After two more puffs, she ditched the cigarette out in an oversized planter. “Eventually, he’ll bore of you and come to his senses. A good blowjob, or whatever service you provide that is keeping him slumming these days, will eventually even get old.”

“I’d ask your husband if that was true, but I’m guessing by the stick that’s stuck so far up your ass, that the poor man hasn’t had good head in a lot of years.”

Inside, the house was quiet except for the clickity clack of Avery’s heels. “Where is everyone?”

She poured herself a cup of coffee. Of course, she didn’t offer one for the guest. Looking at me over her mug with a sly grin she said, “You mean the happy family?”

“I mean Graham and Chloe.”

“Mom and Dad and their beautiful offspring are down at the beach, taking their daughter for the inaugural swim of the season.”

“That’s nice.”

“When Graham and Genevieve bought this house, they used to fuck like rabbits in the ocean. Come to think of it, their daughter may have even been conceived there.”

This bitch was truly a piece of work. I forced out yet another that’s nice doing my best to pretend she wasn’t getting to me. But the truth was, I couldn’t help but get jealous at the thought of Graham and Genevieve. Obviously, they’d had a sexual relationship. I just didn’t need to visualize what that looked like.

I walked to the wall of sliding glass doors that lead to the yard and further down, the beach below. A hundred yards off in the distance was Graham and Genevieve. They were both in the middle of undressing and Chloe was jumping up and down excitedly between them. It was excruciatingly painful to see the man who I was in love with frolicking on the beach with another woman.

When they were both stripped down to just suits and skin, I watched in what seemed like slow motion as Chloe took the hand of each of her parents and the three of them ran for the surf hand in hand. A modern day Norman Rockwell featuring Barbie and Ken. The visual made my chest have a crushing sensation.

Avery walked up close behind me, watching over my shoulder. “What a happy family they could be. Look at the smile on Graham’s face.”

Graham was smiling. He was laughing and splashing in the water with both Chloe and Genevieve. He truly looked content.

Avery sipped her coffee. “Homewrecker.”

I slid the glass door open and stepped outside. When I turned around to slide the door closed, Avery was smiling victoriously. She didn’t budge when I slammed it closed in front of her face.

***

ON THE RIDE HOME, Graham held my hand as he drove. “How are you feeling?”

“Better.”

“Thank you for coming with me. I know it wasn’t easy for you.”

“I’m glad you got to spend time with your daughter. She’s an amazing little girl.”

Graham lit up. “She is, isn’t she?”

“Have you and Genevieve spoken about your plans to tell her that you’re her father?”

“Genevieve thinks it’s best not to say anything quite so soon. She thinks we should continue to spend time together so that when we finally do tell her, she’s already comfortable with me. She suggested I come for dinner again this week.”

Of course she did. “That’s probably a good idea.”

Our conversation had never been so stilted. I was pretty sure we both felt it, yet neither one of us knew how to fix it. Although Graham kept trying. “So what did you think of the Hamptons?”

“You want me to be honest?”

“Of course.”

“I think the landscape is beautiful. The ocean, the homes, all the boats down at the marina. But it’s not someplace I could ever imagine myself wanting to spend my summers. The people just seem so…homogenous.”

“That’s a good way to put it. It’s never been my favorite place either. Actually, it’s very different in the off-season. I always preferred to come out in October or November. There’s still a lot of farmers and fisherman who live out there. The town is very different when it’s just locals.”

“If it’s not your favorite place, why would you buy that house?”

“Genevieve wanted it. And if we’re being honest, at the time, the status symbol of having a home in the Hamptons seemed important.”

“It doesn’t anymore?”

Graham squeezed my hand. “My priorities have changed.”

“If you were to buy a summer home now, where would it be?”

He responded immediately. “Brooklyn.”