Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Gwen studied the floor rug that hung from the ceiling. It was enormous, a Persian design. It would look perfect in the library at the bed-and-breakfast. But was it too big? She flipped over the corner, looking for the measurements. No, not too big. In fact, it was exactly the size she was looking for. Now she just had to get the attention of the sales lady to let her know she wanted the red one.
She wandered through the spacious warehouse-style shop. It had everything from furniture to décor, rugs and fixtures. And she’d spent the past two hours browsing through the aisles, looking for pieces that would complement her boutique inn. So far, the rug was the only thing she’d decided on. But she wasn’t in a rush. The construction had only recently been approved by council, and she had plenty of time to choose décor and furniture. Now, where was that sales lady? She’d spoken to her ten minutes earlier, then the woman had disappeared.
Her breath caught. Duncan was there. He was walking ahead of her in the aisle with the lamps and light fixtures, holding hands with a young woman. She must be his new girlfriend. Gwen took a step backwards and hid behind a floor lamp. It didn’t hide her completely, but she pretended to look at it intently while glancing in Duncan’s direction.
What was he doing there? Were they decorating together? Of course they were. It made perfect sense. Duncan didn’t have a creative bone in his body. Gwen always had to do the work involved in making their house a home. Even though he’d always given his opinion, he hadn’t actively participated in the process. It seemed he’d changed in that respect. The two of them had stopped and were discussing a lamp. He picked it up and turned it over. The woman said something, and he laughed.
Gwen’s stomach clenched. It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair. But they were divorced now—he could do what he pleased. It was none of her business. Then her breath caught in her throat. Was that a diamond on the woman’s ring finger?
Suddenly it all made sense. The rush to get a divorce. Him coming over to see her and pressuring her to sign. He was engaged. How could he be engaged so quickly? Gwen had no idea how long he’d known her. It couldn’t have been more than a few months. Why hadn’t the children told her anything about this? No doubt they were embarrassed or didn’t want to hurt her. But they shouldn’t keep things from her. She wasn’t going to fall apart, if that’s what they were worried about.
Duncan and the woman kept walking. They approached a large shopping trolley piled high with décor and floor rugs in rolls. They set the lamp on top of the pile, then pushed the trolley out of sight.
She exhaled slowly, then squeezed her eyes shut. That was close. She didn’t want them to see her. She had barely brushed her hair that morning, instead pulling it into a short, messy ponytail. She was on a mission—she had work to do. She was wearing shorts, a T-shirt and joggers. Duncan’s fiancée was glamorous, slim and athletic, and about half Gwen’s age. Gwen peered down at the stain on the front of her T-shirt. She couldn’t bear the idea of running into Duncan looking like this. Especially not after seeing that gigantic rock on his fiancée’s finger.
Suddenly she felt very small inside. He was moving on. Had moved on. She knew that. But seeing him engaged and shopping for homeware had rocked her more than she’d thought it would. He didn’t need time to recover from their separation or divorce. He clearly had hardly given her a second thought since she’d signed the papers.
She didn’t want to hold on to him or any part of the past. She wanted instead to move forward, and the bed-and-breakfast was a way for her to do that. It gave her something to focus her time, energy and passion on, and she intended to make the most of it.
She spied the woman who’d been helping her with the floor rugs and made a beeline for her.
“The red one,” she said. “I want to take the red one. Thank you very much!”
The woman nodded and left to fetch a flat trolley to put the rug on so Gwen could take it home. She wasn’t entirely sure how she would manage to carry it into the storage unit she’d rented, but she’d have to give it a try. She would have to do a lot of things on her own that she’d never had to do in the past. It was challenging, but she didn’t have a choice. It was time to embrace the changes that the past few months had brought.
What should she call the boutique inn she was building? Something that would elicit the warmth and acceptance she wished she’d had. Love, romance, home. Words swirled around in her thoughts.
The Second Chance Inn.
No, that was too literal. Maybe that could be her pet name for the project. It was her second chance. But she needed something more sophisticated for the public.
Aurora .
She recalled that it was the Latin word for “dawn” from her high school days when she’d gotten top marks studying the language. And this was the dawn of a new beginning, a new day, for Gwen. This adventure was something she’d always wanted deep down inside. She’d longed for a project of her own. Something she could sink herself into, body and mind. Something that no one could take from her, where she was in charge and none could overrule her. Duncan was always doing that. He got his way, every single time. No matter what they were doing, what the discussion was about, he was right and he won. But not this time. She was the boss. The Aurora Boutique Inn and Bistro would be hers and hers alone. And she couldn’t wait to see it come together.