Chapter 6
Watching other people’s children unwrap gifts used to be a delight. Ruth loved the way their chubby little faces beamed with joy. Not so much for Lawrence. In fact, their post-holiday ritual of gossiping on the drive home from Judy’s had devolved into Lawrence complaining about everybody else’s kids.
“Did you see Beverly turn a blind eye when her brat tried to ride the dog?”
Years ago, Ruth would have joined in, but she’d since learned that a childless woman discussing how she’d do things differently had better be prepared for a tongue-lashing. Parents didn’t want to hear from non-parents. That had bothered Ruth when she was younger. She’d felt her opinions were as valid as anybody’s. After all, she had trained as a teacher. She worked with young people. Why shouldn’t
