Kindred Spirits by Sarah Strohmeyer

Author:Sarah Strohmeyer
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Penguin Group USA, Inc.
Published: 2011-04-10T22:00:00+00:00

Outside Lynne’s hometown of Calais, they stopped for gas and to go to the bathroom and freshen up before heading down to the Beckwood Landing Assisted Living Center. There was no other option besides JJ’s Brew ‘N’ Burn, a truck stop with tractor trailers lined up spewing diesel fumes.

“The last time we were at a truck stop together,” Mary Kay said as she and Carol left Beth to pump the gas, “was on our way back from the Cape.”

It took a beat, but Carol remembered, bursting out in laughter. “And we accidentally went into the men’s room.”

Mary Kay opened the heavy glass doors for two truckers. “It wasn’t our fault. The men’s room wasn’t even marked. At least, not very well.”

“What I can’t get over is that you, me, and Lynne got as far as the stalls before we realized something was off. Lynne asked, ‘Since when do women’s rooms have urinals?’ And I remember wondering if that was some liberal Massachusetts law, coed bathrooms.”

“Until that guy at the sink said, ‘I think you ladies meant to take a left instead of a right. Not that I’m complaining.’ ” Mary Kay shook her head. “If a guy had done that in a women’s room, could you imagine?”

“We’d call the cops!”

While Mary Kay and Carol went to the bathroom, Beth took the opportunity to call Marc. She didn’t like to interrupt him while he was writing, but all that talk about Amalfi had made her homesick.

“Well, hello!” Marc said, delighted. “And how are we feeling this fine morning?”

She glanced at the phone suspiciously. What was up with him? “Fine. Why?”

“Oh, no reason.”

“I called to say I love you.”

“I know.”

“You do?” She eyed the pump as the numbers flipped upward: $12.46, $13.10. The price of gas was out of control.

“Yes. You said so last night over and over and over again. Marc, I love you sooooo much.”

Oh! She cringed, completely forgetting that she’d drunk-dialed him after a few too many lemon martinis. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. It was adorable.”

“But drunk-dialing? It spells pathetic loser.”

“No, it doesn’t. I haven’t heard you that gleeful in weeks.”

“I didn’t have that much to drink, actually. It’s that I went for a run with Carol and I was a little dehydrated.”

“A run, you say?”

Beth could picture him sitting with his legs up on the dining-room table, the laptop open before him, drinking a cup of coffee and loving this. “That’s right, wiseguy. A run. Carol took me three miles, and you know what? It wasn’t that bad. Think I might do it again tonight. Also, what would you say if I colored my hair? Nothing wild, just some highlights.”

“No matter what you do, you’ll be beautiful to me.”

Somewhere along the way someone must have handed Marc the magic guidebook for how husbands should respond to their wives.

“Listen, I’m glad you called. I just got off the phone with your sister jabbering a mile a minute about Chat’s test results tomorrow.”

Right. Maddy had called last night during their impromptu party, but Beth hadn’t heard the phone so she’d left a message on voice mail.

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