Tear Stained Beaches Read Online Free PDF Page A

distance. He made his way over to the produce section where I had begun to frivolously search for the perfect bunch of bananas.
    “Hey Haylie what’s going on?” Jay asked.
    “Oh you know. The usual weekly grocery trip. How about you? Do anything exciting this weekend?”
    “Just brought the kids to the park. Trying to teach Emma how to ride a bike. Had her head-to-toe in protective gear, and she still gets hurt,” He laughed.
    Chuckling at the thought of it I replied, “Gotta love kids. Well, tell Helen I said hi and have a great rest of the weekend,” My smile was forced. His weekend activities clearly didn’t include Chicago. I tossed the bananas in my cart and went on my way.
    I never mentioned that encounter to Chase, but when he came home the next day I tried to nonchalantly get out of him who had accompanied him on the trip.
    He was vague, and never said anyone’s name. Just told me it was the usual group of guys. I didn’t necessarily think, at that point, it was another woman, but I did worry that Chase was getting tired of me, that for some reason he just didn’t want to be around me anymore. 

     

Chapter 7
    I promised myself that when Chase got home from Chicago I was going to really try and put our marriage back together. We just didn’t seem to be connecting anymore and I was determined to fix it. I wanted him to be attracted to me again, to want to spend time with me and rekindle the flame that had dimmed over time. I had planned, for the following Friday night, the date night we’d neglected for so long.
    Work went by faster than I thought it would. I called mine and Chase’s favorite Chinese restaurant. I went by and picked up our order on the way home. Chase’s silver Mercedes wasn’t in the driveway when I pulled up, so I assumed he was running late, again. When I got out I could see Katie in her usual spot on her front porch. I gave a quick wave as I hurried towards the front door. I hope she’d get the hint I wasn’t in the mood for a neighborly conversation tonight. I wanted to make sure everything was perfect for Chase’s arrival.
    I set out the Chinese food onto the coffee table in the living room. The one thing Chase and I always found enjoyable, was the way we always ate our meals on movie nights. We cuddled on the couch in the living room, plates in front of us with our movie of choice on the flat screen that hung over the gas fireplace. That was something we hadn’t done in about two or three months. He was rarely home fordinner, and if he was, it was usually after I got tired of waiting for him. I was almost afraid that tonight wasn’t going to be any different, but just as I was about to sit down and search through the list of current movies-on-demand, familiar headlights flashed through the kitchen window.
    He sat in the car for some time after the engine died. I pulled the curtain in the living room back just enough to see through to the driveway. He was on the phone, laughing and smiling, which was unusual for a business call. I’d seen plenty of those. His face was emotionless, stern as could be, when talking to clients. He had always told me a poker face was much needed in his line of work. Once you got emotionally involved, you were of no use to your client. It was about ten minutes later when he finally walked in the door.
    He kissed me on the forehead as he breezed by. “Hey babe, sorry I’m late. I’m a little behind at the office, had to catch up. What’s for dinner?”
    “I got your favorite. Sesame Chicken, lo mein and crab rangoons from Yeung Chi. Thought it might be a good way to end a stressful day.”
    “Sounds great, I’m just going to go wash up and change. I’ll be fast.”
    “Ok, I’ll order the movie while you’re up there. Don’t be long,” I pleaded.
    I wanted a night alone with my husband. I’d been longing for him to hold me, to just be with me, to try. I needed reassurance. Chase was a huge Adam Sandler fan and so I ordered Just Go