Unfortunately, by nine o'clock, she no longer believed it. Not that the showing hadn't been successful; it had. Even more so than they'd expected.
"This has been great," Kevin told Marley as she freshened up a cheese platter in the back room.
"Really great!" She gave him the same pasted-on smile that she'd been wearing for about five hours now. In fact her cheeks were actually starting to hurt.
"Have you seen how well Warren is doing?" Kevin was twisting the corkscrew into a new bottle of chardonnay.
She nodded. "Like he's been selling art his whole life."
"He really does have a good grasp on it." Kevin glanced out the door to where Warren was speaking to an elderly couple. "I can't even tell you how fun it is seeing him enjoying himself like this."
"He should spend more time down here."
"That's just what I've been telling him." Kevin's eyes glowed with happiness as he popped the cork off.
"Which brings me to something I've been meaning to tell you, Kevin."
"Oh no," he feigned fear. "You're not hitting me up for a raise?"
She forced a laugh. "Not even close."
"What then?" He looked worried.
"I need to give you my notice."
"Your notice?" He looked genuinely shocked.
"I need to quit."
"But why?" He lowered his voice. "Is it Warren?"
"No, not at all. I've decided I want to move to Clifden."
He brightened. "That delightful little sea town you grew up in?"
This time her smile was real. "Yes. I know it seems sudden. But I was talking to Ashton this morning and ... I can't even explain it, but I know it's right. And I'm going to start painting again!"
Kevin hugged her. "I'm so happy for you, Marley. This is going to be great. I can feel it in my bones."
She picked up the cheese tray. "It looks like we've got some more latecomers. I better get out there." She felt slightly shocked as she returned to the gallery. Had she really just quit her job? And yet she felt happy, too, and relieved, as if she'd just taken the first step into the rest of her life.
"Marley." Georgia Martini joined her at the refreshment table, refilling her wine glass with merlot. "I have been meaning to tell you all night that your jewelry is absolutely fabulous." She reached over and fingered the chunky beaded necklace. "Turquoise and coral and silver. Really lovely."
Marley was stunned. "Thank you!"
"Do you mind if I ask where you got it?"
Marley's cheeks warmed now. "Actually I made this piece myself."
"Seriously?" Georgia looked impressed. "I had no idea you were an artist."
"I've been on a bit of a sabbatical."
Georgia nodded. "Sometimes it's good to take a break. Just as long as you remember it's only a break."
"Which is why I've recently decided to quit the gallery and devote my attention to art."
Georgia patted heron the back. "Good for you. Congratulations."
"Thanks."
Marley felt like she was walking on clouds during the last hour of the show. She couldn't remember when she'd last felt so wonderful and light, as if a sack of rocks had been removed from her shoulders. It seemed that her mood was contagious, because in the last few minutes she sold two rather substantial pieces of art. But did that make her regret her decision to quit? Not for a second!
Chapter 18
CAROLINE
"So what do you think?" Abby asked Caroline after they finished their quick tour of Janie's gutted house Friday morning.
"Well ..." Caroline wasn't sure how to respond. She didn't want to hurt Abby's feelings. Especially since she seemed so enthusiastic.
"You have to use your imagination."
Caroline frowned out the dingy kitchen window. The grass in the backyard was shaggy and brown, and the hedges were overgrown with blackberry bushes. "I guess I've never had much of an imagination."
"Okay, let me help you." Abby joined her by the window. "Imagine new contemporary maple cabinets topped with sleek granite along this wall." She used her hands to indicate where.
Caroline giggled. "You look like Vanna White."
"Well, thank you." Abby grinned and continued. "And a stainless gas stove will go there, and an island right here. We'll hang a pair of lights over it-something small and sleek and stainless. And we're thinking a soft sage green for the walls, but if you decide to buy it, you can choose whatever you like."
Caroline frowned. "I'm trying, Abby, but I just can't see it."
"Then trust me. It'll be gorgeous."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
Caroline didn't share her confidence. Plus the musty smell was starting to remind her of her mother's house. "I need some fresh air," she admitted. "And coffee."
"Good idea."
"This is just so hard," Caroline admitted.
"What?"
"Making a big decision like this. I mean, it seemed easy last night, when I imagined moving into a beautiful house. But this morning the place looks, well, a little scary."
"But it'll get better."
"I know. But I'm unsure. I mean, what if selling my condo is a mistake? What if I'm sorry? How does a person make a big decision like this? I know Victor's answer. And he seems to have no regrets. But I just don't know."
Abby nodded thoughtfully as she drove them through town. "I can understand your hesitation. I've never been great at big decisions either." Suddenly she was taking a detour.
"Where are you going?" Caroline asked.
"My old house."
"Where you grew up?" Caroline felt confused, because that house was on the other side of town.
"No, I mean the first house Paul and I bought more than thirty years ago, right after Jessie was born."
"Oh, that sweet old Victorian." Caroline nodded. "That was such a beautiful house."
Abby drove past the library, then parked across the street from the big white house on the corner. "I always loved that house."
"I was surprised you were willing to part with it."
