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“Said what?”
“It seems like every time I talk to you, I end up talking about my
wife.”
For the first time, she turned to him. “Why shouldn’t you talk
about your wife?”
He pushed a pile of sand back and forth, smoothing over the ditch
he’d just made. “Because I don’t want you to think that I can’t talk
about anything else. That all I do is live in the past.”
“You loved her very much, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” he answered.
“And she was a major part of your life and the mother of your
kids, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then it’s okay to talk about her,” she said. “You should talk
about her. She’s part of who you are.”
Alex flashed a grateful smile but couldn’t think of anything to say.
Katie seemed to read his mind, and when she spoke, her voice
was gentle. “How did the two of you meet?”
“We met in a bar, of all places. She was out with some girlfriends
celebrating someone’s birthday. It was hot and crowded and the
lights were low and the music was loud, and she just… stood out.
I mean, all her friends were a little out of control and it was
obvious that all of them were having a good time, but she was as
cool as can be.”
“I’ll bet she was beautiful, too.”
“That goes without saying,” he said. “So, swallowing my
nervousness, I wandered over and proceeded to use every ounce
of charm I had at my disposal.”