A White Picket Fence Read online

  “Hardly.” He laughed. “He’s probably the type of player you don’t want your son to play against. His life revolves around lacrosse. It’s all a bit wasted on me too. I’m not a fan of competitive sports. I find them pointless. As Rumi said in the thirteenth century, ‘Take someone who doesn’t keep score, who’s not looking to be richer, or afraid of losing. That man is free.’ I’m paraphrasing a bit.”

  “Rumi?” Lina smiled. “I haven’t thought of him in years. I used to read his poetry in high school. I loved him.”

  “Why did you stop?”

  “I don’t know. Life, I suppose. Different interests.” Phil, she thought but didn’t voice aloud.

  “You should pick him up again.”

  “You’re the reason Katie is suddenly reading poetry and philosophy?”

  “No. Katie was interested in philosophy before she stepped in my office.”

  “I had no idea.” Lina hated how little she knew of her own daughter.

  “Katie’s quite introspective for someone so young, the complete opposite of my son, who is only interested in sports and girls, in that order. Oh, and food. He consumes more food in a day than I do in a week.”

  Lina smiled. “The food part is definitely Logan. He never stops eating.” She took another sip from her drink. “If you don’t like competition, why do you let your son play?”

  “Let him? You should know my parenting philosophy by now. He walks to the beat of his own drum. My role is to guide him, not direct him. He loves the competition. I try not to judge.”

  “My mother would love you.”

  “Most mothers do.” He winked, and her heart jumped. “Tell me about her. Katie seems quite fond of her.”

  “No.” Lina shook her head from side to side. “You know enough about me. I want to know about you.”

  “That’s not how it works. I’m the doctor, remember?” He finished his own drink and then motioned to a passing waiter for two more.

  “You’re not my doctor,” Lina reminded him. “And this certainly doesn’t look like your office.”

  “True, but I am your daughter’s doctor.”

  “We’re drinking margaritas and sharing guacamole dip. Right now we’re parents of boys trying out for a lacrosse team.”

  He leaned back in his chair, his hands resting on the table. “In that case, you’re going to need to call me Nick.”

  “Nick,” she repeated, and as she met his eyes, a wave of attraction passed between them.

  She averted her gaze as the waiter arrived with new drinks and Nick’s fajitas. While she took a couple of sips of her margarita and tried to calm her nerves, he proceeded to pile some shrimp, sautéed vegetables, onions, cheese and a dab of sour cream onto a soft tortilla. He placed the plate in front of her. “Tell me that isn’t the best fajita you’ve ever had.”

  “Thank you.” She shifted her legs, and her knee bumped his under the table. She pulled her leg back, her body tingling with awareness.

  “What would you like to know about me?” He began to build his own fajita.

  “I don’t know. A little of everything, I suppose.”

  She learned that on paper, he was similar to Phil: the younger of two boys, the son of a surgeon, raised in a conservative Catholic home. But whereas Phil embraced his parents’ belief system, Nick rejected his. “There’s a reason I understand Katie so well,” he said. “My mother used to say she thought she was a good parent until I came along. I thought my parents were ignorant and stopped communicating with them, refused to go to church, family vacations. It was hard for them. They didn’t know what to make of me. All I wanted to do was read philosophy and sail.”

  “It doesn’t really surprise me,” Lina said. “There’s something untamed about you.”

  “Untamed?” He looked amused.

  “That’s probably not the right word, but when I met you, I knew you didn’t fit into a mold. You were different.”

  He looked down into his drink for a moment and then was lifting his gaze back to hers. “Funny, I thought the same thing about you.”

  14

  Lina knew by the smile on Logan’s face as he slipped into the car the tryout had gone well. “So?”

  “It was good! I need to call Dad.”

