The New Husband(50)
A slim shadow crossed Dr. Wilcox’s face. “Of what?”
“Ovarian cancer for his mom, and a heart attack for his dad a few years after. Simon says his dad died of a broken heart.”
Dr. Wilcox’s tight smile acknowledged the bittersweet sentiment.
“What about other family?”
“He was an only child,” Nina said. “And I think there was animosity with extended family on both sides after his parents died. Bad blood from settling two estates. He hasn’t been in contact with any of them for years, and he doesn’t talk about it much.”
“Not the first time that’s happened. Death is easiest for the deceased. What about his past relationships? Do you know much about them?”
“No. Allison, his first wife, ran off, Emma killed herself, and that’s all I know.”
“Any photographs?”
“Of Allison, no,” Nina said. “After she left him, Simon had a meltdown of sorts and burned all their photographs, thinking that would somehow ease his pain. All gone. Up in smoke.” Nina raised her hands as though they were the smoke rising.
“And Emma?”
Simon might have had a photo album with Emma’s picture in it, or a digital archive somewhere, but she imagined how that conversation would go:
“Hey sweetie, do you have photos of your dead wife I could look at? I’d like to have a peek at her. Get to know her because—well, well…”
She didn’t find it unusual that Simon hadn’t shared Emma’s picture with her. It wasn’t like Nina went around flaunting photographs of all her ex-boyfriends for Simon’s benefit. Sometimes the past was the past, and opening doors served no purpose other than opening wounds. Emma’s death had shattered Simon, and she could think of no good way to explain why she wanted him to relive that pain.
Nina explained all that for the benefit of her therapist.
“I see. No wonder you’re feeling … unsettled. You have the stresses surrounding Glen and now a new man in your life who isn’t a completely clear picture to you. It’s difficult to know where his insecurities about your job, time with your friends, and all that come from, which naturally would bring up questions for you. I think you should come in together, or it would be fine if you want to find a couples counselor for a fresh start on your own. Either way, there are concerns here worth exploring in depth.”
Nina folded her hands on her lap, no doubt a defensive posture, because Dr. Wilcox had just sunk an arrow into the heart of the matter. It was all about trust—trusting herself, trusting a new man who had been nothing but kind to her and the children. Wendy Cooper had been a mirror of sorts, and thanks to Dr. Wilcox, that reflection was now a bit clearer.
On her drive home, Nina ruminated on her session. Now that she was seeing things more clearly, a thought struck her hard. It was understandably hard to trust fully in the face of so many questions, so much missing information. Maybe, to Dr. Wilcox’s point about unresolved feelings, it wasn’t just Simon she had to better understand, but Glen as well. Maybe clearing that ghost would make it easier to clear the way for a new beginning with Simon.
Wendy had gone to great lengths to show Nina how capable she was at mothering compared to Michael, whom Nina would observe with Chloe and Chase at some point in the coming weeks. Had Nina gone to similar lengths to show herself as the more competent parent—the parent to seek out for approval, direction, and affection? Had Glen come to resent her for it? Who knows?
But the question did leave Nina wondering. What if Glen had confided in Teresa about his wife? Was it possible something he had shared might give Nina answers about his thinking back then, some concrete reasons for his erratic and completely uncharacteristic behavior? She had to know, desperately wanted to know, what role she had played, if any, in his destructive choices.
She thought of calling Ginny or Susanna to talk it through but didn’t want to get an earful about the latest plans she’d canceled on them.
But there was another call she could make.
Pulling over on the side of the road, Nina used her phone to look up the number of the Muddy Moose. It was worth a shot, she told herself. Maybe she could track down the woman at the center of it all and get herself some real answers.
A female voice answered her call. Nina presented herself as a friend of Teresa’s who had just moved back to town and wondered if she knew how she might get in touch with her.
“Well, you could show up here Monday afternoon,” the woman said. “Teresa’s scheduled to work. Can I tell her who’s calling?”
Nina couldn’t believe her ears. Teresa was “gone, gone,” from what the bartender had told her way back when, as in never coming back to Carson.
She had called the Muddy Moose thinking she might get a lead on the waitress’s whereabouts, not her damn work schedule. Could she be back with Glen? Had Glen emerged from the shadows to resume living his double life? Is that what had pulled Teresa out from wherever she’d been hiding? Nina’s pulse spiked, pondering the possibilities. A plan formed in her head, one that cut through the initial confusion with razor sharpness.
“No need to say who’s calling,” Nina said. “Better if it’s a surprise.”
CHAPTER 27
Nina rose creakily on Saturday morning, hardly believing Monday would start her second full week on the job. Even though everything ached and had stiffened during the night, her mind revved up immediately. Jumbled thoughts of case files, forms, general worries for her clients—including the two young people who had required emergency admission into a treatment facility for their drug dependence—should have been overwhelming, but instead she was completely, almost euphorically, energized. She loved the job. The joy she got from serving others, making a real difference in people’s lives, made her feel hopeful and renewed in ways she’d thought lost to her.