The Empty Desk Read Free Page A

name of the shop and described what street it was on. She soon realized she was in severe danger of spilling into a whole new line of conversation that could take up the rest of the evening. “There are a couple of good places to eat not far away.”
    â€œIs that coffee shop still open? You know, the one we used to hang out at?”
    â€œIt is,” Melinda replied. “It’s changed hands a couple of times since we were there, and it’s had a bit of a makeover, but it’s still there.”
    They agreed on a time to meet before Melinda hung up, surprised by how hot the handset had become and, more concerning, how much time had gone by. She glanced at the dinner she had barely started to prepare and reached into a drawer.
    â€œHey, guys,” she shouted to make sure she could be heard above the sound of the TV. “How do you two feel about pizza tonight?”

Chapter Three
    â€œDid Aiden say anything about school tonight?” Melinda asked as she slid into bed later that night. Their son had fallen asleep on the couch soon after he had finished eating, and Jim had succeeded in carrying him up to bed without waking him. It made a change for them to have an evening together and the chance to just curl up and enjoy a glass of wine without the constant calls for another bedtime story or a glass of water. Maybe the time would come when they would actually get more quality time like this.
    â€œHe said he had a new teacher, and he seems to like her, but that was about it. Something wrong?”
    â€œI don’t know. I just got the feeling that something wasn’t quite right. I’m worried someone might be picking on him.”
    â€œYou think one of the bigger kids is giving him a hard time? I thought he would tell us if he was having trouble like that.”
    â€œMe too, but maybe he thinks it’s something he has to work out for himself.”
    â€œIs that what you were talking to his teacher about? Aiden told me you knew her.”
    â€œDana? No, we hardly talked about Aiden. We talked about you more than him.” She decided that as Delia had managed to get some pleasure from her discomfort, it was her turn to do the same to Jim. The trouble was he might just think that his ego was being stroked.
    â€œMe? Why would you talk to her about me?”
    â€œBecause she remembers you from when she used to live around here. She said you never noticed her though. She said there were always plenty of other girls for you to go chasing after.” She laughed, then couldn’t stop the giggles as he started to tickle her beneath her ribs. He knew when he was being teased much more quickly than she did and he also knew how to stop her. It seemed to work every time.
    â€œShhh,” she said through her laughter. “You’ll wake Aiden.”
    â€œMe? I’m not the one making all the noise.” He was clearly enjoying it far more than she was, despite the laughter, but it was still one of those rare moments of being really close when the rest of the world could be pushed to one side and they only had time for each other.
    â€œI’m serious,” she said, though she knew that the smile on her face was probably saying the opposite. This reminded her so much of the time when they had just been getting to know each other, finding out what they each liked and disliked, discovering what made the other happy or annoyed. It didn’t take long to find out that there was plenty that was good between them and very little that put the other on edge. They soon realized that they were good together and couldn’t imagine spending the rest of their lives without each other. They had been through so much since then and yet they had managed to come through it all somehow. There were new challenges every day, but they enjoyed their own kind of normalcy, even if there were times when their marriage was a little . . . crowded.
    â€œSo, she remembered me, did