Newton Neighbors (New England Trilogy) (17 page)

Now it was all about the kids, the mortgage, what they were doing for summer vacation. It was all a bit of a pain in the ass now. The fun was done.
 

He wondered if maybe Maria thought he had become as dull as he believed she had. Dull. It was a strong word, but looking at Jessie, he realized Maria really had lost most of her magic. She was tired all the time, weepy a lot, too. She seemed to have no interest in her looks or sex. What was a guy to do? He hadn’t changed at all. He was still running and working out. Sure, he had aged, but he was still, for the most part, the same guy. Her Ricky—fun, playful, sociable, romantic Ricky.

Maybe he should try to romance Maria a bit more. If he could focus his energies on his wife and not on some hottie who had invaded his life, that would be time better spent—smarter, too. But Rick thought about Jessie again. There was no effort required with her. It would be a pleasure to entertain her, fun to take her around Boston and show her the sights. But that was a job for another man, not him. Rick reminded himself that he was married to a terrific woman with two wonderful kids. He needed to get home and focus on his family.

Rick felt a lot better. He knew he did his best thinking when he was pushing his body hard.
Better than pushing Jessie’s beautiful body
 . . .
stop
, he commanded his rogue and rampant imagination yet again. He had get out of the pool, shower, and visit Maria’s favorite flower shop, The Crimson Petal, in Newton. He would buy Maria the largest bunch of roses they had, and he would treat her like a queen. Maybe they could share a bottle of wine and have some time together when Cody went to bed. If the baby stayed asleep for the night, who knew how good the night could be?

Rick stopped at the end of his swimming lane and pulled off his goggles. He took a few deep breaths to slow his heart rate.

“Hey, buddy, are you getting out of this lane?”
 

Rick looked up and into the face of a younger man who was waiting for one of the racing lanes to open. He smiled and nodded. “Sure thing. I’m done for the night,” he said and swam over to the steps.

It was time to stop exercising, he decided. It was time to focus on his wife. And time to stop fantasizing about his babysitter.

The younger man gave him a nod of thanks and then slipped on his goggles. That was when Rick noticed the tattoo on his forearm of a falcon in flight. It was an impressive tattoo, as was his dive. Rick couldn’t help but notice the guy was well-built, too—obviously trained hard. A body that sculpted didn’t come without working for it. Nothing good in life came without working for it.
 

“Hi, honey, I’m home,” Rick called from the front door. He was in a better mood. His workout had done wonders, and he’d bought a huge bunch of blood-red roses for his wife. She always loved the deeper colors. Maria was passion personified, and he loved that about her. That was what was going through his mind when she bellowed down the stairs.

“Jeez, could you
be
any louder, Rick?” Alice started to cry. “Oh, great. It took me an hour to settle her while you were out having a fun time at the gym, and then you stomp in, yelling and waking the baby.”
 

Rick resolved he wouldn’t let this upset him. He could hear his tired and frustrated wife heading across the upstairs hall to Alice’s bedroom.

“Shit,” he said to himself. This was not the way he saw the night panning out, and he wasn’t going to give up that easy. He bounded up the stairs two at a time, taking Maria’s flowers with him. Undaunted by the screams of his daughter, he breezed into the room where Maria had scooped Alice out of the crib and was trying to soothe her again.

“Hey, hey, what’s this?” he said. “Is my princess making trouble for my queen?” Alice was distracted with Rick’s arrival and hiccupped.

“Typical. She stops just as soon as she sees her father walk in,” Maria said. He put his arm around his wife’s waist.
 

“Ah, I remember a time when that’s all it took to put a smile on your dial.” His voice was playful. “These are for you, my queen.” He kissed her on the cheek. “To the most wonderful woman on the planet. I love you, and I’m sorry I woke Alice. You go downstairs and pour yourself a large glass of wine. I’ll look after this little lady.”
 

Rick could feel his wife’s body relax with his words. It was perhaps more relief than relaxation, but whatever. It was good. She kissed him back and gave him a grateful smile.

“Thank you for the flowers. These are beautiful. I’ll put them in water and get us a bottle of something from the pantry. Do you want red or white?”

He smiled at her. “Whatever you’d like.”

Maria was relieved her husband was making such an effort to help. He took Alice in his arms and began to rock her, and then he gestured for Maria to leave them. She checked that Cody was ready for bed and gave him a five-minute countdown. Then she went to find a nice bottle of red wine.

By the time Alice had gone back to sleep and Rick was downstairs, Maria had the fire lit and two large glasses of wine on the coffee table with a bowl of potato chips.
 

“You did say you didn’t want dinner, right?”
 

He nodded and sat beside her. That in itself was rare enough these days. They usually sat on different sofas hugging a child each.
 

“I just tucked Cody into bed, too,” he said.

“Thanks, Ricky. Peace at last.”

“Alone at last.” He gave her a flirty grin, winked, and then raised his glass to her. “Cheers.”
 

She touched her glass to his. “What are you up to?” Maria asked, getting more suspicious.

