A Nantucket Wedding(44)

“Hey, sis.” Felicity entered the room, carrying glasses from other parts of the house. She put them in the dishwasher. “Want to take a walk on the beach?”

“Honestly, I was hoping to take a walk on the beach with Scott.”

“It looks like Scott is settled in for the night with the Red Sox and Patrick.”

“Yeah. That’s good, right? For the guys to get to know each other. Okay, yeah, let’s take a walk,” Jane agreed.

    “Good. I have something I want to talk to you about.”

“Should we tell the others we’re going?”

“No. Let’s just slip out the door now.”

They padded, barefoot, down the steps from the deck and through the low shrubs to the expanse of beach. The sand was cool beneath their feet. For a while as they strolled in and out of the lazy waves, they chatted casually. They laughed about the boys and their silliness. They agreed that Alice’s idea about a permanent accordion straw was brilliant, except it wouldn’t really work. People, especially children, would lose their straws down the backs of chairs and between seats in cars.

They were silent for a few moments, and then Jane inhaled deeply. “I talked to Scott about children and he’s being a real shit. We got into a terrible fight—in a restaurant, so I didn’t shout or throw things. It’s true, when we married we agreed we wouldn’t have children. But I’ve changed my mind. And Scott won’t even think about it. Honestly, he is so anal, so meticulous, so set in routine—”

“Pot, kettle,” Felicity said.

“All right, I am, too. I admit it. But you can’t do the kind of work we do without being fussy and exacting.”

“Okay, let’s think about this. Would you stop working if you had a baby?”

“Of course, for a while. Then maybe I’d work part-time. It means we won’t have as much money, but truthfully? We’re not paupers.”

“Not to get into details, and please don’t tell me how much money you make or I’m afraid I’d either kill you or drown myself right now, but could you live on only Scott’s salary?”

“Not in New York. Not the way we want to live. Believe me, I’ve thought about this. Plus, I’m not sure I want to work only part-time. I am sure I don’t want to stop working. I love what I do and I’m good at it. But when I see you holding little Luke after his bath, he smells so sweet, he’s just lovely, and Alice, well, she’s a pistol! Clever and beautiful. And I think, I want one of those.”

    As they turned back toward the house, Felicity wrapped one arm around Jane and hugged her. She was almost ready to burst into tears at the thought of her brilliant, super-smart, hard-shelled sister expressing such sweet emotions about Felicity’s children. Swallowing hard, she said, “But you know, Jane, it isn’t always like that. It’s never getting a good night’s sleep and worrying constantly and dealing with more vomit than you saw even at college frat parties.”

Jane burst out laughing. “Thanks for that image, Felicity! And please don’t say all this to Scott, not that he’ll ever talk to you or anyone about it. Okay, that’s what’s going on with me. It’s not going to be solved soon, if ever, but it helps to talk about it. Now, what’s your problem?”

“It’s Ingrid,” Felicity confided gloomily. “Noah’s secretary, assistant, whatever she’s called. Noah didn’t come here this weekend because the office was giving Ingrid a birthday party. I know she’s important for keeping his work on schedule, but she’s so possessive of Noah. Half the time, when I phone Noah, Ingrid answers and tells me he’s too busy to talk, she’ll take a message. I want to say, I’ll give you a message, bitch.”

“How old is she?”

“I’m not sure. Somewhere in her twenties, I guess.”

“So, young. Is she pretty?”

Felicity shrugged. “I’m way prettier. But yeah, I guess she’s okay-looking.” She abruptly halted in the sand. “Do you think Noah’s having an affair with her?”

“How could I know? You should talk to him about it. But also, you should google ‘office wife.’ That’s become a real phenomenon. Actually, it probably has always been a problem. I’ve heard about it for years. The office wife knows all the daily details and trials and successes the man goes through with work. She shares all the in-jokes the wife doesn’t even know about. She makes life easier for the man at work. Think about it. When he comes in for the day, she hands him his coffee, notices his new haircut, and says she’ll deal with the call to the unhappy lawyer. Or whatever. She protects him. She makes a sweet, comfy nest for her boss. That’s her job.”

    They began walking again. Felicity said, “I see. And when Noah comes home to me, he’s got two noisy children, a leaking bathroom pipe, and a pile of household bills. But how can I change that? Noah wanted children as much as I did. He even wants more.”

“I don’t know. Maybe you should get a sitter and go on a date at least once a week.”

“Yeah, we used to do that…good idea, Jane.”

“And maybe you should hire cleaning help, once a week, so you’re not so overwhelmed with housework. Maybe you could get out and treat yourself to a massage once a week, or a mani-pedi.”