The Light of Day

by Lynne Norris

  “What’s going on?”

  “We both know how hard relationships are and neither one of us is getting any younger. I know Mom was giving you a hard time and I don’t want you to think I am too.”

  “Thanks,” Emma said.

  “If you think there’s a chance between you and Grace you should go for it.”

  “Okay, I get it.” Emma held up her hand. “How are things going between you and Brent?

  Lindsey drained the rest of her wine. “He asked for space.”

  “Space? What does that mean?”

  “He wants to spend time with his buddies. There’s a group of guys who play poker on Thursday nights.”

  “How many times a month do they get together?”

  “Every other week.” Lindsey rose and retrieved the wine bottle. “He can’t say I’m one of those wives who won’t let him hang out.”

  “That’s not what I expected to hear.”

  “Neither did I. I feel like all we’re doing is staying out of each other’s way. It’s not much different than before. Only now he’s makes a point of avoiding me.” Lindsey refilled their glasses. She sat cross-legged next to Emma and took a sip from her glass.

  “He sounds like he’s being a selfish jerk. Has he talked to the counselor?” Emma asked.

  “He went by himself two weeks ago and then we went together Tuesday night. I think he’s been pissed ever since. Christina suggested he try and listen more about what’s happening with the kids since that’s one of my big issues.”

  “Christina’s your counselor?”

  “Yeah, I really like her, but I think because she’s a woman Brent feels like he’s being ganged up on.”

  “Is he really that insecure?”

  “I don’t think so. He’s just angry that I made him go at all.” Lindsey took a long swallow of her wine.

  “Doesn’t he get that your marriage is falling apart?” Emma asked.

  “If he does he acts like he doesn’t care.”

  “Do you think he’s cheating?” Emma asked.

  Lindsey stared at Emma from over her wine glass then quietly set it down. “You ask what I’ve been afraid to ask for six months. What if he is? Then what? Do I want him back after he’s been unfaithful? If he’s been unfaithful.”

  “Have you looked at anything?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Bank or credit card statements. His email?”

  Lindsey’s face colored and she shook her head. “I think I’m afraid of what I’ll find out.”

  “I can’t tell you what to do, but you need to stand up for yourself. If you think something’s going on ask him.” Emma took the bottle from her sister and set it on the table in front of them.

  “If I’m wrong he’ll be so pissed off at me.”

  “Don’t you have a right to know? Obviously, something is wrong. This is tearing you up inside and I’m sure the boys sense something is off between the two of you. We always knew something wasn’t right with Mom and Dad we just didn’t know what it was. We were too young to even have a vocabulary for what was happening.”

  With a forlorn expression on her face, Lindsey wiped tears from the corners of her eyes. “How about this? I’ll look, but not tonight. I don’t want you to be here if I find something out that’s bad.”

  “Why not? We could get drunk together.”

  “I’ve never snooped around in his email before. I’ve emptied receipts out of pockets when I do laundry, but that’s it.”

  “Do you think I care?” Emma demanded.

  “No, but I do. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “How would I get hurt?”

  “I don’t want him to think for even a second that you had anything to do with my decision to snoop.”

  “Wait a minute? Why are you worried about that? Has he ever hurt you?”

  Lindsey bit her bottom lip and stared down into her lap. “He got angry with me a month ago. I don’t even remember what we were arguing about but he shoved me. I lost my balance and fell down.”

  “Brent’s lucky he’s not here right now. I’d hit him over the head with this wine bottle for doing that to you.”

  “Please, Emma. You’ll see him tomorrow. Please don’t say anything to him.”

  Emma stared at her sister and then pulled her into a hug. “I won’t. Have you told the counselor that he did that?”

  “No,” Lindsey said still hanging onto Emma.

  “Why not?”

  “I was ashamed.”

  “Brent’s the one who should be ashamed of himself.” Emma pushed Lindsey back and held out her right hand. “Pinky swear right now.”

  “What am I swearing to?” Lindsey asked as she wrapped her pinky around Emma’s.

  “If he lays a finger on you, you take the kids and you come by me. You don’t even have to call, just show up. I don’t care what time of day or night it is. Promise me, you’ll do that.”

  Lindsey tightened her grip on Emma. “I promise.”

  Emma wasn’t sure how long the two of them sat quietly. Lindsey picked her head up off Emma’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

  “For what?” Emma studied Lindsey’s profile wondering how long her sister had been keeping this a secret.

  “Being here and having my back,” Lindsey said.

  “Haven’t we always done that for each other?”

  “Mostly.”

  The truth stung, but Lindsey was right. It hadn’t always been that way. Emma’s cell phone rang. She leaned from the couch and picked it off the coffee table. “Ooh.” Emma recognized Grace’s number and hopped from the couch to answer it.

  “Hey! Where are you going?” Lindsey asked.

  “It’s Grace.” Emma pointed to the phone. “See, I told you she would call.”

  EMMA DROVE ONTO the farm, feeling a flutter of butterflies in her stomach. She drove slowly, watching for Sadie and Max. She spotted them lying on the porch with their front paws draped over the first step.

