Page 6 of The Ex Next Door
“I haven’t had time to write it all down, but here’s the plan.” Declan made a graph of the month and slotted in several days. “I’m going to be doing one good deed a day for Amy and her family. And here’s the first one—help her move in.”
Declan checked it off. “Done. Now, tomorrow, I intend to offer my lawn care services. God forbid that get out of control. I’ve got it.”
“Is this ajoke?” his father said. “I never understand your sense of humor.”
“Not a joke, unless you find something funny about helping a single mom who’s just moved into a new house and is probably going to need a lot of support.”
For once, he’d left his father speechless. “It’s honorable, sure, but just not quite what I had in mind.”
“Well, Dad, I know how much you love goals and plans. Now I have one. Make Amy’s life go a little bit easier. And I think it’s quite meaningful. Beautiful, even.” He quirked a brow.
Now Declan was just showing off. Daring his father to tell him this goal wasn’t “significant” enough. Because he understood what his father wanted deep down. He wanted Declan to decide he was too talented not to simply enjoy baseball from the sidelines or a recreational team. He wanted Declan to try out for a minor league team and do what he’d been born to do. But for years, Declan had believed that people were meant to do more than one thing. With baseball, he’d been there, done that. His sports career was over, and he had no regrets.
“Well.” Realizing he was beaten, at least for now, his father shook his head slowly. “If this is your goal…”
“Thanks, Dad.”
Chapter Three
“Iassume spaghetti for dinner will be fine?” Amy set the pot filled with water on the stove. “I promised the kids.”
“You know Lou. He’ll eat anything.” Moonbeam unwrapped another kitchen utensil and rolled up the newspaper into a ball. “I’m sorry, honey. I had no ideahelived next door.”
“It’s fine. I have bigger things to worry about than my high school sweetheart.”
Still, it had definitely been a shock. Of course, she’d noticed Declan around town, here and there, but not often. They almost lived in two different worlds within their same small town. He worked at the Salty Dog, for one, and she only rarely went into the restaurant. Resoundingly single—color hernotsurprised—he dated an awful lot, according to Amy’s best friend, Bianca. But Amy was far more likely to run into Finn, his older brother, who hung out more often at the boardwalk. Especially after the divorce, she used to take the kids to the carnival-style side of the boardwalk on the weekend to cheer them up. Finn and Declan looked so much alike they were practically twins. Naomi and David didn’t look that much alike, and theyweretwins.
Both Sheridan brothers possessed those Irish golden-boylooks that made most women go gaga. Declan still had an athlete’s body, all long and muscular legs and wide shoulders.
“I’ll never forgive nor forget how he broke your heart,” her mother said.
“Um, he was seventeen. I think you’re forgetting someoneelsebroke my heart far more recently.”
Broken her heart and destroyed their family. If there was anyone Amy wasn’t likely to forgive anytime, it was her ex-husband, for forcing her to break herchildren’shearts. Their crestfallen faces had looked at her with such confusion.
Daddy and I won’t be living together anymore.
“But I remember how you used to adore Declan.” Mom unpacked the rice cooker and set it on the counter. “You had such plans. A winter wedding so it wouldn’t interfere with his spring training schedule. Such devotion. There’s something about first love, I guess. I remember thinking he was so sweet. But then, bam! It was over.”
Amy cringed with humiliation at her teenage dreams. She’d been young. What an idiot she’d been thinking she’d marry her first love. Declan hadn’t led her on, either, or ever mentioned marriage. She’d just run with it. Both of her parents, especially the father she worshipped, loved Declan, the star athlete.
“Yes, Mom, I know how invested you were in my marrying an MLB player. But that didn’t work out for Declan, either.”
“Oh, hardly. Your father loved him, but I never cared who you married so long as you were happy.” Mom reached to rub Amy’s shoulder. “I’m sorry you haven’t been lucky in love.So far.But don’t forget—every flower has to grow through dirt.”
Her mother was forever quoting old and tired flower clichés to cheer Amy up. Perhaps now her mother was trying toredirect her current depression with an older version. Maybe she wanted to remind Amy that she’d survived Declan, and in fact went on to date Rob in college. And the rest was history. At least she and Rob had wanted the same things fairly early in life: marriage and children. A home.
Now, her home was in pieces, which reflected her emotions and state of mind. Their beds were not set up but were at least in the proper bedrooms. The couch stuck out like the last item at a garage sale. The kitchen table stood in the corner where Declan had left it. The twelve-person dining set she and Rob had owned would never fit here. It now sat in a storage unit outside town hoping for better days. Their furniture now inside, they had far less space but at least Naomi hadn’t said anything. Then again, she was reading a book as per the usual.
When the water began to boil, Amy reached in the shopping bag for the box of pasta she’d bought earlier today. She ignored the tears stinging her eyes and kept a razor focus on the task. Much easier. No, she hadn’t been “lucky” in love. But getting in touch with her feelings, at this point, was a useless exercise in self-flagellation. She should have seen the signs of Rob’s boredom. She should have lost twenty pounds of baby weight sooner. Shopped for more lingerie. Fallen asleep before ten less often.
But she refused to take all the blame in the divorce. One day, Rob woke up and didn’t want to be married anymore. “Marriage,” as he’d said, “is more work than I imagined. Maybe it shouldn’t be this hard.”
When in doubt, change the subject. “Can you still watch the kids Monday while I go on that interview?”
“No problem.”
After ten years at home with no work history to speak of, it wasn’t going to be easy to find a full-time job. But she’dbeen lucky to score an interview at an auto car dealership in Houston who wanted someone to work as an entry-level clerk in the accounting department. There would be a commute, but if Amy wanted to be free on the weekends, an office job would be ideal. She could probably find seasonal work at the boardwalk in town, but Amy hoped to do better than serve soft-serve ice cream or work the carnival rides with teenagers.
