by Terri DuLong
“Well, I’m pretty positive that your area is where I want to retire. So I thought it was silly to stay in a hotel and I began doing some research to find a more permanent place.”
“And you found one?”
There was a pause on the line before she said, “Yes, I did. A townhouse in The Trails. Maybe you’re familiar with it?”
I was. And I knew it was a mere five-minute drive from Koi House.
“Yeah, I know where it is. What about your furniture and belongings?”
“I’ve arranged for movers and they’ll be here next week. I’ve been pretty busy packing and giving things away. I fly down on the twenty-fifth and will spend that night at the hotel. The movers arrive the next day. So it’s all worked out perfectly.”
For who? I thought. You or me?
I remained silent.
“Isabelle? Are you still there?”
“I’m here,” I mumbled.
I heard a deep sigh come across the line. “Isabelle, I’d really like for us to make amends and work at having a relationship. It’s never too late. You just have to be willing, and I can’t do it from across the country.”
“Whatever,” I said, feeling the old hurts resurfacing. “I certainly can’t stop you from moving here and I know Haley will be happy to hear this news.”
I heard another sigh. “Right. And I’m hoping that in time you’ll be happy too. Okay, I won’t keep you. Tell Haley I love her and I’ll call her over the weekend. And Isabelle . . . I love you too.”
“Bye,” was all I said.
Great. Just great. I flung my knitting aside and headed to the kitchen. I had planned to make a casserole for supper but figured the kids would be just as happy with a pizza delivery. Opening the fridge, I removed a new bottle of pinot grigio and poured myself a glass.
I returned to the living room, plunked down on the sofa, and took a sip. My intake of wine had been at a minimum during the past week and the cold, fruity taste was like welcoming an old friend.
I thought back to the first few years after my mother had left and recalled how much I’d missed having that one special person in my life. That person to offer advice on fashion, hairstyles, and makeup. The woman who most daughters seek out for guidance on dating and all the dilemmas that the teen years bring. I didn’t have that. My father tried, but it wasn’t the same.
I found myself turning to Petra yet again to help me along. I picked up my phone and dialed her number.
“Hey,” she said. “I’ve been thinking about you. How’s everything going?”
“Okay,” was all I had to say, and she instantly knew it wasn’t.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
I told her about my mother’s call and change of plans.
“Hmm, okay. Yeah, I can see this news wouldn’t make you happy. But you have to admit, Isabelle, she is trying. Isn’t there any chance you can meet her halfway?”
“I seriously doubt that. I feel it’s too little, too late. Why did she have to wait till my father was gone to make any attempt?”
“I don’t know, but maybe she had her reasons. And the bottom line is there isn’t much you can do about her moving there.”
“No, but I can do plenty to avoid her.” I knew I sounded like a petulant child, but I felt the need to strike back. “I can avoid her like she avoided me for so many years.”
“Yeah, you could do that.”
“You don’t agree, do you?”
“Look, I do not want to get into the middle of this. You know very well how I feel. Yes, she was probably wrong to leave and yes, she should have made more of an attempt to stay in touch over the years, but Isabelle . . . sometimes people simply don’t do what we think they should. That’s just the way it is.”
I took a gulp of wine and remained silent.
“So what else is going on? How’s your delivery job going? And how’s Haley doing?”
I realized that I was allowing my mother to overshadow my happy news. “Good,” I said. “Yeah, Haley has a new friend here to spend the night. She got chosen to design costumes for the spring musical and my job is going well. I might even have a date soon.”
I heard Petra laugh. “Now that is good news. All of it, but especially the date part. So who’s the lucky guy?”
I told her about Chadwick Price and our chance encounter. “So he said he’ll call next week when he gets back from Atlanta.”
“That’s really great. See, things really are starting to turn around. Don’t allow your mom to dampen your spirits. Any update from Roger?”