  She listened as he excitedly told Phil how well he thought he had done. “I was brought on to the top field halfway through the tryout, and I stayed there the rest of the time. I scored six times…No, I played middie mostly…Yeah, I scored a lot, and I wasn’t playing forward. Oh, and I met a few guys who will be going to Gilman in the fall. One was that kid we saw at the tournament last month…The one with the blond hair that scored half his team’s goals! No one could stop him. He’s awesome, and he’s totally cool. We’re going to get together before school starts. His name is Brian Drayton.”

  “You saw him, didn’t you?” Phil asked later that evening after joining Lina on the back deck.

  “Yes.” She’d expected the question earlier, but when they’d returned home from the tryout, Logan had been so excited he’d spent most of the evening monopolizing Phil’s time, not even letting Megan get in a word as he recounted every detail of the tryout.

  “Did you talk to him?”

  “Yes.”

  “How long?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Lina? What are you feeling so guilty about?”

  “I’m not,” she lied. She’d been feeling guilty all evening.

  “Then why won’t you look at me? And why have you been avoiding me all evening?”

  She turned her head and met his eyes. “He’s Katie’s doctor. I’m not going to ignore him.”

  “Not for much longer, he’s not.”

  “What is that supposed to mean? Because I happen to run into him at a lacrosse field, he’s not allowed to be Katie’s doctor? That’s ridiculous.”

  “Do you think it’s acceptable for Katie to tell him personal details of our life and then have us see him at lacrosse games and school functions?”

  Her heart dropped. She hadn’t even considered the conflict. “But he’s gotten her to open up. Have you seen them interact? She genuinely likes him. That doesn’t just happen.”

  “We don’t have a choice. And when he finds out our sons will be going to the same school, he’ll be saying the same thing.”

  The ringing of Phil’s cell phone awoke Lina just after 1:00 a.m., and her thoughts immediately went to Kim. “Phil?” She shook his arm. “That’s your cell phone.”

  “It’s Shiloh,” he said as he squinted at the display. “Shi? Calm down…I can’t understand you…Shi, you need to calm down.”

  Lina sat up and turned on the light, anxiety gripping her. “Is she okay?”

  Phil held up a silencing hand as he continued to focus on the phone call. “Look around. There has to be a landmark…Yes…Do you see an address?” He was sitting up and reaching into the bedside stand for a notepad and pen. “Good.” He began to write. “Sit tight. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

  “What happened?” Lina asked as he got out of bed.

  “Julian left her at a party.”

  “Oh my God. Is she okay?”

  “I think so. She’s just very upset.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  “No. Stay in bed. One of the kids could wake up.”

  Lina opened the front door as Shiloh and Phil stepped onto the front porch, her stomach clenching at the pitiful sight of her sister sobbing against Phil’s side. “Oh, Shi,” Lina whispered, her own voice cracking.

  “She’s okay,” Phil said as they came into the house. “Just upset.”

  “Come on, Shi.” Lina tried to pull her from Phil, but Shiloh wouldn’t release her hold on him.

  “He was so mean,” she whispered. “He said I was stupid in front of everyone at the party and then he just left. I was so embarrassed. Why would he do that? Why does he always hurt me?”

  “I don’t know.” Phil ran his hand up and down her back in a soothing motion.
“But you’re okay now.”

  “I’m never going back to him. I know you don’t believe me, but I’m not.”

  “It’s late. No decisions have to be made right now. Just get some sleep. You can decide what you want to do in the morning,” Phil said.

  “I don’t want to sleep alone,” Shiloh whispered. “I don’t want to be alone.”

  “You can sleep with me,” Lina said as she slipped her arm around her. “Don’t worry. Everything will be okay.”

  “Maybe we should help her find a place,” Lina said to Phil the next afternoon when he came home from cycling.

  “No.”

  “I think she’s serious,” Lina went on. “She’s calm and—”

  “Let’s not push her into anything,” Phil said. “We have to let her come to the conclusion on her own.” He looked past her to Shiloh, who came into to the kitchen from the family room wearing a pair of Lina’s shorts and a T-shirt, her face makeup free and her hair pulled back in a ponytail. “How are you feeling, Shi?”

