Marking Time Read Free

into the room, chatting a mile a minute while her father hung back.
    Clare hugged Maggie and waved him in as her heart hammered. How long will it take for that to stop? Tall with thick dark hair and gray eyes, he looked exhausted but happy. In fact he looked terrific, but then he always did. “Congratulations.”
    “Thanks,” he said. “How are you?”
    Before Clare could answer, Maggie picked up the stream of chatter again in an obvious attempt to offset the awkwardness between her parents. She had gotten tall over the summer, and her sleek dark hair—so much like her father’s—hung down her back. “You’re not going to believe who showed her face at the beach today.” Maggie rolled her blue eyes as her parents looked on in amusement.
    “Who?” Clare asked.
    “Hailey Harper. Ugh, we’re all so over her. After what she pulled in school last year…” Maggie shook her head with disgust.
    “Maggie, be nice,” Jack said.
    “Whatever. She’s the one with the problem. Hey, can I get ice cream?” Her eyes lit up, and Hailey was forgotten.
    “Sure.” Jack took a ten-dollar bill from his wallet. “Get Mom some, too.”
    “Rocky road?” Maggie asked Clare.
    “But of course,” Clare said with a smile. “Thanks.”
    “Whew,” Jack said as Maggie flew from the room, headed for the hospital cafeteria. He came in to sit with Clare. “She’s a whirling dervish these days.”
    “She always was.” Clare noticed his new platinum wedding ring and wondered what he’d done with the gold one she’d given him. “Some kind of excitement for you this week. Everyone’s doing well?”
    “Yes, but I haven’t slept in four days,” he said with the wry grin that was all Jack. It had never failed to stop her heart. “The one-two punch is something else. It’s nonstop.”
    “I can only imagine.” Clare forced herself to be cheerful. “And Andi? She’s well?”
    “She’s tired and sore, but she’s doing fine, considering she’s had no sleep and seems to be feeding one baby or the other around the clock.”
    “Hell of a honeymoon, huh?” Clare joked.
    He smiled and shrugged.
    “Please pass along my congratulations to her, too.”
    “I will. So how are you doing?”
    “Apparently, well enough to go home.”
    His eyes lit up with delight. “Really? When?”
    “They’re saying early September.”
    “Wow. That’s great, Clare.”
    “I suppose so.”
    “You don’t sound happy about it.”
    “I am.” She brushed some imaginary lint off her jeans as she stole a glimpse of him. God, he’s gorgeous . He always had been, from the day they met on Block Island twenty-two summers ago.
    “We need to get the house ready,” he said. “I’ll send some guys over to adapt the downstairs bathroom and set you up with a bedroom on the first floor until you can manage the stairs.”
    “You don’t have to do that. I can take care of it. You’ve got enough going on.”
    “Let me handle it. It’s no trouble at all.”
    Knowing he had easy access to what she needed done to the house, she nodded. “Okay. Thanks.”
    “Remember what I told you—whatever you need. You only have to ask.”
    “This is so weird,” she said softly, giving voice to the tension between them. They’d been divorced for only two weeks, and he was already remarried with new twin babies. It boggled the mind.
    “It probably will be for a while, but it’s bound to get easier. For both of us.”
    “I hope so. We have to stay focused on the girls, especially Maggie.”
    “Always.” He reached over to squeeze her hand.
    Maggie came in juggling two dripping cones. “Hurry, Mom, it’s running.” She thrust the cone at Clare and handed Jack his change.
    He stood up. “I need to get back. When we left, the babies were sleeping, but that never lasts long. Kate will be by to get you in a little while, Maggie.” Hesitantly, he bent to kiss Clare’s cheek. “I’ll be in touch about the house.”
    “Thanks, Jack.”
    “It’s no