“Not since I first got here last week. He did call to check and make sure we arrived safely. I get the feeling he’d like to be friends.”
“He probably does. Just because he has somebody else in his life doesn’t mean he wants you completely out of it. You’re the mother of his daughter. You’ll always have that connection.”
“Yeah, true. Well, thanks for listening to me. I’ll let you go. I miss you and can’t wait for you to come down here for a visit.”
“I miss you too. I’m aiming to get down there late March or early April.”
“Oh, that would be great, Petra. And you know you can bring Lotte. Mavis and Chloe said that wouldn’t be a problem at all.”
“Okay. Now go relax and enjoy your evening. Think happy thoughts. Love you.”
“Love you too,” I said and hung up with a smile on my face. Petra never failed to lift my spirits.
* * *
By the time the pizza had been delivered I realized I’d managed to polish off the bottle of wine. After we cleaned the kitchen and the girls had curled up in the living room to watch a new on-demand movie, I opened another bottle and stuck it into my knitting bag along with a wineglass.
“Everything okay here?” I asked, walking into the living room. “Do you guys want popcorn or anything?”
“Not right now, Mom,” Haley said. “Maybe I’ll put some in the microwave later. Do you want to watch this movie with us?”
“No, I think I’ll go upstairs and knit. If I fall asleep, be sure to shut off the lights down here before you go to bed.”
“Will do. Love you, Mom.”
“Love you too,” I told her and headed up to my room.
I removed the wine bottle and glass and felt like a teenager being sneaky. I poured a glass and curled up on the lounge in the sitting area of my bedroom.
Taking a sip, I glanced around the room. It was so beautifully decorated and furnished with the mahogany sleigh bed, carved bureaus, and vintage wallpaper, I felt like I’d stepped back in time. The room continued to be cool, but I was adjusting to the difference in temperature compared to the rest of the house. I wondered about Emmalyn Overby, the woman who had once inhabited this room. According to Chloe, she had been quite the independent female, always doing things her way, and not always for the good. When Emmalyn became pregnant with Yarrow, she refused to tell Mavis Anne or their father who the father of the child was. Both her sister and her father enabled her, and Emmalyn took full advantage of it. Learning her story had made me feel that some women flit through life with a sense of entitlement. Sometimes to the detriment of those around them—much as my mother had.
I awoke at three in the morning to find the wine bottle almost empty. I was cold and still curled up on the lounge. Heading into the bathroom, I recalled a dream I’d had. Or was it a dream? It had seemed so real. A beautiful woman in a red evening gown with long auburn hair had been sitting on the edge of the bed.
She was shaking her head and saying, “You just don’t get it.”
“Get what?” I asked.
She got up and began walking around the room. She touched the lamp on the bureau and then picked up the ivory hairbrush and pulled it through her hair. She walked over to the French doors that led out to the small balcony, opened them, and stood staring outside before turning around and saying, “Life is difficult, and it isn’t always as it might seem.”
Even in the dream I could feel
myself getting agitated. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I told her.
A sad expression crossed her face. “I know you don’t. Not right now. But maybe in time, you will.”
That was when I woke up.
I came out of the bathroom and my gaze immediately went to the French doors. They were open.
Chapter 10
I awoke the next morning with a throbbing headache. My punishment for the wine consumption. I glanced toward the French doors and saw that the rain from the day before was gone and sunlight was streaming into the room. That’s when I recalled the dream.
How crazy was that? Was the woman in my dream really Emmalyn Overby? I had never even met her, but the dream woman certainly fit the description I’d heard from Chloe.
After my shower, I headed downstairs to the kitchen and found Chloe sipping coffee while reading the newspaper. She’d spent the previous night at Henry’s condo.
“Good morning,” I said, pouring myself a mug of coffee. “You’re back. Nice evening?”
“Very nice. And yours? Did the girls have fun with their sleepover?”
The evening before was a bit foggy in my mind, but I nodded. “Yeah, I think they did. They’re still sleeping.”
