and make me bark,” Ryan said. “I thought it would make their first night away easier.” He topped off her wineglass, even though it was half-full. Tina smiled athim, recognizing it as a gesture of support, and the tension in her stomach uncoiled.
“Wow, Ryan, I thought that was just a little trick you did for Allie when you two were alone,” Savannah said, but Tina didn’t join in the laughter.
Tina didn’t expect Savannah to understand—Savannah had never hidden the fact that she thought children were life’s most highly overrated and overpriced joy—but Gio should’ve taken up for her the way Allie and Ryan had. Come to think of it, why hadn’t he remembered to call their kids?
She opened her mouth to say something to him, then closed it. Breathe, she reminded herself. She took another spoonful of soup, forcing herself to focus on its velvety texture. She’d finally achieved a state of relaxation today, and she needed to hang on to it, or the vacation would be ruined. Gio adored their kids; he just had a different parenting style.
“Someone stop me from swan-diving into my soup,” Savannah said. “I want to rip off my clothes and bathe in it. It’s just incredible!”
“I’ll be sure to let the chef know you enjoyed it,” Pauline said in a neutral voice.
There was a brief pause, then Allie said, “So catch us up on what’s going on at work, Van.” Allie turned to Pauline. “Did you know Savannah’s a real estate agent?”
Typical Allie, always taking care of everyone, Tina thought, feeling a surge of affection for her old friend. First Allie had assuaged Tina’s fears, and now she was making sure Pauline felt included in the conversation. Plus she was letting Savannah talk about herself, which would keep Savannah happy.
“There’s this one house that is killing me,” Savannah said with a dramatic sigh. “Just fucking killing me. I’ve had it on the market for months. The owner has the ugliest kids imaginable,and he refuses to take down their photos. They’re like a hex on this house. The photos send prospective buyers running away screaming.”
Tina scraped the last spoonful of bisque from her bowl, then sat back as the waiter cleared away her dishes. She listened to Savannah’s chatter, laughing in all the right places as Savannah kept talking: “Seriously, these clients I had last year looked like apple-cheeked grandparents. You’d think all they did was play canasta and eat early-bird specials. And fur-lined handcuffs fell out of their bedroom closet when I opened the door to show it to a young couple! And then as we all stood there, gaping down at the handcuffs, the guy goes, ‘We’ll take it!’ ”
A loaf of warm bread was set out on the table, along with individual ramekins of herbed butter. The waiter served the fish, then filled up the second wineglass at Tina’s place.
“A French chardonnay,” he said quietly, since Savannah was in the middle of another story. “The light citrus notes go beautifully with the snapper. And would you care for green salad with roasted garlic dressing?”
“Thank you,” Tina said, smiling at him. A rush of contentment flooded her body, making her limbs feel as rich and loose as honey. What she’d been craving hadn’t just been sleep or a break from the high, demanding voices in her home, she realized. It was the chance to be taken care of, in the way she was always taking care of others. In the way she hadn’t been since her mother died.
“You okay?” Gio whispered in her ear. She felt his foot find hers under the table, and he rubbed his leg against hers.
Interesting, she thought. Normally, their exchange of a few minutes earlier would’ve led to a fight. She would’ve gotten increasingly stressed, Gio would’ve snapped at her to relax, and she would’ve reacted angrily. But because she’d let it go—mostlybecause there were witnesses around— Gio was the one trying to make up.
She gave him a fleeting smile,
“Wow, Ryan, I thought that was just a little trick you did for Allie when you two were alone,” Savannah said, but Tina didn’t join in the laughter.
Tina didn’t expect Savannah to understand—Savannah had never hidden the fact that she thought children were life’s most highly overrated and overpriced joy—but Gio should’ve taken up for her the way Allie and Ryan had. Come to think of it, why hadn’t he remembered to call their kids?
She opened her mouth to say something to him, then closed it. Breathe, she reminded herself. She took another spoonful of soup, forcing herself to focus on its velvety texture. She’d finally achieved a state of relaxation today, and she needed to hang on to it, or the vacation would be ruined. Gio adored their kids; he just had a different parenting style.
“Someone stop me from swan-diving into my soup,” Savannah said. “I want to rip off my clothes and bathe in it. It’s just incredible!”
“I’ll be sure to let the chef know you enjoyed it,” Pauline said in a neutral voice.
There was a brief pause, then Allie said, “So catch us up on what’s going on at work, Van.” Allie turned to Pauline. “Did you know Savannah’s a real estate agent?”
Typical Allie, always taking care of everyone, Tina thought, feeling a surge of affection for her old friend. First Allie had assuaged Tina’s fears, and now she was making sure Pauline felt included in the conversation. Plus she was letting Savannah talk about herself, which would keep Savannah happy.
“There’s this one house that is killing me,” Savannah said with a dramatic sigh. “Just fucking killing me. I’ve had it on the market for months. The owner has the ugliest kids imaginable,and he refuses to take down their photos. They’re like a hex on this house. The photos send prospective buyers running away screaming.”
Tina scraped the last spoonful of bisque from her bowl, then sat back as the waiter cleared away her dishes. She listened to Savannah’s chatter, laughing in all the right places as Savannah kept talking: “Seriously, these clients I had last year looked like apple-cheeked grandparents. You’d think all they did was play canasta and eat early-bird specials. And fur-lined handcuffs fell out of their bedroom closet when I opened the door to show it to a young couple! And then as we all stood there, gaping down at the handcuffs, the guy goes, ‘We’ll take it!’ ”
A loaf of warm bread was set out on the table, along with individual ramekins of herbed butter. The waiter served the fish, then filled up the second wineglass at Tina’s place.
“A French chardonnay,” he said quietly, since Savannah was in the middle of another story. “The light citrus notes go beautifully with the snapper. And would you care for green salad with roasted garlic dressing?”
“Thank you,” Tina said, smiling at him. A rush of contentment flooded her body, making her limbs feel as rich and loose as honey. What she’d been craving hadn’t just been sleep or a break from the high, demanding voices in her home, she realized. It was the chance to be taken care of, in the way she was always taking care of others. In the way she hadn’t been since her mother died.
“You okay?” Gio whispered in her ear. She felt his foot find hers under the table, and he rubbed his leg against hers.
Interesting, she thought. Normally, their exchange of a few minutes earlier would’ve led to a fight. She would’ve gotten increasingly stressed, Gio would’ve snapped at her to relax, and she would’ve reacted angrily. But because she’d let it go—mostlybecause there were witnesses around— Gio was the one trying to make up.
She gave him a fleeting smile,
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