control of everything. Their itty bitty shitty committee.”
He gasps with pleasure. “Can I steal it?”
“Absolutely. It’s yours.”
“Any other gems?”
“I remember in my home meeting in London, a girl once said she had been dating the same guy for ten years. Only his name kept changing.”
“Ooh, that’s good. But that didn’t resonate, surely? You haven’t dated anyone.”
“Thanks for that. But no, it didn’t resonate, I just thought it was a great concept. Maybe I’ll use it in the novel I’ll probably never get round to writing. Someone else said who else but them gets to have a meeting with God every day. God being a group of drunks. I quite liked that one. But then afterward I ended up going for coffee with this fantastic woman from the meeting, and…,” This time I glance at Annie and do lower my voice. “She’s invited us all for dinner tomorrow night and she has a hunky son she wants to introduce me to.”
Sam slowly sits up. “Great. You’ve met a complete stranger who may well turn out to be an ax murderer, and we’re going into the lion’s den tomorrow night.”
“She’s not an ax murderer. I asked. She’s a Realtor. And house manager. And a few other things, but she’s really nice, and anyway, she knows my family.”
“But you can’t check her out because you’re not in touch with your family.”
“Trust me. She’s fine.”
He raises an eyebrow. “She’s an alcoholic.”
“Oh, ha ha. We’re going.”
“You’re sure you’re comfortable flirting with Mr. Handsome with young you-know-who around?” He gestures to Annie, who still hasn’t moved a muscle, and so presumably is still not eavesdropping.
It is true there has been nothing physical since Jason. I have never had to think about how Annie would react if I suddenly announced I was going out with someone, or brought someone home she had never met before. I presume she would be fine. I like to think of my daughter as well rounded, secure, polite, but God knows I have heard horror stories from other people about children of divorce who make the second marriages hell.
I wrote a story on it last year. The reason most second marriages break up, I had read, was because of the children. I found three case studies, and each one was heartbreaking. The children hated their new stepparent, resented them, causing more friction than any reasonable person could endure, trying to force their parent into making a choice, so much so that it ended up breaking the marriages apart.
I remember being horrified at some of the things these children, and their stepparents, had done, before realizing that I was in that same boat, or at least hoped one day to be. I hoped to meet someone, to settle down, even to marry again, and naïvely presumed that Annie would be thrilled to have a family again, a man in the house, never thinking that she might do everything in her power to get rid of him.
Sadly, I have never discovered how she would react because there hasn’t been the slightest sniff of anything since I broke up with Jason. The one time I actually found someone sexy, a minor actor in a major TV series who flirted with me outrageously at the press launch and demanded my phone number, sending me home in a cab almost delirious with excitement, he turned out to be married.
Thank you for that, Google.
Not that he ever phoned.
I look at Sam. “I wouldn’t be flirting. Not tomorrow night, anyway. And even if he is gorgeous, he probably wouldn’t be interested in me.”
“Now why would you think that? You’re one hell of a sexy woman, plus you have the English accent, which over here seems to go down a storm. If I could find out where the gay men congregate, I could have myself a seriously good time.”
“What if there aren’t any gay men on Nantucket?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, darling. There are gay men everywhere. It’s just a question of weeding them out. Although it would have been so much easier in P-town. Next time, Cat, we’re going to Provincetown. Next time it’s all about me.”
“I love you.” I blow him a kiss as he lies down and places the goggles over his eyes again. “And I thought it was always about you.”
“Good girl,” he murmurs. “I have trained you well.”
* * *
We swim in a surprisingly still ocean, although Annie suddenly freaks out about sharks and runs out of the water, refusing to get back in.