Read Online Sisters and Husbands by Connie Briscoe - Free Book Online Page B

and their children. With patience
     on her part, he would come back to his senses and back to her.
    Or would he? What if he didn’t come back to his senses? What if he enjoyed his time away from her? What if he met some other
     woman while he was away? Worse yet, what if he had already met another woman? Evelyn didn’t think he had, but could she be
     sure? No, she couldn’t.
    “Oh, God,” she muttered. She tapped her fingers on the desk and took a deep breath. “Calm down,” she said softly. Don’t allow
     yourself to wallow in negative thoughts just yet. Kevin was about to turn fifty. Most likely, he was going through the male
     change of life. It was surprising, since Kevin had always been so stable, so rock solid, but turning fifty could freak anyone
     out, even someone as rational as Kevin. Maybe even more so with someone like Kevin. He was likely regretting all those years
     of being so sane and serious about everything. Now he wanted to let it all loose and have some fun.
    She glanced at the telephone, willing him to call her back. If he did, she could tell him that she understood what he was
     going through, that he didn’t need to dump his wife to find fulfillment. They could talk things over and it would be good
     for him. After all, she was a psychologist.
    Maybe she would try to reach him at Blockbuster. She had never gotten his number there, thinking the job was a stupid fad
     that wouldn’t last. That was obviously a big mistake.
    She was about to call directory assistance for the local Blockbuster when her desk phone rang. She almost fell out of the
     chair when she saw Kevin’s number on the caller ID.
    “You called?” he asked when she answered, his voice filled with more than a hint of irritation.
    Evelyn almost sputtered. He acted like he was doing her a favor by returning her call. What gave him the right to treat her
     like some random slut off the street chasing after him?
    She had planned to talk to him calmly and rationally, despite the fact that she had every right to be thoroughly pissed about
     his behavior. But that plan had flown straight out the window the moment he called, copping an attitude with her.
    “What is going on with you, Kevin? You walk out on me and don’t even bother to get in touch. What the hell am I supposed to
     do?”
    “I thought it would be best to give us a few days to chill and, you know, clear our heads, given how upset we both were when
     I walked out on Sunday.”
    “So are you planning to walk back
in
any time soon?”
    “I need more time to think things over, Evelyn. You should do the same.”
    “What am I supposed to be thinking about? Will you please tell me that?”
    Silence.
    “I’m waiting, Kevin. What the hell am I supposed to be thinking about?” She didn’t mean to shout, but she couldn’t help it.
     He was turning her life inside out.
    “You should try to calm down,” he said.
    “
I
don’t need to do anything.
You
need to tell me what you expect me to do while you’re doing all this damn thinking. ’Cause I don’t need to do any thinking.
     I know exactly what I want. I want us to be a family just like we’ve always been.”
    “I hear you.”
    “Then what are you going to do about it? And what do I tell people until you decide?”
    “I can’t answer that,” he said calmly, too damn calmly, as far as she was concerned.
    “God, Kevin. You sound so cold. What’s gotten into you?”
    “It’s not just me,” Kevin said. “We’ve both changed. We’ve grown apart. If you think about it, you’ll see that.”
    “
I
haven’t changed.
You’ve
changed.”
    “Fine, Evelyn. If you can’t see it, you don’t want to see it. ’Cause any way you look at our lives recently, we’ve grown apart.
     We want different things. I woke up one day and realized that I couldn’t care less about legal briefs and depositions or even
     about my clients. I don’t give a damn about the house or the lawn or driving a luxury car. All that shit