All for One

by Melody Carlson

  Finally she waved a hand at the giggling fools. “Go ahead and laugh. Maybe I should just go and leave you to your jokes. I’m sure you all think I’m crazy anyway.”

  “Don’t go, Abby.” Caroline looked like she was trying to sober up now. “You’re not crazy. But you are definitely exhausted.”

  “Yeah.” Marley wiped her eyes with a napkin. “And slightly delusional, too.”

  Janie nodded, but Abby was sure she spotted a trace of worry in Janie’s dark eyes. She was probably questioning Abby’s sensibilities, or even her loyalty as a friend or her dependability as a business partner. Maybe such a reaction was perfectly justified. In fact Abby was questioning some things about Janie as well. What if she’d been wrong about her friend?

  Chapter 2

  JANIE

  As she drove away from the coffee house, Janie wasn’t quite sure what to make of Abby’s strange bit of news. Was it really true? Or was Abby so sleep deprived that she’d gotten her facts mixed up? Really, Abby wasn’t the most sensible person around. And it wasn’t the first time Janie had second-guessed the strange partnership she’d entered into with her old friend. Of the Four Lindas, Abby and Janie probably had the least in common with each other.

  While Janie had been living the fast-paced world of a corporate New York attorney, Abby had been a small-town homemaker. Where Janie was comfortable with facts and figures, Abby preferred flan and flowers. Really, they were an odd pair. A certain descriptive word flitted through Janie’s head in regard to Abby. Flaky. She wasn’t thinking about Abby’s piecrusts.

  At first Janie had attributed this flakiness to Abby’s stress over her marital problems. Later on Janie figured that Abby was distracted by concern for Paul after his heart attack. Paul’s recovery seemed to be coming along nicely, and yet Abby was still acting flaky. Not only that—though Janie might have been imagining this—it seemed that Abby was jealous of the work Janie was doing on the house. This made no sense; it was one of the main reasons Janie had partnered with Abby in the first place. She needed a place for her law practice. Now that her state license had finally been issued, she was ready to set up business.

  It wasn’t Janie’s fault that Abby had been unable to make progress on her bed-and-breakfast. In fact, if anyone should have been aggravated, it was Janie. What if Abby’s bed-and-breakfast idea fell by the wayside and Abby was unable to meet her financial obligations? Would Janie be stuck with a big old house and the mortgage to go with it?

  Perhaps the most disturbing concern was their friendship. Would it survive a floundered partnership? Janie was well aware that partnerships between family and friends were often risky at best. Why hadn’t she considered this before they bought the house?

  She parked her silver Mercedes in front of the old Victorian home. Turning off the ignition, she looked up at the tall, stately house. This had been not only Abby’s childhood home, but also the place where she and Paul raised their three daughters. Despite what was on paper, Janie knew that this house would always be more Abby’s than hers. But at the moment, Janie had more finances invested. So, whether or not Abby did her part to turn the place into a flourishing bed-and-breakfast anytime soon, Janie intended to set up her law office. At least one of them would have some money coming in. She just hoped that Abby wouldn’t let her down.

  As she unlocked the front door, Janie felt guilty for these impatient thoughts. Perhaps she was being too hard on Abby. After all, Abby had been through a lot these past few months. And Abby had helped with the renovations to Janie’s home just a few months ago. Really, Janie needed to give her friend more time and patience. Patience was not Janie’s strong suit.

  “This isn’t Manhattan,” she said aloud as she closed the front door behind her. “It’s okay not to move so fast in Clifden.” Still, the idea of gearing down didn’t come naturally to Janie. That was one big reason why Victor’s influence was so beneficial to her, why she needed him. He knew how to take it easy.

  Of course, thoughts of Victor took Janie back down the Abby trail again. Abby might be a bit mixed up in her facts, but she certainly couldn’t have fabricated that entire story about Victor’s ex-wife. Really, something had to be going on. The sooner Janie got to the bottom of it, the happier she’d be. She pulled out her phone and almost dialed his number, then stopped. No, it wasn’t her style to be pushy. Some might call her old-fashioned, but she did not want to appear grasping or needy or even concerned. If something was going on with his ex-wife, she wanted Victor to be the one to initiate a conversation.

  Janie puttered awhile in the basement. There wasn’t much to be done until the drywall was finished. She looked at her watch. If she hurried to the fitness club, she could make it to the new Pilates class she’d seen advertised last week. Losing herself in exercise seemed highly preferable to fretting over Victor—or Abby.

  * * *

  “Hey, Janie, I didn’t know you belonged to this club.”

  Janie turned to see Bonnie Boxwell at the opposite end of the dressing room. Dressed in sleek-looking navy sweats, Bonnie smiled as she placed a gym bag in a locker.

  “Oh, hi.” Janie waved at the younger woman. “Yes. I joined shortly after I moved to Clifden. I used to come in almost daily, partly for a workout, but even more to use the showers.” She tossed a damp towel into the big canvas bin. “That was when my house renovation was still in progress and my bathroom was unusable.”

  Bonnie pulled her hair back with a headband. “I just joined last week.” She patted her already slim waist. “With the holidays coming, I figured I’d get a head start.”

