One Last Weekend Read Online Free PDF Page B

softly.
    â€œYou’re allowed,” Joanna replied.
    Teague made a face.
    Joanna made one back.
    â€œBut you and Dad are at the cottage. Together.”
    â€œCaitlin—”
    â€œThere’s hope, then.” A frown entered Caitlin’s voice. “Isn’t there?”
    â€œWe’re here to—talk.”
    Teague waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
    â€œTo decide things,” Joanna said, blushing. She turned her back to him.
    â€œWhat things?”
    â€œCaitlin.”
    â€œOkay, okay, I’ll let you off the hook. For now. But I still think it’s intriguing that you and Dad are—”
    â€œWe got stuck here,” Joanna answered.
    â€œPoor choice of words,” Teague whispered, suddenly behind her, his breath warm against her nape, causing her skin to tingle.
    â€œMaybe if you just—talked. You know, communicated?”
    â€œI’ve heard of it, yes,” Joanna replied dryly. “Are you feeling better today, Cait?”
    â€œLots better,” Caitlin said. “It was probably just hormones.”
    â€œYes,” Joanna agreed, turning to glare at Teague because he was trying to turn her on and she was talking to their daughter. “It was probably just hormones.”
    Teague pulled an invisible dart from his chest. “Sammy and I are going to the store for breakfast-type food,” he said. “Tell Caitlin I love her and congratulations.”
    With that, he took the keys to his sports car from the countertop and whistled for Sammy, and the two of them left the kitchen, headed for the front door.
    Joanna relayed the message, adding that Sammy and Teague had gone to the supermarket.
    â€œGood,” Caitlin said. “Then you can talk.”
    â€œCaitlin, we are talking.”
    â€œAbout you and Dad, and your marriage. You know, the sex part.” A silent eew shrilled beneath Caitlin’s words.
    â€œCaitlin Marie, do not go there. You are my daughter and I adore you. But your father’s and my marriage is off-limits. Especially the ‘sex part.’ ”
    â€œSo you’re admitting you do have sex?”
    â€œI’m not admitting anything of the sort. Your father and I are getting a divorce, Caitlin. I know that’s hard for you to accept, but it wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. We made it very deliberately and gave it a lot of thought first. We’re both going to be a lot happier in the long run.”
    Maybe the very long run, Joanna reflected.
    â€œIs there another man in your life, Mom?”
    Joanna nearly choked. “ No! ”
    â€œDoes Dad have a girl on the side?”
    â€œHe says he doesn’t, and I have no reason not to believe him.” Except for the sports car. “Caitlin, why are we having this conversation when I made it perfectly clear about five seconds ago that what goes on in your father’s and my private lives is patently none of your business?”
    â€œI don’t understand why you’re doing this,” Caitlin said, sounding hurt. “That’s all. You don’t have another man. Dad doesn’t have another woman. What is so terribly wrong that you can’t work it out?”
    â€œWe’ve grown apart,” Joanna said. “Your father wants to build a sailboat. I want to write a novel.”
    â€œAnd those things are mutually exclusive?”
    For a moment, Joanna was stumped for an answer. She could say they’d tried to save their marriage, she and Teague, but it wouldn’t be true. They hadn’t really tried. One day, one of them—she couldn’t remember which—had said, “Maybe we should just call it quits.” And the other had replied, “Maybe so.”
    Things had escalated from there.
    A tear slipped down Joanna’s right cheek, but she managed to keep her tone normal. Bright, perky, everything’s-fine ordinary.
    â€œOkay,” Caitlin said, “just tell me one thing,