Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
MARLOWE
W hen Marlowe got off the plane in Traverse Bay two weeks later, she sprinted from the plane, eager to see Sam. And sure enough, the minute she hit the concourse there was her sister, smiling and waving to her. With her chestnut colored hair shining under the overhead lights, Sam was bundled up in a navy three quarter length coat. Yes, they were in snow country again. White mounds of snow lined the runway. Marlowe wore her gray quilted jacket from Lands End. She’d used it more in the past two months than she had in the past five years.
Sam had driven from Chicago and had offered to pick Marlowe up on the way to Sunnycrest. They were both there to meet with the contractor. She couldn't wait to see the drawings. Aunt Cate had assured them both during a joint call that if they didn't feel that Seth Barrett was the one to work on Sunnycrest, there were other contractors available. Marlowe had mentioned going back to Gabby and that’s what they’d do. This had to be the right person. So much hinged on this renovation.
“So good to see you!” Her big sister crushed Marlowe to her chest. You would have thought that they hadn't seen each other in years. Instead, it had only been weeks.
While they waited for the luggage to appear in the baggage area, they talked about how excited they were to be moving their relocation plan along. When they'd made all these decisions on New Year's Day, it would have been easy to go home and then send an email saying something had come up. The plan wasn't possible. But no one had backed out. Marlowe felt almost heady thinking about her upcoming appointment with Gabby and her husband. This was all coming together.
Before long they had Marlowe's bag and were moving across the packed snow to Sam's SUV. Unlike Chicago at the southern tip of Lake Michigan, the days up here were often sunny, not the dull gray that could enclose southern Michigan until spring. After swinging her turquoise bag into the back of the SUV, Marlowe climbed in next to Sam. How she wished she were within driving distance of Charlevoix, although this wasn’t convertible weather. What was she going to do with her turquoise convertible? She hadn’t decided.
Although Sam had sounded down in the dumps during their recent calls after Christmas, today her sister sparkled. What was that about?
“So what have you been doing since I last talked to you?” Marlowe asked as her sister backed out of the parking place and made her way back to the highway.
“I put my house on the market.”
Marlowe couldn't believe what she was hearing. “No way. Really?”
“Once I told people that I was dating someone up here, I had to move things along.”
Turning so that she could see Sam's profile, Marlowe studied her sister’s giddy smile. “So that's how it is. You and Josh are now dating?” She blew out that last word like the Goodyear blimp and loved seeing the pink flush work its way up Sam's cheeks
“Not really. But my friends don't have to know that.” Sam slammed her hands against the wheel. “Okay, so I exaggerated. I couldn't stand having everyone feel sorry for me. It was such a bummer.”
“I'm with you on that. But I hope you didn't blow it all out of proportion.” After what Sam had been through, Marlowe didn’t want her sister to get ahead of herself. She couldn’t stand to see Sam disappointed, not after the mess she’d been through with Kurt.
Having been single for a long time, Marlowe knew how that felt when you put the cart before the horse. There were years when Aunt Cate often asked her if she were dating someone. Sometimes she’d invent a mystery man but her aunt’s questions never stopped. Finally she’d eased off. “So have you been exaggerating whatever it is you have with Josh?” That didn’t sound like her sister, but a pity party was never fun. She wanted Sam to leave Chicago on a hopeful note.
“Just a teeny bit. I have been talking to Josh, and those conversations get, well, pretty long. We have a lot of memories and a lot of filling in to do.”
Marlowe loved the smile that danced across Sam’s lips. No way would she warn her sister to go slow, to be sure about how they both felt. If her sister was happy, then Marlowe was happy. Besides, Josh had always been a good guy. There was no reason to worry about him hurting her.
“And then there's Kurt,” Sam continued. “I hated hearing that he’d taken Chelsea to the parties we once attended as a couple. While I was in Michigan, he made the rounds among our circle of friends.”
