And part of me wants to think well of Olivia, since there’s a good chance she’ll be my kids’ stepmother. To her credit, she seems to be good with kids, and she was a popular skating instructor. And the skating job was just a side hustle; she’s currently studying to be a social worker, which suggests she’s got both a brain and a conscience.
That’s probably why Troy noticed her. I’m sure it had nothing to do with her willowy figure and big doe eyes.
“Troy, do you think you could give Liam your phone in a bit?” I ask. “I didn’t bring a charger, so I need to save my battery.”
“I guess,” Troy says irritably. “But I have to send some emails first. It’s been a crazy busy week.”
Troy’s always going on about how busy he is; it’s a real point of pride for him. Of course, since I was a stay-at-home mom, I wouldn’t understand the demands of his job. If I hadn’t promised to be mature in front of the kids, I’d make a crack about how inconvenient he must find Claire’s appendicitis, but I settle for rolling my eyes.
“Liam can use my phone,” Olivia offers. “He watches YouTube stuff?”
I almost decline, but I realize that would be childish. “Yeah, he does. Something likePeppa PigorPaw Patrolwould be great.”
Olivia reaches across Troy to hand me her phone. “I’ll let you find something.”
I look at her unlocked phone in surprise, and nobly resist the temptation to read her text messages. I don’t need to know what she and Troy have to say to each other. I pull up YouTube, find aPaw Patrolepisode, and hand it to Liam, who gives me my own phone back in exchange.
“How are you liking Somerset, Melissa?” Olivia asks.
“Oh. It’s been good. I grew up here, so it’s nice to be back.”
“It’s my first time here, but it seems really pretty,” Olivia remarks. “I’ve always liked the idea of living in a small town.”
“It’s not really a small town,” I reply. “The population’s over a hundred thousand people, plus all the university students during the school year.”
Troy makes a sound that sounds suspiciously like a snort. I guess compared to Toronto, Somerset’s a small town.
“I didn’t realize,” Olivia says politely. “You’ll have to give me the tour sometime.”
“Sure.”
“How’s Claire liking her school?”
“She’s only been there a week, but she seems happy.”
Olivia’s making an effort, but I wish she wouldn’t. I’ve tried to sell the kids the illusion that we’re all good friends—Mommy, Daddy, and Olivia—but it will never be true. I’m not even sure the kids buy it, but Olivia seems to think it’s possible.
“I guess Troy and I should book a hotel for tonight,” Olivia says. “Any suggestions?”
“There’s a Marriott on the waterfront that’s supposed to be nice.” If I were a better person, I’d offer to let them stay in my house, since I plan to spend the night at the hospital with Claire. But I don’t have a guest bedroom, and I can’t handle the thought of Troy and Olivia sleeping in my bed.
Since Liam has her phone, Olivia nudges Troy. “Can you look for a hotel, babe?” she asks. “Melissa suggested the Marriott.”
“Sure.” Troy taps at his phone for a minute, then announces he’s booked a suite.
“You really think the surgeon is good?” Troy asks, turning to me. I realize he’s worried about Claire too, and it makes me hate him a little less.
“Yeah, Troy, I do.”
Like many lifelong Torontonians, Troy suffers from the delusion that nothing good ever happens anywhere else. But Luke Carlton is the very definition of competent, and I’m sure he could have gotten a job as a surgeon anywhere he wanted.
When we were in high school, everyone knew Luke Carlton; he was the guy all the girls wanted to date and all the guys wanted to be. He had a killer smile, an even better body, and a great sense of humor. He was a natural athlete, and the first person in years to make the high school hockey team in grade nine. His life didn’t revolve around the gym and the hockey rink, though, and he managed to stay near the top of all his classes.
With all this going for him, Luke could have gotten away with being a jerk, but he wasn’t. If anything, he went out of his way to be kind to the kids who weren’t particularly attractive or clever. Which is why I thought he wastaking pity on me when he sat next to me in our grade ten science class. I was the only grade nine student in the class (I was a science nerd, and had managed to work ahead), so I didn’t know anyone and I usually sat alone.
Until that fateful day about a month into the semester, when I met Luke. I’d taken a seat in the front corner and opened my textbook, and I didn’t notice Luke approaching until he spoke.
“Okay if I sit here?” he asked, gesturing to the chair next to me.
