staring at the wall, staring at nothing. She finally stood and slipped her feet into the
moccasins she slipped off last night. As she walked past the bed, she grabbed her robe off
the banister and slipped it on.
She was halfway down the stairs when she heard rustling in the kitchen. She stopped,
silently hoping he wasn't making a mess of things. But she did smell coffee. That was a
start.
She pushed on the swinging door, nearly knocking Craig off his feet as he walked by with a
handful of eggs.
"Good God, you're cooking?"
"Don't act so surprised."
"I've just never seen you do it before," she said as she sidestepped him to get to the
coffee.
"Now that's not true. When Angie was a baby, I remember a couple of times I got up early
to make breakfast."
Jill smiled. "She's nearly fifteen."
Craig laughed. "Don't let her hear you say that. She's fourteen and not a day older."
Jill leaned against the counter and sipped from her coffee, watching as he cracked eggs
and dropped them into the pan.
"If I want these scrambled, I just kinda stir them up, right?"
"At this point, yes. Most people scramble them prior to the pan."
Craig waved a spatula at her. "Just a waste of a bowl."
"May I ask why you're making breakfast?"
He grinned. "Don't you know?"
She frowned. Oh God, it wasn't their anniversary, was it? No. June. Birthday? No. July.
"Oh, come on," he said. "It's the make-up breakfast."
She shook her head. "For what?"
He shrugged. "For the make-up lunch."
"How so?"
"You know, yesterday at lunch, I got a phone call."
"And?"
"And, well, we didn't really have the family lunch I'd planned."
She tilted her head as she looked at him. "You came to this conclusion all on your own?"
"Well, no. Not exactly."
Jill smiled. "Angie thought I was mad?"
"Yeah." He stirred the eggs then quickly looked back at her. "Are you?"
"Not mad, no." She forced a smile. "I never could compete with your cell phone."
He moved to the toaster and put two slices of bread in, then opened the fridge and pulled
out the jug of orange juice. He looked at her with eyebrows raised and she nodded.
"I thought, you know, maybe today we could have a day out."
"What kind of a day out?" she asked suspiciously, watching as he poured their juice.
"Well, I thought maybe we could drive over to Richland."
"Richland? Why on earth?"
"Well, they're hosting a basketball tournament."
"I see. And?"
"I kinda wanted to see it. You know, we play Richland next week."
She opened the cabinet and took out two plates, silently handing them to him, before
opening the drawer to the utensils.
"Well, you know what, I don't really want to go to Richland to watch a basketball game,"
she said. "Why don't you ask one of your buddies to go? You know, guys day out," Jill
suggested.
He grabbed the toast and tossed them on the plates, then handed one to her. "Are you
sure?"
She nodded. "I'm sure."
"But what will you do?"
She reached for her coffee, taking a sip before answering. "Boring as it sounds, I need to
go to the grocery store. Not to mention laundry."
"Oh, babe, that's work. I'm offering you a free day. No work."
She raised her eyebrows. "So who's going to do it if I don't?"
The trip to the grocery store was made with practiced ease and she methodically checked
items off her list as she moved down each aisle. But it wasn't groceries on her mind. She
had a free day. A free Saturday.
And still, she and Carrie had yet to exchange phone numbers. But if they had, Jill would call
her, see if maybe they could get together for a few hours today. Maybe even go to the
cottage and sit down at the pier. It was another sunny day. And although it was far too
early for spring fever, she had a desire to be outside, to sit in the sun. A desire to see
Carrie.
Frowning, wondering why this woman was always on her mind, she stopped and looked at her
list, trying to muster up some enthusiasm to finish her task.
Afterward, she would go home, have a quiet lunch then perhaps enjoy the sunshine on her
own patio. And maybe her mind wouldn't be filled with thoughts of Carrie.
Later, as she pulled into her driveway, her backseat covered with grocery bags, she was
surprised to see her mother-in-law coming out of the side door.
"Why Jill, I didn't expect you to be here."
Jill bit her lip to keep the obvious retort from slipping out. It was one thing for Craig's
parents to have a key to their home for emergencies. It was quite another that Arlene felt
the need to use it any time she liked.
"Grocery store," she said as she opened the back door and pulled out two bags.
"Grocery store? I would have thought you'd gone to Richland with Craig."
"Why?"
Arlene pursed her lips and Jill prepared herself for the lecture she was about to get.
"You and Craig hardly spend any time together as it is. I would think you'd want to be with
your husband."
"My husband was going to a basketball tournament, Arlene. As you know, I'm not really
crazy about basketball."
"But Craig loves basketball."
"Yes, but I don't. I didn't want to waste my Saturday doing something I hate."
"I hardly think riding with your husband to a game would be considered wasting your time."
Jill opened her mouth then closed it again. She wouldn't waste her time now by arguing
with Arlene. So she walked past her, pushing open the side door with her shoulder.
"Did you need something, Arlene?"
"Oh, I baked cakes yesterday. I brought one over. You know how much Craig likes my
German chocolate cake."
"Yes. So does Angie. I'm sure they'll love it."
"I wish you would learn to bake, Jill. Craig has always loved desserts. I'm sure he would
appreciate a fresh-baked cake every now and then."
Jill smiled. "Yes, and he appreciates when you bring them over." She walked back outside,
getting the rest of her bags from the backseat.
"Well, baking does take some talent. Unless you open up a box and use a cake mix. Then I
say, what's the point?"
"Yes, well, thanks, Arlene. I'll be sure to try a piece myself."
Arlene stood in the kitchen, watching as Jill put the groceries away. Jill finally stopped.
"Was there something else, Arlene?"
"No. I guess I should get going. It's nearly lunchtime." She paused on her way out. "Do you
want to join us? Carl is grilling burgers."
Jill shook her head. "No, but thanks."
"No trouble to do one for you."
"Actually, I've got some errands to run. I'll pick up something in town," she lied.
"Okay then. And don't forget, we're having steaks for dinner. If this weather holds, it'll
be nice to cook out."
Jill frowned, her eyebrows pulling together. "Craig didn't mention we were having dinner
with you tonight."
"He didn't? Yes, at seven. But don't worry about bringing anything. It'll be simple. I'll do
baked potatoes."
Jill nodded. "Well, I'm glad you told me. I would have already started dinner by the time he
got home."
Arlene moved to leave then stopped again. "Where's Angie?"
"She's at Shelly's house. Her mother was taking them to the movies today, then she's
staying over."
"How fun. It must be nice for you, hmmm?"
"What do you mean?"