Abby left her sister’s house and drove home, her emotions churning. She was excited to be pregnant, finally. It was just ironic that when they’d been trying so hard to make it happen, including with IVF and that didn’t work, suddenly finding herself pregnant was a shock. She’d googled it though and learned that it wasn’t all that unusual. Many couples failed to get pregnant and turned to adoption only to welcome a surprise baby of their own at some point. Doctors said it was because they were more relaxed and not anxiously trying so hard.
As excited as she was, Abby was still dreading the conversation that she knew she needed to have with Jeff. She hoped that they could get past this, and work it out, but they’d been down this road before several times. Each time, Jeff had promised to cut his hours back, and he had, but it never lasted for more than a week or two. And then he’d start going in earlier or staying later and either way, he’d inhale dinner and then fall asleep on the sofa around seven. Seven! She appreciated that he was a hard worker and knew that his family’s business had more than doubled since he’d taken over, but at what cost?
And she didn’t want him to agree just because of the baby. She didn’t trust that it would last if he did. She needed him to see that he was killing their relationship even as his business thrived. He needed to find a way to delegate more and to get his life, their life back. But, she dreaded the conversation, and she knew she was feeling more emotional than usual because of the pregnancy hormones.
She stopped at the market on the way home and picked up a chicken, carrots and potatoes. She knew that Jeff would be sound asleep when she got home but she figured it wouldn’t hurt to make his favorite dinner tomorrow.
So, the next evening, when Jeff walked through the door at a quarter to seven, the house smelled amazing from the chicken and vegetables that had been roasting in the oven. He stopped short and took a deep sniff.
“That smells fantastic!”
Abby smiled. “The chickens looked good at the market. Everything’s ready if you are.”
“Sure, you feel like a glass of wine? I’m pouring.” He got two glasses out of a cupboard before Abby could speak.
“I’m just going to have water. My stomach is a little off.” She already had a full glass of water that she’d been sipping on.
“Oh, okay.” He put one of the glasses back and poured himself some merlot.
Abby made plates for both of them, and they ate at the kitchen table. Jeff talked excitedly about a new client he’d landed. She watched him as he spoke. He was so animated and earnest. She’d always loved how passionate he was about his work, before it took over everything. She loved how his eyes lit up as he spoke and how small laugh lines danced around the edges of his mouth. How his sandy brown hair fell over his forehead. It was thick and a little too long. He needed a cut, but she’d always liked it this way, on the long side. She sighed. She loved him dearly, but she just couldn’t live like this anymore.
She knew she had a short window of time, maybe thirty minutes before she’d lose Jeff’s attention. Before his eyes would grow heavy and he’d start to snore softly as he lay on the living room sofa. After he had a second helping of chicken, she cleared their plates and when he stood to go into the living room, she told him to sit back down.
“There’s something I need to talk to you about.” She knew that a certain tone had crept into her voice. It made him raise his eyebrows as he settled back into his seat.
“Is something wrong?” he asked as he took his last sip of wine.
She sat down too and folded her hands in front of her. “We need to talk. We’ve had this conversation before, and I can’t do this anymore.”
“What are you saying? Is it my hours? You want me to cut back again?”
Abby sighed. ‘Not again. Not temporarily. I need a permanent change, Jeff. You leave before five most mornings, get home after six and you’re dead to the world by seven. It’s not fun for me or fair.”
Jeff ran a hand through his hair and looked frustrated. “It won’t be forever. But I need to be there.”
“Why? You’ve got the company running better than ever. What time does Jason come in? When does he leave? What about your father and your uncles? None of them are putting in the hours you are. Are they?”
He was quiet for a moment and finally said, “Jason comes in when I do on most days.”
“He doesn’t stay as late though, does he?” Abby knew that he didn’t.
“No, not usually.”
“You’re the one that’s in charge. You should be able to find a way to delegate more so that you don’t have to spend as much time there.”
“I’ll try. I’ll see what I can do.” He sounded frustrated and defensive, and Abby knew nothing was going to change.
“Jeff, seriously. I’m done, totally cooked. I can’t go on like this. I think we need some time apart. To see if you can find a way to work out a new schedule and stick to it. A week or two isn’t what I have in mind. I need a permanent change or we can just end this.”
Jeff’s jaw dropped. “You’re serious?”
“Yes. I can move out, or you can.” Abby knew she could stay with Kristen if she needed to.
