Drew?”
“No—thankfully. No offense, of course, to Shelby, but the man seems a little . . . slow.” Grudgingly, she added, “Although he makes the most beautiful pieces of furniture I think I have ever seen.”
Rainy’s mouth quirked a bit. “Um-hmm. Well, it’s too late now. It’s a done deal. I’m planning on sticking around until the end of the year, and then he’ll take over. We’re having the contracts drawn up now.”
Caroline straightened. “But . . . but the ‘for sale’ sign is still in the window. Surely this is still negotiable.”
Rainy stood and made her way through the kitchen to the front of the store with Caroline following close behind. “I’d forgotten I had that there. I’ll take care of that right now.” She reached into the window display and plucked out the sign. “There. Done.”
Caroline felt the unmistakable urge to cry. “But, Rainy, this can’t be the end of it.”
Rainy put her arm around Caroline’s shoulders and started leading her back toward the kitchen. “Honey, every ending is just really a beginning of something different. I know Drew’s heart isn’t into owning a country store up in the middle of nowhere. But I also know he’ll do his best by it until he figures out what he really should be doing.”
Caroline stopped walking and looked up at Rainy. “And what would that be?”
Rainy just shook her head and continued to propel Caroline toward the back of the old house. “Hell if I know. But we all have to figure out what we want to be when we grow up—no matter how old we are. It just takes some people longer than others to find out what that is.” She looked pointedly at Caroline, making her squirm.
“But Drew needs this right now. He has a lot of guilt—thinking he should have been there with Shelby, that maybe she wouldn’t have died if he had been. Things had been . . . well, difficult in their marriage for a few years. I guess he felt for whatever reason that he needed to work constantly to prove himself to his father, even if it meant taking time away from Shelby and Jewel. And something . . . changed in him after Jewel was born.”
She shook her head slightly at the confused look Caroline wore. “No, it wasn’t like that—he adored his daughter. And loved Shelby. I’ve just never been able to figure it out.” She walked toward the kitchen. “Anyway, this is something he needs right now—for him and Jewel both. He’ll work through it and move on, which will be the best thing for everyone involved. A person can’t move forward if he keeps his feet glued to the ground.”
She sent another pointed look at Caroline, but before Caroline could respond, Rainy said, “Come on into the kitchen with me and I’ll make us some tea. Then you can help me oil the hinges on my back door with that stuff your mama sent.”
Caroline pushed back the need to defend herself and allowed a reluctant smile to tug at her lips as she followed Rainy through the kitchen door.
December 26, 1986
Jude has come back. He talked his family into spending Christmas up in the mountains even though it’s tradition for them to spend it at their grandmother’s in Savannah. But Mama says Jude could talk the blue down from the sky, and I think she’s right.
Jude, Caroline, and I went hiking today all the way up to poor old Ophelia. Legend says that a long, long time ago she was a real woman who was cursed and turned to stone. We had our picnic lunch right on the ledge under her nose and Jude made us laugh until our sides hurt with all these booger jokes.
We spent a lot of time talking about Ophelia and what she must have done that was so bad. I said I couldn’t imagine anything worse than being turned to stone—to be forced to watch other people’s lives and not be a part of it. Jude said the only thing worse would be to be alone without friends and family. That made a lot of sense to me because Jude always seems to be in the middle of a crowd. But the
“No—thankfully. No offense, of course, to Shelby, but the man seems a little . . . slow.” Grudgingly, she added, “Although he makes the most beautiful pieces of furniture I think I have ever seen.”
Rainy’s mouth quirked a bit. “Um-hmm. Well, it’s too late now. It’s a done deal. I’m planning on sticking around until the end of the year, and then he’ll take over. We’re having the contracts drawn up now.”
Caroline straightened. “But . . . but the ‘for sale’ sign is still in the window. Surely this is still negotiable.”
Rainy stood and made her way through the kitchen to the front of the store with Caroline following close behind. “I’d forgotten I had that there. I’ll take care of that right now.” She reached into the window display and plucked out the sign. “There. Done.”
Caroline felt the unmistakable urge to cry. “But, Rainy, this can’t be the end of it.”
Rainy put her arm around Caroline’s shoulders and started leading her back toward the kitchen. “Honey, every ending is just really a beginning of something different. I know Drew’s heart isn’t into owning a country store up in the middle of nowhere. But I also know he’ll do his best by it until he figures out what he really should be doing.”
Caroline stopped walking and looked up at Rainy. “And what would that be?”
Rainy just shook her head and continued to propel Caroline toward the back of the old house. “Hell if I know. But we all have to figure out what we want to be when we grow up—no matter how old we are. It just takes some people longer than others to find out what that is.” She looked pointedly at Caroline, making her squirm.
“But Drew needs this right now. He has a lot of guilt—thinking he should have been there with Shelby, that maybe she wouldn’t have died if he had been. Things had been . . . well, difficult in their marriage for a few years. I guess he felt for whatever reason that he needed to work constantly to prove himself to his father, even if it meant taking time away from Shelby and Jewel. And something . . . changed in him after Jewel was born.”
She shook her head slightly at the confused look Caroline wore. “No, it wasn’t like that—he adored his daughter. And loved Shelby. I’ve just never been able to figure it out.” She walked toward the kitchen. “Anyway, this is something he needs right now—for him and Jewel both. He’ll work through it and move on, which will be the best thing for everyone involved. A person can’t move forward if he keeps his feet glued to the ground.”
She sent another pointed look at Caroline, but before Caroline could respond, Rainy said, “Come on into the kitchen with me and I’ll make us some tea. Then you can help me oil the hinges on my back door with that stuff your mama sent.”
Caroline pushed back the need to defend herself and allowed a reluctant smile to tug at her lips as she followed Rainy through the kitchen door.
December 26, 1986
Jude has come back. He talked his family into spending Christmas up in the mountains even though it’s tradition for them to spend it at their grandmother’s in Savannah. But Mama says Jude could talk the blue down from the sky, and I think she’s right.
Jude, Caroline, and I went hiking today all the way up to poor old Ophelia. Legend says that a long, long time ago she was a real woman who was cursed and turned to stone. We had our picnic lunch right on the ledge under her nose and Jude made us laugh until our sides hurt with all these booger jokes.
We spent a lot of time talking about Ophelia and what she must have done that was so bad. I said I couldn’t imagine anything worse than being turned to stone—to be forced to watch other people’s lives and not be a part of it. Jude said the only thing worse would be to be alone without friends and family. That made a lot of sense to me because Jude always seems to be in the middle of a crowd. But the
Similar Books
