Chapter 16
“Devyn. Wait.” Lauren grabbed her sister’s arm as they started across the fellowship hall Thursday night.
“What’s wrong?” Devyn stopped.
“Why is Diane Fisher here?” She inclined her head toward the blond woman seated with the costume committee in the far corner.
“She’s in the show, and she volunteered to help with costumes. Is there a problem?”
Lauren frowned. “She and her husband never get personally involved in local events.”
“She’s involved in this one.” Devyn dropped her voice and angled away from the small group. “I guess with you out of the loop, you haven’t heard the news. She’s not living with her husband at the moment. I think she’s staying in a small rental unit owned by a woman named Anna Williams.”
“Wow.” Lauren gave Diane a surreptitious scan as she digested that news. “That’s quite a comedown from the Fisher mansion.”
“Do you know her?”
“Not well. They stopped coming to community events years ago, and they rarely attend services at Grace Christian anymore. When they do, they skip the social hour. It’s like the people in town aren’t good enough to mingle with.
” She studied the other woman. “I wasn’t too social while I was married to Dennis, either, but I wasn’t a snob. ”
“I haven’t picked up any snobbishness in her. She comes across as pleasant and down to earth.” Devyn surveyed the group of four women again. “But she is sitting kind of off by herself a bit. Maybe she could use a friend.”
Lauren shook her head. “I don’t travel in her circles. The Fishers are rich and successful and drive expensive cars and wear high-end clothes.”
“They’re also separated, so the perfect picture you paint must not be so perfect. And Diane’s in our circle for the duration of the show. Come on. I have to get the rehearsal going. My female dancer for the dream ballet sequence is talented, but she needs a ton of coaching.”
Devyn continued forward, leaving Lauren no choice but to follow—and hope she wasn’t going to regret her decision to take on the costume chair position.
Once they reached the group of women, Devyn greeted them, chitchatted for thirty seconds, then moved on.
As her sister departed, Lauren took the empty chair waiting for her and opened her notebook.
Fortunately, she knew two of the women from church. And while she wasn’t well-acquainted with Emma Blair, the new owner of Sweet Dreams, she was always pleasant during their exchanges at the bakery. All three should be easy to work with.
Diane was the wild card.
She’d have to play it by ear with the woman and try not to be intimidated by the chic slacks and top that likely bore designer labels. Nor by the ginormous diamond on her left hand.
Interesting that she was still wearing it.
But speculating about Diane’s marriage wasn’t going to get the costume situation addressed.
Summoning up a smile, she pulled her pen out of her purse. “Are you ladies all involved in the show onstage too?”
Emma hooted. “If I could sing one-tenth as well as I bake, I might have considered trying out. Trust me, I’ll do far better with a needle and thread than I would with a musical scale.”
“So all of you sew?” Lauren encompassed the group with her question.
Everyone but Diane nodded.
The blond woman knitted her fingers together on her lap. “I can sew hems and simple seams, but I volunteered because I may also be able to help you source existing items.”
Like from a costume company?
If that’s what she meant, her tenure on the committee could be short-lived.
Lauren held on to her smile. “I’m afraid we can’t afford to rent many costumes with the budget we have.”
“I assumed as much, but I volunteer with a charity resale shop in Coos Bay. The prices are reasonable, and given the volume of clothing on hand and the new donations that arrive every day, we may be able to buy some items cheaper than the cost of fabric and use them as is or adapt them for our purposes. I know one scene also calls for a wedding dress, and I think we could find one that will work. I talked to the manager, and for a more expensive item like that, he’s willing to let us borrow it for free as long as we have it cleaned after the show. ”
Guilt nipped at Lauren’s conscience.
Devyn’s take on the woman appeared to be correct. She came across as low-key and agreeable, with no hint of pretentiousness.
“That sounds fabulous. Why don’t I walk all of you through the scene-by-scene list of costumes I put together, and then we can decide on next steps?”
After head nods all around, she gave them a detailed report on the material she’d compiled.
Diane promised to check the inventory at the store.
The other women divided up the chores of working with the men in the cast to see what they could use from their own wardrobes and trolling through patterns to find simple designs that could be modified without too much effort to provide a variety of looks on stage for the female cast members.
When they at last wound down, everyone took off except Diane.
“Aren’t you going home too?” Lauren closed her notebook.
“No. There’s a full cast rehearsal in fifteen minutes. I’m here for the duration.”
“So am I.” She tried without success to stifle a yawn. “Sorry. I get tired fast these days.”
“I heard about your accident. I don’t know much about brain injuries, but you seem to be making excellent progress.”
“I am. Although some days the road to recovery feels like it’s full of potholes.”
“I’m surprised you took on the costume chore after everything you’ve been through.”
“It beats sitting around the house. But to be honest, my sister had to push me into it.” Lauren shook her head. “She’s a force to be reckoned with.”
“I’ve picked that up. She seems like a dynamo.” Diane flicked a quick look toward the front of the room, where Devyn was working with the lead dancer on a turn, demonstrating the correct arm position. “If you’re tired, why don’t you go home?”
“I can’t drive yet, and your choreographer is my ride. Under normal circumstances I’d walk, but I doubt I’d make it halfway with how tired I am.”
