by Lynne Norris
Lindsey’s voice faded and Emma heard her ask, “Can you take care of it for me? Okay, fine. I’ll be right there.” Then Lindsey’s exasperated voice was clear in the phone again. “Brent said one of the boy’s is calling for me. I have to go. Hang in there. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Thanks.”
“I love you.”
“Love you too,” Emma said.
Chapter Three
ALMOST TWO MONTHS had passed since Kate moved to Florida. Emma called Kate several times a week. Their conversations centered mostly on Kate’s new life and how busy she was. Since Kate left, Emma sold most of the furniture in their Manhattan apartment. Kate told her she didn’t want to pay for moving anything and most of it Emma bought over the years. Emma’s search for another apartment yielded nothing but a series of frustrating dead ends.
After pinning Kate down on a week that she could visit, Emma flew down to Boca Raton feeling obligated to at least make some attempt to salvage what was left of their relationship. Emma arrived on a Wednesday and spent the first two days meeting all of Kate’s newest friends. They were all nice and polite to her. The only one who gave Emma strange vibes was Stephanie. She was a tall blonde with angular features and was overly solicitous towards Kate, who made no objections to Stephanie’s advances. Emma felt like a conspicuous interloper the entire time she was there.
It was early in the morning on her last day in Florida. Fresh coffee brewing in the kitchen tantalized the olfactory centers of her brain conjuring up a fleeting memory of better times between her and Kate. Irritated with herself for feeling anything toward Kate, Emma threw the last of her clothes into her suitcase.
When Emma walked into the kitchen, Kate was standing by the sink holding a mug with steam wafting up from it.
“Yours is on the counter,” Kate said barely meeting Emma’s eyes.
“Thanks,” Emma lifted the mug to her lips and sipped her coffee.
“It looks like it’s going to be a nice day to go to the beach. Stephanie is going to pick us up in an hour.”
Like hell she is. “I changed my flight to an earlier one.”
“Why?” Kate frowned. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“It’s time for me to go. I want to get home.” Emma lifted the mug to her lips and sipped. “I was able to get the leasing company to let me go to a month to month lease.”
“You didn’t tell me you were planning on changing the lease,” Kate said.
“I lost half of the deposit, but at least I can get out of the lease when I find a new place to live.”
“So you’re not moving down here.”
“I’m not sure there is a reason for me to move down here. You and Stephanie seem quite comfortable together.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you out with the deposit.” Kate set the mug down and folded her arms across her chest.
“I had your name taken off the lease when you moved out. I wasn’t asking you to help out. It was my decision.” The coffee was turning to acid in Emma’s stomach. “I hope everything works out for you the way you want it to.”
“Thanks,” Kate said her voice cracking with emotion. “You made things really easy for me this week. I appreciate that.”
“Really, I—Wow.” Emma walked to the sink and dumped her coffee down the drain.
“My friends really liked you,” Kate touched the back of Emma’s hand.
Emma jerked away from Kate’s touch. As if I care, Emma thought. “Let’s not...do this. I think we both knew this wasn’t going to work out when you moved down here. I think you knew the day you told me that we were done, but you just kept the charade going so you could feel okay about it.”
Kate gasped and tears welled up in her eyes. “That’s not true.”
Emma was beyond caring. “You should make plans to pick up the rest of your things from the apartment soon.”
“I won’t be able to get up there in the next couple of weeks.” Kate wiped tears from her eyes.
“I don’t think I’ll find something that quick, but you should plan to come to New York sooner rather than later.”
Emma was relieved to get on a plane and return to New York even though the mood in the city was somber and grim. The whole flight back Emma thought about Kate and what she said about making things easy for her.
What was she supposed to do? Make a scene and scream at her? Part of her wished she had. Kate surrounded herself with friends and avoided any attempts by Emma to talk about their relationship. Not that there was anything for them to talk about anyway.
As Emma walked through her almost empty apartment later that day she came to a decision. The absurdity of not having come to the decision earlier had Emma shaking her head at her own foolishness. She called the realtor who was renting her father’s cottage in Massachusetts.
“Hi Sandra. It’s Emma Chamberlain.”
“Oh, Emma, I was meaning to call you.”
“Why’s that?”
“Your tenants moved out.”
“Well, that makes perfect sense because I realized I never got the check for last month’s rent.”
“With a little cleaning and some fresh paint I’m sure we can rent the cottage out again.”
“No. That won’t be necessary. I want you to take it off the market,” Emma said.
“Are you sure you want to do that?” Emma could hear the surprise and disappointment in the woman’s voice. She was losing a commission. “I’m sure we could find someone else to rent it if we lower the price.”
“That won’t be necessary. I want to take it off the market. Immediately.”
“I see. Well, when you’re ready to put it on the market again please call me. I’ll be happy to list it for you.”
“I will,” Emma assured her.
What Emma didn’t tell Sandra was she had no place else to live and didn’t want to spend the remaining money she had left on rent in the city. There was no mortgage on the cottage and she had paid the taxes for the year in advance with one of her bonuses. It was the only place she had left to go.