"I wasn't."
"Huh?" Caroline let her window down to see it better. "Then why did you move?"
"That's a good question. I guess that's why I decided to drive by and look at it now."
Now Caroline was really confused.
"Sorry. I don't mean to sound so mysterious."
"So what are you saying?" Caroline waited.
"I didn't want to leave that house." Abby looked sadly across the street. "And the girls did not want us to leave that house. Jessie was furious at me. She insisted that was the house where Lucy needed to come visit her grandparents. And Laurie was hurt that she was losing her bedroom." Abby shook her head. "You know that house had six bedrooms?"
Wow.
"Nicole was the only one who seemed okay with it. But then she's always been more of a free spirit. And she loved the beach location of the new house. Plus she knew she would still have a room there."
"The beach house is awfully nice." Caroline studied the perfectly landscaped yard. "And probably a lot less maintenance."
"Paul's thinking exactly."
"So you must've come around." Caroline turned back to look at Abby.
"To be honest, I didn't come around. I never wanted to leave my house. Even at the very end." Her eyes looked sad and tired now. "But I hid my feelings."
"You pretended you were okay with it?"
"I've never told anyone this, Caroline. And I have to swear you to secrecy."
"But why? I mean why did you agree to leave your house if you didn't want to?"
"Because Paul wanted it so badly."
"So you gave in to make him happy?"
"Our marriage was a little rocky."
"Oh."
Abby sighed. "I know you're probably thinking I'm a wimp."
"No, not at all. I think you were very generous to let Paul build his dream house if it wasn't what you really wanted."
"Generous maybe. But
was it stupid?"
"I don't know." Honestly, Caroline didn't know. "But why are you telling me this?"
"Because I still worry that I might've made the wrong decision. I realize you're making a big decision right now, and I've been encouraging you to take this big leap. Then I remembered what I did, and how I'm still not happy with it." Now Abby had tears in her eyes.
"So you're telling me to really think about this. To look before I leap."
Yes.
"So do you mind if I ask what it is that you miss most about your old house?"
Abby reached for a tissue. "So much." She wiped her eyes. "I miss my garden. My flowers. I miss my little quilting room on the third floor. I miss the room I fixed up for my granddaughter. We called it the Teddy Bear Room. I doubt that Lucy remembers it; she was so little. But I had imagined having her and other grandchildren running up and down the stairs of that big old house. I miss all the memories that were tied up in it. I miss all the antiques I had to let go because they wouldn't fit in our new house."
Caroline reached over and squeezed Abby's hand. She was crying pretty hard now. "I wonder why Paul was so set on giving that house up," Caroline mused out loud.
"He said he was tired of working on it. We'd remodeled and replaced things for years. And he said it was going to continue being a money pit."
"Right."
"I even suggested that we could turn it into a bed-and-breakfast. You know, kind of like Jackie's place."
"It would be a great B and B. Great location, too."
"Well, that idea might've been what pushed Paul right over the edge. He put his foot down. He said he would rather live in a tent on the beach than run a bed-and-breakfast."
"Oh. Well, I suppose it would be a lot of work."
"And he didn't want to be tied down. Part of the plan with the beach house was to have freedom to travel more. Although we haven't really done much."
"So in a way, you've given up everything. Your gardening, your antiques, your memories, and you never even wanted to."
"I know I should be thankful for my lovely home. You must think I'm a spoiled brat. I often feel that way myself. But it's been so hard. It's like I got lost in the process of moving to the new house, and I haven't really found myself again."
"But you have to realize that you're more than just a house, right?"
"I know you're right. But I still feel lost." Abby blew her nose loudly. "Although I have to admit that it's been good medicine to help Janie with her house."
"It seems like you're good at it." Caroline laughed. "And you seemed happy when you were doing your Vanna White act."
Abby smiled. "It's nice having something else to focus on. I mean, besides my own little life and feeling sorry for myself" She started the car again. "Now we really need to get some coffee."
"So if I understand you right," Caroline began carefully, "you're sort of warning me to be careful. Like maybe I really could regret selling my LA condo and buying Janie's house."
"That's right." Abby parked in front of the Coffee Company. "And I don't want to carry the guilt for encouraging you into something that's not really right. Janie even pointed out that you're the kind of person who enjoys an active social life and sunshine and probably lots of other things that you have down in LA. Things we don't have here."
Caroline thought about that as they went inside and ordered coffee. What Abby had just said was partially true. But it was also true that Caroline had been getting tired of the LA pace. To be honest, the bright lights and big city had lost a lot of its glimmer during her cancer treatments.
"Hello, ladies," said Victor as he lowered a newspaper and smiled up at them. "Care to join me?"
"I didn't even see you here," Abby said as they sat down.
"Oh, I'm a regular, but I got a late start today." He gave Caroline a puzzled look. "Hey, I thought you were on your way home today."
"It's an evening flight," she told him as she stirred her coffee. "I'll be heading out in an hour or so."
"I was just showing her Janie's house," Abby explained.
"What did you think?"
Caroline shrugged. "It needs work."
