The Good Wife(101)
“You won’t forget next time.”
“No. But it won’t be like this in the East Bay. Summer is summer there. It’s just here in the city that it gets so foggy and cold this time of year—”
“Listen,” he interrupted. “Next time you call, don’t call just to give me shit, okay?”
“I was trying to be funny.”
“It’s not funny.”
Sarah was now on the defensive. “Got it, babe. No need to be so rough.”
“I’m rough because I’m tired. I’m rough because I don’t talk to you often, but when I do, it’s never good. You’re never happy. You’re never glad to hear my voice—”
“Yes, I am!”
“You don’t sound happy, though. You sound angry. Mistrustful. As if I am hooking up with chicks right and left—which I’m not. I won’t. I told you that.”
Sarah glanced over her shoulder into the family room, where her dad was watching TV. Brennan was on the couch, on his stomach, fast asleep. Ella was already upstairs in the bed, sleeping. “I’m sorry if that’s how I make you feel.”
“It is,” he said curtly.
She bit her lip, chastised. “I’m sorry, and I probably shouldn’t have called so late,” she added awkwardly, just wanting to end the call now, before it got any worse. “Call me in the morning if you have time before tomorrow’s game.”
“I had a terrible game tonight,” he said abruptly. “Went oh-for-three.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I played almost as bad last night. I’m just not . . . happy . . . with how I’m playing. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“I’m not running around, chasing skirt. I’m in the hotel, eating in front of the TV and trying to figure out how to play better tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“Does that make you feel better?”
Sarah swallowed hard. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t like hearing you didn’t do well in a game.”
“It is what it is,” he said impatiently. “And I didn’t call you because I didn’t want to bring you down. This is my job. But you’re my wife, my family. The career will end. But you, babe, I keep forever.”
* * *
Sarah slept fitfully that night. She didn’t like conflict or tension with Boone, especially when he was on the road and she couldn’t be sure things were completely smoothed over.
In the morning she headed downstairs after checking to see that both the kids were still asleep. Dad was in the kitchen, drinking coffee and reading the paper. He’d been up for hours. Brianna was still in bed, though, and Sarah poured herself a cup of coffee before borrowing a section of the paper from her dad.
“The sportswriters are all over the A’s today,” her dad said, turning pages in the sports section. “Fair-weather fans,” he added.
“Boone said it was a lousy game,” Sarah said, taking a seat at the table.
He closed the sports section and pushed it toward her. “I better go. Don’t like being late.”
He’d dressed nice this morning. “Off to Mass, Dad?”
“Would you like to come?”
“No. I better stay with the kids.”
“They could come, too.”
“They’re still sleeping.”
“I should have woken you all up, then.”
She saw his smile. He was teasing her, fully cognizant that her family didn’t attend church. Not like Meg and the kids. Not like Kit. Or Tommy and Cass. “Thank you for thinking of us, but we’re all right.” She stood up and kissed his cheek. “Do you want breakfast when you come home? I can make something if you’d like.”
“Nah. I’m heading to the stadium for a one o’clock Giants game. Uncle Pat got tickets, so we’re doing that. What are you guys doing today?”
Sarah shook her head. “I don’t know. Kick around, relax. Tomorrow I’m heading out to look at rental houses with my friend Dev from high school. Do you remember him? Dev Phinney? He’s now a big real estate agent in the East Bay and he’s got a bunch of listings to show me.”
“You’re not buying, are you?”
“No. Just renting. I don’t expect we’ll still be here come spring, but you never know.”
“So why is Dev taking you around? I wouldn’t think he’d normally handle rental properties.”
“He doesn’t.” Sarah smiled. “I think he’s just hoping we’ll remember he helped us out should we ever want to buy.”
Her dad didn’t smile back. His expression was stern. “Just make sure he doesn’t get any other ideas. You might feel like a single mom with Boone on the road, but you’re not.”