A Turn in the Road - Debbie Macomber [13]
Waiting, however, felt impossible. Grant was out of school and job-hunting. He was hired by Boeing in their corporate office, and with his first paycheck bought her an engagement ring.
Against her parents’ wishes, Bethanne dropped out of school just six months shy of graduation. From that point forward she’d dedicated her life to being a good wife and mother. She’d worked briefly in a department store, but only until Andrew’s birth.
“Too young?” she repeated his question. “Perhaps…”
They finished their meal quickly after that, avoiding awkward subjects. When they left the restaurant, Grant walked her to her car.
“I enjoyed dinner,” he said, standing beside her. “Did you?” The driver’s side door was open and she’d already thrown her purse on the passenger seat.
“I did.”
“And your dinner companion?”
She gave him a warning look: don’t push it. “Tonight brought back a lot of memories,” was all she said.
“It did for me, too.” He touched her car, tracing patterns in the dust. “We were happy, Bethanne,” he said, so softly she almost missed it.
She nodded, suddenly sad. “We were,” she agreed. “At one time.”
He tentatively raised his hands to touch the curve of her shoulders. “I’d give anything to take back the past six years,” he said, staring down at her.
“Make that seven,” she added. His affair with Tiffany had been going on long before he’d asked for the divorce.
“Seven,” he amended, and exhaled slowly. Then something in him seemed to deflate, and she read the regret in his eyes. “Tell me…is there any hope for us?”
As she considered his question, she saw him tense, as if anticipating a blow.
“I don’t know,” she said, shaking her head. Everything was just so confusing….
“Would it be possible to put the past behind us—forget about the divorce and pretend the past seven years never happened?”
“But they did.”
“I know,” he whispered brokenly. “If I could take away what I did to you and the kids, I would. I’d pay whatever it cost. If you wanted blood, I’d bleed. I’m miserable without you, Bethanne.” His words were heartbreaking in their sincerity. “Tell me you’d be willing to let me have a second chance. All I need is a sliver of hope.”
He wanted an answer…but as hard as she tried, Bethanne couldn’t give him one.
A lump formed in her throat. She had loved Grant…still did in certain ways that were tied to their shared past, to the memories of their marriage, the years of struggle and sacrifice, the happiness of companionship. And despite everything, they were linked forever through their children.
“Maybe,” she breathed.
He smiled then, and his shoulders relaxed. “That’s enough for now.”
Four
Annie rummaged around inside her mother’s closet looking for the silver chain belt that would go perfectly with her Mexican-style skirt. When Vance came by to pick her up for dinner, she wanted him to be awestruck by her beauty. It wasn’t every day of the week that a girl got a marriage proposal—if that was what he intended. Annie thought so; all the evidence pointed to exactly that. Dinner at an expensive restaurant, being seen in a high-end jewelry store. What else was she to think?
She located the belt and wrapped it around her waist, checking her reflection in the full-length mirror that hung on her mother’s bathroom door. The mirror also reflected the queen-size bed her parents had once shared. Even after six years of living alone, her mother still slept on the right-hand side. Not in the middle.
Silly as it sounded, this gave Annie hope that her parents would one day reunite. It was what her father wanted most in the world. What Annie wanted, too. Her parents were meant to be together. Her father had made a terrible mistake, but he was sorry. More than anything he wanted to make it up to the family, and in Annie’s opinion they should let him.
It felt good to be close to her dad again. Now that the lovely Tiffany was gone, Annie felt there was real hope for