Jeff was wide awake now and alternated between angry and panicked at what was happening. “You don’t have to leave. We can work this out.”
“I really think one of us has to leave for a while. We need a break. I’m hoping it will be a temporary one. If you really change your schedule and keep to it for longer than a month, we can revisit moving back in. I can go to Kristen’s if you want me to leave.”
“I can’t believe you’re doing this.” He stood up and paced, and she could tell his mind was racing, processing what she’d said. He stopped finally. A decision reached. “I don’t want you to leave. I’ll go to Jason’s.” His voice broke a little and her heart did too when he asked, “Can I still see you?”
“Of course.” She tried to smiled. “Maybe we’ll go on a real date night.”
Jeff didn’t look at all happy about the situation. “All right. I’ll pack a bag and head to Jason’s. I guess I’ll call you in a day or two?”
“So, what’s this mysterious project that you want my help with? Are you serious about making your walk-in closet bigger? You’ve been talking about doing that for years.” Chase teased Lisa as he leaned against the kitchen island. She’d invited him over for dinner and to ask his advice. She’d always thought of Chase as her golden child, her beautiful boy. His hair was the color of sunshine, and his eyes were a bright green with specks of gold. He was tall and lanky. He’d always been thin and able to eat everything without putting on weight. His eyes fell on the tray of stuffed shells that had just come out of the oven and were resting on a wire rack.
“And you made my favorite meal. I haven’t had the shells in ages.”
Lisa smiled. “I did. I like them too and as you said, I haven’t made them in a while. Let’s sit down and eat, and I’ll tell you what I’m thinking about. It’s not a bigger closet.” She set a bowl of salad in the middle of the kitchen table next to a loaf of crusty Italian bread and then dished out plates of pasta for both of them.
“Beer for you? Or wine?” she asked.
“I’ll grab a beer, thanks.” Chase helped himself to one of the beers that Lisa kept in the fridge just for him or anyone else that came by that liked beer. She didn’t drink it. She poured herself a small glass of merlot and they sat down to eat. Over dinner, she told him about the idea the girls had that was growing more appealing as she thought about it. She was curious to see what Chase would think, both as a builder and as her son.
“You want to turn this place into a bed and breakfast?” He was surprised at first, but as they talked, and she filled him in on everything, telling him for the first time about the true state of her financial situation, his eyes narrowed with concern and then lit up as he looked around the room, assessing the possibilities.
“I’m sorry that Dad left you in this situation. I had no idea about the gambling.”
Lisa sighed. “None of us did.”
Chase took his last bite, then stood up and walked around the first floor, before returning to the kitchen table, where Lisa was still finishing her shells. She looked up and was happy to see that he was smiling.
“You could totally do it. If it means that you get to stay here, I’m all for it.”
Lisa stood too and felt a glimmer of excitement and a fluttering of nerves. She knew that Chase would be the easy one. Her other children might not take this news as well. And she still didn’t know if she’d even be able to afford to make the improvements. There was very little money left, for anything.
“Will it be very expensive, do you think?” She chewed her bottom lip and waited for bad news.
“No, it won’t be. All I need to do is add a few walls and doors to close off your living area so guests only have access to the second floor and dining room.” He gave her a figure that was shockingly low.
“I don’t want you to lose money on this, honey.”
But Chase laughed. “I won’t lose money. You’ll only pay for the materials and we won’t need much. I can’t charge you for my time. I want to do this for you.”
Lisa felt tears of gratitude well up and spill over as she pulled her son in for a hug.
“Thank you. I’m so glad you think this is a good idea. I thought it was crazy at first, but it’s kind of growing on me.”
“I think it’s a great idea. There’s not a lot of jobs on Nantucket that would be good for you.”
“That’s a nice way of putting it,” Lisa laughed.
“Seriously though. You love to cook, and you’re good at it. And this is Nantucket, people will be happy to pay a lot of money to stay here, especially right on the water.”
“I hope so. Now I just have to break the news to the girls.”
Chase grinned. “Good luck with that.” They both knew that the girls might not be as initially excited about the idea. “It won’t take me more than a weekend to do this. I can have it done before everyone comes for Christmas.”
“So soon?” Lisa was nervous about Chase starting the work so quickly. It made everything real. But it also made the most sense.
“Okay, let’s do it,” she said.