The Husband Hour(61)

“Stephanie, I just told you, I don’t know.”

“He hasn’t said anything about it to me.”

“Why would he?” Lauren said. Yes, Stephanie and their father had always been close, but that didn’t mean he would confide in her about his marital problems.

“I really thought he’d be back by now. They’re basically spending the summer apart.”

“It’s only the beginning of July.”

“Do you think they’re going to get divorced?”

Lauren was surprised to see Stephanie this worked up. She so rarely seemed to think of anyone except herself. But Lauren supposed it was true what people said: no one, no matter how old—or, in Stephanie’s case, how self-absorbed—wants to see her parents split up.

This, at least, was something she and her sister had in common. But she didn’t want to discuss it in the middle of a crowded party. Across the deck, Henny spotted her and waved.

“I’m going to say hi to a friend,” Lauren said. She looked down at Ethan, touching his shoulder to get his attention. “Are you hungry?”

“Do you know a lot of people here?” Stephanie asked, staying close to Lauren as she weaved through the crowd.

“Some. Most of these people are regulars from the café.”

“Who do you spend time with all winter long?” Stephanie asked, as if it had just dawned on her that Lauren actually lived in this town.

“My friends,” she said defensively. Lauren had no interest in introducing Stephanie to Henny or April, knowing how odd her sister would find it that her friends were all thirty years her senior, divorced or widowed and living alone. Lauren’s fate mapped out by association. “Come on, I need food.”

They followed the crowd to a line forming at the barbecue that was manned by…Matt?

“What’s he doing here?” Stephanie said, stopping in her tracks.

“He rented a room from one of Nora’s friends. She must have invited him.”

Lauren hadn’t seen him since the day of the second interview, weeks ago. She’d gone into that conversation reluctantly, but once she’d started talking to Matt, it felt surprisingly painless. Matt hadn’t pushed her to discuss Rory’s head injuries. She’d been able to bring up some good times—stories about the Rory she wanted the world to remember. And when she got home that night, she felt lighter, unburdened. It was like free therapy.

She felt so positive about it, in fact, that she’d texted him the following morning to see if he had gotten everything he needed during the interview. He wrote back that she’d done great and that he was leaving for New York for a “family obligation.” And then, nothing.

Since then, she’d tried to put the film out of her mind, but she found herself thinking about Matt a lot, wondering if he would contact her again.

Now, apparently, he was back.

Matt gave her a friendly wave.

“I’m really not in the mood for this. I’m going home,” Stephanie said.

“What? No. We just got here. Go get something to eat. I’ll keep an eye on Ethan.”

Stephanie hesitated and then walked back inside the house. Lauren took Ethan by the hand. “What do you like better, hamburgers or hot dogs?”

The line for food moved quickly. When it was their turn, Lauren felt herself smiling shyly.

“Hey there! Happy Fourth,” Matt said. His time away from the beach showed in his pale face.

“Happy Fourth. When did you get back?”

“Just yesterday. I didn’t mean to surprise you.”

“Oh, not a problem,” she said.

Ethan stared at the hot dogs with longing. Matt, with his filmmaker’s eye, didn’t miss a thing. He quickly stuffed one in a bun. “Hey, buddy. Mustard and ketchup right in that corner.” He handed it to Ethan.

“Gran says hot dogs are bad for you,” Ethan said, looking up at Lauren.

“Just one won’t hurt,” Lauren said with a wink. She was an aunt—she was allowed to indulge him, right? Aunts were just a notch down from grandmothers in the kid-spoiling hierarchy.

Stephanie marched over, glaring. What, did she have a problem with hot dogs too?

“Ethan, come with me. Someone brought a puppy and it’s out front,” she said.

And then Lauren realized Stephanie’s dagger eyes were aimed at Matt.



Beth, at Nora’s invitation, joined her in the kitchen for a glass of sangria. The table was covered with Beth’s trays of doughnuts. Nora had already tried one of each variety.

“I have to say, Beth, these doughnuts are truly outstanding,” Nora said. “Do you bake professionally?”

Beth smiled. “I used to, years ago. Before I got married I worked for a catering company in Philadelphia.”

“Why’d you stop? The long hours?”

“No, it wasn’t the hours. My husband’s family had their own business and he wanted me to work with him there. Retail. I just started baking again this summer as an activity with my grandson.”

“Well, you must miss catering if you’re baking this many doughnuts for a backyard barbecue,” Nora said.

Beth laughed. “No, no—that was just miscommunication between Lauren and me. She said originally that we were going to two parties.”