Page 67 of First Date: Divorce
“Cynical, just like Pauline said.”
“She said it of you, too.”
“Oh, yeah.”
She grinned and thought she could feel his grin in the dark, too.
Then he said, “You told Melody we don’t have the same values.”
“Right.Your family, my family not at all alike.”
“Different experiences, not different values.Your values and your mother’s family’s values are totally different.”
“Just because we both like honesty and the right thing being done…”
His nod — felt by the movement of air, rather than seen — detoured her from that sentence’s destination.
“Yeah, those are a start.Which— Was that?”His voice dropped even lower.
“Yeah,” she breathed.“He’s back faster this time.”
They stilled as the footsteps passed their hiding spot.They faded as they continued down the hall.
This time, though, there were more soft noises than Albert’s previous pauses.Items being set on a hard surface — probably the tables that flanked the couch, the thunk of shoes hitting the floor, a deep, satisfied sigh.
Eric put his mouth near her ear.“Setting up camp for the night.”She nodded.
A snore, softened by the door and distance between them reached their ears.
She turned and put her mouth near his ear.“If he falls deeply asleep, we can try to get out.In the meantime, might as well rest.”
“Yeah.”
That brief agreement had an underpinning of strain to it.But he was certainly entitled to his secrets.She intended to keep hers.
*
She’d fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder.
Thank heavens she woke first.Not only so she could remove her head from his shoulder, while hoping he wouldn’t know it had been there in the first place, but also so she could listen carefully, then give him a shake and say, “We gotta move now.”
That sounded more confident than she felt.
But they did successfully slip away with Albert still snoozing on the couch.With their shoes off, they silently went up the stairs, and back into their room, still pitch dark with the curtains drawn, so unless the rumored cameras had night vision…
They slid into bed without a word, back to back.
She was so tired she didn’t think she moved once until the alarm went off.
When it did, she recognized two facts.
Eric was already in the bathroom.
And she was facing his side of the bed, with their pillows now angled into each other.
*
“Oh, you just missed Eric,” Izzy said when K.D.entered the dining room at breakfast.“He said he was going to look for you.”