  She shrugged. “Sad.”

  “You can stay here as long as you like. You know that.”

  She offered a pitiful attempt at a smile. “Thanks.”

  He touched Lina’s arm. “I’m going to shower.”

  “Do you want something to eat?” Lina asked Shiloh. “I could make you a sandwich or a salad.”

  “I’m not really hungry.” Shiloh looked down at her phone. “He hasn’t even called.”

  “What if by not telling her to leave him, she thinks we want her to stay and goes back to him?” Lina asked.

  Phil had finished his shower and was getting dressed. “That’s not why she’ll go back to him.”

  “You think she’s going to go back to him? He left her at a party to fend for herself.”

  “I hope she doesn’t.”

  “But you think she will.” Lina glared at him. “Why would you think that?”

  He sighed. “Because that’s what she does. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but—”

  “You don’t know that. Just because she has in the past doesn’t mean she will this time. He left her in front of all his friends. Do you know how humiliating that was? What if—”

  “Hey,” he interrupted, taking her hands in his. “I’m not the enemy. I’m being honest. Don’t take this out on me.”

  “I’m not,” Lina said, stepping back from him and pulling her hands free, “but you shouldn’t act like you know.”

  A hard knock on the door preceded Logan’s voice. “Dad?”

  “Come in.”

  “Julian’s here,” Logan said, his breathing elevated. “Aunt Shiloh doesn’t want me to let him in. What should I say to him?”

  “I’ll take care of it.” Phil shrugged into his shirt as he walked past Logan and out the door. “Stay upstairs,” he said to Logan, who was on his heels. “And tell your sisters the same. This has nothing to do with you.”

  “I just want to go to the pool.”

  “Your room, Logan. And don’t argue with me,” Phil said shortly.

  Moments later he was pulling the front door open. “What?”

  Julian took a step back as he pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans, clearly intimidated by the anger emanating from the six-foot-three man before him. “Is Shiloh in there?”

  Phil stepped out onto the porch, turning back when Lina began to follow him. “Stay inside,” he said, his face stern.

  “What are—”

  “Lina,” he warned.

  “Okay.” She went back into the house, but left the door partially open and felt Shiloh come up behind her.

  “Get off my property,” Phil said after turning back to Julian.

  “I don’t have an issue with you,” Julian said, shuffling backwards a few more paces. “I just want to know if my wife is in there.”

  “When you leave your wife on her own in the middle of the night, you lose the right to ask about her.”

  “With all due respect, this isn’t your business, Phil. I just want to talk to Shiloh.”

  “When she called me at one a.m. it became my business. Now get off my property. I’m not telling you again.”

  “Wait!” Shiloh cried.

  “Shi, don’t.” Lina gripped her hand when she began to push past her. “He doesn’t deserve you.”

  “I’m just going to talk to him.” Shiloh freed herself from Lina and flew out the door.

  “Shiloh,” Lina called out, watching helplessly as her sister went to Julian.

  “Come on.” Phil slipped his arm around Lina’s shoulders.

  Lina covered her eyes as he led her through the foyer. “She’s going back with him, isn’t she?”

  “I’m sorry.” He wrapped his arms around her.

  When Katie came out of her bathroom, Megan and Logan were huddled in front of one of her windows. “What are you doing in my room?”

  “Julian’s here. I thought Dad was going to beat him up,” Logan said.

  Katie crossed to the window to see her aunt and uncle standing beside Julian’s Jeep. “I wish he would.”

  “She’s crying,” Megan said. “Dad picked her up in the middle of the night. They must have had a fight or something.”

  “He left her at some party,” Katie said. “I heard them talking. He’s such a dick.”

  “Gross.” Logan groaned, pulling his eyes from the window when they started to kiss.

  “What does she see in him?” Megan asked. “It’s not like he’s rich or something, and he’s ugly.”