In the meantime, she would continue to apply for jobs, expanding her search into Boston and Chicago while she was living in Massachusetts. With her mind made up, Emma packed everything that she wanted from the apartment. She filled her trunk and backseat with as much as she could stuff in. At some point, she would return and pick up the rest of her belongings.
As Emma drove North out of the city in her C350 Mercedes Benz, she felt a sense of freedom. Picking up and leaving was unlike anything she’d ever done before in her life.
The town she grew up in now had a population of sixteen thousand and was located west of the Connecticut River. Most of it was rural farmland when Emma was growing up. As the land values increased and the value of farming collapsed many families sold their acreage to developers. Once lush farmland was now dotted with sprawling suburban developments.
Emma pulled her Mercedes into a parking space in the center of downtown Northampton. Most of the buildings in the area were historically preserved storefronts with apartments above them. Many of the stores bore different names than the ones she remembered from her last visit. A few stood empty with faded “for rent’’ signs posted in the windows.
Emma felt a pang of nostalgia when she saw Moretti’s Deli still open for business. The Moretti’s owned a large farm outside of town. Emma went to school with all of the kids. Michael was the oldest and graduated three years ahead of Emma. Tony was one year behind her and had the reputation for being a hustler. Grace, their only daughter graduated the same year as Emma. She received three varsity letters her senior year and went to college on a full scholarship for soccer.
Emma walked across the street and pulled open the door. Bells jingled softly as it closed behind her. It was mid-afternoon and the lunch hour rush was over. Two businessmen stood at the counter talking in quiet tones. She didn’t recognize the teenage boy working behind the counter. He finished wrapping a large sandwich in w
hite wax paper and placed it on the counter beside another.
“Anything else?” he asked before he rang the order up on the register.
The men each held up a bottled water and bag of chips. “Put it together,” the older gentleman said. He handed a credit card across and in less than a minute the transaction was complete. Still talking, the two men walked past Emma with barely a glance in her direction.
Finished with the customers ahead of her the boy asked, “Can I help you, ma’am?” The cheerful freckled face boy stared back at her expectantly.
When had she crossed that milestone? “Yes. I want a number three with everything on it and a large coffee light and sweet to go.”
“You got it.”
Emma gazed around the oak paneled shop. It still looked the same with photos of the family farm decorating the walls. She wondered if Michael took over working the farm for their father. She seemed to remember that was the plan—at least that’s what the rumors were years ago.
The door leading to the back storeroom swung open and Lucy Moretti walked behind the counter. Emma would recognize Mrs. Moretti anywhere with her sun-drenched face, the shock of curly silver and black hair cut short in an easy to manage style. She straightened and gazed across the counter at Emma. She had marvelous green eyes, so bright they burned with a glance giving the impression of seeing right into the deepest and most secret places.
“Emily Chamberlain! Come over here and let me look at you.”
Emma flushed and dutifully moved to the end of the counter. “Hi, Mrs. Moretti.”
“Sweetheart, it’s so good to see you.” Lucy pulled her into a hug. “What brings you home?” Emma hesitated, feeling embarrassed, but decided she might as well tell Mrs. Moretti the truth. “I got laid off.”
“Oh dear, you got caught up in this horrible mess of an economy.” Emma nodded and to her horror tears stung her eyes.
“Are you here to stay?”
“For now, until I figure out what I’m going to do,” Emma said.
“I’m glad you came home.”
Emma dipped her head. “I still have my dad’s house by the lake so I decided to live here for the time being. How is everyone?”
Lucy’s eyes clouded and she looked away as grief twisted her face for a second. “We almost lost Peter this past winter.”
Emma’s heart lurched in her chest. Peter was Lucy’s longtime husband. He had the bluest eyes and his enthusiasm for life was infectious. “Oh no. What happened...was he sick?”
“No it was... he had an accident riding the tractor.”
Emma laid a hand on Mrs. Moretti’s arm. “How is he doing?”
“He’s walking without a cane most days now, but it took a lot out of him. Grace came home to help out after the accident happened.”
“How are Mike and Tony?”
“Tony’s been living in Boston since he graduated school. I think he’ll always be married to his work. Michael moved back home a year and a half ago.”
“Ma’am your sandwich is ready.”
“Thanks,” Emma said digging in her wallet to pay.
“Put your money away,” Mrs. Moretti said.
“But Mrs. Moretti,” Emma protested.
“It’s on the house. Now don’t be a stranger. Come visit us on the farm. I’m sure Grace would love to see you.”
“I will.” Emma wondered how true that would be. Grace was the popular all-American girl in high school and Emma was the quiet kid who didn’t quite fit in with any of the cliques. She floated on the periphery, often feeling like an outsider looking in during her time there. In many ways she was glad to be moving on when her senior year came to a close. She gave Mrs. Moretti a parting hug goodbye and walked out of the store.
Emma felt sad and lonely when she pulled into the driveway of her father’s lake house. After all these years she still considered it his house. There were too many memories from her childhood tied up here.