Hearing that made Marlowe mad. “So he’s officially a creep. I’m sure your friends know the truth. I don't blame you a bit for getting your own story out there.”
“Right.” Sam blew out a breath. “Apparently he talked about how much he looked forward to the upcoming baby.”
“That is so mean.” Marlowe couldn't believe it. Were all men like this? But she thought back to her dad. He’d been great.
“I should have prepared myself, darn it.” Sam's voice was full of hurt. “That news came when I met some friends for dinner. By then I knew he'd been to the house and had cleared out a lot of furniture and other stuff.”
“Has he bought a house for his new family?”
“Don’t know and really don’t care. How can he afford that area on half the income we once brought in together?”
The situation still sounded unfair after all those years of marriage. But Marlowe was glad that her sister wasn’t going to let her divorce get to her. Some women went on a revenge tour with their ex. From what Marlowe had seen, it didn’t help you move on with your life. “We’re working on our future,” she reminded her sister. “Not rehashing the past.”
“You bet,” Sam said, heaving a sigh.
By that time they were on Highway 31, headed north. The road skirted Grand Traverse Bay. In the late afternoon light, the sun was beginning to dip toward the horizon. Sunsets over the lake were spectacular and Marlowe's spirit lifted. Once she moved up here, she wanted to watch as many as she could. The snow sparkling around them brought such peace. But her sister's news about Kurt was still disturbing. “I hope he didn't take anything you really care about.”
Sam snorted. “How can you have an emotional attachment to leather recliners? He'd never liked the oriental rugs and most of those are still on the floors. I think they'll look great in Sunnycrest.”
“So you’re thinking of living there?” This was a delicate topic, one they hadn’t discussed in detail. There were four bedrooms and one would most likely be under construction all the time.
“I'm not sure.” Sam looked pensive, staring out over the steering wheel. “But at the beginning, I might. Izzy needs some help.”
Her sister had a point. “Definitely. She sounded a little overwhelmed after that first meeting with the contractors. We promised to support her during all the changes. That means staying at Sunnycrest for a while. There's plenty of room. We’ll make it work.” The four bedroom home was huge, but Marlowe still wasn’t sure about the timing for herself. Rollaway beds were always a possibility.
“If they start tearing out the walls or whatever they're going to do, that will probably be a noisy mess.”
“Right. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” They were driving through Elk Rapids and traffic slowed. The little towns that characterized northern Michigan were charming. She loved the historical feel to them and hoped to explore more once she was up here to stay.
“What about you, Marlowe?” Sam asked. “Did you put your condo on the market?”
That was a tough question and she hoped Sam would understand. Marlowe drew in a deep breath. “Not yet. If I put my condo up for sale, everyone in the agency will start asking questions.”
Sam nodded. “You probably don't want them to know until you pull the plug, right?” They were out of the town and Sam picked up speed.
“Exactly.” It gave her butterflies when she thought of telling Landon that she was leaving the agency. But it also filled her with a deep satisfaction. He'd been such a rat. She'd been trying to establish some kind of relationship with Jenna again so that she could warn the younger girl about their married boss and his big lie. But the right opportunity had never come up.
They’d reached an area of farm fields. Nothing was growing now and the fields were still white with snow. During the summer, vegetable stands sprang up along this road with plenty of room for cars to turn off. “At least it's not snowing today.”
“No, this is one of those days where you can see forever. I wonder if the ice floes have formed down on the beach.”
Marlowe laughed. She'd forgotten about the winter waves that turned into ice edging the lake in winter. “Remember when Dad caught us hauling the red plastic sled onto the ice?”
“I thought he was going to have a heart attack.”
Her laugh faded. The ice floes were no laughing matter. “And for good reason. There was that accident in South Haven where a child fell through the ice.” The car got quiet. The lake could be treacherous in the winter. City people at the time, as children they hadn’t fully understood that.
“We got into plenty of trouble together,” Sam finally said. “Most of it was harmless fun.”
