Starting Over (12 page)

Jane traced the
delicate, antique teacup with a pink rose in full bloom painted on
either side. “Two of your aunt’s favorite things: pink roses and
herbal tea.”

“You’re not
answering my question.” Eve knew her mother was being evasive for a
reason.

With a heavy
sigh, Jane said, “I had to sell the house I shared with Tim to pay
his medical bills. It closed a few days ago, and once the expenses
were taken care of, there wasn’t a lot left.”

“Is that why
you came here—you wanted a free place to stay?” Eve didn’t want to
sound bitter, but she couldn’t just believe that Jane was a changed
woman because she was showing a side Eve hadn’t seen before.

“No.” She took
a sip of tea, appearing unaffected by Eve’s accusing tone. “I came
to pay my respects to my sister and see if my daughter needed me. I
don’t expect you to believe me. I’ve never given you reason to
trust me, but whether you believe it or not, that is the
truth.”

Eve looked for
some hint of anxiety or dishonesty, but she found none. “Don’t you
have a job to get back to?”

Jane smoothed
her graying bun. “I had a job I loved. It didn’t pay a lot, but I
was happy.”

“Was?”

“The studio
closed down a few weeks ago.”

Losing her
partner, job, and home in a few months couldn’t have been easy. No
wonder her mother had shown up on her doorstep looking to make
amends. “What kind of studio?”

“Yoga.” She
smiled at Eve’s surprise. “I taught yoga and meditation for
beginners. Helping people to find a moment’s peace in a chaotic
world was wonderfully rewarding.”

Eve thought
about her aunt’s plans to add yoga and tai chi classes and a garden
sanctuary for quiet time and guided meditation. If she had just met
Jane for the first time, Eve may have thought she was an ideal
candidate to build a part of the business Eve knew nothing about.
But she didn’t know if they could get past their history to work
together—even if Jane had evolved.

“Can I share
something with you?” Jane asked, reaching into her soft cotton
bag.

“Sure,” Eve
said, her curiosity getting the better of her. Her mother withdrew
a lovely floral scrapbook. Eve was surprised to see word “Sisters”
handwritten in calligraphy on the cover over a photo of Jane and
Sharon as little girls. They were standing in front of an old car
with a beach ball a foot away, wearing brightly colored one-piece
swimsuits and gap-toothed grins. “When did you do this?”

“I took up
scrapbooking as a hobby years ago. I really love it.” Propping her
chin in her hand, Jane smiled as Eve turned the pages. “I didn’t
know if I’d ever have the chance to share this with Sharon, but I’m
glad I’m able to share it with you. These are some of my favorite
memories of the two of us.”

She’d even
saved newspaper articles chronicling Sharon’s success as an author.
Eve absorbed the words Jane had selected to caption the photos.
Unforgettable.
Treasured Memories.
“I think Aunt
Sharon would’ve liked to see this. It would have meant a lot to her
to know that you still thought of her.”

“I thought of
her often. You too,” Jane said, accepting the book. She traced the
pink rose pattern on the cover. “Sharon was my big sister. I
idolized her. Not because she was some famous author, but because
she was so strong, so independent. I wanted to be just like her
when I grew up.”

“Me too,” Eve
said, smiling.

“I think you
are a lot like her,” Jane said, slipping the book back in her bag.
“You’re strong and confident—”

“You don’t even
know me,” Eve said. Her mother had missed the mark so completely,
and she reminded her of how dependent she’d been for so many years.
Eve’s life had revolved around her husband because she was too
afraid to venture outside of her comfort zone and risk failure.

“You’re right.
I don’t,” Jane said, seemingly unaffected by Eve’s outburst. “But
I’ve become pretty good at reading people, and I believe you’re on
the verge of an incredible journey. Besides, your aunt wouldn’t
have left you this place unless she thought you could handle
it.”

“How did you
know—”

“I had a nice
chat with your mother-in-law while she was here. She told me a
little bit about my sister’s plans for the inn and how they
included you.”

“Hmmm…”

“Is that why
you and Alex are divorcing? Because you’ve decided your life is
here and his in New York?”

