16 Lighthouse Road - Debbie Macomber [84]
Grace’s daughter had phoned earlier in the week, and they’d agreed to meet Friday after work. With no reason to hurry home, Grace was free to have dinner out. Yet she felt an unaccountable urge to rush back to the house on Rosewood Lane. It was just habit, she decided. Thirty-five years of habit.
“No news,” Grace answered.
“Mom, he can’t have dropped off the face of the earth. Someone must know something.”
If that was the case, no one had bothered to tell her. One thing Grace did know was that she could no longer afford Roy McAfee’s services. He’d made some suggestions to help her track down her missing husband, but Grace had run into a solid row of dead ends. Discouraged and defeated, she’d given up trying. Even if she did manage to locate Dan, what could she possibly say? It wasn’t as though she intended to beg him to come home.
The waitress brought them menus and Grace chose a chef’s salad and coffee, while Kelly ordered a chicken sandwich and a glass of milk.
“Why would Daddy do something like this?” Kelly asked—as she’d already asked dozens of times.
If Grace knew the answer to that, she could stop listening to the voices in her head. Besides her own emotions, she had those of her children to consider. Maryellen had reacted with outrage and anger. Kelly was more hurt. The younger of the two girls, she’d always been closest to her father. Even as a child, Kelly had followed Dan around; while she was a teenager, she and Grace had constantly been at odds. Yet even through the worst of her rebellion, Kelly had steered clear of any major confrontation with her father.
Grace waited until they’d finished their meals before she broached the subject she wanted to discuss. “Your father’s been gone six weeks now.”
“I know,” Kelly said, sounding exasperated. “Mom, I’m so worried about him.”
“I am, too.” Although she was more worried about what she’d do once she found him. “I want you to know I’ve seen an attorney.”
Kelly stared at her as if she didn’t understand. “An attorney can help you find Dad?”
“No. I’ve decided to file for divorce.”
Kelly reached for her water glass. She took a sip and Grace could see that her daughter was struggling to hold on to her composure. “Mom, don’t! Please don’t. Dad’s coming back. I know he is—and when he does, we’ll discover what this is all about. There’s a logical reason he had to leave the way he did.”
“I’m not doing this to punish your father. It’s for legal reasons.”
“Legal reasons,” Kelly repeated, frowning.
She told her about the need to cancel all their credit cards and her responsibility for half of any debts he assumed. What she didn’t mention was that Dan had used the VISA to purchase a ring for another woman. Every time she thought about her husband doing such a thing, knowing full well that she’d investigate the charge, she nearly broke down and wept.
“You still think Daddy’s got a girlfriend, don’t you?”
Grace heard the challenge in her daughter’s voice. She wanted to protect her children, hide the truth from them, but the charade had become too much for her. Dan wasn’t concerned about protecting her. He’d left her open to ridicule, speculation and embarrassment.
“You can’t honestly think he’d do that,” Kelly insisted.
“That’s exactly what I think,” Grace said without apology. “Everything leads me to believe he’s involved with someone else.”
Kelly shook her head so hard her earring flew across the table. “Not Dad.”
“I don’t want to believe it, either,” Grace said quietly as Kelly retrieved the earring. “Do you think it gives me any pleasure to tell you I’m seeking a divorce? Your father and I have been married for thirty-five years. This isn’t a decision I’ve made lightly.”
“Wait,” Kelly pleaded.
“For what?” Financial ruin? Dan could accumulate all kinds of expenses and as she’d explained, she’d be legally responsible for half the debt. A divorce would protect her from that.
“Wait until after the baby’s born,” Kelly whispered, her voice cracking.
“Oh, Kelly.”
“Does Maryellen know you want to divorce Dad?”
“I talked to her last week.” She’d delayed mentioning