On Mystic Lake

He looked ridiculously deflated. “Oh, yeah. I just thought, if this is a reconciliation, you should—”

“No more telling me what I should and shouldn’t do, Blake. I’m not the same woman I was before. And I’m scared to death you’re the same damn man. ”

“I’m not. Really, I’m not. I’ve grown, too. I know how precious our life was. I won’t make the same mistakes again. ”

“I hope not. ”

He moved toward her. “You always used to say that the longest journey begins with a single step. ”

He was right; it used to be one of her favorite sayings. Now, that kind of optimism felt far, far away.

He was obviously waiting for her to respond, and when she didn’t, he glanced around. “Well, do you want to watch television for a while? I could make some popcorn and hot chocolate—like the old days. ”

The old days.

With those simple words, she saw her whole life flash before her eyes. This spring she’d worked to unearth the real Annie, and now Blake wanted to bury her once again beneath the sand of their old patterns. Tomorrow, she knew she would have to make an effort, an honest effort to find her way back to Blake, but tonight, she was too damned tired to start. “No, thanks,” she said quietly. “I think I’ll just go to bed. It’s been a long day. You can sleep in the green guest room. I put fresh sheets on the bed today. ”

“Oh. I thought—”

“I know what you thought. It isn’t going to happen. ”

She might have laughed at his expression—so confused and crestfallen—but it wasn’t funny. He was her husband, the father of her children, the man she’d vowed to love, honor, and cherish until death parted them, and right now, standing in the living room of the house they’d shared for so many years, she couldn’t think of a single thing to say to him.

Blake met Natalie at Customs.

She gave him a big hug, then drew back, looking around. “Where’s Mom?”

“She couldn’t make it. I’ll tell you all about it in the car on the way home. ”

“Do you have the Ferrari?”

“What else?”

“Can I drive?”

Blake frowned. “Did someone tell you I’d suffered recent brain damage? I never let—”

“Oh, please, Dad. I haven’t driven in months. ”

“This is hardly an argument that helps your cause. ”

“Come on, Dad. Pleeeeease. ”

He imagined the look on Annie’s face if she heard he’d let Natalie drive. Slowly, he pulled the keys out of his pocket and tossed them in the air. Natalie snagged them in one hand. “Come on, Dad!” She grabbed his hand and dragged him through the terminal. Within moments, they were strapped into the sports car and heading down the freeway for home.

As always, Blake was uneasy around his daughter. He tried to think of something to say to her now, something to break the uncomfortable silence that always stood between them.

She changed his radio station. A hard-edged rock-and-roll song blasted through the speakers.

“Turn that thing down,” he said automatically.

She clicked the music off, then signaled for a turn and jerked into the fast lane, sucking up behind a black Mercedes convertible. Before he had time to tell her what to do, she slowed down and backed off.

“So, Dad, how’s Grandpa Hank?”

“How should I know?”

She glanced at him. “You did go up to Mystic?”