When I Cut Off the Payments, My Mama's Boy Husband's Family Panicked novel · Chapter 9 of 24

Chapter 9: Ron

I let it ring twice more.

Then I took it out onto the back porch and answered.

"Julie! Sweetheart!"

Ron's voice was big and warm, the voice he used on waiters.

"I've been meaning to call you for weeks."

"Six years," I said.

He laughed like I'd made a joke.

"Listen, let me buy you breakfast. Just you and me. Clear the air. The diner on State Street, Friday, seven?"

I should have said no.

But I wanted to see his face when he said whatever he'd called to say.

"Seven," I said.

He was already in a booth when I got there.

Pink golf polo, pressed slacks, the gold watch on the table next to his coffee like he'd brought it as a guest.

There were two plates of pancakes in front of him.

"I ordered for you," he said. "Blueberry. Jeff says you like blueberry."

"I like banana."

"Well, you'll like these."

I sat down and put my tote bag on the seat beside me.

I didn't touch the pancakes.

The diner was full.

Two retired men in feed caps sat at the counter.

A booth of church ladies in sweatshirts with appliqued birds sat behind Ron.

The waitress came by with a coffeepot and looked at the untouched plate.

"Just coffee, please," I said.

Ron folded his hands on the table.

"Julie. We got off on the wrong foot, you and me. Six years ago. I blame myself."

"Okay."

"Sharon cries every night. Every night. She can't sleep. She misses that baby."

"She can see Evie any Saturday she wants. She just has to ask me."

"That's all I want too. Family." He spread his big hands. "So here's what I'm thinking. You come back to the group chat. You come to the wedding, you bring Evie in the dress Sharon bought, you smile for the pictures. And I'll bump Jeff's card up to five hundred. You two can do something nice."

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