Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin

Author:Emily Giffin
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Psychological, Life change events, Psychological fiction, Contemporary Women, Mystery & Detective, Single mothers, Fiction, Fiction - General, Triangles (Interpersonal relations), American Contemporary Fiction - Individual Authors +, Stay-at-home mothers, General, Pediatric surgeons
ISBN: 9780312554163
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 2010-05-11T05:56:52+00:00

Valerie

As the days turn colder and shorter, they both continue to pretend. They pretend that the visits and phone conversations and texts are the normal course of doctor-patient follow-up. They pretend that their friendship is appropriate and unremarkable. They pretend that there is nothing to hide—that they are not literally hiding in Valerie’s house. Most of all, they pretend that they can stay in this tenuous middle place, between their existence in the hospital and her official return to reality.

It almost reminds Valerie of the days she stayed home sick from school when she really wasn’t. She always had the sense that Rosemary knew the truth, but went along with her feigned symptoms so that she could stay home from work and spend time alone with her

daughter. They were some of her best childhood memories—being curled up on the couch in her Wonder Woman sleeping bag, immersed in soap operas and game shows with her mother, who would bring her chicken soup and root beer floats on an orange lacquered tray, thoughts of school and homework and cafeteria happenings a million miles away. This was the escapism she felt when Nick came over with videos and music for Charlie, wine and takeout from Antonio’s for them. It was as if she was shutting her mind down and living in the moment, forgetting everything else in the world, and especially his family, just a few miles away.

***

But the day before Thanksgiving, their charade becomes more difficult, when Nick stops by unexpectedly on his way home from work—minutes after Jason dropped by to pick up a card table for the feast he’s hosting tomorrow. The second the doorbell rings, Valerie knows she’s in trouble, especially because Jason is in the family room, nearer to the door. She freezes over the sweet potato casserole she’s making, knowing there will be no explanation other than the truth. The real truth—not the one she and Nick have fabricated together.

“Nick,” she hears Jason say, surprise commingling with disapproval and concern.

She arrives in the foyer in time to see Nick reach out to shake her brother’s hand and say, “I was just stopping by to check on Charlie.” His forehead is lined with worry, and he is visibly flustered in a way that Valerie has never seen him before, studying his watch a beat too long, as if stalling to gather his thoughts. “Is he still up? Or did I miss him?”

“He’s in bed,” Jason says purposely.

“But he’s doing very well today,” Valerie finishes, carrying on the .. ridiculous house-call charade. “Would you . . . like to come in ... anyway?”

He opens his mouth, poised to refuse the invitation, but she nods, eyes wide, a smile frozen on her face, as if to tell him leaving now would make things worse, more obvious—and that he has no choice but to stay.

“Okay. Sure. For a minute,” he says.

Valerie takes Nick’s coat, hangs it in the hall closet, and leads him into the living room where he sits

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