“I thought I knew that for sure, too. But now… I don’t know anymore.”

“For what it’s worth, I live with you two, and I haven’t sensed any sign of discontent in her. I’m not paying the same level of attention that you are, so I could’ve missed it, but all I see is happy and crazy in love. Is it possible you’re seeing trouble where there isn’t any?”

“I’ve asked myself that same question, but I keep coming back to how glum she is every time we have to deal with the wedding.”

“Try to find a way to get her to tell you why. It would suck to get to the big day thinking she has doubts about something.”

“Yeah, I know. She’s due here soon. We’re meeting with Lizzie to go over final details.”

“Sounds like a good opportunity to figure things out.”

“Hope so.”

“Try not to worry too much. Could just be wedding jitters.”

Alex nodded. “I’ll see you at home.”

“See you then.” Worried now about Alex, too, Paul returned to his truck and headed to the other side of the island to do a fall cleanup for a regular client. The mindless work gave him far too much time to think. He could only hope the situation with Jenny didn’t turn into a big disappointment for his brother. They had enough on their plates without more turmoil.

Though he’d never wish his mother’s illness on anyone, least of all himself, sometimes he wondered what it would be like to be free from the routine worries of everyday life. He’d like to have a switch he could flip when he didn’t want to think about dementia or taxes or all the paperwork he’d let pile up in the office or the new equipment he needed to purchase before the spring.

He’d like to be able to flip the switch and not think about how long it had been since he’d had sex or how much he’d liked kissing the lovely nurse who worked for them. He’d like to stop thinking about that, and he really wished he didn’t want to know so badly why Ethan’s father was in jail.

After Paul left, Alex continued to work in the garden while trying not to slip into total panic mode over what was going on with Jenny. Other than the short time they spent apart at the start of their relationship, things between them had been remarkably easy. The connection they’d shared from the first minute they met had carried them through some rough times.