“Joe’s right,” Nicole intervened. “You’re not grounded, but I don’t want you taking any more foolish chances. And wear your life jacket.”
Hailey scowled.
“What’s the Drowning Pool?” Liv asked.
“The pond down by Mission Point,” Anne said. “People have seen dark apparitions lurking in the water. Supposedly seven witches were tried there back in the 1700s and drowned. Of course, it probably never happened, but it’s a great story.” She made a little embarrassed face. “Sorry for the lecture. Occupational hazard.”
“That’s right, you’re a teacher, aren’t you? In Chicago?” Nicole asked.
The meatball stuck in Joe’s throat. Hell. He’d known allalong she was leaving. But…“Nothing to keep her here,” Maddie said in his head.
“For now.” Anne fidgeted with her napkin.
His mother cocked her head. “Thinking about a career change?”
“Oh. No. I love teaching.”
“Except for dealing with the administration,” Joe said.
Her gaze flew to his face.
That’s right, he thought.I remember every word you said to me.He reached for his beer.
“I had a run-in with my principal,” she explained to Nicole. “Before I left. But every job has drawbacks, right? Anyway, teaching’s not just a job. It’s a calling.”
His mother looked from Anne to Joe. “When do you go back?”
“So, that’s the thing,” Anne said. “I got an email last week from Sarah Thompson—my department head? She wants me to come in before classes start. But I’m not sure…I’m hoping to put off going back until Daanis has her baby.”
“When is she due?”
“She’s, um, going into the hospital next week.”
Next week.The date loomed, real and immediate.
Cold filled him. Okay, so Anne was going. She didn’t need him. He didn’t need her. Besides, he wasn’t in any position to ask her to stay.
Anne left off fussing with her napkin and looked directly at Joe. “But I’ll be home for Christmas.”
“If you guys get married, I want to be in the wedding,” Hailey announced.
“There is no wedding,” Joe said.
“I’m just saying, I’m ready for nieces and nephews.”
“Who wants dessert?” Nicole asked.
“I’ll help you,” Anne said, jumping up.
—
“That was fun,”Anne said when the cake was gone and the dishes were done. The girls were off to Liv’s. Nicole was watching TV in the living room.
They walked through the yard in the long twilight, the quarter moon hanging over the horizon.
“Fun,” Joe repeated. Was she kidding? His mom was practically planning their wedding. His sister had offered to babysit their unborn children. And Anne was leaving in a week.
“Mm.” She stood back as he unlocked the door to his workshop. “Mom likes to eat in front of the TV. I mean, I get it. It’s company when she’s alone. But your family is so…”
