She shook her head. “It’s just yes or no. There are no buts. I know what you’ll be giving up if you say yes. I’m not sure I even want to be the one to blame for causing that decision. You’d resent me in a few months or years for asking you to walk away from what you have. You like what you do or you wouldn’t be doing it.”
“I wish I’d had sisters and brothers,” he said. “The responsibility that comes with being the only child in a family like mine is overwhelming.”
“I understand that, and like I said, I don’t want to ever have you hate me for forcing you to make this decision,” she told him, “but something has to change.”
“I still love you,” he whispered.
She laid a hand on his arm. “And I will always love you.”
Sparks danced all around them, like a million stars falling from the sky.
He picked up her hand and brought it to his lips. He kissed every knuckle and then laced his fingers in hers. “Ava, why can’t that love carry us until I get a hold on everything I’ll have to know to run the company?”
“Because we only get one day at a time.” She pulled her hand free. “We can’t depend on tomorrow, because it might never come. I want to be a part of your life every day. That’s what marriage is. It’s not money or power orowning big companies. It’s sharing life. You decide what you want, and then we can talk about whether we feel like hauling big rocks up from wherever they have fallen to repair our marriage, or if what we had is in ruins like this place. I’m not asking you to give up your job or family. I just want to be a part of your life, to share time with you instead of sitting at home alone, night after night. I’d also like to go back to teaching or at least have a job.”
She paused for a moment and then went on. “After the first few months of our marriage, we became nothing more than two ships passing in the night. Your mother managed to schedule something every evening that did not include me. Do you want to be married to your job or to me? That’s the question. You have to figure out the answer before we can talk about our future as a married couple,” she said as she stood up and walked away, leaving nothing but a hint of her perfume in her wake.
“I can fix that,” Vince said with a smile.
Chapter 4
“What did you find out?” Sookie asked Henry when he joined her at the steps by the elevator.
Henry sat down beside Sookie and whispered, “Vince is miserable. Ava told him they were just two ships passing in the night, and she wanted a relationship that involved more than that. He’s got a lot to think about.”
“This is a real challenge.” Sookie sighed. “We might fail. Seems like he’s married to his job and his family more than he is to Ava. She was strong, but it cost her a lot of tears this afternoon. She loves him, but she can’t continue to live like she has been.”
“I believe in miracles,” Henry said. “After all, y’all decided to let me help, and you’re sitting here talking to me. I haven’t felt this alive since before my Nellie passed away.”
“Helping folks get together does kind of spice up our lives, doesn’t it?” Sookie said with half a smile.
“Yep, kind of…” Henry frowned. “The word is right on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t grab ahold of it.”
“The word or your tongue?” Sookie teased.
“The word, smarty-pants,” he shot back at her. “It’s kind of like putting a good barbecue sauce on ribs.”
“Or that we’re living vicariously through our matchmaking?” Sookie heard the elevator doors open and held her breath for a few seconds. An older couple stepped out and waved to Sookie and Henry as they headed back down the hallway.
“Both,” Henry said with a nod. “We can help others find the thrill of a new romance, even if we’re too damn old for such things, and it adds a little sauce to our dull lives.”
“Speak for yourself,” Sookie declared. “There’s nothing dull about my life.”
“You mean you…” Henry sputtered.
Sookie patted him on the knee. “Honey, a woman never gets too old.”
“Well, in that case…” Henry grinned.
“No!” Sookie threw up both palms. “You win. I’m not interested in a relationship like that at my age. I tease about it, but I’m happy right where I am in life. No commitments. No snoring man beside me at night. No having to wait on a man to…”
“I get what you’re saying, sister, and I agree with you,” Henry said with an even wider grin.
“Okay then, the plan is that we send them to the Belize excursion without us tomorrow. We buy the tickets for them, so they’ll feel like they have to use them, right?” Sookie asked.
Henry covered a yawn with his hand and stood up. “I’ve already bought one for Vince, and he thinks I’m going with him, but I’m worn out from the excursion today. And speaking of that, it’s way past my bedtime, so I’m going to my cabin. And darlin’, I am right glad I don’t have to share my bathroom with you or anyone else.”
“Right back at you,” Sookie said but made no effort to get up. “We’ll meet right here tomorrow night after we’ve got them tucked into their rooms and figure out the next step.”