"It's basically gutted right now," Abby explained.
He chuckled. "A little too rustic for your taste?"
"I'm sure it will be nice when it's done," Caroline said. "I'm just not sure it's right for me."
"For you?" Victor looked confused.
"Caroline was considering buying it," Abby told him.
"If I decide to relocate up here, which is still up in the air." Caroline looked closely at him. "I'm envious of the way you were so sure about moving here. I wish I had that kind of confidence."
"Maybe it's a matter of timing."
She nodded. "Maybe."
"Anyway, I'm trying to remain neutral," Abby said. "At first I wanted to encourage Caroline to just do it, you know, take the plunge. But I realize it's a huge decision, though I selfishly wish she'd move back here." Abby reached over and clasped Caroline's hand. "She's such a sweet friend and I'd love to have her around. But I wouldn't want her here unless it was really right for her."
Caroline sighed. "Hearing that just makes me want to move here."
Abby laughed. "Honestly, I'm not trying to use reverse psychology."
"Well, this is what I've decided to do," Caroline announced. "I will go home and I will pray about it."
"Pray about it?" Abby looked surprised.
Caroline nodded toward Victor. "Something you said reminded me of a promise I made several years ago."
"A promise?" Victor leaned forward with interest.
"Yes. You see, I'm a cancer survivor. And I prayed a lot during my treatments. I told God that if I got well, I wanted to live my life differently. I wanted him to be in charge."
"Really?" Abby's eyes grew wide. "I didn't know about this."
"I don't usually talk about it." Caroline shook her head. "It's actually kind of embarrassing, because it seems like nothing much has really changed since I made that promise. Oh, I'm thankful every day to be alive and well. I go to church somewhat regularly. And it's not as if I'm doing anything bad. But I can't honestly say that much about my life is different."
"Sometimes things about us change and we don't even know it," Victor said quietly.
"That's right," Abby agreed. "In fact I have to admit that I thought you'd changed a lot when I first saw you at the reunion, Caroline."
"Really?" Caroline felt hopeful.
"You seemed a lot more sincere than I remembered. And friendlier. Even happier."
"Wow." Caroline nodded. "That's cool."
"See?" Victor grinned. "Maybe God's at work on you already."
"I hope so. Anyway, my plan is to go home and pray that God will show me what to do. I've made enough bad decisions already in my life. I don't need any more mistakes. I'd honestly rather stay put, even if I don't like it, than move up here and discover it's the wrong place for me."
"Very wise."
Abby nodded. "Yes. Very."
"Anyway, I haven't even checked out of the hotel yet." Caroline glanced at her watch. "And it's almost eleven. I better get moving. I'll just walk back to the hotel."
They all stood and hugged. Caroline thanked them both for their friendship. "Whether or not I move up here, it's nice to know I have friends in town. I'll have to come back before winter to help get my mom moved, so I know I'll see you guys again."
"Travel safely," Victor told her as she headed for the door.
"Call me." Abby made a phone sign with her hand.
Caroline smiled and waved and blew kisses to both of them as she exited the building. But once outside she felt sad and let down, like the party was over and it was time to go home. And yet she remembered her promise to God. She was going to trust that he knew what was best for her. So, as she walked the several blocks to the hotel, she prayed. She asked God to do something to show her what she needed to do. "It doesn't have to be anything huge," she said as she
finally reached the hotel parking lot. "I don't expect lightning or a burning bush. Just something that makes me certain." As she said amen, she remembered what Victor had said about having a special kind of peace when he made his decision to uproot his former life. That was what she wanted more than anything-a peace like that. Then she'd be certain.
Chapter 19
ABBY
When Abby got home, she was pleased to see that Jessie had left her a message. "I know it's a lot to ask, Mom," she began, "but would you be willing to have Lucy this weekend?" Abby didn't even wait for the rest of the message before she was dialing Jessie's cell-phone number.
"Of course we'd love to have Lucy. When is she coming?"
"Did you even listen to my message?"
"Not all of it."
"Oh, well, I wondered if Brandon could bring her over in the morning. Or better yet, if you or Daddy would want to meet halfway. Otherwise Brandon will have to get Lucy up at like six in the morning to get back here in time."
"In time for what?"
"He got these great tickets to a preseason football game. We were going to drive up to Pullman to meet some friends, and it's a night game, so we thought we'd stay over. I know it's last-minute, but Brandon was so excited about being at his old school and I-"
"You don't need to explain, and if your dad's busy, I'll be happy to meet Brandon and our princess. Name the place and time and I'll be there."
"Thanks, Mom! Lucy will be thrilled. She's been begging to go to the beach."
"We'll be thrilled to have her."
"Brandon can call you with the details." Then Jessie explained she had to get to a meeting, and they hung up. Abby would've liked to talk longer, but she knew Jessie was busy. She was always busy. At least Abby would get to spend time with Lucy now. She would freshen up the guest room, then do some quick grocery shopping to be sure she had Lucy's favorite foods like string cheese and apple juice on hand. She might even pick up some crayons and things, just in case the weather changed and they were stuck inside.
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