“Something like
that.” Eve was uncomfortable sharing with her mother. Jane had
become a wonderful listener, someone who was easy to talk to, but
Eve was still trying to come to terms with what happened to her
marriage, and she wasn’t ready to share that with anyone yet.

“It’s obvious
he still loves you very much.”

“I still love
him too,” Eve said, almost surprised to admit it aloud. “That isn’t
the problem.”

“Ah, but what
else is there, really?” Jane smiled when Eve raised an eyebrow. “We
often make the mistake of making things more complicated than they
need to be. If this personal development journey I’ve been on has
taught me one thing, it’s that we need to simplify things and
listen to our inner voices instead of worrying about what everyone
else says and thinks.”

“That’s good
advice.” Eve tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ll try to
remember that.”

Jane slid off
the barstool, hooking her handmade bag over her shoulder. “I want
to thank you for letting me stay for the service. It meant a lot to
me.”

“Does that mean
you’re leaving?” Eve asked, frowning. She didn’t know why, but the
idea of her mother leaving without a home to go back to didn’t sit
well with her.

“I should be on
my way. I have to start looking for another job soon.”

“Are you
returning to…” Eve realized she didn’t even know where her mother
called home.

“No,” Jane
said, smiling. “I have too many memories there. Don’t get me wrong,
most of them are wonderful memories, but it’s still a little too
fresh, if you know what I mean?”

Eve could only
imagine what it would be like to be back in New York City, living
in the home she’d shared with Alex. She didn’t want to take
anything from the house because she didn’t think she could stand to
remember what her heart wouldn’t let her forget. “I think I
understand. Where will you go from here?”

“I’m not sure,”
Jane said. “Wherever the road takes me, I guess.”

“Maybe you
could stay here for a while.” Eve hadn’t expected to make the
offer, but it felt right.

“I have always
loved this place, but I don’t want to take advantage of your
generosity.” Jane looked at the glorious grounds through the
picture window. “If I agree to stay for a while, could you find a
job for me, so I could earn my keep?”

The woman Eve
knew would never have thought to ask that question. Perhaps her
mother really had grown and evolved into someone Eve would like to
know. “One of the sous chefs just quit. Are you still a marvel in
the kitchen?”

Her eyes lit up
with excitement. “I’d love that! If you’re sure you wouldn’t
mind?”

“I wouldn’t
mind,” Eve said. “We’ll just take it day by day and see how it
goes. If it’s not working, for either one of us, we’ll just part
ways. No hard feelings. Agreed?”

Jane extended
her hand and looked cautiously optimistic as she waited to find out
whether her daughter would accept her gesture. When Eve slipped her
hand into hers, Jane said, “This is more than I ever could have
hoped for. Thank you, Eve.”

“Maybe everyone
deserves a second chance,” she said, biting her lip as she withdrew
her hand. “You can stay on in the room you had last night, if
that’s okay?”

“It was lovely.
Thank you.”

“Okay, then
I’ll just introduce you to the kitchen staff and see if we can find
you a uniform.”

“I can’t wait
to get started.”

Alex’s hand shook as
he gripped the silver pen his wife had given him as an anniversary
gift. He was poised to sign his name on the dotted line when a bead
of sweat broke out on his forehead.

“You don’t have
to do this if you’re not ready,” James said, leaning forward.

“It’s not like
anything is going to change,” Alex said, swearing softly as he set
the pen back down on the desk. Their divorce was simple, with
neither party asking for anything. With the stroke of his pen, it
would be over. “I haven’t seen or spoken to Eve since her aunt’s
service over a month ago.” The longest and most miserable month of
his life. His new reality closed in on him, smothering him. He
hated life as a single man. More than anything, he wanted to turn
back time to when he and Eve had been young and carefree.

“I hate to say
it, but she obviously hasn’t changed her mind,” James said. “You
know, since she’s already signed the papers.”

It wasn’t like
Alex needed any more confirmation she wanted out of the marriage.
He had promised to let her go. If only it wasn’t so damn hard… With
a deep breath, he picked up the pen and scribbled his name on the
appointed lines. Sliding a hand over his mouth, he threw the pen on
the desk and pushed back his swivel chair.