  “I know what you mean. My visits have been kind of sporadic. But I’d like to be more regular. I just did the Pilates class and it was really good.”

  “I’ve been doing the spin class.”

  “How’s that?” Janie ran a brush through her shoulder-length hair.

  Bonnie slapped her backside. “Painful at first, but it’s getting better now.”

  Janie dropped her brush into her gym bag, zipped it, and hooked a strap over her shoulder, trying to think of a graceful way to end this conversation. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Bonnie. She did. It’s just that she was well aware of Abby’s feelings about the woman who once seemed to have attracted Paul’s attention. “I guess I should get—”

  “Do you mind if I ask you something before you leave?” Bonnie stepped in front of Janie, close enough that Janie could smell her perfume, an exotic spicy fragrance.

  “Sure.” Janie waited.

  “I was wondering, how is Paul Franklin doing?”

  Janie put on her best attorney smile, polite but cautiously cool. “He is recovering nicely.”

  Bonnie looked relieved. “Oh, I’m so glad to hear that. He is such a good man and a good friend, too. I wanted to call him, but then, well, I know that probably isn’t the best thing. I realize his wife seems to have gotten, oh, you know … the wrong impression about me. But Paul and I have only been friends.”

  Janie shifted uncomfortably. Why was Bonnie sharing all this with her? “Well, I was just having coffee with Abby this morning, and Paul really does seem to be doing fine.”

  Bonnie smiled. “Good to know. You should come by the shop next week. I have a new shipment coming, and I have a feeling there might be a few interesting items that would be perfect for Victor’s boat. You’re still helping him with that project, right?”

  “Yes.” Janie nodded. “I’ll make a note to stop by.”

  Bonnie’s eyes lit up. “Maybe we could do coffee sometime. You know it’s been a challenge making women friends in this town.”

  Janie felt the attorney smile again. “Yes. We should do coffee sometime.”

  Bonnie looked at the clock above the sinks. “Oh dear. I better get to spin class before they lock me out.”

  Janie felt guilty as she watched Bonnie’s slend
er figure jogging down the hall toward her class. Janie felt badly for misleading her, especially after that vulnerable confession about needing friends. Really, Janie had no intention of becoming Bonnie’s buddy. For one thing, Abby would throw a fit. And Marley and Caroline would probably back her on it.

  To make matters worse, Janie suspected that Bonnie might be easier to get along with than Abby. As Janie got into her car, she was reminded of sixth grade, which was about the time the Four Lindas’ friendships began to unravel. In some ways the circumstances hadn’t been much different from this. “If you like me, you can’t like her.” So childish, so petty, so much like the situation between Abby and Bonnie. Wasn’t it about time for everyone to grow up?

  As Janie started her car, she wondered what would really happen if she befriended Bonnie Boxwell. Surely the world as they knew it would not come to a screeching halt. Yet even as she considered this, she knew it was a risk she was unwilling to take. Her friendships with Marley, Caroline, and Abby meant a lot to her, perhaps even more than her relationship with Victor, although it was hard to compare the two. Kind of like apples and oranges.

  As she drove through the business section of town, Janie noticed city workers putting up flags along Main Street. It was an inspiring scene—stars and stripes rippling in the sunlight, lined up like soldiers at attention. But it was early November, the wrong time of year for the Fourth of July parade. Then she remembered: It would be Veterans Day next week. She was reminded of her father, and of the old war medals she’d found hidden in a drawer.

  Janie wasn’t sure what to do or how she would do it, but she was still determined to do something special to honor her father’s memory. Perhaps Veterans Day would present this opportunity. As she pulled into the Safeway parking lot, her phone began to ring. Seeing it was Victor, she answered eagerly.

  “What are you up to right now?” he asked.

  “I was about to get some groceries. Why?”

  “Have you had lunch yet?”

  “No.”

  “Want to meet me at The Lighthouse?”

  “As a matter of fact, I would.”

  “Ten minutes?”

  “You got it.”

  Janie felt a slight rush of nerves as she drove toward the restaurant. Suddenly she was extremely curious. What was going on with Victor and his ex? Was he about to tell her? If Abby had gotten her facts straight—if his ex really did want to reconcile—what would Victor’s reaction be?

  Victor had been trying to live a godly life. He made no secret of that from the beginning of their relationship. In fact the strength of his faith sometimes challenged her own. Oh, she believed in God, and she felt like she’d been evolving spiritually, but Victor’s level of spiritual maturity seemed a lot higher than hers.

  “Just breathe,” she told herself as she parked in front of the restaurant. She turned off her car, pulled down the rearview mirror and quickly touched up her lip gloss, fluffed her hair, and decided to simply hope for the best. Whatever would be, would be.

  Victor was waiting for her in the foyer, but she could tell by his expression that he was uneasy. Like usual, though, he greeted her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Sorry to be so last minute,” he said as they were seated. “But I wanted to talk to you about something. Just as I called you, I realized not only had I skipped breakfast, but I forgot to eat lunch, too.”

  She smiled. “Works for me. I’m starving too.” Even as she said this, she wondered if she’d be able to eat.