“Nothing. Can’t a guy enjoy his wife’s company?” He looked around the room. “I love the fire—nice touch.”

That was when Maria understood. Rick was on a mission. He wanted sex. They had stopped having spontaneous romantic nights. Now it was always after they had been out and perhaps had a few drinks. During the week, she was always too tired or asleep before he even came to bed. Maria felt a mild sense of panic. She hadn’t showered. Would he notice? She needed to shave, too. Darn it, a little warning would have been nice. Maybe she could squeeze in a quick shower—or have a bath with him. Would Cody hear them?

“Honey?” he asked her again.

“Oh, did you say something?”
 

Rick’s mouth tightened, like he was suppressing his frustration. “I was telling you we got the Fidelity account again. That’s my bonus guaranteed for this year.”

“Hey, that’s great news.” Maria tried to sound enthusiastic, but she was distracted. Maybe five minutes in the bathroom would be enough for her to freshen up. Perhaps he didn’t want sex at all and was just being nice. No, Ricky always wanted sex, and he was bringing home flowers and suggesting wine. She shouldn’t have lit the fire—that would give him ideas for sure, and Alice was certain to wake up and cry which would wake Cody. And then he would find them in the bath together. The shock would scar him for life, devastate him. It might put him off sex in his adult life, render him—

“Maria, did you hear a word I said?” He was talking a little louder now.

“What? Oh, sorry, I was miles away. What’s on your mind?”

He stood up and went to stoke the fire. “Wow, what does a guy have to do around here to get some attention? The flowers, the wine . . . I’m really trying to get some quality time with you, but your mind’s somewhere else. Is something up?”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry. It’s been another crazy, busy day with the kids. Cody had two of his friends over for a playdate, and they smashed up part of the hedge. Alice has some new teeth coming in. Orga pooped in the house today, whatever that’s about. I don’t know where the time goes, but I haven’t had a spare minute. And now you’re home, all flowers and red wine and smelling nice from the showers in the gym.” Her bottom lip began to quiver. “And I—I smell of dirty diapers and dog poop.”

He came back to where Maria was sitting on the sofa, wringing her hands together, feeling like she might burst out crying any second, and he wrapped his arms around her.

“Shh, baby, it’s okay. It’s tough being a mom with young kids. They’re a handful, I know. I get it. You’ve a hard time here with them.” He stroked her hair and kept talking. “I guess it’s easier to be at the office than home with a couple of kids.”
 

His words worked. Maria managed to stop a full breakdown. She blew her nose and mopped her eyes with a tissue. Then she stared up into her husband’s eyes. “You really do understand, don’t you?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I do. Don’t worry. It’s good for us to unwind together with a glass of wine and a nice fire.”

Maria sat back on the sofa. It was okay to be strung out. This was normal. This was acceptable. Rick didn’t mind. That was such a relief. Ever since she’d seen the way he looked at Jessie, she’d been worried. Over the last ten years she had changed so much, but was it possible he hadn’t? Was he still the high octane, higher energy, highest libido man in the world? While she had turned into the low energy, lower self-esteem, no libido woman she was today.

They switched on the television and watched a cop show with plenty of action. Rick sat with his arm around Maria’s shoulders, and she relaxed into his body even though she knew she stank.
 

“Do you ever wonder what it would be like to live somewhere else?” she asked him when the show ended.

Rick looked surprised. “Where else would you want to live? The Northeast is the best part of the States.”

“It’s just that TV show was based in Miami. The sun looks really good. They don’t have any snow,” Maria said. “Puerto Rico is pretty good, too.”

Rick raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

She shrugged. “It’s just as good as up here.”

“Yeah, of course, it’s great down there. I mean it’s a great place to
visit,
but you couldn’t live down there at this stage, could you? You’ve grown too much. Your tastes are more sophisticated.”

Maria pulled away from her husband and sat up straight. “What do you mean ‘sophisticated’? Puerto Rico isn’t exactly in the last century, you know.”

“That’s not what I meant, Maria. I know you love Puerto Rico. What’s not to love? It’s an amazing island, but it wouldn’t have the business opportunities we have up here. The schools for the kids wouldn’t be as good, for a start.”

“I’ll have you know Puerto Rican schools are very good. I was educated there, and we’ve plenty of opportunities for those ambitious enough to find them.”

“I’m sorry,” he said and rubbed this temples. “The last thing I want is a fight, Maria. Puerto Rico is the best—better than here, if that’s what you want to hear. Okay?”

She stood up and started to pace the room. “No, it’s not okay. You’re just saying what you think I want to hear to stop the argument.”

“Is that so bad?”

“Yes, it is.” She scowled. “I had no idea you felt so negative toward my home and, might I add, the home of your mother and mother’s mother.”

Rick stood up, too. “Maria, stop. I love Puerto Rico. I just said something dumb. I’m sorry. What more do you want? I’m too tired for this.”
 

“Too tired for what? Don’t let me keep you up. If you’re that exhausted, go to bed.” Maria’s anger shocked even her. Why was she so hostile all of a sudden? Was she still anxious that he had wanted sex and the baby would wake?