The Candidate's Affair Read Online Free

in.
    “Audrey, was today the last day of school?” Cricket asked.
    I clutched my wine. “It was. I hate saying good-bye to my class. It’s the hardest day of the year for me.”
    She patted my shoulder. “Honey, you’ve got the entire summer ahead of you. Why don’t you join our bridge group?”
    Cricket Sanders had been trying to get me to join her bridge group since our first year here. I never played.
    I smiled meekly. “Maybe I could try it.”
    “You’ve got to do something to keep you busy while Spencer is working. Will he make partner this year? That’s the rumor I’ve heard.”
    “We hope so. He’s been working nonstop. This might be the year.”
    Spencer and I knew when he made partner it would change things for us, and not just financially. We were still considered the new kids on the block. It didn’t matter that we both had degrees, established careers, a home, and a dog. We were mere children in our neighbors’ eyes. Making partner would catapult Spence into a different class. We would never be old money, but it was a distinct rung on the ladder he was about to cross. I wasn’t sure we were ready for that shift.
    Cricket patted my shoulder. “Let me know about bridge. I’ve got an open spot. And who knows, if he makes partner, you could have a permanent place.”
    “What do you mean?” I asked.
    She looked puzzled. “You won’t need to work anymore. You’ll need to have afternoons free. You can’t fulfill your obligations if you’re teaching.”
    I didn’t know how to respond, so I didn’t. I turned to the wine in my hand.
    Fifteen minutes later, Tina’s kitchen was full. I smiled and hugged the women I called friends. I hadn’t heard anyone mention the book yet. It also felt as if we saved our best book comments for the formal round circle.
    Tina clinked her wineglass. “Ladies, let’s get started. I can pull in some more chairs if we need them.”
    I decided I would sit as far from Cricket as I could during the book discussion. Her words still crawled on my skin. I didn’t want to give up teaching.
    One by one, the seats around me filled in.
    Mrs. Ellerby sat on the couch. “I haven’t seen you since last book club. What’s new with you?” she asked.
    “Today was the last day of school. I’ve been getting ready for that. Not much else is new.”
    “How about Spencer? Things going well for him?”
    “Yes. He’s working hard at the firm.” I didn’t know if Mrs. Ellerby would bestow some sort of sage advice on how I needed to leave my job. Hearing it once tonight was enough.
    “Would you thank him for helping me with those plants last week? I never would have been able to get them out of the car.” She sighed. “It’s a terrible thing getting old.”
    “He was happy to do it,” I offered.
    Spencer and I were working in the yard when we saw Mrs. Ellerby pull into her driveway, her head hidden by green leaves. Her driveway was directly across the street from ours.
    “I’m going to go see if she needs help with those,” he said.
    “All right.” I turned to the gardenia bush I was pruning. Fifteen minutes later, Spence was back.
    “She bought a ton of new houseplants.”
    “Does she need help with anything else?”
    “No, I got them all inside. I think she just likes to come up with projects to keep herself busy,” he suggested.
    “Why would you say that?” I pulled the garden gloves from my hands. The gardenia bush looked slightly lighter, but I was happy with my trimming work.
    “Because, her house is like a jungle. There are plants everywhere. One day she might wake up with vines all over her.” He laughed.
    “It was nice of you to help.” I smiled at my sweaty and handsome husband.
    “I feel bad she lives by herself. No one to talk to. No one to eat dinner with. She needs help with every little thing. It’s depressing. Can you imagine being all alone at the end of your life?”
    “No. No, I can’t. But that won’t be us. We don’t have to worry