Every Fifteen Minutes Read Online Free PDF Page A

understand what he was seeing. The house wasn’t up for sale, much less under contract. He flipped up the visor and cruised to a stop in disbelief. It had to be a mistake.
    Eric pulled over, cut the ignition, and climbed out of the car. Suddenly the front door of the house opened and Caitlin hurried out, dressed in jean shorts and a white T-shirt, carrying a few Wegman’s bags to her silver Lexus in the driveway. She didn’t notice him, hustling to her car, chirping open the hatchback, and tossing in the plastic bags. She was so cute, her figure gym-toned and sexy, and in any other circumstances, Eric would have felt a stab of suburban lust.
    â€œCaitlin!” Eric hustled past the abelias while she stopped in front of the door and turned to see him, her ponytail whipping around and her eyebrows lifting in surprise.
    â€œEric. Oh, no, I forgot you were coming over. Sorry, we have to go out.”
    â€œWhat’s going on?” Eric realized she hadn’t meant for him to see the sign. “You’re selling the house?”
    â€œYes.” Caitlin pursed her lips, unhappily but firmly. She was a strong, smart lawyer, an assistant prosecutor with the Chester County D.A.’s Office.
    â€œYou can’t do that.”
    â€œYes I can.”
    â€œNo you can’t.” Eric wanted to raise his voice but didn’t, because Hannah was home and the screen door was open.
    â€œI own it, remember?” Caitlin’s eyes narrowed to sharp blue slits. “I bought you out. You sold it to me.”
    â€œI let you buy me out because we agreed Hannah would stay here.” Eric couldn’t believe he was explaining this to the person whose idea it was in the first place. “We said it was in Hannah’s best interest to live in the house she grew up in. You said it was closer to work for you, so it made sense for me to move, even though I saw patients here. We did it for Hannah.”
    â€œNone of that is in the settlement agreement.”
    â€œDoes it have to be?” Eric couldn’t believe his ears. “We understood what we were doing and why. We sat down with the lawyers. We agreed what the reason was. We’re not even divorced yet.”
    â€œSo what?”
    â€œYou can’t turn around and sell the house, just like that.” Eric couldn’t bring himself to say that selling the house made it real. That they weren’t getting back together. That their marriage really was over. He was in professional denial.
    â€œI own it, and I’m selling it. I sold it.” Caitlin put her hands on her hips. “Now lower your voice. The neighbors will hear us.”
    â€œCaitlin, why sell it?” Eric didn’t understand. “It’s a great house and Hannah loves it. It’s her home. What did she say about this?”
    â€œShe doesn’t know.”
    â€œShe saw the sign, didn’t she? She can read.”
    â€œShe didn’t see it. She fell asleep in the car on the way back from the mall.”
    â€œThe mall?”
    â€œWe went to the mall. I took the day off. She didn’t see the sign. It sold before it was on the market and they only put the sign up to promote themselves.”
    â€œSo when were you going to tell her? Or me?” Eric couldn’t remember the last time Caitlin had taken a day off from work, but he let it go.
    â€œLook, it just happened today. Like I said, it didn’t even get listed yet, but the broker had a buyer for me. I didn’t turn it down, not in this market.”
    â€œBut you knew you had it with a broker. Why didn’t you say anything?”
    â€œI didn’t know when it would sell, or even if.” Caitlin scoffed. “What am I supposed to tell her, someday Mommy might sell the house?”
    â€œWhy not tell me ?”
    â€œI knew you wouldn’t agree and I didn’t need your permission. I decided I didn’t want to live here, with the memories. It’s