Masquerade Part 2 by Valerie Francis

Author:Valerie Francis [Francis, Valerie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780994014160
Publisher: Fifth Hammer Books, Inc.

Chapter 6

Colin drained the last of his wine and pushed his chair back from the dinner table. "Anyone want dessert?"

Ryan rubbed his stomach. "I'm stuffed."

"Three plates of turkey will do that."

"It was delicious, Dad. Really. You outdid yourself this year."

Thanksgiving was Colin's favourite holiday. He'd spent weeks planning the meal, and two days preparing it. The key, in his opinion, was a fresh turkey properly seasoned and basted with clarified butter. He'd added sausage and mushrooms to his stuffing, and just for fun, had thrown a splash of cognac into the cranberry sauce. It was one of his better meals, he had to admit.

"Ladies, dessert?" Neither of them was listening. Amy had pulled out her phone and Maureen was fussing with a hitch in her sweater.

"Amy?" he asked. She looked up at him, irritated at the interruption. "Dessert?"

"Do I have to?"

He cocked his head to the side. "What?" he asked. "No, of course not."

"Good. Sarah's picking me up in, like, ten minutes." She got up from the table and left the room.

"Aren't you going to stay for Scrabble?" he called.

"Leave her alone," said Maureen, tossing her napkin on her plate.

"We always play Scrabble on Thanksgiving."

"And you're the only one who enjoys it." She picked up her plate and glass and brought them into the kitchen.

"I'll play with you, Dad."

"You're not going out with your friends?"

"I am for a bit, yeah, but we can play when I get home."

Colin felt a mixture of pride and sadness welling inside him. This could very well have been their last Thanksgiving together for some time. Ryan would be away at college next year and there was no guarantee he'd make it home. "You're on," he said.

Ryan smiled, gathered his dirty dishes and followed his mother into the kitchen.

Alone in the dining room, Colin's gaze landed on their family portrait hanging on the wall. Amy in pigtails and Ryan missing his front teeth. He began remembering the celebrations they'd had over the years and how much fun they'd had with the children. His memory was of smiling faces and laughter. So much laughter.

Somewhere along the line all that had changed and now the kids were young adults going off to live their own lives. He and Maureen barely spoke to each other anymore, and to top it off, he was about to have an affair with a woman he barely knew.

He began clearing the table, bringing the leftovers into the kitchen. Maureen was there stacking the dishwasher. Their first Thanksgiving flashed through his mind. Their one-bedroom apartment, and the chicken he'd cooked because they couldn't afford a turkey. They'd had nothing — no house, no mortgage, no cars, no debt. They’d been happy. Well, happier. Or maybe just less tired. Surely there was something between them worth salvaging.

Grace was incredible and the idea of being with her drove him to distraction. Just talking to her was more fun than he'd had in years. This was his marriage though. There must be something he could do — or, should do — to revive it.

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