by Terri DuLong
“Right. We could get all the details from Dora. But I’m sure women would love that. An actual ceremony to validate being a woman and the relationships that we share.”
“I think that ceremony would be a wonderful addition to the knitting retreat weekend. So can I count on your help with that as well?”
“Definitely. I’m sure Monica will give me any information I need, but with her being pregnant she’s pretty busy getting ready for her new arrival in March. When Suellen gets here, she can help. She’ll enjoy being involved in something like this.”
“Okay, then it’s settled. You and I are going to begin a knitting retreat weekend on Cedar Key. But—and I don’t want any arguing from you—if you’d like to do this with me, and God knows I could really use your help in a million different ways, I want to make you a partner in this. An official partner.”
I had an idea where my aunt was heading. “I’d love to do this with you, but I’m doing it because of exactly that. Because I want to.”
“And you’re going to be on a payroll. We’re going to see an attorney and an accountant, because I want to set this up as a small business and have it as a limited liability corporation. This way if, God forbid, somebody wanted to sue us for injuries on the premises or anything like that, our primary assets would be safe.”
I shook my head and smiled. “Leave it to you. Sounds like you’ve got all the bases covered.”
“Not quite. We have to come up with a name for the retreats and business, so you can be thinking about that.”
That old saying popped into my head, “When one door closes, another one opens,” and although my heart still ached with my recent loss, hearing Aunt Maude’s exciting new plans for both of us lifted my spirits.
Little did I know then that my aunt’s relocation would also produce a fly in the ointment—in the form of my sister, Chloe.
4
When I left my aunt’s apartment following breakfast I noticed her tarot cards sitting in a stack on the kitchen counter, which made me realize I’d neglected to read my own cards for the past three days. Almost all of our French ancestors had been brought up reading the cards, and by the time I was ten years old, I was following generations of LaVassier women.
Reaching inside my bureau drawer I removed the black velvet pouch that held my cards and brought them to the kitchen. Pulling up a stool, I let out a deep sigh. Just holding the cards transferred a sense of positive energy for me. Normally I also lit some incense and had my crystals nearby, but since I hadn’t completed unpacking yet, I’d have to make do.
While I was at my aunt’s house the previous week I was more than a little surprised to see the Rebel card appear each morning in my spread—a card that had not shown up for ten years, a card that had always represented Beau.
I shuffled three times and let my mind wander before reaching for the top card. Damn. There it was again, and despite the passage of time, the thought of Beau Hamilton still had the ability to bring back long-forgotten memories.
The Rebel card depicted the image of a man with authority. With the sun on his shoulder, he’s holding a torch and uses this inner light to guide himself to the beat of his own drummer. The card represents an individual who possesses a lot of magnetism and charisma.
That was certainly Beau Hamilton. My mind began to drift back to the pull that he’d had on me from the moment I’d met him, the laughter, the fun we’d shared, the incredible lovemaking—followed by the tears, the disappointment, and the guilt for allowing myself to be in a situation I had no business being in.
Why the hell was his card showing up now? After all this time. I put it aside, closed my eyes, and took in a few more cleansing breaths before removing another card.
This one was the Number XI Major Arcana and represented breakthrough. The card signified facing one’s inner demons and coming to terms with the pain of the past.
What the hell was this supposed to mean? I had come to terms with my past after leaving Brunswick ten years ago.
Blowing out a whoosh of air I reached inside the deck for another card, which was a minor arcana and represented stress. Gee, big surprise here.
The final card I removed was the one that always represented my sister. The Thunderbolt card, which signified holding on tightly to any security. Yup, that was Chloe. Queen of control freaks.
Chloe was twelve years older than me and we’d never been close. Over the years I came to understand that our age difference had nothing to do with this fact. Our lack of a sisterly relationship had more to do with Chloe’s self-centered personality and her choice to isolate herself from Aunt Maude and me.