“When you're in your teenage years, you don't see danger lurking everywhere. Shimmying down the drainpipe from the flat roof outside my bedroom probably wasn't very bright either.”
“Adventurous,” Sam offered with a smile. “We never thought about what would happen if we missed the bushes below.”
“Back then everything was fun. Luckily we never broke an arm or a leg. Speaking of which, how's your ankle?”
“I don't even think about it anymore.” Her lips tipped up into a soft smile.
“You have Josh to take care of it, right?” She hated to press her sister too much about Josh.
“Sort of. He did say he wanted to look at it when I get to Charlevoix.”
For a while they rode in companionable silence. The forests they passed through were throwing deep shadows over the snow. Marlowe was thinking about her guilt over what had happened when she took Sam cross country skiing.
What was on Sam’s mind right now? A secret smile lifted her lips. She was probably thinking about Josh, who’d appeared at the top of the ski trail that day. He’d helped them back up to the trail and had called the paramedics. In charge and considerate. Even as a young man, Josh McCall had been a considerate guy who knew how to laugh, but never at anyone else’s expense. Now he was a widower with two children. Who knew what would happen with Sam and Josh? But for now her sister seemed happy.
“What about working up here?” Sam said. “You collected all those cards of realtors over the holidays. Have you made any connections?”
“Gabby mentioned that they could use help in their agency. She wants me to come over and meet her husband. I have an appointment with them tomorrow. I'm kind of excited because her agency deals mostly with the Bar Harbor area.”
“That part of the lake has grown a lot. Haven't driven through it recently but it looks impressive from the road. Working with those properties might get you off to a good start up here.”
“We'll see.” Marlowe wanted to make a good impression on Gabby and her husband. Anxiety rippled through her stomach when she thought about starting over. Sometimes Marlowe was surprised at how uncertain she felt. Ten years ago she would not have hesitated. But now? She had so much to lose. But if she didn’t change her life? Wouldn’t that be a different kind of loss?
By the time they reached Sunnycrest, Marlowe was eager to see Aunt Cate and Izzy. Someone had cleared the front steps and sprinkled salt. Not wanting to block the driveway in case Aunt Cate or Izzy wanted to get out, Sam pulled up behind the mailbox. Hauling out their suitcases, they dragged them up the steps.
Before they even rang the bell, Aunt Cate threw open the front door. “Finally! We've been waiting for you.”
“Has Izzy gotten home from work yet?” Sam asked, stamping the snow from her feet.
“In the kitchen. Her shop is on winter hours and closes at three o’clock.”
Laughing, Marlowe fell into her arms. As usual her New York aunt smelled of expensive perfume and her short blond hair was perfect. With the exception of her signature red lipstick, Aunt Cate's makeup was subtle. The casual tweed slacks and sweater looked as if they’d come from an exclusive New York shop.
With a squeal, Izzy came dancing down the long hallway from the kitchen with baby Holly in her arms.
While Marlowe was hugging Izzy, Holly took one look at Sam and cried out, “Ma-ma!”
“Not again,” Izzy laughed, kissing her little girl’s forehead. “I’m Mama. Remember?”
“You two have been busy. Which one of you shoveled the front steps?” Marlowe slipped out of her heavy jacket and hung it on the antique hall tree that had been there as long as she could recall.
“I did.” The deep voice made Marlowe turn. She hadn't seen Skipper Malone walking up behind Izzy.
My oh my, had Izzy’s ex-husband become a fixture at Sunnycrest? Marlowe looked over at Sam, who seemed to have the same question. In high school Skipper Malone had a beach boy appeal with his long blonde locks and startling blue eyes. Now, he’d trimmed everything back a bit but he still turned heads. How did Izzy manage to keep him at a distance? Turning, Izzy had carried Holly into the living room. But Marlowe noticed the flushed cheeks. Skipper’s eyes followed the pair. Yep, there definitely were some feelings there.