His smile disappeared.
He glanced at Nathan.
“So you don’t know yet?”
Nathan immediately put down his fork.
“Not tonight.”
I felt a sudden wave of dread.
“Know what?”
“I assumed you’d already discussed it,” Mr. Bennett said.
Nathan sighed.
“I was going to tell you.”
Mr. Bennett cleared his throat.
“Nathan’s going to Seattle for a few months.”
I stared at my husband.
“You’re what?”
“It’s temporary. Three months. Maybe four.”
“How long have you known?” I asked.
Nathan didn’t answer.
“We finalized the assignment almost three weeks ago,” Mr. Bennett said.
Three weeks.
My husband had known for three weeks that he was leaving for months and hadn’t said a word.
I looked at Nathan.
“Anything else I should know?”
Mr. Bennett hesitated.
Then Susan spoke.
“I’m going too.”
I looked at her.
Nathan immediately shook his head.
“Don’t make this into something it isn’t. Susan was assigned to the project. I didn’t choose her.”
I turned to Mr. Bennett.
“Did Nathan know Susan was going when he accepted?”
Nathan’s face changed.
That was my answer.
“Yes,” Mr. Bennett said quietly. “I thought you two had already discussed all of this.”
I wanted to explode.
Instead, I smiled.
“Anyone wants dessert?”
The room went painfully quiet.
For the rest of the evening, I watched Nathan and Susan.
Nothing happened that I could actually accuse them of. But there were little things.
Susan knew what Nathan was drinking before he asked.