“I’m so happy that Haley has found a new friend. Tina seems like a nice girl.”
I nodded. “I like her too.”
Chloe folded up the newspaper. “Anything else going on?”
“Well, let’s see. My mother changed her mind about coming here at the end of March.”
I saw Chloe raise her eyebrows. “Oh, she’s not coming to check out the area for retirement?”
“Ah, no. She already made a decision on that. She’s arriving in about three weeks and . . . she’ll be staying permanently.”
Now surprise covered Chloe’s face. “Really? What brought this about?”
“Well, it seems her mind had really already been made up about moving here. So she figured why bother with the pretense of a hotel. She found a townhouse to purchase in The Trails and got everything arranged.”
“Hmm, yeah, that’s quite a shift in plans. So she’s bought a place sight unseen?”
I took a sip of coffee. “Apparently so. She said the photos online were very descriptive.”
“Well, that is how I originally found Henry’s condo to rent. But I had never planned to stay there permanently.” She let out a chuckle. “Gee, and look how that worked out.”
“So she’s arranged for the movers and will be flying down the day before, on the twenty-fifth.”
“You’re not happy about this, are you?”
“No. Not really. I mean, she’s been out of my life for thirty years. And now, what? She thinks she can just wiggle her way back in? Hey, she can do what she wants. Haley might be happy to have her grandmother in her life, but it doesn’t mean I have to be involved.”
“Hmm, true,” was all she said.
“Oh, I wanted to ask you about my room and Emmalyn.”
Chloe’s head shot up. “What do you mean?”
“I remember you said you had some weird dreams when you stayed in that room.”
“Are you having dreams?”
“I did last night. Didn’t you say she was quite beautiful, with long auburn hair, and she always wore a red evening gown in your dreams?”
Chloe nodded.
“Well . . . I think she’s back. I mean this is just plain silly. I never even knew her. Why on earth would I be dreaming about her?”
“Remember I also told you we think Emmalyn never really left this house? She loved it here and Mavis Anne is convinced that her sprit has remained.”
I waved a hand in the air and laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding. You sound like you believe that foolishness too.”
Chloe remained quiet.
“Well, do you?”
She let out a deep sigh. “I can’t discount it. I’ve had too many experiences here involving Emmalyn not to consider the possibility. What was your dream about? Was she out by the fishpond?”
I shook my head. “No, she was right there in my bedroom. At first she was sitting on the edge of the bed and I was sleeping on the lounge. Then she walked over to the French doors and opened them. She told me that I just didn’t get it, whatever that’s supposed to mean. But the really bizarre part was after I woke up, I went into the bathroom and when I came out . . . the French doors were wide open just the way she left them. With all the rain yesterday, I sure as hell had not opened those doors.”
Chloe’s lips were pursed as she fiddled with the handle of her coffee mug.
“So am I to believe that I’m sharing my room with a ghost? Is that what you’re saying?”
Chloe smiled and shrugged. “I honestly don’t know what to tell you, Isabelle. All I can say is that if it is Emmalyn, she’s harmless.”
“Oh, gee. Thanks. That’s very comforting.”
“Will you and Haley be here tonight for supper? Henry plans to come over and grill some steaks and he’s hoping you’ll both join us.”
“Yup. No plans for us.”
The house phone rang. I answered to hear Mavis Anne’s voice.
“Isabelle, I’m glad I caught you. I wasn’t sure if you’d be in the shop later and I wanted to ask if you were free this afternoon.”
“Yes, as far as I know. Why?”
“Well, David and I thought perhaps you could come over and we could show you around the house and explain what will be required when he and Clive leave for Italy next week.”
“Oh, sure. Would around two be okay?”
“Perfect. See you then.”
I hung up and explained to Chloe that Mavis Anne wanted to instruct me on my upcoming caregiver duties.