I replaced the cards inside the pouch, got up, and stretched. As I was about to tackle unpacking some boxes I heard a knock on the kitchen door.
“Monica,” I exclaimed, when I saw my friend standing on the deck. “Come on in, but don’t mind the mess.”
She pulled me into a tight embrace. “Gracie, I’m so sorry about the fire. I would have come by sooner, but Adam and I just got back last night. We took Clarissa to Disney for the weekend. How’re you doing?”
I indicated a stool for her to sit on as I joined her at the breakfast bar. “Actually, better today than Friday. I think the shock of it is wearing off, and Jim Jacobs was right—at least I wasn’t there when the fire occurred.”
“Isn’t that the truth. I drove past there this morning, and it looks like you lost just about everything?”
I nodded. “Yup. But I’m pretty fortunate to have this apartment.”
Monica’s glance took in the kitchen and scanned to the great room. “I’ve always loved this house, and I know you did too. Do you think you’ll be rebuilding the coffee shop?”
“I seriously doubt that. With the FEMA laws, if I did rebuild, it would have to be a stilt structure, and I just can’t see some of the older folks climbing so many stairs for a cup of coffee.”
“Hmm, I see what you’re saying. But maybe you could lease another piece of property.”
“No, I think my coffee barista days are over. However ... I think I’ll be going into the yarn business.”
I saw the expression of surprise that covered Monica’s face and laughed. “No, no. I won’t be your competition in town,” I assured her, and went on to explain Aunt Maude’s plan.
“Oh, Gracie, I think that’s a great idea. What a perfect thing to do with the carriage house, and be sure to tell Maude I’d be more than happy to give discounts to the women attending the retreats.”
“She was hoping you’d consider that, and also that maybe Dora would help us with some advanced knitting classes.”
“I have no doubt she’d love that.” She reached over to pat my hand. “And Grace, I’m not saying the fire was a good thing, but who knows. This new path could take you in a wonderful direction.”
“Could be,” I said, and shrugged. “So how are you doing? I have to say, pregnancy seems to agree with you. You look great.”
I still had no idea where my life was headed, but here was a woman who a year ago had no clue what she wanted when it came to motherhood. She’d almost convinced herself she never wanted children—and then her stepdaughter, Clarissa Jo, came into her life and proved her totally wrong.
“I’m doing wonderful. Barely any morning sickness. Just a little tired, but that’s to be expected in the first few months. My main problem is keeping Adam and Clarissa from waiting on me hand and foot.”
I laughed. “Hey, enjoy it while you can.”
Monica glanced at her watch. “I need to open the yarn shop. It’s almost ten. I hope you won’t be offended, but ... I brought you some clothes. I know you lost pretty much everything in the fire.” She patted her tummy. “And even though I’m only nine weeks along, it won’t be much longer till I’m in maternity clothes. So I brought you a few bags of things I thought you could use. We’re the same size—right now, anyway—so I want you to have them. They’re downstairs on the golf cart.”
Monica’s kindnes
s brought moisture to my eyes. “Oh, gosh, are you sure? That’s so nice of you.” I stood to give her a hug before following her down the stairs.
Three large shopping bags sat on the golf cart seat.
“Now, it’s nothing fancy,” she said. “Well, except for a few dresses and skirts—absolute musts in a single girl’s wardrobe. But mostly shorts, jeans, and tops. That sort of thing. Oh, I threw in a few pairs of heels, too—another mandatory item.”
“Thank you so much, and I’ll return them as soon as I get around to doing some shopping. But I’ll probably kill myself in these four-inch stilettos,” I said, removing a gorgeous pair of black, strappy designer heels.
“Oh, you will not, and don’t worry about returning them any time soon. I have a feeling it’ll be next summer before these might fit me again.”
I stood on the curb with the bags at my feet watching her drive away as I waved and blew her a kiss. Monica did look great. Maybe it was that glow that pregnant women seemed to have. I momentarily felt a sliver of jealousy go through me. We might be extremely good friends but not close enough that she was aware of the longing I’d managed to suppress for so many years.
