Chapter 10
Bonnie slept through the whole night in her own bed, not on the couch. Kitty stayed with her, curled up at her side. Sunrise woke them both up, streaming pleasantly through the window. Bonnie had a feeling it would be a good day.
“Up and at ‘em, Kitty,” she said, scratching the cat under the chin.
She stretched and got out of bed to face the day. The evening before hadn’t been entirely unpleasant. After she’d told Sharon and Jack about selling the house, Sharon had relaxed a lot. She’d continued to brag about her kids and gloat about becoming a grandmother, but there was less challenge in her statements than before. Plus, the cheese really was an excellent pairing with the wine. Jack had offered to help her with managing the proceeds of the house sale, too. He’d mentioned it quietly when he walked Bonnie out, so Sharon didn’t hear. Bonnie appreciated that more than she could say.
Just because she’d done the hardest part—deciding to let go of the Albany house—didn’t mean the rest of the sale would be a cakewalk, though. There was plenty she still needed to handle before her life in the city was wrapped up and her life at the lake could begin. She still had to stage the house, which couldn’t happen until after she had packed up the belongings she planned to take to the lake house. Whatever she didn’t bring with her, she’d have to sell or donate, and that meant going through Peter’s belongings.
Her heart clenched at the thought.
She knew most of it would have to go. There was no reason to hang onto all of his clothes or shoes. His books wouldn’t all fit in the lake house, and all the art he’d collected over the years would have to be sold.
Bonnie figured she’d have to call the kids and see what they wanted to keep. There were probably items they’d want for sentimentality’s sake. Certainly, there were things Bonnie wanted to keep to remind her of their years together. It would be difficult and emotional, but she knew she’d feel better once she’d done it.
First things first, though—she had to actually get the house listed. Rachel had sent her an email with all the necessary paperwork, so Bonnie brewed a huge pot of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table with her laptop to go through it all. Most of it was fairly straightforward, and Rachel had given her excellent instructions, so by mid-morning, Bonnie was feeling a lot more confident about the whole situation.
Rachel had also included a list of stagers she’d worked with before, so Bonnie started going through their portfolios to find one she liked. The one she liked the best was Rachel’s top choice as well, so she sent her an email to request an appointment.
The stager was fast; within ten minutes, Bonnie had an appointment confirmed for the following day. Bonnie figured she could drive down to Albany in the morning, meet with the stager, pack up a few more things, and then be back to Lake Placid in time to give Kitty her dinner. Eventually, she’d have to stay in Albany for longer, and she’d figure out what to do about Kitty then. Maybe Jack would be willing to look in on her and feed her a few times a day. She would have to cook him a whole gourmet dinner to thank him, but she figured it would be well worth it.
Kitty seemed to be adjusting to her new life as an indoor cat. She had found all of the places on the living room carpet with good sunlight, and she’d managed to leave hair on just about every seat in the whole house. Bonnie liked having her there; even when they weren’t in the same room, it was nice to have another living creature in the house with her. The whole house felt brighter and more alive.
To make the most of her time the following day, Bonnie sat down to make a list of all the furniture in the Albany house. That way, she could get a head start on splitting it up into categories: sell, donate, and bring with her. There wasn’t much that she wanted to keep; there was a rocking chair in the sunroom that she loved and a cedar chest she’d inherited from her grandmother.
Some things she would need to put in storage. There were boxes in the attic of the kids’ things—mostly furniture and clothing, and a few toys that Bonnie had saved with the intention of passing them on to Jackie and James’ children someday. Even if it was a futile hope, she wasn’t ready to let go of it yet. Anything could still happen.
There was a lot of furniture to sell, though. Plus, all the beautiful hand-woven silk rugs in the living and dining rooms would need to go somewhere, along with about a dozen antique lamps. And now that she was thinking about it, her wardrobe could also be downsized. She wouldn’t need so many cocktail dresses or black-tie gowns now that she wasn’t going to galas and parties with Peter all the time. Lake Placid was a different environment, so she could stick to a more casual attire.
She was nervous but excited. Bonnie had reinvented her life a few times over the years, and it had always turned out well enough. This would be no different.
Her phone rang in her pocket, and she hurried to answer it in case it was Rachel or the stager. But to her surprise, it was Charles calling. She answered quickly, eager to tell him the good news.
“Hi, Charles, I have news!” she said enthusiastically.
“Well, you sound chipper.” His deep chuckle reverberated in her ear. “It’s good to hear you like this. You sound more like yourself.”
“I’m feeling more like myself. It’s a long road ahead, still, but I’m making progress. I’ve decided that what I need to do is sell the house in Albany. I’ve talked to a realtor friend of mine, and we’re going to get it listed. I’m meeting with a stager in the morning, and then it’s time to pack up and move to Lake Placid full-time.”
The line was silent for a long moment.
Bonnie pulled the phone away from her ear to make sure the call hadn’t disconnected, but it was still live. “Charles? Are you there?”
“Sorry, Bonnie. You just caught me off guard.” He cleared his throat and paused again as if contemplating what to say. “I love your enthusiasm, and I’m glad you aren’t letting the grief swallow you. Living in Lake Placid full-time sounds lovely—but I’m sorry, Bonnie. You won’t be able to sell the Albany house. It’s not possible.”