Page 12 of Ten Years Later
Keaton stared.
The service ended and the family departed first. Cora spotted Keaton as she passed by his pew. Surprise flashed across her face, probably shocked at his makeover. Cora’s father paused, making brief eye contact, his expression unreadable. Leo gently prodded him along.
Slowly, the church emptied. Whispers and looks cut Keaton’s way as word spread that the unstable ex-husband showed after all. He held his head high, resisting the natural urge to duck out a side door.
His mother sat down beside him. Delicate perfume wafted over him as she kissed his cheek. “You look handsome.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
With shoulder-length light brown hair, perfectly lined green eyes, a slender yoga body, and excellent taste in clothes, his mother kept herself up well. Like Keaton, she’d married her childhood sweetheart and launched directly into having a family. As a teenager, the majority of Keaton and Zane’s friends called her a MILF. He hated that acronym.
“I heard about the girl,” she said.
Dressed in navy slacks and a striped collared shirt, Zane sat sideways in the pew in front of them. “I told her. Cora didn’t.”
“By the whispers and looks, everyone else knows too.” Keaton glanced out a side window where Leo continued the dutiful husband role, greeting people and tending to Cora and her father. “We all know who the big mouth is,” Keaton said.
Keaton’s mother took his hand. “I feel the same way about this as Zane. Let it go. It’s not Vivian.”
Keaton made no response to that.
Zane and his mother exchanged a look that Keaton ignored.
“Well, anyway, thanks for getting our job back,” Zane said. “I followed up this morning with the homeowners. We start on Monday. They want us gone every day by two.”
Good, because Keaton reported to his new job at three.
Up on the screen, the slide show played on. A photo popped up of Cora’s mom with eight-year-old twins Zane and Keaton. Both families went to Disney that weekend and in this picture, the three of them wore mouse ears and giant grins.
“I always loved that photo,” Keaton’s mom said.
Keaton stared at it, wondering how Cora’s mother, a woman he always considered his own mother, grew to hate him so much.
They were all there that day at the beach, and yet he bore the blame.
6 /FOURTEEN YEARS AGO
Dana soakedin her new baby’s perfection.
Thankfully, Emily inherited none of Dana’s dirty blond hair, ruddy skin, and dull hazel eyes. No, Emily favored the dark features of her father with thick curly hair and glowing skin.
Dana counted each moment with her lovely child as a blessing.
She cooked healthy meals. She breastfed. She read and followed the advice of bestselling books. She played with Emily and never ignored her.
Everyone commented on Emily’s happy demeanor.
The baby slept well. She giggled and babbled. Soon she crawled, then walked. Each morning Dana dropped her at nursery school and every afternoon she picked her up on time.
Dana’s joy spilled into all areas of her life. She felt empowered, rejuvenated, beautiful. She got a promotion at work. A random man in a coffee shop asked her out. The woman in the cubicle next to her said, “You look great!”
She and Emily enjoyed outings, nature, culture, and playdates. Dana designed each day around her daughter’s growth and happiness. She focused on the future. She didn’tthink once about the woman she used to be—desperate, depressed, miserable.
Emily had saved Dana’s life.
7 /CURRENT DAY
Keaton reportedto his first shift atPaint Away the Day!While he tied on a green apron and affixed a name tag that readZane, third-grade kids poured in, excited for a lesson.
