Chapter 5: The Waiting Room

In the morning Cade left a sealed envelope on the kitchen table with my name on it.

Ginny was at the stove in a Black Harbor sweatshirt, frying eggs in a pan the size of a hubcap.

"That's your paper," she said. "He didn't want to say it in front of you, so I'm saying it. He'd like to be there when you read it."

"He promised me I could have it."

"You've got it. It's in your hand."

I turned the envelope over.

It was a plain white one, taped shut.

I could have torn it open at the table with her watching.

Edie's rule said read before you sign.

I wanted to open this one when I chose, not when he did.

"I'll read it when I'm ready," I said.

"Good girl," said Ginny, and put eggs on a plate.

I put the envelope in my work bag and ate standing up.

The clinic's waiting room was full at seven-fifty.

A man with a beagle on a leash stood up when I came through the door, and then a woman holding a cat carrier stood up, and then the whole room did.

"We saw it," the woman said. "Honey, we all saw it."

"That cake was gorgeous," said the man with the beagle. "I would've thrown it."

My boss came out of the back and hugged me before she said anything.

"You can have the day," she said. "Or you can work."

"I'll work."

I sat down behind the desk and opened the appointment book, and for twenty minutes it was an ordinary Saturday.

At eight-twenty the front door banged open.

Travis walked in wearing his good jacket and his easy grin.

Bree was behind him with the pink suitcase in one hand.

"Babe," Travis said. "Can we talk?"

"No."

"I just want my things." He leaned both hands on my desk. "And the ring. Give it back and I'll tell people it was a misunderstanding."

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