Page 18 of Crying in the Rain
“Yep. This morning.”
He walked through to the kitchen, pausing to accept the gift of a tea towel from Casper on the way. Very pleased with himself, the nutty golden Lab went bounding ahead and did a couple of circuits of the table, almost knocking Shaunna’s legs from under her. Boiling water overshot the mugs she was filling.
“Casper, pack it in!” she shouted. It made no difference whatsoever. The dog always acted like they’d been gone for weeks.
“Have you just got in?” Kris asked, letting the dog out into the garden.
“About ten minutes ago.” She padded past him, barefoot, and collected the milk from the fridge.
Kris sat at the table and picked up the post, thumbing through the envelopes, flipping each to the back of the pile. Nothing exciting. A mug appeared in front of him. “Thanks.”
“Welcome.”
Casper charged back in, and out again.
“I’ll take him for a W-A-L-K in a minute,” Kris said.
“He can wait.” Shaunna thunked down on the chair opposite, tea in one hand, a packet of biscuits in the other, preparing to get the low-down on All Things Ade.
“Well?” she said.
“Well what?” Kris asked, trying to keep his expression serious. His mouth was having none of it. He stuffed a biscuit in it.
“Aha!” Shaunna grinned. “So heissingle?”
Kris chewed quickly and swallowed down some tea, burning his tongue in the process. “I didn’t get the chance to ask, but I’m guessing so. He’s agreed to meet up for a drink tonight.”
“That’s promising.”
“Yeah, it is…”
“You don’t sound too sure.”
“I’m not. There’s something not right.”
“Is this about the bruises?”
“I think so. Maybe he’s got kids with emotional problems or a relative with dementia or something, because he said he wouldn’t know if he could make it until after work.”
“Or he’s in an abusive relationship?” Shaunna speculated, and she wasn’t being spiteful, though she’d have every right to be, seeing as a married man was part of why they were separated—only a very small part. They’d already been sleeping in different rooms when it happened, and Kris had been struggling with depression. Jack had made a move on him, and Kris had kind of fallen into it. The result: a short and meaningless fling that he was so ashamed of he’d kept it from Shaunna and even temporarily moved out to avoid facing her.
Jack was Kris’s only indiscretion, but he still felt like a cheat. He and Shaunna had been together for twenty years, and she was his best friend. She knew everything about him. They lived together, ate together, did their laundry jointly, shopped for groceries, went to the cinema, to dinner—everything they’d always done as husband and wife, and that was the problem. However excited she was to hear about Ade, it felt wrong to talk to her about seeing someone else.
“I know you’re worried,” she said. “But it’s not the same as with Jack.”
“It isn’t?”
“Good God, no! He was a manipulative piece of…work. There again, I know what you’re like. You take people at face value and go all in.”
“You mean I’m gullible,” Kris said.
“Trusting,” Shaunna corrected. “And there’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you’re not setting yourself up for heartbreak.”
“Should I cancel?”
“No. But you should probably ask Ade straight up if he’s involved with anyone else.”
Kris suspected it was already too late, as regards saving himself from heartbreak, but at least he’d know where he stood. Still, he didn’t relish having that conversation.
