The Garden Party by Grace Dane Mazur

Author:Grace Dane Mazur
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2018-07-09T16:00:00+00:00

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SARA COULD SEE that Stephen Barlow was arguing with her mother and that Amy Barlow was talking to her little boy, Liam. Taking a deep breath she leaned toward Dennis. “So here we are,” she said in a low, steady voice. “Face-to-face. Or side to side. Close enough. I think you and I have been thinking along the same lines.” She wasn’t going to let him be the first to break up; it was to be a tie.

“Truly?”

“Yes, I think we have converged.”

“Oh. Then you don’t mind my bringing it up?”

“Not at all.”

“It will be vastly different,” he said. Then, smiling, “But I’m sure you can handle it.”

Sara looked at him. Why was he getting happier while she was getting sadder? “Yes,” she said. “We both can.”

“A huge change,” he said.

“Change can be illuminating.”

“And you’re quite ready?”

“If you are.” She tried to sound jaunty. Why did he want to break up in front of all these people? Shouldn’t they be alone to do this? What if she fell apart?

“You know how important it all is to me.” He looked down, grinning as he smoothed the tablecloth with his palms.

“And to me, too.”

“It will make us even closer, I think.”

“Closer?” Sara croaked. Her throat had closed up and she could barely talk. Perhaps she was turning into a frog. That was what grief did to the unwary.

“I know. It’s hard to think of us being any closer. We will see each other in a new light.”

Across the table Celia had been noting the intensity of this conversation, though she couldn’t hear it because they were speaking so softly. To cut it short, she said, “Sara, sweetheart, could you help your father with the wine?”

Sara gestured to Celia, gave a broad smile. How did her mother always know when somebody needed saving? Still smiling, she pulled back her chair. “Don’t go anywhere,” she said to Dennis. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

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