The New Husband(45)
If Maggie was moved in the slightest by his apology, she said nothing. She would not, or could not, make eye contact with him.
“Believe me, if I could take it back I would,” Simon added. “The last thing I want is to make you feel bad or put more distance between us. More than anything I want you to think we can be friends.”
“I don’t even see how it was so embarrassing for you,” Connor chimed in mockingly. “Everyone knows you’ve been kicked out of your friend group, and news flash, they don’t care.”
“They were laughing at me,” Maggie said defensively. “You weren’t there. So shut up.”
“Connor, stop it,” Nina snapped. “You don’t get to weigh in on how your sister feels. And Maggie, don’t tell your brother to shut up.”
“Look, I apologize, profusely,” Simon said. “Did you get any mean text messages or see any posts about it?” He seemed worried that he had made a bad situation even worse.
“No.”
To Nina’s ears Maggie had responded too quickly, almost defensively, like she had seen or heard something upsetting but for whatever reason did not want to share it with the room.
“And Simon, I’m sure your intentions were noble, but nobody likes being singled out, and it’s especially difficult for middle schoolers who are just coming into their own. You, of all people, should know better.”
Maggie seemed to perk up a bit at Nina’s rebuke. She had used the same stern tone she took whenever Glen wouldn’t help with bedtime, or clean up after dinner, or any number of occasions when he’d failed to live up to his end of the marriage bargain.
“I honestly didn’t think anyone would connect it to Maggie,” Simon said. “But I can see now how they did and how counterproductive it was. Again, I’m really sorry.”
“Well, thank you for the apology,” Nina said. “But I’m not the one who counts. Maggie, do you accept?”
Maggie gave a shrug, which was good enough for Nina to continue.
“The reason I called a family meeting is because we’re all going to have to do something to make things better around here. All of us.”
Nina directed her attention to Connor, who was notorious for not pulling his weight around the house. The multiple chore charts that had come and gone over the years would have made a stack as thick as a novel.
“I can’t do this alone,” she continued, “so if you have any grievances, issues, or complaints, then let’s get them out in the open right now. Because, like it or not, tomorrow I’m getting up in the morning and going back to my job, and after that I’m going to come home to you children, and to Daisy and Simon, and I could really use your support.”
“I come after the dog?” Simon said, mock-offended.
Nina was in no mood to banter. “We need to be a team,” she added. “So, starting tomorrow, what is everyone going to do to make things better around here? Hmmm? Who wants to go first?”
For a few tense moments, nobody spoke. Even Daisy clued in to the escalating tension and departed the living room for a less fraught location. It was Connor who broke the silence.
“I’ll do the recycling,” he offered. “And I’ll walk Daisy, every day after practice.”
Nina arched her eyebrows, impressed. “Okay,” she said. “That’s helpful. Simon?”
“No more speeches at school assemblies for me,” he said.
Connor chuckled, while Nina did not look particularly amused, and Maggie sat stone-faced, her gaze elsewhere.
“Too soon?” Simon read the room correctly and quickly shifted gears to a more serious response. “It’s one thing teaching kids, and it’s another living with them. I have no experience in that regard. To make things easier I will from this moment and forever more keep home stuff and school stuff as separate as church and state. That’s a promise.”
“Sound good to you, Maggie?” Nina asked.
“Whatever,” Maggie said, somehow upping her attitude a few degrees.
“Maggie, can you promise to try to get along with Simon?” Nina pleaded. “At least not be so hostile? We are all adjusting here, so I’m not coming down on you. I’m merely asking if you’d be willing to try harder.”
“Whatever. Sure.”
It was a better response than Nina expected.
“And you need to load the dishwasher every night after dinner,” Nina added, pushing her luck. Maggie’s next “Sure” and “Whatever” were barely audible.
“What about you, Mom?” Connor asked.
“Me?” Nina sounded taken aback. “I do enough for you all that I’m exempt here. I’ve earned the right to be a diva. Meeting adjourned. I’d say we should hug it out, but I don’t think we’re quite ready for that. However, I’d like Maggie and Simon to shake hands. We need to move on from this.”
Nina was impressed with herself. Only a week on the job and already her conflict-resolution skills were sharp as ever. Even so, she worried; always worried. Damn Glen. Damn Teresa. Would she forever have to smooth over these conflicts at home? When could she stop worrying about blending her old life with her new one? Glen’s behavior had made her suspicious, cost her that easy trust in people, had made her wonder if there was any truth to her daughter’s accusations about Simon—the dark look, the trip, and now this assembly business. Could it be that she had brought trouble into her home?