Page 62 of Skipping Stones
The chair legs scraped on the floor of the porch as Derek stood up suddenly, grabbing the baby monitor and striding down the steps. At the bottom, he turned around. “And speaking of my kids, I need to get home to them. Have a good flight. I don’t want to talk about this ever again!”
Linney just sat there. She knew she’d been pushing, but she never expected Derek would react like that. She was angry and hurt by his attack on her too. It hit closer to home than he knew. She tossed and turned that night, uncomfortable with what they’d both said. When she got up in the morning, the car was gone from Derek’s driveway. She left goodbye notes for the kids on his porch and texted him before she left Silver Lake and again from the airport, but she got no reply.
* * *
Derek fumed for weeks about the way he and Linney parted, but he couldn’t bring himself to apologize. But after one of his monthly sessions with Dr. Aslan—he’d continued therapy when he moved to Silver Lake— he finally conceded that maybe she had a point. When school started, Ivy joined Leo at the local primary school. She was in junior kindergarten, the smallest one in her class. Leo, a year ahead, looked after her in much the same way his father had looked after Linney.
“So maybe she was right,” Derek told Danny sheepishly, at lunch a few days later. It had been a while since they’d talked and between the harshness of Linney’s words, and Dr. Aslan’s gentle probing, he was finally starting to admit he was lonely. There was a hole in his life that he was almost ready to think about filling. “If you have anyone in mind, you can introduce us. Just don’t say anything to Linney.”
“You really should end this silence between you.” Danny was well aware from his wife that they weren’t speaking.
“She pushed too hard, and at the wrong time.”
“She just has your best interests at heart. We all do.”
Kirsten set Derek up with a locum doctor who had come to Silver Lake to take over while one of the emergency room doctors spent a year with Doctors Without Borders. Misty wore suits with tight pencil skirts and high heels that made her a little exotic for Silver Lake. She and Olivia were cut from the same cloth, so Kirsten thought Derek would like her.
They met for dinner after her shift at the hospital. Emma was babysitting. Derek couldn’t believe how loud his heart was thumping as he waited for his date to arrive. It was ridiculous to be so nervous. When she approached the table, he stood up and took her coat. Kirsten had good taste, he had to admit that. He could appreciate Misty’s good figure and expensive salon hair. She’d worn high heels and a pair of expensive-looking black pants. An emerald green sweater with a deep v showed off her assets.
Derek ordered a glass of red wine and she did the same. He soon learned that Misty could carry on conversation enough for both of them. When she did stop long enough to let him speak, she laughed at his jokes and it was clear she was enjoying the date. He wasn’t sure if he was, but he’d promised Kirsten he’d try.
“Oh, Derek,” she breathed, placing one dainty hand on his chest as they said goodnight at the door. He was surprised by the touch.
He gave her a chaste kiss. “Thank you for a lovely evening.”
“I had a good time, Derek. I hope we can do it again sometime soon.”
He felt flustered and wasn’t quite sure what to say. “Umm. Sure. I’ll give you a call.”
The next morning, Danny dropped by the law office with a pair of double doubles. Sitting opposite Derek, he took a swig of his sweet milky coffee.
When Derek didn’t offer information, he came out and asked. “So, how was the date?” Derek raised one eyebrow but said no more. “Come on!” Danny cajoled.
“Let’s just say it wasn’t as easy as I remember.”
“How hard could it be? Kirsten wouldn’t set you up with someone bad. Pretty woman, good conversation.” His eyes twinkled as he added, “A hot kiss at the end of the night, maybe?”
Derek rolled his eyes. “Okay, she was pretty. Great career. Laughed a lot.”
“And?”
“And nothing. It just felt weird. The last woman I was with was my wife. And we all know how that turned out.”.
“They’re not all going to be like Olivia. Give this one—Misty, right? — another chance. What do you have to lose?”
“We’ll see,” Derek replied unenthusiastically.
“I’m going to hold you to that,” Danny said, standing up. “Gotta run. The Henderson house won’t build itself.” He turned to go, throwing his parting words over his shoulder. “Derek? I’m glad you’re getting out there.”
Surprisingly, Derek and Misty did go out on another date—three more, in fact, and he did kiss her several times. But he felt nothing, and he didn’t want to lead her on.
“It’s been fun,” she said when he told her. “But I’m not surprised. I could never live full time in a place as small as Silver Lake and I’m not sure you can live anywhere else. I hope you find someone here one day.” She reached up and kissed him then turned and left him sitting in the bar. Derek ordered a beer. Misty hadn’t been right for him, but at least he’d gotten his feet wet. He wouldn’t be so quick to shut down the idea again.
Christmas came and went but the longer he and Linney didn’t connect, the harder it was for Derek to pick up the phone. Even texting felt wrong now. Derek’s mood was as grey as the weather. Silver Lake had several blizzards and everyone was suffering from cabin fever. The schools were closed for several days because of the storms.
Leo lost his first tooth that spring and another soon afterwards. Derek almost picked up his phone to send Linney a picture of his gap-toothed smile. But he couldn’t. It had been too long. Surprisingly, Ivy lost her first one just a few months later and he tooth fairy began making regular visits to the Blake household.
One evening, after Derek tucked a loonie under Leo’s pillow, he turned the TV on and started flipping through the channels. When he reached TCN, he stopped and leaned forward when he heard a familiar voice talking over pictures of a refugee camp.