Return to Virgin River (Virgin River #19)(30)

She left Jack’s after lunch and stopped by one of her favorite roadside produce stands. It was a little lean, but she bought a pumpkin. She did buy some gourds and dried cornstalks and glass gem corn to decorate her porch for fall. She drove to Clear River and bought some chicken strips and the makings for a Caesar salad. She got a candle for her pumpkin. Why she was doing this was a mystery—Landry’s two houses were at the end of a long drive. It’s not as though people lived close enough or even drove by; there would not be trick-or-treaters. But it had always been important to her mother to keep their surroundings beautiful, to change up and improve things regularly and decorate for special occasions. Kaylee had inherited a little of that. And she wanted to please her mother, even though she was gone now.

When she got back home, Laura’s car was gone. She had probably headed to Grace Valley to spend her time in Landry’s booth. Adorning his booth. He must obviously want to spend every available moment with her. She was so breathtaking.

Kaylee carved her pumpkin when she should’ve been writing. And she took a nap. And ate her solitary dinner. She couldn’t quite define if she was a little disappointed or actually heartbroken. She missed Landry at dinnertime but she also had a shot of guilt—he shouldn’t be spending so much time with her if he had a wife. Should he? Of all the complications that could impede a growing relationship, he’s married ran at the top of the list.

It was after nine and she was in her pajamas, lost in writing a tale about Caroline and Landon, when there was a knock on her door. Oddly, she wondered if it was Laura. If maybe she needed help with a burned-out light bulb or something. Then she opened her door to see Landry standing there.

“I saw your light was on,” he said.

“It’s not exactly late,” she said. “Though, I guess for you, it is.”

“If you’re not heading to bed, can you talk a minute?” He looked her up and down. She was wearing her pajamas, of course. “I apologize for the interruption. I can see you’re ready for—”

“It’s all right, but what about your wife?”

“She’s gone back to San Francisco. She won’t be coming back here.”

“I have a feeling this really has nothing to do with me.”

“It doesn’t, except that I think I unintentionally misled you and I’d like to straighten it out. Unless you’re too tired.”

“For this explanation? Oh hell no! I can’t wait. Would you like something to drink?”

“Anything,” he said. “As long as it has alcohol in it.”

“Talk about a signal that it’s going to be a doozy...”

She went to her refrigerator and pulled out a cold beer, the kind he liked, the kind he always brought along with him when he came to her porch. She’d bought it this afternoon even though she had no way of knowing if or when she might see him again. A part of her had been preparing for the wife to stay, take over, maybe invite her to dinner with the two or them or something. Ack. That thought almost made her gag.

“You drink this?” he asked her, surprised.

“Sure. All the time.” Then she pulled one out for herself, though she didn’t want it. “Sit down,” she said. “Try not to sit on the kitty, I mean, Tux.”

He examined the chair before sitting. “Okay, so I didn’t mean to mislead you. Laura and I have been separated for ten years. We were married eleven years ago, so it wasn’t a long marriage. She had what she thought was a breakthrough acting opportunity, went for what she thought would be an interview and audition. She said she’d be gone for a few days and never really came back. She visited. We stayed in touch by phone. It dissolved. But I never filed for divorce. It seemed to be an unnecessary bother, not to mention expense. I honestly thought the day would come that she would want to be free and she’d initiate the divorce proceedings, but it didn’t. And I don’t know why I didn’t.”

“It didn’t look like it was freedom she was here for.”

“Okay, now that’s the complication. After all this time she’s decided she’d like to be married after all. She’s had it with an acting career that’s going nowhere. The joke’s on me; I can blame no one but myself. And I promise you I never saw it coming.”

“Well, you said you were married and it didn’t work out,” she reminded him.

“That was true. We merely kept in touch. I know divorced couples who have closer relationships than that.”

“And I know divorced couples who hate each other and fantasize about their death...”

“There are those,” he said. “I wish her nothing but the best, but—”

“You looked almost angry for a moment, when she showed up in your booth.”

“I was angry,” he said. “I’d told her it wasn’t a good time for her to visit, that I was all tied up with the fairs. I see her two or three times a year. If it fits into her schedule. If she needs something.”

“And if you were to divorce, would you continue to have these visits with your wife?” She lifted one brow and smoothed her hair over one ear. “Asking for a friend...”

He grinned at her. “You’re very funny, Kaylee. I like Laura,” he said. “She’s entertaining, smart and we have history. I’ve known her a long time by now. I was angry for a while. I was really pissed, actually. But when my dad died, that was the last thing to worry about.”