around the room, raking his fingers through his hair. “I know she really likes Eternity Springs. I do, too. But why would she want to leave Denver? This is where her home is. It’s where her life is. And Stephen told me that she’s going to run the Bristlecone. Why in the world would she want a job? She doesn’t need money, does she? Shehasn’t developed a gambling habit or something weird like that, has she?”
Again Mac hesitated before denying it. Ali could be involved in something that might surprise him. He didn’t know much about her life these days. “I have no evidence that your mother has taken up any unhealthy habits. Look, Chase, you’re asking the same questions I’m asking, and I haven’t found any answers. Not yet. It would be easier to fix the problem if I knew what caused it, but I don’t. I don’t think even your mother knows for sure.”
Chase walked to the window and gazed out into the yard. Quietly he asked, “Do you want to fix it, Dad?”
“Of course I do.” Don’t I?
Mac’s mouth settled in a grim line. Was that yet another question for which he had no answer? In all honesty, he hadn’t been any happier than Ali of late. He loved his wife, but he was tired of being lonely. He was tired of being with her but being apart. “That said, I’m not sure that her idea of fixing it will coincide with mine. Or that ours will coincide with yours or your siblings’.”
Chase twisted his head and scowled at him. “What are you saying, Dad? You want to fix it by getting divorced?”
Leave it to Mr. Impatient to use that particular word first , Mac thought with a wince. He wanted to lie and deny the possibility, but he always tried to be honest with his children. “I don’t know, son. That’s certainly one possibility.”
After a long moment, the young man declared, “This sucks. Totally.”
Mac moved to stand beside his son at the window. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, Chase.”
They stood for a time in awkward silence. Finally Chase shrugged and said, “That car is awesome. Is it a Cabriolet?”
Mac grabbed at the change of subject like a lifeline. “Yes. A 4S.”
“Sweet. How many horses?”
“Three hundred eighty-five.”
“Whoa. What’s the zero-to-sixty?”
“Four-point-seven seconds.”
“Dude. That’s totally sweet. Say, I’ve got a date tonight. You gonna let me borrow it?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Didn’t think so, but it was worth a try.”
“Always worth a try.” Mac sipped his drink, then casually asked, “You want to drive it?”
Chase’s head whipped around, and for the first time during the visit, a smile touched his face. “You mean it?”
“I’ll let you take it around the block.”
“Score.”
“Too bad you have a date or we could go for a spin, stop and get some dinner before you head back to Boulder.”
“I don’t have a date. That was just a ploy to get my hands on your Porsche.”
“I figured as much,” Mac replied, his lips sliding into a half smile. He tossed the keys to his son and said, “Give me ten minutes here. I have a call I need to make. You can check out the engine—just don’t drive off.”
“Excellent!”
Moments later, after deciding to let Chase do the driving this evening, he poured himself another drink, sat in his desk chair, and dialed his wife’s cell phone. She answered on the third ring, a cautious “Hello?”
He pictured her sad blue eyes. “Are you in a place where you can talk a minute?”
“I’m in the car. Let me pull off. Hold on a sec.” He could tell from the sounds that she’d dropped the phone into the console. It reminded him that he’d been planning to buy her a new car, one that came equipped with hands-free calling. She spent too much time on the phone while she was driving for it to be safe. While he brooded about that, she came back on the line. “All right.”
Mac’s hand tightened around the receiver, but he kept his voice modulated as he said, “Chase
Again Mac hesitated before denying it. Ali could be involved in something that might surprise him. He didn’t know much about her life these days. “I have no evidence that your mother has taken up any unhealthy habits. Look, Chase, you’re asking the same questions I’m asking, and I haven’t found any answers. Not yet. It would be easier to fix the problem if I knew what caused it, but I don’t. I don’t think even your mother knows for sure.”
Chase walked to the window and gazed out into the yard. Quietly he asked, “Do you want to fix it, Dad?”
“Of course I do.” Don’t I?
Mac’s mouth settled in a grim line. Was that yet another question for which he had no answer? In all honesty, he hadn’t been any happier than Ali of late. He loved his wife, but he was tired of being lonely. He was tired of being with her but being apart. “That said, I’m not sure that her idea of fixing it will coincide with mine. Or that ours will coincide with yours or your siblings’.”
Chase twisted his head and scowled at him. “What are you saying, Dad? You want to fix it by getting divorced?”
Leave it to Mr. Impatient to use that particular word first , Mac thought with a wince. He wanted to lie and deny the possibility, but he always tried to be honest with his children. “I don’t know, son. That’s certainly one possibility.”
After a long moment, the young man declared, “This sucks. Totally.”
Mac moved to stand beside his son at the window. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, Chase.”
They stood for a time in awkward silence. Finally Chase shrugged and said, “That car is awesome. Is it a Cabriolet?”
Mac grabbed at the change of subject like a lifeline. “Yes. A 4S.”
“Sweet. How many horses?”
“Three hundred eighty-five.”
“Whoa. What’s the zero-to-sixty?”
“Four-point-seven seconds.”
“Dude. That’s totally sweet. Say, I’ve got a date tonight. You gonna let me borrow it?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Didn’t think so, but it was worth a try.”
“Always worth a try.” Mac sipped his drink, then casually asked, “You want to drive it?”
Chase’s head whipped around, and for the first time during the visit, a smile touched his face. “You mean it?”
“I’ll let you take it around the block.”
“Score.”
“Too bad you have a date or we could go for a spin, stop and get some dinner before you head back to Boulder.”
“I don’t have a date. That was just a ploy to get my hands on your Porsche.”
“I figured as much,” Mac replied, his lips sliding into a half smile. He tossed the keys to his son and said, “Give me ten minutes here. I have a call I need to make. You can check out the engine—just don’t drive off.”
“Excellent!”
Moments later, after deciding to let Chase do the driving this evening, he poured himself another drink, sat in his desk chair, and dialed his wife’s cell phone. She answered on the third ring, a cautious “Hello?”
He pictured her sad blue eyes. “Are you in a place where you can talk a minute?”
“I’m in the car. Let me pull off. Hold on a sec.” He could tell from the sounds that she’d dropped the phone into the console. It reminded him that he’d been planning to buy her a new car, one that came equipped with hands-free calling. She spent too much time on the phone while she was driving for it to be safe. While he brooded about that, she came back on the line. “All right.”
Mac’s hand tightened around the receiver, but he kept his voice modulated as he said, “Chase
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