  After they ordered, Victor put his elbows on the table and leaned forward, looking intently into her eyes. “Something a bit unusual has come up, Janie.”

  She felt the attorney smile coming on again, but she simply nodded. “Yes?”

  “I can’t remember if I mentioned to you that my ex-wife called a couple of weeks ago.”

  “I don’t recall you saying anything.” She waited.

  “Well, it caught me totally by surprise at the time. She told me that she and Larry had parted ways.”

  “Oh?”

  He nodded. “To be honest, I wasn’t that surprised by that.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, Larry was unfaithful to his first two wives. I guess I just figured history might repeat itself.”

  “So that’s why they split up?”

  Victor slowly shook his head. “Not exactly. Oh, I’m sure that had something to do with it, but there’s more to this story.”

  Janie fiddled with the napkin in her lap and waited.

  “Donna has had some kind of a spiritual awakening.” Victor paused as if he was still trying to wrap his head around this. “She recommitted her heart to God.”

  “That’s wonderful.” Janie could hear the false ring in her voice.

  “Yes. It really is wonderful.” He smiled.

  There was a long pause, and Janie was tempted to confess what Abby had told them this morning. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Let Victor do this in his own way and his own time.

  “Now I’m at the really weird part, Janie.”

  The waitress was putting their food in front of them now. Janie was thankful she’d ordered only the chowder. Hopefully she’d be able to get down a few bites. She took in a slow, deep breath as Victor bowed his head and said a short blessing. Then Janie picked up her spoon and dipped it into the soup. They both took a few bites, and then Janie decided to cut to the chase. “You mentioned something was weird,” she prompted. “Right before our food came.”

  “Oh. Yes.” He wiped his mouth with his napkin, then looked evenly at her. “The really weird part is that after Donna’s reawakening, she read a book and talked to some spiritual adviser. Yesterday Donna called me.” He let out a slow sigh. “Somehow she’s gotten it into her head that God wants her to get back together with me.”

  Janie pressed her lips together, cocking her head slightly to one side and studying him closely. “How do you feel about that?”

  He chuckled. “Well, besides being totally shocked?”

  She looked down at her soup, slowly dipping her spoon again.

  “I don’t know,” he said quietly. “I mean, I guess I’m still in shock.”

  Janie wanted to challenge him to define exactly what kind of shock he was experiencing. Was it the negative sort of shock, like someone had just pulled the floor out from beneath him (kind of how she felt right now)? Or was it the positive type of shock, like he’d just won the lottery?

  “It’s just so crazy,” he continued. “I didn’t even know how to react to her.”

  “I can understand that.”

  “It’s such a bizarre situation.” He shook his head. “I don’t know how to react. I honestly am in shock.”

  Janie desperately wanted to ask Victor if he still loved his ex-wife. She really needed to know the answer, but she could not force that question past her lips. She couldn’t force another bite of soup past her lips either. So she just sat there.

  “I can see I’ve shocked you with this too,” he admitted. “But I felt it was only fair to let you know, Janie.”

  “I appreciate that.” She dabbed her mouth with the napkin.

  “I told Donna that I felt blindsided. If God truly wanted her to get together with me, it seems like he would’ve let me in on the plan too.”

  “Good point.” Janie put her hands in her lap, tightly clasping them together beneath the table.

  “But Donna said she knew that God was going to show me the same thing, in time.”

  “Interesting.”

  He shrugged. “Interesting … in a freaky, psychotic, obsessed sort of way.”

  Another forced attorney smile.

  “It gets weirder, Janie.”

  She watched him closely. “How so?”

  “Donna plans to come out here.”


  “To Clifden?” She tried to look surprised, although this is exactly what Abby had said. He nodded. “To visit you?”

  “More than just visit. Donna said God told her she needs to live here.”

  “Live here? Here in Clifden?” No faking it—she really was surprised now.

  “Yes.”

  Janie reached for her water, took a small sip, and slowly swallowed. “Wow.”

  “Yeah. Wow.”

  “That’s pretty intense, Victor.”

  “I know. I can tell it’s troubling you, Janie. I’m sorry. I felt you needed to hear it … from me. But I don’t want to upset you.”

  She took in a careful breath. “I don’t think I’m upset. I mean, it’s not your fault. Naturally I’m curious about it. And I won’t deny that it’s extremely weird.”

  “So you’re okay with it?” He looked earnestly into her eyes. “All this nuttiness isn’t putting you off?”

  “Don’t worry. I’m fine.” Her smile felt almost real now. It seemed clear that he was concerned about her, that he still cared for her. Perhaps her initial reaction was overblown. After all, how could she hold Victor responsible for his ex-wife’s neurotic behavior? What more could he do than what he was doing?

  He sighed. “I’m so relieved that you understand.”

  Now Janie wasn’t so sure that she really did understand. But she would do everything in her power to try to understand, and she would do everything in her power to hold on to Victor as well.

  “When does Donna plan to come?” She tried to make her voice sound relaxed and natural.

  He cleared his throat. “Next week.”

  A rush of panic surged through her. “Next week.” She nodded, trying to act as if this was no big deal.

  He nodded. “Two things you should know about Donna,” he said slowly.