  Max rose first stretching with his hindquarters in the air. Sadie followed and then both dogs trotted toward her car. Lights were on in the farmhouse casting a warm yellow glow throughout.

  Emma knelt and gave them a friendly rub as the dogs leaned against her. She looked up to find Grace walking towards her smiling. “This is some greeting party you have.”

  “They obviously like you.” Grace met Emma’s gaze. “It’s good to see you again.”

  Emma tilted her head watching the warmth in Grace’s eyes. She laid a hand on Grace’s forearm, leaned in and kissed her gently on the mouth. “I’m glad you called.”

  Grace’s chest rose and she blinked. “Tonight was the only night I had the house to myself.”

  “Really? How did you manage that?” Emma linked her arm with Grace’s as they strolled toward the front porch. The dogs ambled along beside them, tails in the air.

  “Michael took the boys to a minor league baseball game. He corralled Mom and Dad as backup.”

  “I guess he needs an extra pair of eyes to keep an eye on the two of them.”

  “When they’re out in crowds it’s all hands on deck.”

  “My sister’s boys can be a handful too. Something smells good in here,” Emma said when they entered the kitchen.

  “It’s the sauce for the pizza.”

  “Pizza?” Emma left Grace’s side and lifted a white cloth covering two mounds on the counter. “You made pizza dough?”

  “We make it all the time.”

  “I’m officially impressed. What’s in the sauce?”

  “Tomatoes, garlic and basil. I picked it this afternoon.” Grace turned the burner off underneath the pot and stirred the sauce.

  “Did your mother teach you how to cook?”

  “My grandmother taught me early on. She loved to cook and spent hours preparing meals.” Grace picked up the dough and sprinkled flour on the counter. She flattened it out with her hands working from the center out making it larger. “Do you like to cook?”
<
br />   “I can cook, but I can’t say I enjoy cooking just for myself.”

  Grace drizzled olive oil on the dough followed by a liberal ladle full of sauce that she swirled around. “Do you have any special requests for toppings?”

  “I like just about anything but anchovies.”

  Grace cracked a smile. “No anchovies. Check. Mozzarella and Pepperoni okay?”

  “Sounds perfect.” Emma watched Grace sprinkle the sauce liberally with cheese.

  “How was your visit with your sister?”

  “It was nice to see her. Her husband was on a business trip and the boys were in bed early so we got to hang out and talk. We used to do that when we were away at college and came home on breaks. It was nice to be away, but it was always good to be back together. We got each other through some crazy stuff.”

  “Sounds like you two are close.”

  “We are now. There was a time after my parents got divorced when we hardly spoke to each other.”

  “Your parents split up during high school. Right?”

  “My freshman year. How do you remember?”

  A sheepish expression colored Grace’s face as she glanced at Emma and replied, “Small town gossip. There wasn’t much that didn’t get noticed or talked about. Nothing much has changed about that.”

  “I’ve been away so long I forgot what it was like to grow up in a small town.”

  “What happened between you and your sister?”

  “My mother got custody of both of us and we got to see my Dad every other weekend. I couldn’t stand her always talking badly about him. It was so obvious she was trying to pit us against him. I got into a huge fight with her one night. We said some terrible things to each other and I walked out.”

  “It must have been awful.”

  “It was. I went to live with my dad after that. I liked being there, but it was weird because by then he had a new girlfriend. After I moved out, my mom tried to turn Lindsey against me. For a while it worked until Lindsey got wise to the fact that Mom was manipulating her too.”

  “That’s harsh.”

  “It was a pretty acrimonious divorce. My parents were always fighting, mostly about money. My mother ran up the credit card balances and my father would have a fit. I think my father just got fed up with her spending more than he was earning and acting like it wasn’t her problem. He packed up his bags and left one afternoon.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It was probably the best thing he did for himself. He was drowning in that marriage. At the time, I didn’t know it or understand everything that was going on between him and my mom.”

  “Do you get along with your mom now?”

  “She mellowed after our dad died. I think she realized carrying all that anger around with her was going to cost her what was left of her family. I guess you could say we tolerate each other in small doses.”

  Grace slid a pizza peel under the dough and lifted it off the counter. “Can you get the door for me?”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Outside to the grill.”

  “Grilled pizza? Now this I have to see,” Emma said following Grace out the door.

  “I couldn’t bear the thought of turning the oven on tonight.” Grace slid the pizza onto a square stone atop the grill grates. “We can eat out here if you like.”

  “Let’s stay out here. I love late summer nights. There’s something special about them.”

  “I like to listen to the Katydids. They’ll start singing as soon as the sun goes down,” Grace said looking out at the tree line.

  “What sound do they make?”

  “Ch-Ch-Ch. You hear the rhythm and it starts to sound like ka-ty-did.”

  Grace walked over to the wooden picnic table and lit several candles. “This should keep the mosquitoes away. If not I have some spray if you need it.”

  “I’ve never had anybody make me pizza from scratch before—except at a pizzeria.”