I had spent the morning and early afternoon getting my new place in shape. Boxes of essentials had been unpacked. Aunt Maude claimed to have an overflow of dishes, cooking items, glassware, towels, and linens, and I was the recipient. Many of the items had been things from the antique shop, packed away for years, that she couldn’t bear to part with, and now I was able to put them to use.
Glancing at my watch, I saw it was two o’clock and realized that I’d worked through lunch. Definitely time for my afternoon coffee break.
Hollering to Annie, I headed for the back stairs. “Let’s go see if Aunt Maude would like to join me for coffee.”
“Come in,” she called at my knock. “I’m in the front room.”
I found my aunt sitting in her favorite cushy chair, feet elevated on a hassock, knitting away with one eye on her favorite soap opera.
“Am I interrupting?” I asked.
“Don’t be silly,” she said, placing the beautiful beige cable sweater on the end table and getting up. “I was hoping you’d come down for a visit. Getting settled in?”
I followed her to the kitchen. “I’m making a dent. So I’m getting there.”
Watching her scoop coffee into the filter and fill the carafe with water, I smiled. “I could use some of that.”
“And I bet you didn’t stop for lunch,” she said, uncovering tin foil from a perfectly shaped banana bread. “So we’ll have some of this to go with it. Dinner’s not till eight at Lucas’s, but we don’t want to ruin our appetite for that French dinner, so this should tide you over.”
After my aunt placed the coffee and dessert plates on the table she joined me, and I noticed her expression had grown serious.
“Anything wrong?” I asked, taking a bite of the delicious banana bread I knew she’d baked earlier that morning.
My aunt took a sip of coffee before speaking, and I knew she was formulating her thoughts. Living with somebody almost all of your life enables you to know them pretty well. But I wasn’t prepared for what she was about to tell me.
“I wouldn’t say exactly wrong, but I got some disturbing news earlier. Your sister called me.”
Disturbing news coming from Chloe had been a pattern over the years. Since she seldom called me at all, the news I got always came secondhand from my aunt. Like when my oldest nephew, whom I also barely knew, graduated college and chose to move to New York for a job. Chloe had had a hard time letting go. Or when Parker was bogged down at work and had to cancel their European vacation. Or the designer she’d hired to remodel their large and elegant home on St. Simons Island up and quit on her, accusing her of being much too difficult to work with.
I let out a sigh. “Now what?” I asked, although I wasn’t the least bit interested.
“Well, ah ... it seems that she and Parker have separated. He moved out of their house.”
“What? He left her? Miss High and Mighty of the Snobby Wives Club? No! Did he finally, after all these years, get tired of living with a control freak?”
Aunt Maude took another sip of coffee. “I’m afraid it’s a bit more involved than that. He left her for another woman.”
Oh! God! “Are you serious?”
My aunt nodded. “And making it even worse, the woman works for him at his real estate agency, and ... she’s twenty-two years younger than Parker.”
Holy shit! That would make her, what? Twenty-eight years old. Not even my bitchy sister deserved a slap in the face like that. I couldn’t imagine what that must do to a woman’s self-esteem. “Maybe he’s just going through a midlife crisis? I mean, he just turned fifty. Sometimes this happens, but it never amounts to anything.”
My aunt shook her head. “I wish it were that simple, but I’m afraid there’s a bit more to it. Apparently this girl ... woman ... is pregnant with Parker’s child. He’s pushing for an instant divorce so that he can marry her.”
“Oh. My. God,” was all I could think of to say.
Aunt Maude let out a deep sigh. “Exactly. Needless to say, it’s a terrible situation. The good thing is that Chloe will be okay financially. She got herself an excellent attorney, and the papers have been filed for the divorce. Which means it will be final and he’ll be free to remarry before she has the baby in December.”
