especially now that her things would not be there. Carrie was never the kind of person to hang around in the past, she was always moving on.
It was here on the cliff top, overlooking the wild wind-and rain-whipped sea, that Sophie knew she would be able to find Carrie, where she’d be able to picture her and remember her most clearly. Carrie, who always seemed to have the wind in her hair, even indoors. Who always had a certain light in her eyes and a kind of restless grace that made you feel she was constantly on the verge of leaving. It was only when she was with her children that Sophie ever saw her friend become completely still, her lips pressed against their hair, her eyes closed as she held them. Carrie was like the sea she had always been drawn to. Always moving, always changing, often dangerous and sometimes perfectly serene. Yes, it was here that Sophie would find her.
“Hello, Carrie.” Sophie spoke into the wind, which snatched her words away with urgent, greedy gusts. She felt her stomach contract and realized how nervous she was. “I’m going to marry Louis. I’m going to marry your husband. There—I’ve said it, and no matter how many times I say it out loud, it still sounds like a reader’s true story in a gossip magazine. But there it is; it’s happening …it really is happening. You know, ever since I met Bella and Izzy and Louis, I’ve wondered what you’d think, how you’d feel about it if you were here. I tried to love your girls because I loved you, and that was a lot easier than I thought. And I tried not to love Louis because I loved you, and I’m sorry, Carrie …but that was impossible.”
Sophie pushed her windswept hair off her face and took a deep breath. “The hardest thing is that I know I would never have met them if you hadn’t died. I would probably have gone on having my secretary send them gifts and cards every birthday and Christmas. Louis might have stayed in Peru, and who knows if I would have seen you again. It breaks my heart that I had to lose you to find them …but, Carrie, you knew that I would fight for your daughters, that’s why you made me their guardian, and you knew thatafter quite a lot of stupidity and a serious number of epiphanies I would love them as much as I do. And I’ll never let them down, I promise you.
“I don’t suppose you expected me to fall in love with Louis. I don’t suppose that I expected it. How could I, uptight, repressed me, ever be attracted to the man you once loved? He took me by surprise, Carrie. But I do love him, I love him an incredibly frightening heart-stopping amount, and I do …I do want to marry him. I do. So I’ve come to ask you …to tell you, that this is what I am going to do …one day, after we’ve set a date and saved up a bit, because these things take ages to organize, so it might be months or even years yet …”
Suddenly Sophie had a picture of her friend laughing, her eyes sparkling, her hair tossed in the wind. “Yes, you’re right, I am terrified about it. I am scared stiff, but I can’t see into the future. I can’t know what’s going to happen, how can I? You and I know that better than anyone. All I can know is that at this moment, this hour, this day I love him and I want to be with him. And right now I can’t imagine that’s going to change, and that’s all I can know, isn’t it?” Sophie smiled and closed her eyes, spreading her arms wide to embrace the full force of the wind that battered and rippled her coat. “We made each other a promise when we were girls— always, forever, whatever . You made that promise to your daughters, so have I, and now I’m making that promise to Louis.” Sophie opened her eyes and looked into the silver-streaked sky. “And I don’t know where you are, my dear, dear friend, but wherever you are I hope you’ll be happy for us.”
Sophie held her breath, hoping for something, a beam of sunlight cutting through the gray sky, a sudden cessation of
It was here on the cliff top, overlooking the wild wind-and rain-whipped sea, that Sophie knew she would be able to find Carrie, where she’d be able to picture her and remember her most clearly. Carrie, who always seemed to have the wind in her hair, even indoors. Who always had a certain light in her eyes and a kind of restless grace that made you feel she was constantly on the verge of leaving. It was only when she was with her children that Sophie ever saw her friend become completely still, her lips pressed against their hair, her eyes closed as she held them. Carrie was like the sea she had always been drawn to. Always moving, always changing, often dangerous and sometimes perfectly serene. Yes, it was here that Sophie would find her.
“Hello, Carrie.” Sophie spoke into the wind, which snatched her words away with urgent, greedy gusts. She felt her stomach contract and realized how nervous she was. “I’m going to marry Louis. I’m going to marry your husband. There—I’ve said it, and no matter how many times I say it out loud, it still sounds like a reader’s true story in a gossip magazine. But there it is; it’s happening …it really is happening. You know, ever since I met Bella and Izzy and Louis, I’ve wondered what you’d think, how you’d feel about it if you were here. I tried to love your girls because I loved you, and that was a lot easier than I thought. And I tried not to love Louis because I loved you, and I’m sorry, Carrie …but that was impossible.”
Sophie pushed her windswept hair off her face and took a deep breath. “The hardest thing is that I know I would never have met them if you hadn’t died. I would probably have gone on having my secretary send them gifts and cards every birthday and Christmas. Louis might have stayed in Peru, and who knows if I would have seen you again. It breaks my heart that I had to lose you to find them …but, Carrie, you knew that I would fight for your daughters, that’s why you made me their guardian, and you knew thatafter quite a lot of stupidity and a serious number of epiphanies I would love them as much as I do. And I’ll never let them down, I promise you.
“I don’t suppose you expected me to fall in love with Louis. I don’t suppose that I expected it. How could I, uptight, repressed me, ever be attracted to the man you once loved? He took me by surprise, Carrie. But I do love him, I love him an incredibly frightening heart-stopping amount, and I do …I do want to marry him. I do. So I’ve come to ask you …to tell you, that this is what I am going to do …one day, after we’ve set a date and saved up a bit, because these things take ages to organize, so it might be months or even years yet …”
Suddenly Sophie had a picture of her friend laughing, her eyes sparkling, her hair tossed in the wind. “Yes, you’re right, I am terrified about it. I am scared stiff, but I can’t see into the future. I can’t know what’s going to happen, how can I? You and I know that better than anyone. All I can know is that at this moment, this hour, this day I love him and I want to be with him. And right now I can’t imagine that’s going to change, and that’s all I can know, isn’t it?” Sophie smiled and closed her eyes, spreading her arms wide to embrace the full force of the wind that battered and rippled her coat. “We made each other a promise when we were girls— always, forever, whatever . You made that promise to your daughters, so have I, and now I’m making that promise to Louis.” Sophie opened her eyes and looked into the silver-streaked sky. “And I don’t know where you are, my dear, dear friend, but wherever you are I hope you’ll be happy for us.”
Sophie held her breath, hoping for something, a beam of sunlight cutting through the gray sky, a sudden cessation of
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