  “No? A new experience then.” Grace lifted one side of the crust testing it. She spun the crust around on the stone. “I could have done it directly on the grill, but I didn’t want to push my luck.”

  “Can I do anything?” Emma asked feeling helpless as she watched Grace.

  “Nothing to do at the moment. Relax. One of our cows is close to calving. She’ll probably go into labor in the next couple of weeks.”

  “Have you delivered a calf before?”

  “About a dozen over the years.”

  “That must be amazing to watch.”

  “It is pretty awesome. Most times it’s just the cow and nature doing their thing. Other times it can be pretty hairy.”

  “Meaning?”

  “The calf can be in breach or there can be a problem with the placenta. Same things that happen with a human birth.”

  “Do you have a vet that comes out?”

  “We let them know when the cow is due. The cow can calve two weeks on either side of her due date. We check her twice every day for signs that she’s going into labor.”

  “I’d love to be able to see the birth.”

  “I can text you when we’re getting close. When it’s imminent I check her every two hours. You sure you want to be here? It could be at three in the morning.”

  “I’ll take my chances.”

  “All right then.” Grace removed the pizza from the grill and carried it to the table on the peel. “Do you want beer or wine with this?”

  “An ice-cold beer sounds really good.”

  “I’ll be right back.” Grace disappeared inside the house.

  While she was gone, Emma tried to make sense of what she was feeling. There was an undeniable attraction, but her sister was right. What was this going to be and where was it going? Was it fair to either of them to pursue a relationship?

  “Everything okay?” Grace walked over and handed Emma a bottle.

  “Yeah, fine.” The beer was ice cold. It tasted light and crisp when Emma swallowed.

  “You looked a thousand miles away just now,” Grace said.

  “Did I?” Emma walked over to the table and picked up the pizza cutter. “You should do the honors.”

  Grace set her bottle on the table and took the instrument from Emma. A shiver ran through Emma when Grace’s fingers grazed over her skin.

  “Are you cold? I can get you a jacket if you need one.”

  “No, I’m fine.” Emma thought she caught a twinkle of mischief in Grace’s eye when she looked at her.

  Grace sliced the pizza into six pieces. She pulled two slices off and set them on a plate for each of them. “Dig in.”

  “This is delicious,” Emma said after she bit into the slice. “Yours beats some of the pizza I’ve had from some of the most famous pizzerias in the city.”

  “Thanks. Speaking of New York, do you miss it?”

  “Not nearly as much as I thought I would,” Emma replied between bites.

  “What do you miss the most?”

  Emma was quiet for a moment while she thought. “To be truthful aside from having a job I don’t miss anything about it.”

  “Nothing?”

  “Don’t get me wrong, I loved living in the city but the only reason I lived there was because of my job. I thought it was so exciting but the more money we made the more the brokerage wanted us to make. It was never enough. No matter what, the goal was to keep clients invested one hundred percent of the time regardless of what the market was doing.”

  “Doesn’t sound like that keeps the clients best interest at heart.”

  “Wall Street is like a casino. The house always wins. The longer I was there the more I felt the whole thing was a rigged game.”

  “My grandfather lived through the Great Depression. It shaped who he was. He always had the mindset that it could happen again and he wanted to be prepared. He never trusted the banks. The farm was tangible and everything that he grew and raised supported the family in some way.”

  “And it still does to th
is day. It’s really quite amazing when you think about it. You provide jobs. The land produces food that you sell. This farm provides a consistent return on an investment.”

  “It is pretty amazing when I think about it. We learned practical skills from the time we were old enough to be out in the fields helping.”

  “Some of those guys on Wall Street worked ridiculous hours. When they were supposed to be away with their families they were checking in and monitoring trades. They were the ones who made it to the top, but for what? They’re out of a job just like I am. I look back now and I don’t know how I tolerated working in that environment for so long.”

  “I take it the small town atmosphere isn’t scaring you away.”

  “No not yet.”

  “That’s good to hear.” Grace tipped her bottle up and took a swallow of beer.

  “So, have you thought about what you want to do going forward?”

  “Sure, I’ve sent out applications to dozens of brokerages. When I lost my job I realized that college trained me to do precisely one thing and that was to make money. Sure there are other parts of the business I could get into, but it all seems so pointless.”

  “What about doing something completely different?” Grace pulled a piece of crust off from her pizza and nibbled it.

  “That seems so daunting. I’m not even sure I would know where to start.” Emma shook her head and laughed at the thought. “Let’s talk about something else.”

  “Okay. What were you thinking about when I came out of the house before?” Grace asked.

  Emma brought her beer bottle to her lips and took a long sip. “No beating around the bush. You get right to the point.”

  “You looked like something was bothering you.” Grace leaned forward and pulled another slice of pizza from the pie.

  “Do you want another?”

  “Yes.” Emma held her plate out to receive the slice from Grace. “Just something my sister said to me.”

  “When you were there?”

  Emma nodded. “We were talking and she asked about you and me.”

  “How did she know?”

  “She came out to see me the day you and I went horseback riding. She made this big deal about it because she knows I’ve never ridden a horse before. She wanted to know if we’d seen each other since then.”