knew Ginny was dredging up old concerns that Simon had some weird character defect because of how quickly he had moved in on her after Glen was out of the picture. But it takes two to tango and Nina didn’t appreciate the insinuation that she was somehow being duped.

“I’m fine. Stop worrying,” she said. “I’ll make it up to you. Dinner on me next time.”

“We don’t want your money, love. We just want your companionship. Tell Simon to feel better soon.”

Ginny didn’t sound overly sincere, but Nina thanked her friend for the good wishes nonetheless, and ended the call.

Yes, she had chosen Simon over her friends, Nina told herself, but these things happened. Cars broke down. Plans got canceled. Nina’s parents, who had been married forty years, had taught her how it was the small sacrifices, made over time, repeated over and over again, that ultimately determined the health of a marriage. Knowing that Simon would have gladly made those simple sacrifices for her somehow gave Nina confidence that he wouldn’t soon be taking up with his version of Teresa.

Going forward, trusting men would never be completely easy for Nina, but thank goodness Simon at least made it possible for her to try.





CHAPTER 17


Four hours later, Maggie was asleep. She and Nina had watched a movie together, some film with actors Maggie knew and adored but Nina had never heard of. They ate popcorn with too much butter, tried to keep Daisy from cleaning the floor of dropped kernels, and shared a couple laughs, but it was not light and breezy as usual. An invisible wall had come between them, and the reason for that wall was upstairs recuperating in bed.

“It’ll be okay, sweetie,” Nina had said after giving a goodnight kiss to her daughter, trying to coax out whatever it was that Maggie wasn’t sharing—some new feeling, a new issue, something she was holding on to the way Daisy would a bone.

“Sure, Mom,” Maggie said, sounding sure of nothing.

After lights out—and a text from Connor confirming that Luke’s mom was fine with him spending the night—Nina went to check on Simon again.

He looked well, much better than at her last checkup. The color had returned to his cheeks; his eyes no longer had the glassy look of sickness. He sat upright in bed, wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt and reading, of all things, one of her glamour rags. It was not a magazine she remembered buying, but that wasn’t so surprising. She had spent a good chunk of time this past year in a perpetual daze, and only now was she starting to feel like her former self. Thank you, therapy.

“Someone’s looking better,” Nina said, coming to the side of the bed. She touched his forehead, and it was the perfect temperature.

“I was hoping for a fast-moving bug,” said Simon, offering a relieved smile. “Maybe I was sick at the thought of not being with you.”

Nina returned a playful eye roll. “You do know how to flatter,” she replied as she plopped down on the bed beside him.

“Thanks for sticking around tonight, and sorry again about ruining your dinner plans.” Simon sounded genuinely remorseful. “I’m sure Maggie appreciated it as well.”

“She did for sure,” Nina said, deciding not to get into her concern that Maggie’s anger and resentment were building.

“Emma never would have put my needs above hers.”

Simon’s comment caught Nina by surprise, especially because he delivered that remark quite nonchalantly. He seldom talked about his dead wife, Emma Dolan, and the reference to her, made as a passing thought, left her momentarily speechless. She opted to change topics rather than delve into his past.

“What are you reading that for?” Nina gave the Vogue magazine a gentle poke to indicate the object of her curiosity.

“TV was giving me a headache, and I couldn’t concentrate on real reading,” Simon said.

Nina’s look of indignation was intended to amuse. “Hey, I know many ladies who would take offense at that remark.”