on. We were college kids up in Michigan and I was working two part-time jobs and going to school at the same time. Then when Megan was born I had just started grad school, still working two part-time jobs.”
“Then after?”
He grimaced. “I worked for a chemical company for a few years, but I hated it. Mona was moving up the ladder in her company and they offered her a promotion. She could choose one of three cities and our best friend from college had already moved down here so we picked St. Pete. My friend was a physics professor at the University and loved it, and I missed academia. I got a position as an assistant professor. I could finally slow down and be a father to Megan. That was seven years ago.”
“And your wife?”
He stared out at the water, his jaw tightening. “Mona got busier and busier with her career. Started traveling around the world and she’d be gone for weeks at a time.”
“Weeks? That must have been hard on your daughter. And you.”
His laugh was harsh. “You could say that. Megan would cry at night, missing her. When Mona would come home, she’d be more and more distant. One day, she said her company wanted her to take a job in South America and she’d accepted it.”
“Without discussing it with you?” Emma asked, startled. “Will never would—” She broke it off abruptly. “I’m sorry. That was thoughtless of me.”
“What, that your husband never would have made a major life decision without discussing it with you? Don’t be sorry. I think that’s how normal couples do things. I’m not sure Mona and I ever were normal. Anyway, I didn’t want to uproot Megan, or myself, if I’m honest. We fought about it and she said I was a selfish bastard and I could go with her or she’d leave us. The next time I saw Mona she was sitting on the other side of the table in the divorce attorney’s office.”
“And Megan?”
“She was devastated. Mostly because Mona never even contested my sole custody petition.”
“Poor little girl,” Emma murmured. “She must have felt so rejected.”
“She
was
rejected,” Christopher said bitterly. “I’d already accepted that things were coming to that, but Megan was just a little girl. It broke my heart to see her holding out hope that her mother would actually want her. Mona sees her whenever she comes back to the States on a business trip, but only when it’s convenient. Megan hasn’t seen her mother in almost a year.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.” He let out a sigh. “But I don’t want to talk about Mona any more. I want to talk about you. There are still so many things I want to know.”
“Okay. What do you want to know?”
He was quiet for few moments. “Why did you wait a whole year before dealing with your husband’s things?”
Emma huffed a surprised laugh. “You cut right to the chase, don’t you? Gosh.” She blew out a breath, sending her bangs dancing. “I was afraid.”
“Of what?”
Emma fixed her gaze on the gentle waves, remembering exactly what. “A few years before Will died, I was on an airplane, coming home from some conference. Sitting next to me was this old woman, crying. I asked her what was wrong and she told me that she was on her way home to Wisconsin. That her husband of forty-seven years had died the year before and her sister had come to help her with the funeral. After the funeral, her sister invited her to her condo in Florida for a few days, to rest. On the flight to her sister’s, the woman broke her hip and was forced to stay with her sister until she could move on her own, almost a year later.
“I’ll never forget how she cried. She said her husband’s shoes would still be in their foyer and his coat on the kitchen chair. She said going home after a year was like he’d died all over again. She had me crying so hard with her that the flight attendant thought she was my grandmother.”
Christopher was touched. Emma had always had such a tender heart. He’d always
“Then after?”
He grimaced. “I worked for a chemical company for a few years, but I hated it. Mona was moving up the ladder in her company and they offered her a promotion. She could choose one of three cities and our best friend from college had already moved down here so we picked St. Pete. My friend was a physics professor at the University and loved it, and I missed academia. I got a position as an assistant professor. I could finally slow down and be a father to Megan. That was seven years ago.”
“And your wife?”
He stared out at the water, his jaw tightening. “Mona got busier and busier with her career. Started traveling around the world and she’d be gone for weeks at a time.”
“Weeks? That must have been hard on your daughter. And you.”
His laugh was harsh. “You could say that. Megan would cry at night, missing her. When Mona would come home, she’d be more and more distant. One day, she said her company wanted her to take a job in South America and she’d accepted it.”
“Without discussing it with you?” Emma asked, startled. “Will never would—” She broke it off abruptly. “I’m sorry. That was thoughtless of me.”
“What, that your husband never would have made a major life decision without discussing it with you? Don’t be sorry. I think that’s how normal couples do things. I’m not sure Mona and I ever were normal. Anyway, I didn’t want to uproot Megan, or myself, if I’m honest. We fought about it and she said I was a selfish bastard and I could go with her or she’d leave us. The next time I saw Mona she was sitting on the other side of the table in the divorce attorney’s office.”
“And Megan?”
“She was devastated. Mostly because Mona never even contested my sole custody petition.”
“Poor little girl,” Emma murmured. “She must have felt so rejected.”
“She
was
rejected,” Christopher said bitterly. “I’d already accepted that things were coming to that, but Megan was just a little girl. It broke my heart to see her holding out hope that her mother would actually want her. Mona sees her whenever she comes back to the States on a business trip, but only when it’s convenient. Megan hasn’t seen her mother in almost a year.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.” He let out a sigh. “But I don’t want to talk about Mona any more. I want to talk about you. There are still so many things I want to know.”
“Okay. What do you want to know?”
He was quiet for few moments. “Why did you wait a whole year before dealing with your husband’s things?”
Emma huffed a surprised laugh. “You cut right to the chase, don’t you? Gosh.” She blew out a breath, sending her bangs dancing. “I was afraid.”
“Of what?”
Emma fixed her gaze on the gentle waves, remembering exactly what. “A few years before Will died, I was on an airplane, coming home from some conference. Sitting next to me was this old woman, crying. I asked her what was wrong and she told me that she was on her way home to Wisconsin. That her husband of forty-seven years had died the year before and her sister had come to help her with the funeral. After the funeral, her sister invited her to her condo in Florida for a few days, to rest. On the flight to her sister’s, the woman broke her hip and was forced to stay with her sister until she could move on her own, almost a year later.
“I’ll never forget how she cried. She said her husband’s shoes would still be in their foyer and his coat on the kitchen chair. She said going home after a year was like he’d died all over again. She had me crying so hard with her that the flight attendant thought she was my grandmother.”
Christopher was touched. Emma had always had such a tender heart. He’d always
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