Page 165 of Faultlines

“No.”

I glance toward Ethan, laughing with Reid at the bar. “We all did.”

He follows my gaze and nods once. “You look happy.”

“I am.”

As the evening settles, I wander toward the paddock in search of Lucy when I hear voices drifting from the open barn.

Vivienne. And Jensen.

“...I didn’t realize you’d kept them,” he says, as he rubs the back of his neck.

I stop without meaning to. Through the partially open door, Vivienne stands beside him holding a bundle of weathered envelopes.

Letters?

“I forgot they were even in that box. But I was going through some of my things from the move and I found them,” she says.

“You always were terrible at throwing things away,” he replies.

She smiles in a way that’s almost nostalgic.

He fumbles for the bundle. “You should’ve just tossed them.”

“I couldn’t.”

Footsteps crunch across the hard dirt behind me.

Lucy.

She slows when she sees where I’m looking. “What are they doing?”

“I...”

Before I can answer, Vivienne lightly touches Jensen’s cheek. Just enough to emphasize whatever she says next. Jensen immediately takes a half-step back. The movement is subtle. Almost instinctive.

But Lucy sees only the touch and her smile falters.

Across the barn, Jensen looks up. His expression changes the instant he notices us.

Vivienne follows his gaze and smiles brightly. “Oh good,” she calls. “Lucy! I was just showing Jensen these ridiculous letters I saved that we used to write each other.”

Lucy’s smile is tight.

Jensen opens his mouth. Then closes it again. The space between husband and wife is no more than a few feet. Yet suddenly, it feels much farther.

I glance at Ethan. He catches my eye from across the lawn, excuses himself from his conversation and walks toward me without my having to ask. I don’t wonder whether he’ll come. I know he will. As he curls his fingers around mine, I look back toward Lucy and Jensen.

As Jensen takes a step toward her, she turns and walks away without a word.

I guess every marriage has fault lines. Some heal stronger than before, while others are only beginning to crack.