  “So it would be okay if he was rich and good-looking?” Katie asked.

  “No! I’m just saying he doesn’t have any redeeming qualities.”

  “The way you look is just luck, and I don’t think being rich is a redeeming quality. That’s shallow.”

  “Then ninety-nine percent of the population is shallow,” Megan said.

  “If a guy treated either of you like that, I’d beat him up,” Logan said.

  “You wouldn’t have to,” Katie said as she turned from the window, unable to stomach another second of their public display of affection. “I’d beat him up myself.”

  Logan laughed. “You couldn’t even beat up a fourth grader.”

  “Ha. Ha,” Katie said dryly. “Just because everyone else in this family is freakishly tall doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with me. I’m stronger than I look. I could probably beat you up.”

  “You think?” Logan asked.

  “Don’t.” Katie gave him her most stern expression as he approached. “Logan, I’m serious,” she said, but it was too late.

  “You’re like a baby doll,” he announced right before he pounced on her.

  “Logan, stop!” Katie cried, trying to sound serious, but unable to keep from laughing as he lifted her in the air. “Logan!” She pounded his back with her fists as he hoisted her over his shoulder, carrying her around her room like a sack of rice.

  “Say ‘Logan is king’, and I’ll put you down.”

  “Logan’s the king of dicks!” she yelled. “Stop!” she cried when he began to tickle her.

  The door slammed open, and their parents rushed in the room. “What in the hell—” Phil stopped midsentence as his eyes took in the scene. “Put her down.”

  “Not until she calls me king,” Logan said.

  “Logan,” Phil warned as he reached for Katie. “You could drop her or knock her into something.” He effortlessly lifted Katie off Logan’s shoulder and set her on her feet.

  “I could have gotten away,” Katie insisted, looking up at her dad.

  “Yeah, I could see that,” Phil said dryly.

  15

  As soon as Lina emerged from her car after attending an evening yoga class, she heard the low timbre of Phil’s voice coming from somewhere in the back yard. She frowned as she left the garage and made her way around the side of the yard. He was on the back patio near the pool, and as she approached, she knew Kim was on the other end of the call. There was no o
ther reason he would have traveled all the way to the back patio.

  “Calm down,” he was saying when she came close enough to hear. “Calm down…I’m sorry. I really am, but there is an easy solution to this…Kim—Kim, listen to me…I understand, but the reality is I already have a family. I have a wife and three kids. They are my priority…No—no. Did I ever tell you I was going to leave my wife? That’s not true…No, it doesn’t. It doesn’t change anything.”

  Lina leaned back against the house, out of sight of Phil, continuing to listen to one side of the conversation. “You’re on your own if you go forward with this. That’s what I’m trying to tell you…Think about the child, Kim. Do you really want to bring a child into this world that isn’t going to have a father?” There was a long pause before he spoke again. “I will meet my legal responsibilities and nothing more. Nothing more! Jesus Christ, why are you being so obstinate? It’s not too late to undo this. If you love me, why are you trying to destroy my life? What? Jesus Christ! I thought you got pregnant in May…Unbelievable…How could you not have known? This isn’t about Lina…If she left me tomorrow—which she isn’t going to do, by the way—I wouldn’t marry you. I will never marry you. Never!”

  Lina walked slowly back to the house, pondering the fact her husband was on their patio talking to a woman who was pregnant with his child.

  “How often do you talk to her?” Lina asked when Phil entered the bedroom an hour later.

  If he was surprised Lina knew about the phone call, his facial expression didn’t reveal it. “More than I’d like, but not often.”

  “What did she want? I mean besides you?” Lina roughly tugged back the comforter. “And why is she calling you in the evening when she knows you’re with your family? One of the kids could have overheard you.”

  He dragged his hand down the lower part of his face. “She’s going to be at the wedding.”

  “The wedding?” They were attending the wedding of one of his associates the following weekend.

  “You don’t have to go.”

  “Not go? You expect me to let you go without me?”