She stepped from her car and strolled around to the back of the cottage. The cheerful yellow siding showed signs of mildew. She made a mental note to have it power washed when she was able. The windows needed washing and some of the screens repaired.
The lakefront cottage sat on two acres of land and was surrounded by tall trees at the borders of the property. Down the hill a bit, three wooden Adirondack chairs faced the lake. Emma sat in one of the chairs and ate her sandwich. She could hear the gentle sound of the water lapping against the underside of the dock. The sound was soothing, a balm on her wounded soul.
When she was a child, the cottage was an escape from the endless drudgery of school. It was a promise of carefree long summer days filled with laughter and play. Kids from all around the neighborhood converged at the waterfront and spent hours swimming, jumping off the rope swing tied to an old willow tree and sunbathing on the dock moored to the center of the lake. Random games of soccer and variations of tag left them all exhausted at the end of each day.
A soft breeze rustled the leaves in the branches of the trees above. Birds sang and trilled around her. A memory of her father sitting next to her on a late summer evening popped into her mind. She was drinking a Coke and he had a tumbler filled with two fingers of scotch. His voice echoed in her mind and she heard him say, “You have to be able to take care of yourself first. Stand on your own, then worry about being in a relationship with someone.” He was always giving her advice as she was growing up. Emma wondered what he would tell her now.
With her coffee and half her sandwich left for later, Emma stood and walked to the front of the house. She unlocked the front door and let herself in.
“Oh my God.” Her heart sank as she absorbed the damage in front of her. Her hands shook as she set her coffee down on the kitchen counter and she dug out her cell phone. She walked through the rooms as she dialed Sandra. It went straight to voice mail and Emma said, “Sandra, this is Emma Chamberlain. I need you to call me as soon as you get this message.”
The walls had garish stains like someone had thrown gallons of red wine on them and let it dry. Jagged holes were punched through the dry wall in the living room and kitchen. Two chairs lay broken on their sides. She could only imagine what had transpired to cause someone to wreak so much damage to someone else’s home.
She walked through the kitchen and thankfully found the appliances in working order. The hallway that led to the two bedrooms was littered with empty beer cans, greasy pizza boxes and other debris. The bedrooms were dirty, but there were no obvious signs of damage. The bathroom was in working order. Mold and mildew crept up the walls and Emma cringed at the thought of taking a shower in it.
Still shaking, Emma punched in Lindsey’s number.
Her sister answered on the second ring. “Hey! Where are you?”
“I’m at Dad’s.”
“The cottage?”
“Yeah.”
“You sound strange. Are you okay?”
“No.”
Lindsey’s voice faded and Emma heard her shout, “Austin! Stop hitting your brother.” She came back clear and calm now. “Sorry, the boys have been a handful today and I’m trying to give Brent a break from watching them.”
“Is this a bad time?” Emma asked.
“No, no. What’s up?” Lindsey replied.
Emma ran a hand through her hair and bit her bottom lip. “The tenants wrecked Dad’s cottage.”
“What do you mean they wrecked it?”
“It’s awful.” Emma fought back tears as she stared at the destruction around her. “I can’t believe someone would do this.”
“What did they do?”
“They punched holes in the walls.” Emma’s voice pitched higher.
“Emma!”
“There are stains and garbage everywhere.”
“Emma! Stop. Before you do anything else take pictures and call the insurance company.”
“The insurance! Oh...my...god.”
“What’s wrong?” Lindsey asked.
“I...I can
’t remember if I paid it.”
“I’m sure you did, honey. Take pictures anyway and call the insurance company.”
“Great idea, Lindsey. Listen I didn’t mean to dump this on you. I just needed to talk to someone.”
“It’s all right. I’m glad you did. You’ve had a rough time of it lately,” Lindsey said.
“I don’t think I can take anymore right now,” Emma replied.
“They say all bad things come in threes.”
“Yeah? Who’s they?”
“I don’t know,” Lindsey said.
“Good because I might have to hurt them if you did,” Emma said.
Lindsey laughed and said, “Remember it’s just a house— wood, plaster and pipes. It can all be fixed.”
“I know it can. On top of everything that’s happened it’s just too much for me to handle right now.”
“Have you talked to Mom?”
“Not since I left to go to Florida. Why?”
“She’ll probably call you in a day or two.”
“She can’t possibly come here,” Emma groaned. “She’ll have a stroke if she sees this place.”
“I don’t think she’s concerned about what the place looks like,” Lindsey replied. “She just wants to see you.”
“Please, this is our mother you’re talking about.”
“True.”
“She probably still wishes she hadn’t given him the cottage in the divorce settlement. She would have already sold the place.” Emma could still hear her mother complaining about how much work it was to maintain the cottage.
“She just wants to make sure you’re okay.”
“Right, that’s why every time I call her all she does is talk about how incredibly busy her social calendar is. She doesn’t even ask how I’m doing.”
“We both know she can be difficult.”
“Difficult? How about damn near intolerable.” Emma heard Lindsey sigh through the phone and knew she was pushing too far.
“Let’s stop and just agree she’s worried about you. Listen, I have to go before the boys get into another scuffle. I love you, Em.”