strings attached?” Jenny quirked up one eyebrow.
“Not exactly.”
“See! I knew it. Nothing is simple with your mother.”
“Hey, come on now. She has offered to sell it to me, to us, at way below market value.”
“We still can’t afford it. Do you know how much these beach houses cost?” Jenny said, as Kip moaned and wriggled to be let down. Sliding the child down her body, Jenny folded her arms in front of her.
Ron moved closer and hugged her. “What I haven’t told you is … I’m getting a big raise! A very big promotion.”
“You are?” She couldn’t keep the strain of uncertainty from her voice.
“I was going to tell you later; you know, a special moment ... some wine, aperitifs, lobster,” he whispered through her hair, his breath warm on her throat just below her ear lobe.
“You…” Jenny squeezed him tight and lifted her face to kiss him.
He held her chin there, letting her lips go slowly, gazing down at her until she pulled back and exhaled.
“There’s a catch,” he said.
“What?”
“More travel.”
Letting go of their rare embrace, she turned and ran—back down the stairs, the devoted dog scurrying behind her.
“Jenny...?” Already she could hear Ron coming after her.
She fled to the back of the SUV, leaning against it, facing the sea and rubbing her belly for comfort. “There’s already too much travel,” she said despondently when he caught her up there, leading Kip along after him. He tried to move in close again.
Backed up against the dusty car, she turned her face away.
“Honey, the money is too good,” he said. “I couldn’t decline. Plus, I will get bigger bonuses—every quarter. I’ll have more clients, more responsibility, more control. I will have the final decision. It’s what I’ve been working towards, you know that. Can’t you understand?”
“I know. You remind me all the time. It’s all I hear.” She faced him shaking her head. “I just wish there wasn’t so much travel. I’m tired of it. Every two weeks you pack, you unpack. Time flies when you’re home—it’s great, we’re happy. But you go and time slows down for me. My days are long, my nights, lonely. I know we talk, but...”
“You could come with. You and Kip.”
“I couldn’t do that.”
“Yes, you could. We’ll be able to afford it. Some trips I’ll be gone a few weeks at a time. We could go out in the evenings, explore, see the sights on the weekends, and go other places. I’ll have a rental car at my disposal, in fact a very nice rental car.”
“Really?”
“Do you like convertibles?”
Jenny’s face brightened. “No way.”
“Yes way. You know you could do it. You’d enjoy it.” Ron tilted his blond head, his hair already mussed by the salty wind. “It’ll be an adventure. Come on?”
“I wouldn’t want to impose on your work schedule.”
“You wouldn’t. Some nights I’ll have to work late, or take clients out to dinner, but you can be my arm candy.”
Her face lit up. Finally, she gave him the big smile he had been waiting for the entire trip out to the beach—the smile she used to wear every day when he came home from work. The smile she wore when they got married. It had been hiding too much lately.
“Come on, let’s go inside.”
Ron slipped his arm around his slim wife.
“Did you forget?” she laughed.
“Oh yeah—no key. Time to break in.”
* * *
Hundreds of sparkling slivers of glass soon punctuated the classic wooden floor.
“Our new home away from home!” Ron proclaimed. “Well, not quite yet. Our wannabe broken-into home away from home.” He cautiously stretched one arm in through the broken window, trying to avoid the jagged shards still stuck in the pane. At first, he couldn’t reach the deadbolt.
“Careful, honey.” One hand over her eyes, the other clutching Kip’s hand, Jenny couldn’t help but peek a little through the gaps between her fingers.
“Ouch!”
“Ron.” She pressed her fingers more firmly over her face, not looking at all now.
“There we go.” There was a stiff click. “I got it. Scrape free.”
Excited, Ron pulled at the door, only to have it open a crack and slam shut. “Oh hell! Catch chain. What?” Puzzled, he stood back. “Seems whoever was here last left through the garage, and I have no garage door opener. Is this overly complicated, or is it me?” He kicked the door as hard as he could; it thundered back angrily. “Fine.” Ron said smashing the window. The catch was unreachable so he finally kicked in the door.
“Mamma.”
“There, there.” Jenny calmed Kip. “It’s