My sister’s life was beginning to sound like an episode from one of my aunt’s soap operas. “Well, when did this all come about? How long has Chloe known? When did Parker move out?” I had a million questions.
“It seems it all came to a head this past June when he confronted her about the woman and he moved out.”
“June! You mean to tell me her marriage broke up three months ago and she’s just now getting around to telling you about it?”
My aunt fingered the edge of the tablecloth. “Well, you know Chloe. Never one to let anybody think something was amiss in her life. She’s never been like you, Grace. Wanting to confide and really be a part of the family.”
“Right. She’d rather be a phony and live her little fairy-tale life, making everyone think her marriage and lifestyle was the ultimate dream of all women. So, why now? Why the heck did she suddenly decide to share the truth with you?”
Aunt Maude got up, poured more coffee into our mugs, and sat back down. “That’s what you and I need to discuss,” she said.
Uh! Oh! I didn’t like the sound of this at all. “What do you mean?”
“You have to know how humiliated Chloe is. They’ve lived in St. Simons their entire married life, raised the boys there, made a huge circle of friends.” Aunt Maude paused to take a sip of coffee. “She’s mortified. Can barely bring herself to go out once a week grocery shopping for fear of bumping into a friend asking a million questions.”
I could understand that. Wasn’t that part of the reason I wanted to leave Brunswick ten years before? But I sure didn’t expect what Aunt Maude said next.
“The reason she called me and told me everything now is because she knew I was here. She knew I relocated to Cedar Key.”
“And so?” I asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.
“She needs to get away from that area where Parker and his new wife will be living. From the sounds of it, Chloe has pretty much turned herself into a recluse these past few months. Obviously, she no longer feels comfortable attending any of the social functions in the area. It’s a very awkward situation for a woman. And so ... I honestly didn’t see that I had any other choice, Grace, and I hope you won’t hate me ... but when she asked if she could come here and stay with us, I just couldn’t say no.”
I jumped up and began pacing the kitchen floor. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I yelled. Leave it to Aunt Maude—always trying to make things right. But this time it was far from right for me. Here I was, trying to get my own life back in order after losing so much, and the sister whom I barely knew and
couldn’t stand was being tossed right smack in the middle of it. “When is she coming?”
“She’s driving down this week and will be here on Friday.”
I let out a loud groan, grabbed my coffee mug, and headed to my apartment to calm down. It certainly became clear to me now why Chloe’s card was showing up in my read. I ought to burn that damn deck of tarot, I thought, stomping up the stairs.
5
With the help of herbal tea, lavender incense, and Enya’s music coming from my CD player, I did manage to cool down by the time I had to get ready for dinner at Lucas’s.
I even managed to feel a bit selfish. Yeah, my own life had been turned upside down ten years before, but I was only twenty-six, resilient and determined to start over and find happiness. How much harder it must be for a woman pushing fifty. Not impossible, by any means. Just more difficult. Besides which, I had always been fairly independent and I liked it that way. Whereas Chloe had gone from college straight to the role of wife and mother. She’d always had Parker as her partner in life. I’d bet anything she’d never attended an evening social gathering alone.
And now that I’d calmed down, I had to agree with Aunt Maude. What else could she do? Turn Chloe away to get through this life crisis on her own? Of course not. I guess it didn’t matter what Chloe’s behavior and attitude had been in the past. I was a firm believer in focusing on the present. So it looked like I was going to have to suck it up and make some attempt toward a relationship with my sister. If nothing else, I had to do it for Aunt Maude. And now I owed her an apology for storming out the way I had.
“So you forgive me?” I asked.
My aunt leaned over to give me a tight embrace. “Oh, Grace,” she said, laughing. “Of course I forgive you. Besides, don’t you think I know you well enough by now? You have a bit of that quick French temper we both share, but if you’re left alone to think, you also never stay angry or hold a grudge. That’s a very good trait to have.”