Read Beach House Memories for Free Online

tomorrow?”
    “Yes, Stratton,” she replied with a slight tone of frustration. “I reminded you every day this week, three times yesterday.”
    “It slipped my mind.”
    Lovie opened her mouth to ask how that was possible, but closed it again.
    “Do we have to leave tomorrow?”
    “We’ve already put it off until after Memorial Day for this party.”
    “It couldn’t be helped. You know how important this deal is.” He frowned and put his hands on his hips in thought. When he looked at her again, his face was as hard with resolution as granite. “Lovie, postpone the beach for a week. The Porters will be staying in town for Spoleto. It’s a good opportunity to forge a stronger relationship with them. I was thinking we could meet up with them again later in the week for a performance and dinner. His wife doesn’t know anybody in town.”
    “She’s meeting five other couples tonight!” She saw temper flare in his eyes and her stomach clenched. She didn’t want to set him off in a foul temper right before the dinner party. Stratton was quick to rise and slow to cool. He’d blame her for any tension that could mar the evening’s mood.
    “Stratton, it’s just that I practically killed myself today getting us all packed. I’ve all the food prepared. The car is ready. It’d be colossal to postpone now.” Seeing frustration in his scowl, she added in a conciliatory tone, “The children are so looking forward to their vacation.”
    “Hell, summer’s just beginning! They can wait a few moredays. You’re talking about vacation? This is important for my work. It puts the food on the table. And it’s not like you need a vacation.” He rolled his shoulders and said offhandedly, “You’re on vacation every day.”
    Lovie felt her heart wither in her chest. With that one brief aside, he’d utterly diminished her. She fought the urge to rip the pearls from her neck and throw them back at him.
    “Oh, yes,” she said icily. “That’s right. My life is just one jolly vacation.”
    She turned away to the mirror and applied rose-colored lipstick. She was so hurt and angry her hand shook. Is that how he measured her? All the hours she spent creating and maintaining his home and family, didn’t they matter? True, she didn’t have a formal career, didn’t bring home a paycheck—no woman she knew did. Her mother had always told her that she shouldn’t work after she was married. It was demeaning to her husband, implying that he couldn’t provide. Yet did her domestic work, her countless hours of volunteering hold so little value in his eyes?
    “I didn’t mean it that way,” Stratton said, his voice muffled as he put a cigarette in his mouth. He bent to light the tip, inhaled, then shook the flame out. Exhaling, he added, “You know I didn’t.”
    Did she? Lovie glanced in the mirror to watch her husband smoking in a distracted manner. Who was this man? she wondered. He stood a few feet behind her, though the distance felt much farther. She didn’t know him anymore. Worse, she didn’t feel anything for him. Though they shared the children, the house, the business, and a whirlwind of business and social engagements, they didn’t share any interests or hobbies. She couldn’t remember the last time they’d had a good discussion or even shared a joke. Their dialogue was similar to that of a boss and his secretary—confirming dates on a calendar, gathering information, approving purchases.
    Still, he was her husband and she felt sure time together at the beach house where they’d had such happy times would bring them closer together again. The months of summer were a relaxed hiatus for the family, a slower time that allowed for bonding. He’d drive to work from the island and return at night for a swim in the ocean with the children. The summer holiday at the beach house was as etched in tradition as Christmas on Tradd Street.
    “You can always bring the Porters to the beach,” she suggested. “It