ve told anyone.
“It’s on Facebook!”
Oh god. “What, a news article or something? What’s it say?”
“There are photos of you and Gavin going into Jones & Jones. With Craig Richmond.”
She sighed.
“Nobody goes to Jones & Jones for lunch,” Pete said.
“Who posted them?”
“Who cares? The point is, you’re getting a divorce!”
Wincing, she held the phone away from her ear. If yelling were an Olympic sport, Pete would’ve won a gold medal. “This doesn’t concern you.”
“Doesn’t con— Amandine, I’m your brother! And I work for your husband, in case you forgot.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. “We can talk about this when I’m back in the States, but if you feel that awkward, quit.”
“And do what?” Pete sounded positively aghast.
“Update your résumé. Get another job. Didn’t you say Sterling & Wilson offered a while back? Maybe you can go there.”
“They’re in Texas!”
Amandine closed her eyes. Breathe deep. In and out. This was supposed to be a relaxing walk, not a job counseling session for her brother. “Okay, well, try Wall Street.”
“That’s even worse!”
“I don’t know then. You’re the smart one, Pete. Do what you want.”
His breathing started to sound like a bull being taunted by a toreador. “Why do you have to divorce Gavin? He’s rich, young, and faithful to you. What more do you need to be satisfied?”
“What Mom had with Dad.”
A beat of silence, then Pete laughed, an ugly sound. “You gotta be kidding me. She had nothing. He didn’t deserve her.”
“That’s not true.”
“Oh, come on. He couldn’t hold down a job. Couldn’t pay the rent half the time. We had to rely on the Fairchilds for charity. Uncle Sebastian and Aunt Olivia said shit about us because he was a loser. We were pitiful.”
“Pete!”
“And you want to throw away everything you’ve got for that? Why? What’s gotten into you?”
“Dad loved Mom. He loved us all.”
“Love? If he’d really loved us, he would’ve done whatever he could to make sure we were provided for. You know, food on the table, a roof over our heads? Like that.”
“Don’t be so materialistic,” she said mildly, but Pete had a point. The family had suffered a lean life, deprived of the most basic necessities at times, because of their father’s poor judgment. Norman had been a dreamer—always thinking of ways to hit it big, some jackpot that would set him for life—but he’d never known how to turn any of his dreams into reality. That didn’t mean he’d been a terrible husband or father, though. Amandine had seen how much his wife and children had meant to him.
“Love is a luxury for people who can afford it, and you can’t. Look, just” —he searched for the word— “reconcile with Gavin. He’s a good guy. He’ll take you back.”
“We aren’t divorcing because he’s a bad guy.” He’s not there for me, and he doesn’t love me, and I don’t know how to change that. “Anyway I have to go.” She walked knee-deep into the water, enjoying the coolness on her calves.
“Is that waves I hear? Where are you?”