LITMIR.BIZ

      HE WAS CHOPPING TOMATOES into fine pieces when she came home. “Hi.” He kept his voice low. “How was your day?”

      “Fine. We had a meeting with one of my parents. I think we sorted out the problem.”

      “That’s good.” He slid the chopped tomatoes into one side of the divided bowl. His back to her, he unscrewed the lid on a jar of black olives and drained them before adding them to the other side of the bowl.

      Caroline reached over his shoulder and snagged an olive, popping it into her mouth. Her other hand rested on his shoulder.

      “Sorry about last night,” she said softly, her breath a whisper against his ear.

      He relaxed and turned around, placing his hands on her waist. “It’s okay. I didn’t mean to spring it on you like that.”

      She tilted back, her eyes narrowed. “You weren’t hoping that making love would keep me from yelling at you?”

      “I didn’t plan it that way, but afterward, I did think it might help.” He kissed the tip of her nose and then edged away, giving the hamburger sizzling on the stove a stir. “I didn’t accept the promotion yet, Caro. I wanted to talk to you first.”

      “I figured that out after I calmed down this morning.” She carried the condiments to the table and spread out the dishes he had stacked in the center. “I made a list.”

      His bark of laughter echoed around the room. She faced him, her hands on her hips. “I know you think my lists are crazy, but they let us see all the options. I’ll show you after supper.”

      He nodded and dished up the meat. Caroline was always easier to talk to when she was well fed.

      After dinner, with the dishwasher humming quietly in the background, Caroline lit a candle on the kitchen counter. The soft scent of apple cinnamon cut through the spicy aroma of the tacos they had just eaten. Outside, a neighbor mowed the common area in front of the town houses, taking advantage of the light now that daylight saving time had started. Two children raced past the window on big-wheeled tricycles, their voices high and shrill over the loud whirring of their tires.

      “I listed the pros and cons of two options,” Caroline said.

      He turned away from the scene outside. “Two options?”

      She pulled a tablet out of her bag and opened it to the first page. “Not what you think.”

      He frowned. The only two options that came to his mind were taking the job or not taking the job.

      She laid her hand on top of his. “You need to take the job, Nick. That’s a given. You’ve worked hard for the promotion. I know we didn’t consider a move, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. We just have to look at what’s good for both of us.”

      He glanced at the paper she had turned toward him. The heading at the top caught his eye. “You stay in Iowa?”

      “Yes. Wait—” she said quickly, lifting her hand. “Just listen before you say anything.”

      She pointed to the first two items on her list. “Pros. You get the experience and job you deserve. I can develop my program with the teachers.”

      He tapped the right side of the paper. “We won’t be together.”

      “During the week.” She ran a finger over the words she had written on the first line of the con entry. “Four days.”

      “Four days? We both work Monday through Friday.” How could she calmly suggest that they be apart four days each week? They hadn’t slept away from each other since their wedding night. Even angry last night, they’d been in the same bed.

      “You’ll come home every Friday night. And I checked the mileage. If you left early Monday morning once in a while, you’d still get to your office on time. So, you’d really only be gone Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.” She raised a finger with each day.

      He bent over and kissed the raised fingers. “Three days, four days. It doesn’t matter, Caro. That’s a lot of days to be apart.”

      She tapped the paper. “But, Nick, it’s only during the school year. We’ll have the summer and holidays together. I can visit you on my breaks.”

      He sat back in his chair, his arms folded over his chest. He didn’t like her reasoning, but he was willing to hear her out. “Okay, go on with the list.”

      “With the raise you’ll receive and my stipend, we can save toward our house.” She lifted her hand again when he opened his mouth. “I know, I know, it doesn’t sound like we’ll save money, with two places to live. But if we can find you an apartment close to your office, we’ll save on gas money.”

      The pros took up the full side of the paper. Only one item was on the con side. “You don’t mind living apart for the year?” he asked.

      She fixed him with her look that was just a fraction short of being disgusted. “Nick, it’s just for a few months. And we’ll see each other every weekend.”

      She scooted her chair over until she could frame his face with her hands. “Honey, what if this job doesn’t work out? Or you don’t like the town? I’ll have given up this great opportunity for no reason. I want to try it for one year.”

      She wasn’t pleading, but he could hear the tremor in her voice. “If I do move with you, I’ll have to get another certificate to teach in Missouri.” She sighed and he felt the motion all the way to his feet. “You know what happened when we moved to Lawrence. I had to work as an aide for a year before a job came open.”

      He nodded. “You’re right.” He scooped her into his lap, holding her close. “But what am I going to do when I come home and you’re not there?”

      “We’ll talk on the phone. And we’re both always so busy during the week, we hardly see each other in the evening anyway.”

      He couldn’t put it into words, but he liked knowing that she was sitting at the dining-room table, her school papers spread around her, while he read through a report or checked on figures. She was always there when he prepared for bed, eager to tell him about her latest meeting or some funny story from her day.

      Right now she was warm in his arms. How would he deal with the long nights without her?