50 Harbor Street - Debbie Macomber [59]
“You first,” Grace said. They’d been best friends since grade school and were still as close as sisters. She kept almost nothing from Olivia and knew her friend trusted her unequivocally. Theirs was a special friendship.
“It’s Jack,” Olivia said with a groan. “Does that surprise you?”
“No.”
Goldie, their favorite waitress, came over, carrying a pot of decaf. “The usual?” she asked, as she filled their mugs. Olivia and Grace were creatures of habit. Every Wednesday night, they attended their exercise class and afterward went directly to the Pancake Palace for pie and coffee.
Grace hesitated at the waitress’s question and shrugged.
Olivia did, too.
“We’ve got mincemeat this week,” Goldie told them in a tempting voice.
“No, thanks,” Olivia said automatically.
Grace considered it for a second. “Coconut cream,” she muttered, half angry with herself for being so unwilling to venture from the tried and true. If she couldn’t make such a small change, then how could she manage a truly significant one?
Goldie returned a moment later with one slice of coconut cream pie and the other of lemon meringue, plus the check.
“You’re upset with Jack?” Grace said, prompting Olivia to resume their conversation.
“Damn straight I am. Good grief, I hardly see him! I was so annoyed when he broke our movie date. I can’t tell you how much I was looking forward to the four of us going out. We hardly ever do that.”
“I was disappointed, too,” Grace said. Who’d believe that dinner and a movie would be the highlight of the Christmas season for them both?
Olivia seemed to rally. “Did you and Cliff have a good time?” she asked.
“We’ll discuss that later. Finish telling me what happened between you and Jack.”
To Grace’s astonishment, Olivia’s eyes filled with tears. “We had an argument that night. Jack didn’t get home until midnight—okay, ten o’clock, but it might as well have been midnight. He was at the office all day. You’d think the sun rises and falls on The Chronicle. It’s all he lives for, and frankly I hate it.” Angrily she wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to get emotional. It’s just that we seem to be at an impasse.”
“You’re not thinking…” Grace couldn’t bring herself to say the word divorce.
“No, but things have got to change. Jack works too hard, he eats mostly fast food and doesn’t get any exercise. He’s going to kill himself if he continues at this pace.” She lowered her eyes. “He thinks this is all one big joke. He said the other day that if he keeled over, what I’d miss most was regular sex.”
Grace rolled her eyes. “Leave it to a man to reduce everything to that.”
“He’s promised his schedule will change after the first of the year, but I’ve heard those promises before. I just don’t want him to kill himself over a stupid newspaper.”
“He loves you, Olivia.”
“I know and I love him, too. I bought him a treadmill for Christmas.”
“Good. Maybe Jack will take the hint.”
“He’s so stubborn, though.”
Grace couldn’t help smiling. “What man isn’t?”
Now Olivia smiled, too. She reached for her fork and cut into her lemon meringue. “All right, enough about me and Jack. What’s going on with you and Cliff?”
Grace sighed heavily. “Cliff fell asleep during the movie. I woke him up when he started snoring—loudly.”
Olivia burst into laughter.
“Olivia Lockhart Griffin, this is not funny.”
Her friend made an effort to restrain her amusement.
“Ten minutes later, he was snoring again. I’d had it, and we left the theater.” In truth, Olivia should be grateful she’d missed out on their evening. Cliff had been exhausted. He’d been working with his horses all day and ended up feeling tired and cranky. Dinner after the movie had been dismal.
“I’m so disappointed I could’ve cried.”
“What is it with our men?” Olivia asked.
“I don’t know. But I’m sick of this,” Grace said. “It’s like I’m married with none of the benefits.”
“No regular sex?” Olivia teased.
“You might be my best friend, but there are some things I will not divulge, even to you, and