Read Online Mating for Life by Marissa Stapley - Free Book Online Page B

pregnant. And, just as inevitably, it seemed, they would leave Johnny and the baby to go back to wherever they had come from. “You’d have to be pretty unhappy to want to leave your baby,” Helen had said once, and then had grown thoughtful and quiet before brightening up and saying, “I don’t understand it. Johnny is a darling. One day we’ll have to find him a proper woman. At least for a few seasons.” A few seasons had been all any of ­Helen’s relationships had ever lasted, and she never seemed to regret this.
    â€œCan you take me out to the island soon?” Ilsa asked. Helen had long refused to get a motorized boat, so they had to depend on Johnny and his boys to ferry them to and from the island, for a fee. The boy named Jesse nodded. “Probablyin about ten minutes. I’ll carry your stuff down to the pier for you and then I have to go check in at the restaurant. If you go down to the store, Myra’ll ring you up.”
    â€œThanks.” Myra. Perhaps, after all these years, Johnny had decided he needed another son. It struck Ilsa as a mean thought to have. But she still felt curious to see this Myra, the next in line. Would she be pregnant already? Ilsa opened the trunk for Jesse, then unbuckled Ani and lifted her out of her car seat and onto the gravel—“Check your sandal. Is it done up?”—before leaning back in and gently waking Xavier.
    â€œWake up, mon chou, ” she said into his hair. “Time for the boat ride, and then we’ll be at Nanny’s.”
    He opened his eyes and smiled. He was always happy when he woke up. Not like Ani, who took time to come back into the world. Xavier would often wake early with his father, but Ani would sleep in, shades drawn, like a teenager. On weekends she would come into Ilsa’s room, and they’d sleep the morning away together. “Nanny’s. And swimming?” His voice was hopeful.
    â€œYes, swimming. Of course swimming.” She lifted him out of the car and kept him on her hip. “Nothing but swimming, if that’s what you want.”
    â€œCookies?” Ani asked.
    Ilsa reached down and took her hand. “I’m sure there will be cookies. And strawberries. And blackberries.” Ilsa kissed the top of Xavier’s head, then put him down and reached for his hand, too. The three of them walked together toward the general-store area of the building.
    Inside, as always, it smelled like fish. “What’s that smell?” Ani said, nose wrinkled. “Freshly scaled and gutted fish,” Ilsa replied. “ Gutted ? ” Ani repeated. “It means . . . cleaned,” Ilsa said. “It doesn’t smell clean,” Ani said.
    The woman behind the counter had nearly black hair pulled into a high chignon, and was wearing a navy FLIPPER’S T-shirt over slim jeans. She had on reading glasses, which she took off and put down on the counter. She was smiling at Ani. She didn’t look at all like one of Johnny’s typical women. For one thing, she wasn’t blond. Also, she had pearls in her ears, which struck Ilsa as out of place here. The woman now looked at Ilsa, still smiling, and Ilsa saw something in the woman’s eyes that she recognized. A certain sadness. Ilsa smiled back.
    Johnny, also behind the counter, with a stack of receipts and on the telephone, called this woman “babe” and asked her to pass him a calculator.
    A moment later, he hung up the phone. “Hey, Ilsa, how you been?”
    â€œVery well, thank you, Johnny, and you?”
    â€œNot bad at all. So, the restaurant’s a bit slammed with breakfast customers right now. It might be ten-thirty before Jesse can take you guys. That okay? I had to send him up to help run some food. You and those cute kids of yours want to go up and have a bite?” Ilsa found the idea of food unappealing. “Are you hungry for breakfast?” she asked the