just saying I’ve been around her a lot is all. I’ve noticed things about Maggie’s behavior, and not just today.”
Connor made a face at me that I wanted to wipe off with my fist.
“What kind of things?” Mom said. I could tell by her tone that she was worried.
“I think she’s on edge. If you get involved in a new job, it’s going to take a lot of your focus. That’s how it goes.”
“Thank you for your concern,” Mom said. “But I think I know myself well enough to know how to balance a job and my family. My social worker credentials are up to date, I’ve got my résumé put together, and I’m starting to send it out tomorrow. I’m not asking for your permission here, Simon. I’m asking for your support.”
But Simon didn’t say anything, and for the first time in ages I felt great, really fantastic. I’ve never had a boyfriend, but I’ve watched plenty of TV, read lots of juicy YA books, so I knew cracks in a relationship when I saw them.
CHAPTER 8
On Saturday morning, Nina woke with a start. It was her father’s birthday on Wednesday, but she hadn’t gotten around to sending him a card with the kids’ school pictures in it, something she did every year. It was the job search, she realized, that had distracted her, and in some ways the oversight supported Simon’s assertion that she wouldn’t be able to focus on work and the rest of her life while everything was in upheaval.
From outside, Nina heard the faint hum of a lawn mower, and wondered how late she had slept. A warm late-summer breeze pushed against the fluttering curtains, allowing in sips of light that painted the bedroom in an amber glow.
Nina stretched her arms skyward, then puttered over to the closet, where she retrieved a terry-cloth robe. It caught her off guard, still, even after all this time, to see Simon’s clothes in there, leading her to wonder when he would become her new normal instead of her new man. Cinching the robe tightly around her waist, Nina went off in search of her family, as well as some coffee, hopeful that Simon had been his usual thoughtful self and made her a cup.
She could see from down the hall that Connor’s bedroom door was closed; no surprise there. That child could sleep until noon. Maggie’s was open, meaning she was lurking about somewhere, probably parked in front of the TV, along with Daisy and a towering bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios.
The aromatic smell of coffee drew Nina downstairs as though she were a cartoon character following a scent trail. She poured coffee from the pot into her favorite mug, wondering why Daisy hadn’t come to greet her. Usually it was Nina who fed the dog in the mornings, and the dog’s hearing was especially keen on an empty stomach. The TV wasn’t on and Maggie and Daisy weren’t in the living room when Nina checked, so with mug in hand, she stepped outside and found Simon on the front lawn, standing on a ladder perched against the oak tree she loved, tying yellow ribbons around several of the limbs. These were the same ribbons her well-meaning friends had once tied around another tree in honor of her missing husband. This time they no doubt carried a different meaning.
At the edge of the property, somebody, presumably Simon, had spray-painted a jagged orange line from the curb well past the oak tree. Upon second viewing, it became apparent to Nina that some of the limbs from the neighbor’s tree had unwittingly grown across the orange boundary line.
“What is going on?” Nina asked Simon from the base of the ladder. On a nearby table, Simon had rolled out an architectural drawing of their property. Nina guessed the spray-painted orange line corresponded to the property’s defined boundary.
“Is that permanent?” she asked, pointing at the line.
Simon beamed at Nina from his perch up high before directing his gaze to where she indicated. “Oh, hey, honey, good morning. No, not to worry. It’s marking chalk, comes off easily.”
“Good. What are you doing?”
At that moment, Maggie and Daisy appeared from the back of the house.
Climbing down from the ladder, Simon wiped his hands on his faded jeans after reaching the ground. He planted a gentle kiss on Nina’s forehead. “Did you get enough beauty rest?”
“Plenty,” Nina said. “What’s going on here?”
“Oh, this tree.” He patted the thick trunk lovingly. “Some of these limbs, they’re