“Why don’t you let me take you? If you live close enough to walk, I’m sure I could get there and back with time to spare.”
Diane Fisher was offering to be her chauffeur?
How surreal was that?
But with a major case of fatigue setting in, passing up her offer would be foolish.
“If you’re certain you don’t mind, I’d appreciate a ride. Otherwise, I might have to curl up on a couple of folding chairs here.”
“I’m happy to do it.”
“In that case, let me tell Devyn. I’ll meet you in the parking lot.”
Five minutes later, when she exited the building, Diane had pulled her car close to the door.
Very considerate.
Lauren slid onto the cushy leather seat, buckled her seat belt, and gave the other woman the simple directions.
“Have you always lived in Hope Harbor?” Diane pulled out of the church parking lot.
“Yes. In fact, I still live in my childhood home. I stayed there with my dad until he passed away, and my husband and I lived there after we got married.”
“Is he out of town?”
Lauren blinked.
Her divorce may not yet be common knowledge, but everyone in Hope Harbor knew she was separated.
Except maybe a woman who didn’t mingle with the locals and wasn’t privy to town scuttlebutt.
Diane sent her a contrite glance. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be nosy. I just thought that could be the reason you were stranded at rehearsal.”
“No apology necessary. Most people know my husband and I separated last year. Not many know that our divorce came through a few weeks ago.”
“I’m sorry.” Diane flipped on her turn signal, distress etching her features. “It’s always sad when a marriage falls apart.”
Lauren peeked over at her.
Was that an invitation to start a conversation on the subject—or a general comment?
“How long were you two married?” Diane hung a right.
Question answered.
She wanted to talk.
“Too long, in hindsight. But eleven years, to be precise. And it was a mistake from the beginning, which is also clear in hindsight. Dennis was controlling and jealous from the get-go. I learned to live with that, but his infidelity was the final straw.”
As the words fell from her mouth, she scrunched up her brow.
Why was she being so open with a woman she barely knew? One who’d kept herself apart from everyone in town for years?
Diane glanced over, distaste etched in her features. “He cheated on you?”
“Yes.” She could leave it at that, but the temptation to share more with this woman who was also in a troubled marriage was too strong to resist. “Multiple times, apparently.”
“That’s despicable.”
Lauren assessed her.
Unless her instincts were off, unfaithfulness wasn’t the problem in the Fisher household.
“I agree. It’s also very hard to forgive, even if your spouse asks for that. Mine didn’t.”
Diane eased back on the accelerator as the car in front of them made a sudden left turn. “Forgiveness is hard even when people do ask for it. I mean, how do you know the same behavior won’t come back?”
Strange how easy it was to talk about this with Diane, despite the ten-year or more age gap between them. Much easier than with a sister who, as far as she knew, had no romantic ghosts in her past.
“I suppose that’s where trust comes in. If someone has a history of honoring promises, that’s a positive sign. The ability to recognize and acknowledge mistakes is too. Dennis failed on all counts.”
A few beats ticked by as Diane signaled another turn. “You make a good point.” She navigated the corner. “I can’t believe how much you’ve had to deal with. A cheating spouse would be bad enough, but a brain injury too? That doesn’t seem fair.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Not by a long shot. “But the brain injury is giving me and Devyn a chance to reconnect.”
One side of Diane’s mouth quirked up. “I like your positive spin.”
Lauren assessed her out of the corner of her eye, fingering the clasp on her purse.
Would Diane also welcome the sympathetic ear of a kindred spirit?
Impossible to gauge, but what could it hurt to put out a simple feeler? One the other woman could brush off if she chose.
“I heard you’re separated from your husband too. I’m sorry.”
“At least Martin never cheated on me. Although the mill is almost as bad as a mistress. It’s consumed him ever since he took over from his father.” She sighed. “I just needed to get away to think. And I wanted to send a message.”
“I hope he hears it, and that you’re able to work everything out.”
Diane pulled up in front of the house. “At this stage, I’m putting it in God’s hands. But there’s already been one positive outcome, like you had with your sister. I’m back in touch on a regular basis with our son.”
“That’s great. I remember he had some, uh, issues a while back.”
Her mouth twisted. “I expect everyone in town remembers. Those were hard days. To be honest, I almost walked away from Martin then. But I hoped everything that happened with Lucas would open his eyes. Sadly, it didn’t.
” She offered a smile that seemed strained.
“I’ll work on the costumes tomorrow, now that I know what we need. ”
She was done talking about personal subjects.
But it was amazing she’d shared as much as she had.
“Thanks for that and for the ride tonight.” Lauren opened the door, slid out, and stepped back. “Have fun at rehearsal.”
A few moments later, Diane pulled away from the curb with a wave.
As the car disappeared down the street, Lauren slowly made her way inside. This was going to be an early-to-bed night. The prep for the meeting and the meeting itself had been more taxing than she’d expected. Yet another reminder that her stamina remained at low ebb.
But taking on the costume job hadn’t been a mistake. It was invigorating to be around other people again. And connecting with Diane had been a bonus. Who knew they’d have so much in common—or that the woman would be so easy to talk to?
And wouldn’t it be something if her broken marriage and traumatic head injury helped her not only reconnect with her sister but find a new friend?