Double fuck.
23
Isabelle
Oh,crap!
That’s the first thought that enters my mind after Demek asks Anthony if he thinks Landon is a spy.
Okay, not so much a spy—like CIA—than a guy snooping around.
“You guys have watched way too many James Bond movies,” I say with what I hope is a convincing laugh.
“Ooh, now we’re talking,” Virginia says. “Daniel Craig is definitelythehottest 007.” She looks at me for confirmation.
“I personally think Sean Connery is the sexiest Bond,” Mildred says.
“You would, yea young lass.” Her husband’s fake Scottish accent is on the sorrowful side of things.
She giggles and takes his hand. He beams at her.
And my insides melt into a sticky, marshmallowy goo. Their interaction is too adorable for words—like cute fluffy puppies being playful in a video. You can’t help but keep watching.
And want one.
“What’s your secret to such a long and happy marriage?” I ask Mildred and Keith because one, I really am curious to hear the answer and two, to distract everyone’s attention from the conversation about Landon.
He can’t do his job if everyone is spying on him, waiting to destroy his cover.
“They’re not so much secrets as things people easily forget once the honeymoon period ends. Communication is key. If you don’t calmly talk through your problems and listen to what the other person says, how are you supposed to solve the issues before it’s too late?
“But you also must spend more time together as a couple than most couples do. It’s easy to become busy with our careers, our kids, our individual hobbies, and before you know it, your partner is no longer an important part of your life. Not like when you were dating and pretty much inseparable. Back then, you shared the same interests and opinions on important topics.
“We all grow as individuals as we get older. We’re not the same person we were when we first dated. That’s the beauty of it. The more we experience life, the more we grow. But when you’re both growing and no longer spending time together, it’s easy to grow apart. Eventually, you get to the point where you no longer have anything in common.”
Keith nods. “Everything Mildred said is true. We were one of those couples. We were no longer doing things together like we were when I was courting her. If we had continued down the path we were heading, we might not have lasted this long. But we realized our mistake and rectified it before it was too late.”
“And in the end, we discovered that we enjoyed creating whimsical ceramics together.”
“Which we turned into a fun small business.”
Mildred removes a small photo album from her oversized beach bag and passes it to Jayden and me.
We open it and leaf through the pictures of handmade plant pots that resemble colorful little trolls.
“Oh, those are adorable.” I pass the album to Virginia, who has the same reaction.
“We’ve been making them for the past ten years.” Mildred puffs out her chest and practically glows like a nightlight. “The tricky part was making sure what we loved doing together didn’t overshadow why we began making the plant pots to begin with. We could’ve easily let the business side swallow us up. And then we would’ve been back where we started—except now as business partners instead of lovers.”
“We made a decision early on to keep things small and manageable,” Keith explains. “We even have a picture on the studio wall that says ‘Couples who play together stay together.’ That’s our motto for a happy marriage.”
“What about you two?” Mildred asks. “Do you and Jayden have something you love doing together? And just to clarify things, sex and watching TV together doesn’t count. Sex and intimacy are definitely important for a happy marriage, but they are only part of the equation, especially when you’re older.”
“We love to do jigsaw puzzles together,” Jayden says.
They all look at me for confirmation.
I nod. “It’s true. It’s a great time to talk and share about our day. And we love hiking and cycling together.” All this is true.
