was.â
âWas what?â Chase said, trying to keep his patience. He looked at his half-filled glass of soda, and wondered if there was more caffeine in it or in a cup of coffee. âIâm tired,â he muttered. âI need to lie down, Annie. Iâm worse than tired. I could have sworn I heard you sayââ
âI did.â Annie put her elbows on the counter and scrubbed her face with her hands. âI said, Iâm as responsible for this mess as you are.â
âDonât be ridiculous. I was the one who lied.â
âAt least youâre admitting that it was a lie.â She sighed, scrubbed her face again and then looked up at him and folded her hands neatly on the countertop. âDawnâs going to ask me why, if I knew you were lying, I didnât say anything.â
âWell, youâll tell her the truth.â
âWhich is?â
âWhich is...â Chase frowned. âI donât know what weâre talking about anymore! The truth is the truth.â
âThe truth isnât the truth. Not exactly. I mean, I heard you tell her that weâre thinking about a reconciliation. I could have said âThat isnât so, Dawn. Your fatherâs making it up.ââ
Chase felt a tightening in his chest.
âBut you didnât,â he said.
âI didnât.â Annie looked at him, then at her hands, still folded before her. âI kept quiet.â
âWhy?â Her hair had fallen forward, curling around her face. He fought the urge to reach out and touch the soft, shining locks.
Annie sighed. âYouâll call me crazy.â
âTry me.â
âBecause, in my heart, I knew it was the only way to get her to stop comparing herself and Nick to us. It was a foolish thing for her to be doing. Just because you and Iâbecause we fell out of love, doesnât mean they will, too.â She looked up, her expression one of defiance. âWelt?â
Something indefinable swept through him. Relief, he told himself. Hell, what else could it be?
âI wonât call you crazy.â He smiled. âBut youâve got to admit, youâre up to your backside in the murky waters of whatâs a lie and whatâs a fib, the same as me.â
Annie nodded. âWell then, when they get back, we both admit that we fudged the truth and hope for the best.â
âI suppose.â
Annieâs mouth trembled. âDawnâs going to be hurt. And angry.â
âSheâll get over it.â
âWe never lied to her about anything, Chase. Even whenâwhen we finally decided to end our marriage, we told her the truth.â
Chase looked at his ex-wife.
âWell,â he said carefully, âperhaps thereâs another way.â He watched as Annie wiped her hands over her eyes. âI mean...â He forced his lips into a tight smile. âI mean, we could agree to go ahead with a reconciliation.â
âWhat?â
âNot a real one, of course,â he said quickly. âA pretend one. You know, spend some time together. Go out for dinner, talk. That kind of thing.â
Annie stared at him. Her eyes were wide and very dark. âPretend?â
âWell, sure.â Chase spoke briskly, almost gruffly. âJust so we could look the kids straight in the eye and say yeah, we tried...â
âNo.â
âNo?â
Annie shook her head. âIâI couldnât.â
âWhy not?â
Annie struggled to find an answer. Why not, indeed? What would it take, for her to spend the week of Dawnâs honeymoon datingâpretending to dateâher former husband? They could avoid pushing the buttons that stirred up old animosities and pain. They could shake hands, as if this were a business deal, and pretend, for their daughterâs happiness.
But she couldnât do it. A week, seeing Chase? Seven days, smiling at him over dinner? Seeing his
John R. Little and Mark Allan Gunnells