Beginning Again by Sarah Pekkanen

Author:Sarah Pekkanen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria Books

Chapter Nine

THREE DAYS LATER, Corrine was driving home from work when she decided to pull into a grocery store to pick up the fixings for a Caesar salad with grilled chicken. It had been a busy week and she was looking forward to a quiet night. Yesterday, she’d stopped by the aquarium and had shaken hands with the marine mammal program’s director, who’d scheduled her to begin training as a volunteer immediately. The work would be difficult and at times heartbreaking, but something was drawing her to it.

Maybe being part of the aquarium’s rescue group would help her feel less alone. The scattered nature of her job meant she didn’t have the kind of office camaraderie that led to regular Thursday night group happy hours, or Sunday morning softball games. She’d never missed it before, because Bruce had always been around. But now there were so many empty spaces on her calendar, entire weekends stretching out that seemed impossible to fill. She was an introvert, but Bruce was always coming home with tickets to a concert or suggestions for a picnic. He’d pulled her out of her homebody tendencies. She hadn’t just lost her husband; she’d lost an entire way of life.

She had Ilsa, of course, and soon there would be a niece or nephew to snuggle, but she couldn’t—wouldn’t—rely on her sister’s family to fill the emptiness she felt.

Corrine completed her shopping, climbed back into her car, and headed home, smothering a yawn with the back of her hand. Having missed so much sleep while she watched 806 was finally catching up with her.

The good news was that the baby porpoise had eaten a few of the finless, slow-moving fish. Soon the aquarium staff was going to let him get a little hungry, then try live fish again. Corrine had sensed the tension in Bill as he told her of the plan.

She pulled into the driveway, popped her trunk, and grabbed the bag of groceries, then put her foot onto the bottom porch stair. And abruptly stopped.

Bruce was sitting on one of the wooden chairs.

She couldn’t move or speak, her shock was so absolute. She’d secretly hoped he would come find her so many times before, but she’d never truly expected it to happen. Why was he here now, after all these months?

His expression was serious. He seemed both completely familiar and utterly alien, as if he were visiting her in a dream. He was wearing a blue shirt she recognized, but his face was different. Thinner, maybe. He hadn’t said anything; he was just staring at her.

“Sorry.” He finally broke the silence. “It took me a second to recognize you with dark hair.”

Corrine nodded.

“I— Look, can we talk for a second?” he asked.

Corrine nodded again. “Would you like to come in?” she asked, finally finding her voice.

“It’s okay,” he said. “We can talk out here if you don’t mind.”

That was probably for the best, Corrine thought, stifling a sudden, wild impulse to smile at the thought of Bruce’s reaction to the puppy boys.

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