Harbor Street (Cedar Cove #5)(78)

“Did you hear from your mom?” Jon asked as if reading her thoughts.

“Not today.” Grace helped Maryellen as much as possible. Her mother, however, had a life of her own. Now that she was engaged to Cliff, Grace spent every spare minute with him. Maryellen wasn’t sure when the wedding was scheduled to take place. Soon, she suspected. It was doubtful she’d be able to attend, which depressed her further.

“My vacation pay is up this week,” she said as Jon came back five minutes later with a tray. She didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but it was important her husband realize there’d be no more checks. She worried constantly about the fact that they were about to take a financial freefall. Worse, they’d have to pay the medical insurance premiums, which were hefty. Maryellen felt grateful to have some continuing coverage from her job, but the benefits were limited.

“I know,” Jon said as if it meant nothing. “We’ll manage.”

“How?” She gazed at the diamond ring he’d given her for Christmas. How she wished he’d put that money in the bank, instead. They were on the brink of financial ruin, and here she was, sporting a huge diamond ring.

“Where’s your faith, Maryellen?”

“My faith?” she repeated. “In you? In God?”

“In both,” he stated calmly. He rested the tray of soup and sandwiches on her lap and sat next to her. “I know this is hard, sweetheart, but we’ll be fine.”

Maryellen had taken over the bill-paying and she wasn’t sure Jon grasped how tight things really were. How close they’d already come to not meeting their obligations—and now with the insurance premiums to pay…

“Only thirteen more weeks until the baby’s born.”

If he meant that to be encouraging, it had the opposite effect. Thirteen weeks sounded like forever.

“Eat,” he said, pushing the cheese sandwich toward her.

For the baby’s sake, Maryellen took one small bite. Then another. Jon had to coax her every time. She didn’t mean to be such a problem, and sighed, feeling wretched. Caught up in her own miseries, she hadn’t noticed that Jon’s mood wasn’t any better than her own.

“Is everything okay, honey?” she asked anxiously.

His face immediately relaxed as if to reassure her. “Of course.”

“You’d tell me if it wasn’t, right?”

“I would,” he promised.

But Maryellen had to wonder. And the more she did, the guiltier she felt. “I’ve been horrible all day, haven’t I?”

“Not at all.” He dismissed her question with a shake of his head.

“I have, and don’t tell me otherwise.”

Jon grinned, but Maryellen could tell it was forced.

“Tell me,” she insisted.

He shrugged. “Why? So you’ll be more depressed?”

“Jon,” she cried. “We’re a couple—a team. We shouldn’t hide the way we feel from each other. Communication is the key. You’re the one who told me that, remember?”

She set the tray aside, unable to eat any more.

Jon looked away from her and into the distance. “I went to see Seth Gunderson about working part-time. We could use the money, and I don’t care what hours he gives me.”

Maryellen hated the thought of Jon postponing his photography, but they were going to need a steady income.

“Seth was pleased to see me. He said he’d take me back anytime.”

“That’s good news, isn’t it?”

“It was—until I found out the only hours available were at night.”

“Oh.” Maryellen couldn’t cope with Katie alone.

“Seth understands I need daytime hours, and he said he’d talk to the day chef and see if he’d be willing to trade shifts for a while.”

“That would be wonderful.” Maryellen tried to sound positive. At the same time, she realized that if Jon worked all day he wouldn’t have a chance to continue his commercial photography business. It was a lose-lose proposition.

“We’ll be just fine,” he said again, but the comment fell flat.

Maryellen swallowed hard. “Would you hold me for just a moment?” she asked. Everything seemed better when she was in her husband’s arms. There she found comfort and peace. With her head against his shoulder, she could anticipate the future and remember that at the end of this enforced rest, they’d have a second child. Katie would have a little brother or sister. A little more than three months from now, this would all be over. What she needed to do was keep her gaze focused on the future and not their present circumstances.

Jon’s hand caressed her back, and she sighed, content for the first time that day. “I’ve been thinking,” she murmured, carefully broaching the subject.

“That’s a dangerous sign.”

Maryellen felt her husband’s smile. “I’ve been trying to come up with another way. We need help, Jon.”

“I’m managing.”

“Yes,” she agreed, “and you’re doing a wonderful job. But it’s only been three weeks, and you’re already exhausted. Taking care of Katie and me, cleaning the house, shopping, cooking, plus trying to work and sell your photographs. You’re worn out.” She couldn’t begin to imagine what would happen if he added a forty-hour week at The Lighthouse to his schedule.