She shook her head and laughed. “She wants to be sure she’s cared for in the manner she’s become accustomed to. I hope she’s not too demanding. It’s really nice of you to do this.”
“She’ll be fine. I like her a lot and I’ll enjoy her company. I’m just not a great cook, though. Certainly not even close to David and Clive, so I hope she’s not disappointed with my cooking skills.”
“Nah, I’m sure she’ll appreciate whatever you put together. I think their main concern is safety and that you’ll be company for Mavis Anne.” She glanced up at the clock on the wall. “Well, I need to get over to the yarn shop and open. It’s going on ten. What’re your plans for today?”
“Since I have no deliveries, I think I’ll get caught up on laundry and straightening up a bit around here.”
“Well, don’t forget that Marta comes to clean on Monday, so don’t go crazy. Will you be over to the shop later?”
“Yeah, I’ll come by for a while. I want to keep working on that baby blanket.”
“Okay, see you later.”
A few minutes later Haley and Tina walked into the kitchen laughing.
“Good morning,” I said. “Sleep well?”
“Very well,” Tina said. “It was nice having my own bed.” Then, as if realizing what she’d said, she looked down and refrained from saying any more.
“Mom, can we have pancakes? We’re starved.”
I laughed. “Of course you are,” I said, but once again I was surprised my daughter was willing to abandon her usual yogurt and fruit. “And yes, I’ll whip some up for you.”
“We’re going to the beach after. Is that okay?” she asked.
“Sure. The water might be a little chilly, though. It’s only early February.”
“That’s okay. I’m not sure we’ll go in. We’re going to walk.”
She might be deviating a bit from her stringent diet but not the exercise.
“Okay, then,” I said, reaching into the cabinet for pancake mix. “I’ll have these ready in a jiffy.”
They each pulled up a stool at the counter and watched as I mixed and measured.
“Have you lived in Ormond Beach long?” I asked Tina.
“No. We moved here last year from Texas. My parents got a divorce an
d my mom was able to get a job over here.”
“Oh, so you don’t have any family here?”
“Nope. Just the two of us.”
“What kind of work does your mother do?” I asked as I poured batter onto the grill.
“She’s a nurse. She works in the emergency room at the hospital in Daytona Beach.”
“That’s great. So do you both like it here?” I questioned.
“Yeah, I like it a lot. I guess my mom does. She works a lot.”
I was beginning to get a picture of a single mom struggling to make ends meet, and not for the first time, I felt fortunate that Roger had been so generous regarding the breakup of our marriage.
“Well, I’m very glad that you and Haley have become friends. You’re welcome to come here any time you want. Although we’re just living at Koi House temporarily. We’ll be finding our own place within the next few months.”
I saw the look of awe that crossed her face as her glance took in the designer kitchen. “Gosh, I don’t know how you could leave this house. It’s so beautiful. I’d want to live here forever and never leave.”
I laughed as I stacked pancakes onto a platter, but Emmalyn Overby crossed my mind.
Chapter 11
The girls left for the beach and I got a few loads of laundry done in between filling the dishwasher, emptying trash, and running the vacuum through the downstairs. After I had a sandwich with iced tea for lunch, I got my knitting bag and headed to the yarn shop before meeting with Mavis Anne.
A few customers were browsing when I walked in, and Chloe was knitting. I joined her at the table and removed my blanket.
“Oh, that’s working up very nice,” she said, leaning over to get a better look. “Once you finish the blanket, I have to get you working on new stitches so you can broaden your knitting skills.”
“That would be great. I’m surprised that I’m enjoying it as much as I am. What’s going on here?”
“Not much. Quiet this morning but a group will be here at two. Louise teaches a crochet class on Saturday afternoons. Oh, I wanted to run something by you before I mentioned it to Haley. My wedding is going to be small and I really don’t want a lot of fuss, but I do need somebody to stand up with me, so I thought it might be nice to have Haley. Do you think she’d be interested?”