“You okay?”
James asked quietly.

Alex stared at
him, stunned that he’d actually gone through with it. “Do I look
okay?”

“No, you look
like you just escaped death.”

“Really? I feel
like I walked right into it.” He covered his face, hoping that when
he opened his eyes, he’d wake up in their king-sized bed, pull his
wife into his arms, and chuckle about the crazy dream he’d just
had. She would reassure him, and they would make love until she
drove all of his fears away. Instead, when he opened his eyes,
James was sitting there and the signed divorced papers reminded him
he was never going to wake up from that nightmare.

“Well, I guess
I should get these to Morris,” James said, reaching for them.

“Don’t.” Alex
grabbed them, straightening the copies into a neat stack. “I can’t
let it end this way. I’ll go there, give them to Eve myself.”

“What? Why
would you do that?”

“Because you
don’t end a ten-year marriage through lawyers.”

“Uh, I hate to
break it you, bud, but that’s usually how it’s done.” James
chuckled. “Most people can’t stand the sight of each other by the
time the judge finally grants the divorce.”

“It’s not that
way for us,” Alex said, feeling confident Eve would agree. “We
still love and respect each other. Just because we can’t figure out
how to rebuild a life together doesn’t mean we don’t want to end
this marriage as friends.”

“Man, I don’t
know how you’re holding it together,” James said, shaking his head.
“If I were in your shoes, I’d be a mess.”

“I am a mess,”
Alex said, knowing he wouldn’t admit that to anyone else. “You have
no idea the hell I go through sleeping in that bed every night. I
can’t get the scent of her perfume off the sheets. No matter how
many times the housekeeper washes them, I can’t get rid of it.”

“Maybe you
should think about buying new sheets.” James lifted a shoulder when
his friend glared at him. “I’m just sayin’.”

“I don’t want
to forget her.”

“It’s not
healthy to hold on to the past,” James said. “Especially now that
you’ve made it official.”

“I may have let
her go on paper”—Alex stood with the papers in his hand—“but she’ll
always have my heart.”

***

Eve stared at
the plastic stick in disbelief.
Two pink lines
. She was
pregnant. She’d taken the test because her period was a week late
and she’d been sick four out of the last five mornings, but she
honestly hadn’t expected to find out that she was carrying Alex’s
baby. She thought of the last time they’d been together… the night
her aunt died. They hadn’t used protection, but they hadn’t been
using protection for years, and no matter how hard she prayed, they
hadn’t gotten pregnant. Why did it happen when her divorce was only
days away from being finalized?

“Hey, didn’t
you hear me knock?” Dan asked, poking his head around her bedroom
door.

She
instinctively curled her hand around the stick, but it was too
late.

“What have you
got there?” He stepped into the room and closed the door.

“Nothing.” She
stuck the stick under her pillow in a pathetic attempt to pretend
she wasn’t trying to hide something from him. “What do you
need?”

Raising an
eyebrow, he asked, “Is that what I think it is?”

“No.”

He walked
closer and braced his hands on her footboard. “Try again,
Evie.”

“You can’t say
anything about this to anyone,” she whispered fiercely. “No one,
and I mean no one, can know about this.”

“Jesus,” he
muttered, dropping his head. “You’re pregnant? I thought maybe…
because you’ve been so tired and sick lately, but I didn’t want to
believe it.”

“This is the
last thing I expected,” she said, trying to comprehend what it
meant. They had already started the renovations on the inn and she
had more work than she could handle, but Dan was right. She had
been too tired to check most of the items off of her list lately,
and it would only get worse as the pregnancy progressed. “What am I
going to do?”

“When did this
happen? I mean, you’re not showing so…” Dan said, looking
uncomfortable.

The
conversation was too personal, especially for two people who had
once been lovers. It was only a matter of time before everyone
found out though, and they would all ask when the baby was due.
Since she and Alex had been separated for months, it could only
have happened during one of his brief stays at the inn. “The night
Aunt Sharon died…”

“That
sonofabitch knew you were vulnerable. How dare he take advantage of
you like that!”